Rio: “San Francisco Cops Report Shakedown”

Argentine tourists posted these photos to Flickr earlier this year. They wound up in the newspaper. Handing your assault rifle to a tourist is not something you would see an NYPD Hercules cop doing, I venture to guess.

Policiais dos EUA acusam PMs do Rio de extorsão: RAPHAEL GOMIDE of the Rio bureau of the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper reports that two Rio military policemen were arrested for extorting two San Francisco police officers who were in town for the Pan-American Games.

The story has been getting quite a bit of local play.

Gomide has been the subject of some sinister commentary in the Brazilian police blogosphere — there is such a thing — over his reporting on militias and other issues relating to police governance.

See also Rio: The Tourist Battalion Rips Off Giant Suffering Jesus!

Dois policiais militares do Rio foram presos anteontem acusados de extorquir dinheiro de dois policiais americanos de férias. Eles afirmam que foram obrigados a entregar o equivalente a US$ 1.400 (cerca de US$ 1.100 mais R$ 600) e um iPod para não serem presos.

Two Rio PMs were arrested this week on charges of extorting money from two vacationing American police officers, who said they were forced to hand over the equivalent of US$1,400 (US$1,100 in cash plus R$600) and an iPod in exchange for not being arrested.

Os quatro turistas, todos policiais, foram abordados pelos soldados Ânderson de Souza Trindade, 27, e Ulisses Peixoto da Costa, 30, na madrugada de quarta, quando estavam em um táxi após deixarem a boate Help, em Copacabana.

The four tourists, all police officers, were stopped by PM privates Souza Trindade, 27, and Peixoto da Costa, 30, in the early morning hours Wednesday, as they were in a taxi after leaving the Help nightclub in Copacabana.

Aha, well, see, there’s part of your problem.

Help is the most notorious joint for hooking up with prostitutes in all of South America. It is a veritable Wal-Mart of hookerdom.

Stay the hell out of Help, is my advice.

Seriously: I absolutely do not condone prostititution, but if you really, really must get your name in the paper as a law officer hanging around a joint where local laws (which are enforced by people who in some cases may allegedly — Rio: “Palace Guard and Militiaman Pimped Child Sex Slaves on Upscale Beach” — also be getting a piece of the action) are being broken in someone else’s country, for God’s sake, ask your doorman.

And if you were just looking for a nice evening of legit nightclub entertainment — as your leaving Help unescorted, as it were, might charitably be taken to suggest — see what’s on at the Canecão. It’s a swell joint at good prices. We have seen some kick-ass shows there.

Segundo relato das vítimas, os policiais ameaçaram prendê-los porque um deles, John Battle Junior, tinha um canivete suíço -o que não é crime nem contravenção penal no Brasil. Os PMs liberaram dois integrantes do grupo e levaram Battle e um amigo para um carro da polícia.

According to report filed by the victims, the police threatened to arrest them because one, John Battle Jr., had a Swiss pocket knife — which is not a crime or misdemeanor in Brazil. The PMs let two members of the group go and took Battle and a friend to a police car.

Battle afirmou que Trindade chegou a sacar sua pistola para pressioná-los, e, com o colega, exigiu dinheiro para liberá-los. Como tinham apenas R$ 600, foram levados ao prédio onde estavam hospedados. Lá, Battle entregou aos PMs mais US$ 800 e um iPod. O restante em dólar foi dado pelo seu amigo.

Battle says that Trindade pulled his pistol to pressure them, and, with his partner, demanded money to let them go. Since they only had R$600, they were taken to the buildng where they were staying where Battle gave the PMs another US$800 and an iPod. The remaining amount in dollars was handed over by his friend.

O delegado Fernando Veloso indiciou os PMs por extorsão e pediu à Justiça a decretação de sua prisão preventiva. Os soldados estão em prisão administrativa em batalhão da PM.

Police delegado Fernando Veloso charged the PMs with extortion and asked the court to grant preventive custody. The soldiers are under administrative arrest at the PM barracks.

In other words, application for preventive custody effectively denied. Military police can only be tried by special military courts. The conviction rate does not indicate that these courts are excessively harsh on defendants.

Extortion while pointing a loaded weapon would almost sort of tend to sort of shade over into armed robbery, you would think, whereas just threatening to write a ticket would tend to stay on this side of that line. You would think. If you were still in Kansas, Toto.

As vítimas registraram queixa na Delegacia de Atendimento ao Turista, no Leblon, quarta à tarde. Os investigadores pediram à PM a relação dos carros policiais que estiveram na região do crime na madrugada de quarta -a identificação é possível graças a um sistema de GPS instalado nos carros. O reconhecimento dos acusados ocorreu com base nas fotos dos policiais que estavam nas viaturas que estiveram na região.

The victims filed a complaint with the Tourist Services Precinct in Leblon on Wednesday afternoon. The investigators asked the military police what patrol cars had been in the area of the crime on Wednesday morning — an answer made possible by a GPS system installed in the cars.

A recent innovation, I think I read. Came in handy.

The two were recognized from photos of policeman working the squad cars that had been in the area.

Os PMs podem ser expulsos da corporação, diz o coronel Carlos Milan, do 23º Batalhão. “Não passamos a mão na cabeça. Reuni a tropa e avisei que esse caso servirá como exemplo para quem tiver o mesmo comportamento. Nossa instituição não acoberta ninguém.”

The PMs could be kicked off the force, said Col. Carlos Milan of the 23rd Batallion. “We are not fooling around here. I got the troop together and warned them that this case will serve as an example to anyone who behaves like this. Our institution covers up nothing.”

But see Rio: “Destruction of Evidence Probe Demanded in Alemão Incident.”

Os turistas da Califórnia haviam alugado um apartamento em Ipanema, área nobre do Rio, para o período de 20 de julho a 14 de agosto, segundo relato da dona do imóvel, Mônica Conde. “Foram embora assustadíssimos. Insisti que ficassem, mas temiam represálias.”

The tourists from California had rented an apartment in Ipanema, an upscale [beachfront] neighborhood, from July 20 to August 14, accoding to the apartment’s owner, Mônica Conde. “They left scared witless. I tried to get them to stay, but they were afraid of reprisals.”

Locals might not have bothered trying to report the crime.

Good for all shakedowns, public and private?