Who knows if that person in the corner is undercover?
A sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to nab criminals: They have been used to bust drug dealers, capture child pornographers and catch potential murderers. The processes used to nab criminals can be mindlessly entertaining to read about.
Take the case of the Mongols. A motorcycle gang situated in Los Angeles consisting of more than 1,000 members, the Mongols were known for their drug dealing, motorbike theft and possession of firearms. Needless to say, law enforcement was keen on finding incriminating evidence. It didn’t take long for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to decide that infiltration was the best possible route.
The agent who was chosen to infiltrate the Mongols was William Queen, who in the late '90s began taking steps to become a full-fledged member of the biker gang himself. Queen, in an effort to rise up in the Mongols ranks, grew a ragged beard, failed to keep himself to a decent man’s level of cleanliness, drove a stolen Harley and frequented the Mongols’ favorite bars, swigging and brawling to keep up the façade of being a full-on member of the Mongols.
What drives this story into strangeness is the fact that Queen pretended that he was an idiotic and dull man but somehow still managed to rise to the level of chapter vice president. The fact that an idiot can rise to the level of vice president within the Mongols should be an indication of talent present. Queen, at this point, gave up his disguise and helped the bureau arrest 54 members of the Mongols.
Aside from using pretend-idiots, police also utilize babyfaced individuals to pose as underage teenagers. One famous case was a crackdown on underage alcohol sales in Nottinghamshire, England. Although the drinking age is 18 across the pond, underage drinking is still a major issue, and the police decided to check how strenuously liquor stores in the town checked identification.
The volunteer in the case carried an ID that indicated that he was only 17 years of age. Additionally, the ID card had a picture of a cartoon character, Bobby King from King of Hill, instead of a real identifiable picture. Nevertheless, police watched with disappointment as the young man managed to make purchases in 13 of the town’s 22 liquor shops, which led to a response from the city council reminding stores to always check individuals who looked like they were under 25.
Still, undercover police are still more common than individuals doing volunteer work for police forces. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean the plainclothes police are doing a fine job. The New York Police Department had been under fire for undercover police frisking civilians, largely because the individuals asked to stop and those who were frisked were mostly Hispanic and black residents.
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Two plainclothes officers crossed the line when they decided to ask a black man to get out of his car. The man happened to be NYPD chief Douglas Zeigler, who was wearing an ID badge even though he was off duty. Despite the fact that Zeigler handed over his ID, the police officers still had doubts about Zeigler’s identity. Eventually, a cop was suspended for his actions, despite disputing the legitimacy of what had had happened.
Overall, the message the article tries to convey is police are everywhere and crime is just not a very viable option. Be a good citizen, if not because you are a good person, then because of all the potential undercover police officers out there.
Richard Hwang is a student at Athens High School. Have you come across an undercover officer? Email him at rhwang999@gmail.com.
