"Waco, Texas – Earlier today, detainees in the Jack Harwell Detention Center in Waco were told that in exchange for bond reductions, they must sign a document stating the Waco police “had the right to arrest the inmate and that he/she will not file a lawsuit against McLennan County and/or the City of Waco.”
If you don't smell something piscine here, you evidently don't have a sense of smell.
More and More Police departments, D.A.'s, P.A.'s and S.A.'s are realizing just how badly something got screwed up and they are now open to BIG-TIME Liability. So they pull stuff like this out, using the power of the state to basically blackmail people into signing away their Rights under the threat of increased incarceration/bail. Seriously this is something Congress and the D.O.J. SHOULD be looking at.
But of course they won't. They don't want to leave themselves open for that Liability either.
Personally I think these folks have a good 8th Amendment Tort against the Waco PD, and Waco D.A.
I like Kenny's take on it.
"So basically the way I see it is the DA is saying “We may have fucked up and we’re willing to reduce your bail if you agree to not sue us for the aforementioned fuck up. If you don’t sign, then we didn’t fuck up and your ass is gonna rot in jail.”
ETA: Found this, the original story may be egregiously false.
"By TOMMY WITHERSPOON twitherspoon@wacotrib.com
A Houston attorney’s media release alleging that jailed bikers were being forced to waive their rights to sue the city and county is false, but the controversy it created has that lawyer squaring off with a Waco attorney over the rumors."
I can't help but wonder if some defense attorney isn't trying to 'game' the system here...
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