GoDaddy Silences Police-Watchdog Site RateMyCop.com -- Update

Gino Sesto should report this to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

With the advance of camera technology big brother will be watching more and more as the tech gets better and cheaper. Here's a chance for the little guy to fight back in case he or she is wronged by the police. Nothing like Rodney King video, but it could set a stage for a new type of accountability for those who are sworn to protect and serve us.

This is an absolute shame. Disgusting. People needs to know what goes on with cops. Like a friend of mine who was tackled by a cop outside of a bar, had his nose bloodied, then taken in for public intox... but the jail refused to take him because they said he wasn't drunk... so the cop had to take him BACK (TRUE STORY -- kind-of funny, but still pathetic). You can't file suits over things like that, so people need some means of letting others know what happened. Police also don't understand that this could also be a GOOD thing for GOOD cops! There are several in my local area that have been really helpful, that I would love to write great reviews about. I guess this just shows that some people think they should have no accountability but to themselves. This just further underlines how our constitutional rights have become a joke in the past ten years.

Me thinks that Go-Daddy has peaked as a company. We have seen quite enough thank you.

I think you should walk a few miles in a police officer's shoes before ranting at them. They put themselves in harms way every day, and to protect you. I am not a cop nor am I even remotely involved in law enforcement, but I am sure your friend who was tackled outside a bar wasn't simply minding his own business. Otherwise, why was he tackled?

So John, guilty until proven innocent?
I have a great deal of respect for honest police - but there are too few controls to keep them that way resulting in the tarnishing of all police. We need checks and balances for government including police. They should be admired, not sacred.

Go Daddy just blew it!

Cops should be held responsible just like any other citizen.

The hypocrisy is unbelievable. The New York Governor is a fine example of that!

I was always wary of GoDaddy.com, especially when the company owner would use the company name to also run a personal blog where he'd rail for all his conservative/ pseudo-libertarian/ red-meat-and-guns political views.

I'm not the least bit surprised that he is now shown to be an unabashed censor based on those views.

That's what you get when you buy bottom-of-the-barrel hosting from hoo-rah leathernecks, kids.

Ha john come live in Hopewell va (also known as dopewell) the police were so corrupt they had to bring in the state police bc money,drugs,and other things were disappearing out of the the evidence room. And I agree with another poster there are a FEW good Hopewell cops and I would praise them- BUT there are some really nasty ones too. I know from experience.

While I agree its a generally a good idea to allow users to rate cops, the problem lies in the average person always thinking they're in the right, when it comes to the law. You see it all the time in the news, and on cop shows and everything else. Random people, who are doing illegal things, rant and rave about how horrible the cops are, when they were just doing their job. Now, admitted we have an issue with dishonest officers, just like every other public service position. But with no way to verify the stories of the posters, it could often be cited as defamation of the officers character. AKA, Random domestic violence instigator, truly thinks he's in the right beating his wife and kids, and rates a cop who put him in jail, from his own obviously skewed point of view, leaving comments that most likely are wholly fabricated.

Yea Kab I would agree but where im from its just different I respect what officers do for all of us- its just some officers and in a city like where im from it would be useful- i would like to see what others would have to comment on one officer in particular- and i cant even do that- bc they shut it down- that just sucks.

Admittedly :) I have concerns in my area as well of the same type, I come from a town that for awhile was even on wikipedia as being referred to as Methford :P

It's just a matter of publishing commentary that may or may not have any basis in even relative facts. While it would be great to know which cops are good and bad, the reliability of the information would be null, for the reason stated above.

I have personally known 3 cops in my life, one physically abused his children, one mentally abused his children, and the last snorts coke. As the saying goes, power corrupts ...

I will NEVER ever deal with that company again.

I don't have much respect for officers, but I am not going to blog about it and tell the world my reasons and so forth. It was a poor decision by GoDaddy. I think it is a dumb idea however to have a site to rate police officers, people are only going to gripe about them and in the seldom seen scenario say something nice.

well, i was a cop for over 25 years and i can tell you i was in THE SHOES, and there was and is bad cops out there. it is only good till they get caught with their hand in the cookie jar. there are alot of cops that don't need to be wearing the uniform. this may be just something a review board should find interesting to see what citizens think about some of our finest and get a heads up. the same way that they like to know about the neighborhoods they patrol the same should hold true to the citzens to know who the cops are patrolling our neighborhoods. if they have nothing to hide then they have nothing to worry. but if a cop is doing something wrong.......get ready. its about time citizens should be allowed to be heard SOMEWHERE. why be scared of internet postings, they are on the streets and at home with their guns. i guess now they have to look over their shoulders. Why?

The police protect you? Really? I always thought they were simply in the business of enforcing the will of the State?

How, exactly, are the police "protecting you" when they:

- Issue someone a ticket for driving in the carpool lane with no passengers?

- Arrest a medical marijuana patient in a state where marijuana for medical use is legal?

- Break down the door of the wrong house in a drug raid and kill an occupant and are not charged with any sort of crime?

How, exactly, have any of these common occurrences protected YOU? The fact is, they don't. The job of the police is to enforce the will of the State, NOT to protect you.

There is a BIG difference between "enforcing the law" and "protecting you."

For more:

http://digg.com/odd_stuff/GoDaddy_hates_government_accountability

Lemme get this straight. Chief JERRY DYER of __FRESNO__??

Of COURSE he'd like the site shut down.

That boy has a LOT to answer for. Look him up on the site [which is back up now].

What happened to the site sucked, but much of the blame falls upon themselves for using godaddy - you would never think of driving cross-country in a Yugo, and you *should* never think of using godaddy for any domain that matters at all (or netsol for that matter).

Every godaddy customer is annoying, simple due to the fact that the keep godaddy alive by feeding money to godaddy. Only fools use godaddy.

Sorry off topic, but 'GoDaddy' is such a weird name for a company...

Cops don't understand the law just as our government has no regard for our constitution.

i8godaddy i agree!
Where were you last week?

A big thumbs up to Go Daddy! Koowan, you're an idiot! Go smoke some more of your "medical" marijuana..

Bleeding heart liberal that I am, and as many run-ins with obnoxious cops as I've had, I have to congratulate GoDaddy.

If you have a problem with the cops, there are complaint procedures, citizen review boards and other _legitimate_ ways to handle it, up to and including the courts.

A site composed entirely of anonymous libeling by a self-selected group of axe-grinders does nothing...absolutely nothing...to serve the public good, and could very well end up doing real harm. For once, I agree with the site getting shut down.

Marlin, police don't prove innocent or guilt. If you act guilty, then you get treated guilty. The court will figure it out. Your buddy wasn't tackled for no reason. If someone was treating you in a way that you needed police assistance, you would be greatful if the actor was tackled by whatever means on the behalf of your defense. Maybe it wasn't your friend that was tackled and given a bloody nose, maybe it was you. Maybe you needed it.

Well he seemed to do alright! The site looks like it's back online.

Love how everyone and even companies seem to cower in fear of everything these days...

Brian,

Those "legitimate" complaint procedures do not work. They are complicated, obscure, opaque, and damn near impossible to navigate.

Citizen review boards? How accessible are they, tell me, please.

I have, in the past, been threatened to death twice and each time the police ignored my complaint, I have known an 8 year old girl who was threatened to death and had the issue derided by the officers, I have had a kindhearted and incredibly gentle friend wrestled to the ground by half a dozen police officers (who then threw him in a cell) because of a case of mistaken identity on the part of the officers. They did not apologize. I have seen police officers mock the victims of domestic abuse... And I could go on.

Not once were the police useful, not once were they held to account for their incompetence, and the "complaint procedures" you talk about were worst then useless.

You are a terrible human being; the kind of person that makes it possible for us to live in a society where the vast majority of crimes are never solved.

If ever I become a dictator, I'll be sure to let you experience the absolute worst the police have to offer, and then I'll let you enjoy wasting your time with the dehumanizing and disenfranchising "complaint procedures" you extol.

It's a shame that time machines don't exist; I think you'd prefer living under Stalin, what with your contempt for real accountability.

For all you morans that bad mouth the police....Do you bitch this much about the person that short changes you at the stores, or the telemarketer that tries to rip you off when they call you? How about your neighbor that does stuff just to tick you off. Do you bitch about the person that broke into your car when you left your laptop on the front seat, or the ex spouse that won't let you see your kids on the weekend? How about the dog that has been barking all day or the car that cut you off on your way home. Well, who do you call......the police. So wake up and realize that in the average community there are over 1000 citizens to 1 officer, and these are the complaints that you, the average citizen are complaining about. You want better service, how about your municipality raises your taxes, and employ more law enforcement. 1 major event in your town can consume a conservative 60% of your law enforcement resources. 1 barking dog call takes 1 officer away from other calls for no less then 20 minutes, and costs your town at the minimum 40.00 to process.

I was reluctantly about to renew my web hosting with GoDaddy this evening, but I first searched Google News about the RateMyCop.com site and learned that GoDaddy censored the site (similar to what happened with seclists.org earlier). I will not do any further business with GoDaddy as a result, and will be encouraging all of my clients to transfer their domains away from GoDaddy. (One in particular has over 100 domains registered there).
Amusingly, both the godaddy.com and bobparsons.com sites are unresponsive at the moment. I can't help but suspect that perhaps someone is doing to Bob Parsons what he does to others. I am pleased to see that RateMyCop.com is back up on another host, and I am equally pleased that I didn't renew my GoDaddy hosting before learning of what they did.

I am thrilled to learn of the site,
and very disappointed to learn how GoDaddy is playing Internet god.
I do business with GoDaddy but will make arrangements to have my domain names and websites handled elsewhere.
I'll be looking for Ratemycop and will
support them wholeheartedly. Transparency in government is essential and they are public employees.

RE: J
>Do you bitch this much about the person that short changes you at the stores, or the telemarketer that tries to rip you off when they call you? How about your neighbor that does stuff just to tick you off. Do you bitch about the person that broke into your car when you left your laptop on the front seat, or the ex spouse that won't let you see your kids on the weekend? How about the dog that has been barking all day or the car that cut you off on your way home.<

No. But none of these people have a state issued monopoly on violence, none of these people can lock me up on an imagined violation, and none of them should be held to the standards that police should be.

If police don't want to handle things in a professional manner *always*, they should quit, or learn to love the citizens' response to inadequate 'policing' of their own ranks - which is only going to get more vocal, and perhaps more violent.

It's high-fucking-time this squeaky wheel gets some grease.

Go Daddy
Universal Terms of Service for Go Daddy Software and Services...Section 5...NO UNLAWFUL CONDUCT OR IMPROPER USE..."...Go Daddy may also cancel Your use of the Services, after thirty (30) days, if You are using the Services, as determined by Go Daddy in its sole discretion, in association with spam or morally objectionable activities. Morally objectionable activities will include, but not be limited to: activities designed to defame, embarrass, harm, abuse, threaten, slander or harass third parties...". Did godaddy have to right to shut down the site?

Chris:
Having the right to do something does not inherently make it right to do so.
For example: Everyone has the right to be an idiot, but some abuse the privilege. ;)
GoDaddy may have arguably had the right to shut down the RateMyCop.com site, but doing so was not necessarily the right thing to do.
I hope that their actions prompt others like myself to exersize their right to take their business to a more reputable web host.
At this time, I have not yet chosen a new host, but I will migrate away from GoDaddy within this month as a result of their lack of ethical business practices. After all, that is my right and it sure feels right to take my business elsewhere.

Well, to respond to John's comment above, from "Posted by: John | Mar 11, 2008 8:27:51 PM"

Yes, police officers put themselves in harms way. But you know what, you are incorrect by saying that we should walk in their shoes. Frankly, they choose this profession, and in their training and laws and guidelines that govern them, they know the lines they should not be crossing, yet some of them still do.
Where I live, we have a very good police force, but there have been some officers who do cross the line, and I would like a platform ("soap box") to add my comments about my good or bad treatment as well as that of others, so a website like this one would be a good asset.

never ever deal with these fraudsters! godaddy sucks big time. they tried to defraud me when purchasing a domain name, only with some help from amex did i get my money back. avoid at all costs!!!

HAHA!

America is a police state!

Welcome to your new world order!

Stupid fucking white men.

Now shut up and go back to sleep.

Come on, be honest with yourselves and take off those aluminum foil deflector beanies.

For every one honest rating, there are bound to be AT LEAST 50 outright lies, and probably a whole lot more... with a sprinkling of psychotics ranting and raving. Plus, what's to stop someone with inside knowledge (perceived friends, friends of their kids, schoolmates, etc) from posting up addreses and phone numbers or other personal information on the police officers?

It's a bad idea and I agree it should be illegal. It serves no useful purpose at all but to give nitwits, haters, and psychos a forum to malign any cop they choose and a forum to post personal information on those who risk their lives to keep us from devolving into anarchy. If you have a complaint about a cop, or a compliment, contact their department.

Dear Officer Krupke, I'm really depressed
You beat with your billy club
Until I confessed

I went to Go Daddy
To tell folks the news
Oops took the site down pal you lose

Styx I see your point and I respond, if you don't like their TOS, don't do business with them. The site is on their servers, not the customers, they can do what they want.

Jack booted thug cops should get to keep their identity private, after all. Why would cops need to be held accountable for their actions by anyone other than more cops in their own departments?
I for one welcome our federal big brothers who can decide when the average citizen deserves rights or not, so the local cops should have the same type of authority. right?

"If you have a complaint about a cop, or a compliment, contact their department."

Really? How has that worked out for you in the past, troll?

It says Rate, not bash.

Understand the difference.

Godaddy.com is my registrar and now I want out. Recommendations?

You guys are heading towards a full-blown fascism in the US. The democrats might not come soon enough.

and George Orwell was SO RIGHT.

And I wouldn't vote for Hillary for town dogcatcher. :)

www.policewatch.org
www.policeabuse.org
www.copwatch.org

:)

One more reason (added to the thousands already) to not use GoDaddy. A simple google search will show you all the others.

I agree with the others. Let GoDaddy go...literally. There are other web hosting companies that are more progressive in their defense of free speech. I'd look elsewhere. GoDaddy has never censored any of my sites, but, they do have poor customer service as indicated by their response to their customers.

UMMM I think I might not renew my subscription to godaddy.com . this kind of upsets me. they have great customer service though. But that just isnt cool.

Our media is controlled just like Russia & China.

Welcome to AmeriKa.

Anyone have a screen shot of the oops page? Need it.

Please send to info@ratemycop.com

I'm currently a cop and have mixed feeling on this website. My whole life, I put myself in harms way, Marines for 8 year and cop now for 9 years. I agree with the website to a point. I don't agree with a website that puts my family in harms way, by posting personal info and home address on it. Who is going to police that? Who do I go after,(I know who) when a local gang does a drive by shoting and kills my kid(s) after getting my address from this site? On the other hand, I would love to see what people think after I give them a ticket or arrest them. It is my job. You respect me, I respect you. You disrepect me, I will respect you to a point. You have s@#t bags in every type of work. So lets rate every employee!!! I do not agree with godaddy just dropping this site without contacting the owner and working it out.

As all levels of government, from local up to federal and then international receive virtually no scrutiny of substance.

And when the citizens try, this is exactly what comes of it. Protect and serve my #ss...

idiots... find another hosting service/domain registrar with better politics that respects the right to free speech. there are many out there, all over the world; otherwise you are naive or lazy.

DOWN WITH GODADDY
DOWN WITH GODADDY
DOWN WITH GODADDY

DOWN WITH GODADDY
DOWN WITH GODADDY
DOWN WITH GODADDY

You work at the same precinct as Officer Rivieri Doug?

@Doug

This is a response my friend. You now have cameras everywhere, recording everything we do and every purchase we make. RateMyCop is an attempt to fight back. Being a cop isn't what it was 10 years or 20 years ago ... and many people are dismayed a disappointed with your collective willingness to be the arm of the massive abuse of power going on in America right now. You're not fighting bad guys amymore ... there just aren't that many of them, so you are not fighting people corporate America doesn't like, and abusive seizure laws to destroy whole families and even communities in the name of financing police departments who have grown far beyond what was ever intended. You're no longer Officer Friendly. You've become the shake down muscle for a corrupt system. Pardon us if we hate you and don't give a damn what happens to your family. Making you as accountable as us is the least we can do.

Man am I glad I'm not living in a police state like the US, without freedom of speech.

Let me tell you something about GoDaddy....even though I am a user. If you are lucky enough to find a unique url and do not buy it within 24 hours, Godaddy either takes it or refers your find to a third party who takes it. Each and ever 'find' or 'available' notice received by the searcher or customer is recorded by GoDaddy and taken within 24 hours of the time you found it and choose not to buy at that exact moment.

Think I am full of BS? Try it!

I am amazed that go daddy would take this approach. I, like a lot of people here - have been using godaddy for a long time. I hope this is not a trend we need to be wary of.

Thanks,
Michael

http://car-insuranceonline.net/mass-gov-autorates

I am now rethinking my use of GoDaddy. This type of behavior is unacceptable.

I believe police officers should be the first to get pay increases and benefits and counseling services since their jobs can be so tough. And since their jobs are so tough and they are also part of the flawed human race there should be a way for the public to provide feedback and a way on unifying attention towards both good and bad law enforcement officers. With much respect and thanks for reading my comment.

To quote any officer ever attempting to get you to consent to a search:

"You shouldn't mind since you have nothing to hide, right?"

While it is true that pulling the plug on Ratemycop.com because police want to avoid criticism, is the security issue really that unfounded. Yes, home addresses are not provided but the site, but with a full name it is not particularly difficult to find out things like addresses and telephone numbers. A simple search through the white pages can reveal things like that. Is it really that hard to imagine some people trying to seek revenge on a specific officer? This doesn't necessarily mean actual physical harm; any sort of retribution can be carried out. For example, in high school I was given a summons for drinking underage; I had to go to court and pay a fine. With the full name of said officer, I can go on white pages and find out where he lives and his home phone number. From there I can do any number of things to pester and generally disrupt this person's day. The website is essentially a rumor and criticism mill are certain people; while this is amusing, it doesn't offer any sort of tangible benefits, while the risks are clearly prevalent.

godaddy just opened themselves up for a HUGE civil rights violation lawsuit. The site they pulled the plug on is protected free speech. I hope they get slammed to the max in court.

@Doug -- If you reread the article it mentions that they do not list the officers address or any other personal information beyond their name and badge number.

I don't think anyone would agree that listing the information is a good idea. I do however like the idea of a transparent system where I can find out a police officers past interactions with the public.

As we have seen in the past sometimes reporting a cop to the cops just gets you harassed.

I recently registered a few domains, not at godaddy but i was a hair away from going with them. If I had done so, right now I'd be switching, I hope others do. It would take a few thousand to make it noticable I'd imagine.

Why is everyone assuming that the cops will be rated negatively at all? If they're good cops don't you think that maybe there will be some positive feedback?

I guess its to expected from a fascist police state, fight for your freedom of speech!

Walk a mile in their shoes?

Sure. Give me a gun and a badge and a taser (specially a taser. I LOVE those things.) and blanket immunity to any wrong-doing.

There is no mention of storing any personal info on cops except names and some badge numbers. That is already a matter of public record(looking @ Doug). This site received the list of uniformed officers from the department. To me I can NOT see how it would put any officer in harms way. Only Names and Badge numbers (Doug)! To shut down the site because of some officer says it "Exposes and puts them out there." Exposes what? That is your job to be putting it out there (Hello, job description!)even for the military. Expose what? The Police are OUR "Public Servants" that is their title! To interfere with an evaluation of their service to the public from I.A. or ANYONE else makes it look like their are hiding something. Expose what? As for as GoDaddy, I will never use them and if someone asks what host should they use? I will answer "Do NOT use GoDaddy". Those guys at GoDaddy need to put down the pipe and wait for the lawyers to call... That is the Lawyers job. Mr. Sesto I went to grab a 404 screenshot for you and your site is back up.. I wonder if they realize what kind of message they just sent..

anybody have GODADDY'S EMAIL?

lets send em messages.

There is no mention of storing any personal info on cops except names and some badge numbers. That is already a matter of public record(looking @ Doug). This site received the list of uniformed officers from the department. To me I can NOT see how it would put any officer in harms way. Only Names and Badge numbers (Doug)! To shut down the site because of some officer says it "Exposes and puts them out there." Exposes what? That is your job to be putting it out there (Hello, job description!)even for the military. Expose what? The Police are OUR "Public Servants" that is their title! To interfere with an evaluation of their service to the public from I.A. or ANYONE else makes it look like their are hiding something. Expose what? As for as GoDaddy, I will never use them and if someone asks what host should they use? I will answer "Do NOT use GoDaddy". Those guys at GoDaddy need to put down the pipe and wait for the lawyers to call... That is the Lawyers job. Mr. Sesto I went to grab a 404 screenshot for you and your site is back up.. I wonder if they realize what kind of message they just sent..

I used to work for Go Daddy as a CSR. This is not a big surprise to me as I would get calls DAILY about websites being shut down for no reason. I left there after about 7 months, had enough of the abuse and shady business practices.

There is no mention of storing any personal info on cops except names and some badge numbers. That is already a matter of public record(looking @ Doug). This site received the list of uniformed officers from the department. To me I can NOT see how it would put any officer in harms way. Only Names and Badge numbers (Doug)! To shut down the site because of some officer says it "Exposes and puts them out there." Exposes what? That is your job to be putting it out there (Hello, job description!)even for the military. Expose what? The Police are OUR "Public Servants" that is their title! To interfere with an evaluation of their service to the public from I.A. or ANYONE else makes it look like their are hiding something. Expose what? As for as GoDaddy, I will never use them and if someone asks what host should they use? I will answer "Do NOT use GoDaddy". Those guys at GoDaddy need to put down the pipe and wait for the lawyers to call... That is the Lawyers job. Mr. Sesto I went to grab a 404 screenshot for you and your site is back up.. I wonder if they realize what kind of message they just sent..

I think this is a fantastic idea that should be extended to all public servants! After all, our taxes pay for their salaries, their pensions, their health care, and for their job security. It is incredible to hear them whine about the public being given a forum in which to discuss their performance. I say it is time to privatize law enforcement, and have businesses routinely compete for the privilege to protect and serve us.

You get what you pay for with Godaddy hosting. For crazy cheap prices you get over-sold, under-supported, censored hosting.

GoDaddy is way too quick to shut down a site. I've had friends have their sites shutdown for various extremely minor reasons -- it seems anyone can complain to GoDaddy about a website or domain name that "offends" them, and GoDaddy will shut it down without ANY notice to the owner (contradicting their terms of service!) -- THEN punish the website operator with a "reactivation" charge that's some $200.

It's dangerous to use GoDaddy for your domain registrar.

Due to an e-mail address change I didn't get the notice that my domain name was expiring until it had already expired. GoDaddy put the domain in some sort of retention status and wanted like $80 for me to get my domain name back. For a domain name that I paid $8.00 for.

That's when I knew they had gone to the dark side. I watched on and off for 3 months or so, then the domain was transferred to a Russian company. I thought I was doomed at that point, but then a few days later the domain was available, and I registered it with NameCheap.com, who so far seem to be simpler and not evil...

Just move it to another hosting service. That simple. It's a violation of free speech. Not every hosting service is going to be so willing to shut you down, unless they want a far worse lawsuit (one that is actually a threat).

As the U.S. continues to become a police state, the police are given ridiculous powers and, in general, become even bolder in their attacks on innocent people they serve. The Blue Line has always considered their jobs as "us against them". The U.S. Supreme Court has given Police reason to suspect that everyone in a vehicle is a drug user, drug runner, or drug dealer. They are bullies with badges, so, of course they are pissed when they are told that they are being watched...as they do us. Effem. I protect me and mine.

I made my mind up about GoDaddy several years ago when I found them cyber-squatting my name. Apparently it is a common practise for them to register People's names, then try to squeeze high fees out of them to be able to get their own name for a domain name.

Screw'em, and the ICANN they rode in on.

-dcm

Police (all who put on the uniform) are corrupt. Why? There is no "checks and balances" system for police except-- other police. If they do wrong, no one can question them... but them.

Also. Police aren't the brightest stars in the sky.

We need to start hiring INTELLIGENT PEOPLE to protect our streets. Our cities give GUNS to people who have the same amount of education as the guy who puts oil in your car.

We need SMART cops–

Police (the ones who interact with citizens) are NOT smart people. They are the same people that made sub-standard grades in high school, didn't get into a college, and on their list of potential careers which included, "Janitor, McDonald's drive-thru attendant, security guard, and cop", they chose cop because then they knew they MIGHT get respected at some point in their miserable lives.

Guess what.

I respect smart people. People who DESERVE to be in control. People who merit respect. I've yet to meet a respectable cop.

The problem with police is that they seem to believe that they should automatically get respect... Let me ask (if I dare)

Why????

Why should I respect a bumbling moron with no people skills, who lacks the intelligence to properly assess a situation????

And about "needing" cops.....?

Everytime I've EVER needed police intervention, they've ALWAYS shown up late, (if at all) and taken months to basically ignore me.

Ever notice that when you need them, they're nowhere to be found, but when there's tickets to write, and quota to meet, they're ALWAYS just around the corner.

Cops are nothing but tax collectors in uniform with a badge and a gun.

I have 0 respect for every police officer alive in the U.S. And would be glad to tell any one of them personally (if they promise not to gang up on me and beat me to death).

I don't see myself ever respecting someone dumber than me. A badge and a brain are not the same thing.

The site is back up! The forces of censorship have lost.

No more using of godaddy for me

"GoDaddy" didn't do it, and the company has not joined the forces of evil. Someone AT GoDaddy made a decision, and perhaps now that decision will be reversed. We're dealing with a single individual's decision, not a disembodied sentient corporate cloud. I say that because this seems to be only one bad takedown, not dozens or hundreds showing a pattern.

Sounds like some people would like police officers to be considered above the law because they put themselves in harms way. There are MANY countries in this world you could move to that would be MORE THAN HAPPY to accomodate your desire to have fewer rights. But here in the USA we have this silly thing called freedom of speech, so if you don't like what the folks at ratemycop.com might be saying, you don't need to go there.

They should change their name to GoCommie! And give every one who signs up for a domain a free red flag with a hammer and sickle. This is almost as pathetic as the two lawyers that allowed a man to to be imprisoned for 26 years, knowing that he was innocent. And then defend their actions with attorney client privilege.

Funny how the losers always have the problem with the police... If you are a respectful, law abiding citizen, you probably dont have any issues with law enforcement. You are big talkers right now, but what happens when someone is breaking into your house in the middle of the night or you find yourself truly fearing for your life? You will be crying like little bitches for the police.

Congratulations to "A", the poster just above me, for winning the award for the biggest idiot in this thread. Ratemycop.com amounts to accountability. I work side by side with police officers every single day. I see what they do. There are several that are good, and there are several that are much less than that. The avenues for complaints exist, however they are completely broken and amount to nothing. And if someone breaks into MY house? Two shots to center mass, THEN I call 911.

And as for godaddy.com? They can gokissmyass.com

i love all the 'dont question authority' types. theyre the same ones who spout the whole 'if you have nothing to hide..' crap. if they had nothing to hide, uniformed officers (not undercover) have nothing to worry about.

you mean 60 minutes, not 60 seconds?

another idiot with an idea, god help us all. looks like somebody other than a news reporter, "civil rights advocate" or talkshow host has found a way to make money off cop bashing. cops are not perfect, but don't believe the hype. i've read the comments before me and now i have some comments of my own. civilian complaint review boards are useless. most people ("axe-grinders") who supported the idea thought that what they were getting was a group of hachetmen that were going to sit there all day and just guilty. but to every one's suprise once any review board hears most of these complaints, they get a clearer understanding of what's really going on. lawyers sending clients to sign baseless criminal complaint(which by the way, is an idiot proof process) to use as leverage to beat a criminal charge or even a simple traffic ticket in court. these same proceedures are also used so lawyers can drum up lawsuits. sadly enough these tactics have proven to work. the fact is that most of these complaints are recognized for what they are but some are not and cops aren't the only ones who suffer, regular people who have a legitimate complaint could end up falling though the cracks. i can see that what i say is probably falling on deaf ear judging from some of these comments i've read. the whole concept of ratemycop.com is, however, another attempt to cash in on anti government rederick. this rederick targets the same people every time, those who just hate cops,and those who are way to busy in thier everyday grind to really see though the smoke and mirrors. just ask your self, do you really think that anyone is going to admit that they deserved to get a ticket or be arrested. police encounters are unpleasant, who doesn't know that. now this guy wants to put names, department, and badges on the internet and say that they're not putting any one ar risk boy what people do for money)as you probably guessed, i am a cop, i must accept critisism becuase it is the life i chose. i personally do not like many of my coworkers but i have walked in thier shoes and i do understand them. just becuase a cop isn't charming doesn't mean that he did something wrong. i support Godaddy in reversing thier stand on an officer's privacy. cops have been targeted by gangs though out history for doing their jobs but that comes with the territory, however, making themselves easier to be found is not something that any cop signed on for.

another idiot with an idea, god help us all. looks like somebody other than a news reporter, "civil rights advocate" or talkshow host has found a way to make money off cop bashing. cops are not perfect, but don't believe the hype. i've read the comments before me and now i have some comments of my own. civilian complaint review boards are useless. most people ("axe-grinders") who supported the idea thought that what they were getting was a group of hachetmen that were going to sit there all day and just guilty. but to every one's suprise once any review board hears most of these complaints, they get a clearer understanding of what's really going on. lawyers sending clients to sign baseless criminal complaint(which by the way, is an idiot proof process) to use as leverage to beat a criminal charge or even a simple traffic ticket in court. these same proceedures are also used so lawyers can drum up lawsuits. sadly enough these tactics have proven to work. the fact is that most of these complaints are recognized for what they are but some are not and cops aren't the only ones who suffer, regular people who have a legitimate complaint could end up falling though the cracks. i can see that what i say is probably falling on deaf ear judging from some of these comments i've read. the whole concept of ratemycop.com is, however, another attempt to cash in on anti government rederick. this rederick targets the same people every time, those who just hate cops,and those who are way to busy in thier everyday grind to really see though the smoke and mirrors. just ask your self, do you really think that anyone is going to admit that they deserved to get a ticket or be arrested. police encounters are unpleasant, who doesn't know that. now this guy wants to put names, department, and badges on the internet and say that they're not putting any one ar risk boy what people do for money)as you probably guessed, i am a cop, i must accept critisism becuase it is the life i chose. i personally do not like many of my coworkers but i have walked in thier shoes and i do understand them. just becuase a cop isn't charming doesn't mean that he did something wrong. i support Godaddy in reversing thier stand on an officer's privacy. cops have been targeted by gangs though out history for doing their jobs but that comes with the territory, however, making themselves easier to be found is not something that any cop signed on for.

And another idiot hitting 'post' twice.

Seriously, the website is providing a much-needed service. It is doing everything by the law: FOIA (public information requests), etc. And GoDaddy can just decide to yank it without notice? I don't think so.

http://nodaddy.com/

If you want free speech, buy a newspaper cause they are the only ones that have it, we certainly don't!

Site is back online, by the way...

This site has nothing to do with reining in cops. It's just another site built to make money at the expense of the public privacy and truth. Just another site that's just a wiki of un-checked "facts" on people, like the sites where people can post dirt on students and private citizens. Before the Internet, it was easy to fight unfair/untrue allegations in court. The breadth and anonymity of the Internet has made fighting unproven allegations impossible.

I'm all for reporting bad cops, but there are mechanisms to do this, and investigations are made before people are smeared publicly.

It's so sad that the Web is just becoming one big f'ing gossip rag. that's all this RateMyCop site is, and its founder is as much of an evil f*ck as the founder of Facebook.. just another only National Enquirer that preys on common citizens.

GoDaddy was right to take the site down, and I hope they change their service agreement to match the action-- ban sites where people post allegations on private citizens (including law enforcement).

Everyone's all for free speech until they are villified publicly. No one wants the 15 minutes of infamy.

I really dont understand whats the big deal, I work at a company that posts my name and picture on their website. Does that mean that I should be in fear of my life if some disgruntled customer gets mad at my company. This is ridiculous, another example of how big brother likes to do the getting but doesnt like to be got.

I am sure not all cops are bad but some sure do have a bug up their ass. I was driving my husband home from a restaurant, he had a bit too much to drink while out with friends. I, had nothing. We pulled over for a moment so that he could relax his stomach before continuing home. An officer pulled up.. started yelling at my husband and proceeded to kick him while he was on the ground. Then cuffed him, then tried to take him to jail for public intox.. I started yelling myself that we just came from esting and that our friends are still there. The bouncers would be a witness as well. He then let him go, by throwing him into my car. It was a horrible experience. I don't respect most cops because of him. Crap.. for all he knew I could have just shot someone and was stealing his car. Nope, he just assumed.. whatever he assumed and kicked the crap out of my husband.

>what happens when someone is breaking into your house in the middle of the night or you find yourself truly fearing for your life? You will be crying like little bitches for the police.

Then I grab the .357 next to my bed so I don't have to wait on hold when my wife dials 911. Anyone who expects the police to come and save them from someone who just broke into their house is in for a rude shock regarding response times. Police are not obligated to protect citizens - there have been lawsuits on the subject. They are there to enforce the law - which means the murderer may get caught and do time, but which will not help the victim.

That said, I have had a few dealings with my local police, and they have been very professional, and generally good experiences (the police side of it, at least). I would certainly be posting good reviews on the site, were it available, if those incidents happened today and I had the relevant info (badge, etc...)

I really dont understand whats the big deal, I work at a company that posts my name and picture on their website. Does that mean that I should be in fear of my life if some disgruntled customer gets mad at my company. This is ridiculous, another example of how big brother likes to do the getting but doesnt like to be got.

There needs to be a protracted DNS attack against this and similar smear sites.

@Brian^2, toughguy,
Save some money and move to a 3rd world country.
Gun-wielding throbs like you cry like babies when something bad really happens.

if hitting post twice is the best you can come up with then i didn't do half bad. this all maybe leagal but it's way overboard and we shouldn't expect to just accept it. by the way alan, chis (above) is obviously a cop somewhere, this is the kind of cop that supports you're getting, bitter, untrusting and angry. he admits that he would take the law into his own hands if he came on a burglar at home. he is what this produces, i'm just a guy on the inside telling it how i see it.

@Patrick Hogan,
So you've a photo and name online at your company site. What if your company allowed just anybody to post personal comments about you next to your name and picture? How'd you like that? What if you'd pissed off a neighbor, friend, or relative, and they posted a nice story about you and a great dane getting friendly? Or claim that you cheat on your taxes, or that you're a molester? Free speech!

I'm not sure why so many police officers (and their defenders) have illusions of anonymity. Any officer who testifies in court is in a public forum, even if cameras aren't allowed. Their names are part of the public record. Ultimately, they're not private citizens; they're public servants. The right to criticize public servants is implicit in the right to criticize the government, which lies at the core of free speech. If individual police officers want to be treated as private citizens, they should give up their badges and the privileges that go with them and seek work in the private sector. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Would you a-clowns be crying and moaning about the same concept if it were a site allowing customers to rate real estate agents? Mortgage brokers? Car salesmen? Mechanics? Teachers? Doctors? Well there is almost certainly a website for all of those things. Should they be shut down as well? Maybe anyone who rates anyone's job performance at all in any forum should be silenced. Someone writes on blogspot that the musician they just watched really sucked? Maybe they lied and didn't even really go see the performance! Pull the plug on them, throw them in jail. If the founding fathers could hear your communist/fascist anti-freedom diatribes they'd disown this country and demand that we put Stalin's face on our currency instead of theirs.

I think the idea of the website is a good one. However, I don't think the site owner is going about this the right way. So you have a website where anybody can log on and post comments about the cops they encounter. Think about the type of people who will be logging on and commenting or rating. They will most likely have had a negative experience with the cop, and the site will be full of cop-bashing. I know there would be exceptions, but for the most part, people will only think to run home and rate the cop if it riled them up. Not many people will be sitting on the corner and see a cop do something great, and think of the website. No little old lady is going to rate cops after they come check her bushes because she heard a noise. The only way to get a truly un-biased opinion is to get from a large population, and by large I mean everyone who has an experience. Sort of like handing out comment cards or having someone answer a questionairre after the encounter. Now, we all now that can't and won't happen. The website could still provide biased information, but wouldn't really be fair to the cops. And no, I am not a cop, I don't know any cops, and I have had plenty of negative experience with cops. I am just trying to say what seems fair to me.

Our taxes pay the salaries of law enforcement officials, therefore we have the right to know that they are doing their jobs. Moreover, people who videotape or monitor their interactions with police officials are acting within their first amendment rights. There is no danger of exposing cops and endangering their lives. They are public officials and their duty is to serve the public. If someone is an undercover cop and afraid of being exposed, then that's different. But I know of no undercover cop who has ever pulled me over for speeding. The person who started this website has not broken any laws and the people have every right to comment, good or bad, about police officers.

Police officers need to get used to it b/c they are paid by our taxes and their duty is to serve and protect the public. Their performance and behavior on the job needs to be evaluated just as you or my performance. Who better than the people who pay them? They should be held accountable for their behavior.

That said, there are a lot of positive reviews of police officers on the ratemycop website as well as negative ones. Yes there will always be people out there who resent a cop for giving them a ticket for speeding 120 mph and possibly give an unfair review. But that's just too bad.

There's nothing wrong with what this guy is doing. It is another step to take when a police misconduct report simply won't do.

Never heard of this site. I'll be posting every encounter with a police officer. Which 80% of them are good, and half of those great. I have lots of stories about very helpful police, they need to know we appreciate it and will rat out bad officers just as fast!

"Yes, home addresses are not provided but the site, but with a full name it is not particularly difficult to find out things like addresses and telephone numbers. A simple search through the white pages can reveal things like that."

You can do that with anybody's name, not just cops. It's not like they are being victimized any more than anybody else out there. Besides, an officer's name and badge number who is on the tax payroll system is public information. It falls under the Freedom of Information Act.

Unless you are a cop or cops wife you have no idea the shoes they walk in. For the idiots who thinks its no big deal, you should post your name, address and phone number on the internet so every asshole you ever pissed off can tell their one sided story about you. People do not like authority and will always twist the story when they tell it to make them selves look like victims, that is what we have become as a people, no responsibility for my action, poor me its someone elses fault. Most of you are comfy in your beds safe and sound while there are cops out there dealing with the scum of the earth in the middle of the night, not knowing if they will go home to their families. That's their job you say, it is but don't forget they are human and a little support for those of you who don't want complete chaos on the streets would be nice. Alan C who has the nerve to call someone an idiot what world do you live in? I live in the one with criminals and pedophiles, drug dealers, gang members. Godaddy can't just pull the site you say, they sure as hell can if its gonna cause them a lawsuit for lack of privacy or maybe you have never heard of HIPA, you know idiot even the doctors office makes you sign off on the fact that you have read the PRIVACY POLICY! and what you are entitled to.. Credit Card send this to you as well. They are providing a much needed service, a much needed service would be feeding the hungry. Oh look he posted something twice, everything is legal post your law degree on here jackass and post it twice in case I miss it the first time. PS: Get a job because I know you don't have one, 5cent lawyer. You sound like a loser!

>@Brian^2, toughguy,
Save some money and move to a 3rd world country.

Bubuh. You're hilarious. I'm a gun wielding throb because I keep a loaded gun in my home?

How would you defend yourself if someone broke into your house? With a phone? Or do you just give them whatever they want? Do you have daughters? Are you married?

I have no desire to shoot someone, but I would if necessary.

What GoDaddy did was great! I would have never know what ratemycop.com if GoDaddy did not create such publicity.

We are living in a Big Brother controlled police state. Is it any wonder they would try to shut this thing down? It would allow for the watchees to become the watchers...and that's something no one in the government wants.

It's a shame that a company has the authority to pull the plug on their paying customer because they don't agree with the site's content. I have several domains registered with GoDaddy, and will now likely move them to another company.

We NEED the ability to stand up to corrupt law enforcement that currently has unchecked, omnipresent power.

All you people are pathetic who believe that, that site should be kept up. I'm a law enforcement Major; Officers put their live on the line every day for PUNKS like you. If i was a officer and i knew about this site i would want it down to. GoDaddy made a good call on this.
Tell ya what, become police officer then go and put your life on the line, then piss some people off who would kill you and then see if you want your info on the net!...yea did not think so...

Free speech reigns. If its public information you shouldn't fear it being oh wait.. public?

There is no speculation at all, the only reason why this page was taken down was they FORGOT TO PAY THEIR BILL!!!! If you call that number it goes directly to GoDaddy's billing department. I should know I worked there for several years :)

GoDaddy must have received some 'official communication' the specific form of which I will leave to your imagination from DHS to pressure to close the site.

1. Boycott Godaddy. Read all the above comments about shutting sites down and outrageous "service" fees. Move your domain away from them at least 60 days before renewal.
2. Move to a registrar and then hosting outside of your country especially if you're in the US. GANDI.net is excellent but I'm sure there are many others just as good.
3. Tell your friends to tell their friends: never use godaddy for anything. Ever.

Nikhil, you obviously don't really know what a police state is or Big Brother. How old are you? Cuba is a police state where the news papers, tv are reviewed by the government before they go to the public and you can never say anything negative about the government or you will be thrown in jail, killed by a gun squad and your family will starve. In a country were I have actually seen pictures of Bush dressed in drag on the internet, come on with your selling fear tactic. You sound like a boo-hoo spoiled brat, let me guess you tried that intellectual, slick mouth attitude on a police officer and got your ass kicked or maybe they just slapped you one because you weren't worth the trouble. Antman free speech huh? Freedom is for everyone and its not that free and we are not that free that you have the right to offend someone because you feel like it or put people's families, little babies who have not made a choice yet in jeopardy. There are alot of things that are public info like the fact that our congress men and women only work a few days a month on tax payer money, yet you don't see their schedules of vacation trips posted all over the internet.

mat, you have no respect for any cop, we are uneducated, you're probably right, we are uneducated. merely high school grads. you think college grads are the only people who deserve respect. not our cops, soldiers, firemen janitors, fastfood workers, those who cannot afford college (most minorities)i suppose you think you can learn about polising the ghetto streets that i do (unnamed city in n.j.) in some college, i also image that you think you are an example of what people want policing their streets, go back to your dorm buy some x using the expense account your daddy left you

Since BlackWater troops will be deployed in declared emergencies, they should be on there as well. They were deployed in Katrina.

A year ago i would not have cared if RateMyCop died, but now i see the rising tide of fascism. Without thugs such as BlackWater and bad cops, fascism will be limited.

Jackie-- maybe you should see vacation schedules all over the internet. We F$%@ing pay for them-- we should know what they're spending it on.

By the way, I do know what a police state is. Maybe YOU don't know the steps it takes to create a Fascist government state-- because you would see that's the direction this country is moving towards. By the way, I am 23 years old, am college-educated-- and yes I have had a few run-ins with the law, but over petty things like drinking underage while in college.

That has no effect on my perception that our government servants (police officers) should not have unchecked authority. Are you a police officer? It seems like it with the defensive blather you just wrote. And if you don't think the media heads, who ultimately decide what is shown to the people, are close friends with government officials, YOU need to wake up!

It's a shame that people like you portray yourselves to be intelligent by making comments like, "how old are you".. Cuba is not a 'police state', its a Communist state. Nazi Germany is a fascist state, and if you don't think we are heading that way, you should read the following article:
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/24/708/

And yet www.copswritingops.com , which DOES post personal information about officers, keeps running and running...

From GoDaddy, in response to an email I sent them:

Office of the President Response
Dear Mr. Anderson,

The situation with the Web site RateMyCop was absolutely NOT about censorship in ANY way.

The site's operator has publicly disclosed the concerns were over bandwidth. More accurately, Go Daddy's concerns were about how the RateMyCop site was far exceeding the amount of server usage for which it had contracted.

This customer paid for a shared server plan. The connections to his site were six times more than an entire 'shared server' accommodates. While he was paying for a service that cost $14.99 a month, his site actually required a much more extensive set-up.

Basically, he was paying for compact car, when he really needed a semi-truck.

The customer was not willing to work with our staff to resolve the issue.

While the "censorship" allegations certainly make for an edgy "story," they simply had nothing to do with this situation.

- Go Daddy
Office of the President

Customer Inquiry
What legitimate reason did GoDaddy have for pulling the plug on this site?

Regards,

David Andersen
GoDaddy customer

i dont buy GoDaddy's response. GoDaddy knows the site will bring in revenue bc it is so busy. Many many sites started out small but their hosting providers carried them until revenue came in.

I notice that www.copswritingcops.com also is hosted by GoDaddy... Hmm...

What ever happened to free speech on the internet? Now when you become to effective, your slapped with a DMCA take-down or your DNS stops resolving.

Also, keep in mind that Police Officers are Public Servants, who operate in the Public. We as private citizens have every right to observe and collect data on what they do in the Public. Let's also remember where Police Officer's paychecks come from...

Furthermore, citizen-review boards and internal-affairs are usually horrible incompetent and overly bureaucratic. Where I live we have an overly complex process where complaints get shuffled around, and rarely make it to the review panel, which is mostly stocked with ex-officers.

This "Blue Line of Silence" has to stop. Welcome to the 21st century, information is free and everywhere, deal with it.

Get XS4ALL to host your content. If they can stand up to scientology, and keep rebel serbian radio stations on the air, they might be able to help you too. :-)

A simple way to solve the problem is to add accountability to the system. If anyone who posts has to have a valid user account (not that the information is posted) but is there to deal with liable suits and so on, that would help keep the trolls to a minimum.

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Hmmmm.... sounds shady....

Have them go to http://hostbarracks.com and host there. Affordable and fast from our service standpoint.

Ask yourselves this: WWBOD?

http://www.hostbarracks.com/obama4.php

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