Many cops in the past, and maybe even some now, are aware of the weeping willow. It was coined by me in the late 70's to described the obvious “plant” by police officers, (weeping willow is a plant) and the unfortunate outcome of the victim (weeping).  Many cops in other jurisdictions know of this technique by other names. I'm happy to report that I never used it, but know of many officers that did! 

What is it? It’s when a police officer plant a weapon or drugs on an innocent person! Here’s how it works. When an officer retrieves an illegal or unregistered gun or drugs from a suspect, they simply don’t arrest the person or report the drug seizure or weapon. They keep the weapon (usually in an ankle holster in the case of a weapon) and if they ever shoot a person that they thought had a weapon, but didn’t, or in the case of drugs, they simply plant the illegal items on the innocent person. Sometimes it was enact if the cop simply hated or was out to get a person. This tactic only works if there are no witnesses, or at least no witnesses willing to tell the truth about what they observed.

This maneuver was quite common years ago, and is still no doubt possibly practiced by some bad officers today. The movie called Training Day, played by actor Denzel Washington, was a good movie and example of how many cops are willing to use any illegal tactic to achieve an arrest for drugs or justify shooting a victim. Many times when a person is shot by police, you hear the victim’s family say that the victim never knowingly owned a weapon, or didn’t do drugs, this could be the weeping willow in action, by a bad cop! It’s very hard to prove by family members, or even the surviving victims!

The recent advent of camera phones, video recorders in some police units, and other video technologies has reduced some incidences, by not all. I have no doubt that citizens during the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s were victimized by these tactics, when there was no video equipment available. There is no way to go back in time and investigate these abuses, but have no doubt, a few of these officers may have utilized this tactic.

Why are there some cops willing to shoot an innocent victim? Well understand this, when cops are involve in legitimate shoot outs, for instance the shooting of a bank robber, he will have a good chance of a promotion, he will receive accolades, and no doubt will be recognized as some sort of hero (you all know how this society is quick to name a hero). What is the connection? Well many police officers, contrary to what many believe, are never involved in shootouts! Some cops who have served for 20 years on the force have never had to pull their revolver on a person (that’s TV stuff).  Police officers mostly deal with domestic oriented events, or serious crimes after the suspect has fled. So in a nutshell some cops will fabricate an incident to receive this recognition!

This is one reason why I say to many people, trust no one, cop, stranger, or otherwise, without verification. I like what former President Ronald Reagan believed in and said, “trust, but verify”! Look at every person as if they pose potential harm to you and your family (especially your children). The days when you could always trust a priest, police officer, day care worker, or anyone in authority is over! Just keeping it real!