not so secret police (was: re humor)

[Martha Sherwood]

For the record, has anyone on this list had an acquaintance who has died
mysteriously in police custody in the USA, with no satisfactory
explanation given. I have not, but people whose veracity I trust have
reported serious injuries at the hands of police - dislocated shoulder,
for example - in cases where no charges were subsequently filed. Dying of
anaphylactic shock following being pepper-sprayed can't be that pleasant,
and seems a bit of an excessive penalty for trespassing and disorderly
conduct.

In Brezhnev's Russia, what was the armament of ordinary patrolmen? If they
carried guns, what was the procedure for investigating when a patrolman
shot and killed a criminal suspect who turned out to be unarmed? If
someone can point me in the direction of websites or microfilm archives, I
would much appreciate it. I read Russian fairly well. -Martha Sherwood-

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