Fullerton Police Department: As Civil Liberties-Hating 88 Years Ago As It Is Today

As true today as in the 1920s

​You'll remember in Marisa's story last month about the many sins of the Fullerton Police Department both before and after their killing of Kelly Thomas how she talked to an older woman who was subjected to a home invasion without warrant by the city's bullies in blue. Turns out that fucking around with innocent people in the name of battling phantom drugs is nothing new from them.

In the rapidly decaying microfilm for the Fullerton Tribune held at the Fullerton Public Library are many stories of police tomfoolery. Time and illegible prints only allows me to tell one.

As told in the Dec. 10, 1924 edition of the Tribune, one Louise Wedell sued the Fullerton police chief and local judge William French (a Klan member) for $10,175 in Orange County Superior Court. Turns out the police barged into her home, breaking the door in the search for a bootlegger for whom they had a search warrant. They didn't have a warrant for Wedell, and found no alcohol at her residence. Oopsy-doodle! As a result of the mistaken raid, according to the article, Wedell's neighbors "have been talking about her and her character reputation has been injured thereby."

The Fullerton Police Department: as classy then as it is today. The more things change...