37 arrested, majority charged with "barbering without a license,"

[The Straight Story]

Criminal barbering? Raids at Orange County shops lead to arrests, raise questions

As many as 14 armed Orange County deputies, including narcotics agents, stormed Strictly Skillz barbershop during business hours on a Saturday in August, handcuffing barbers in front of customers during a busy back-to-school weekend.

It was just one of a series of unprecedented raid-style inspections the Orange County Sheriff's Office recently conducted with a state regulating agency, targeting several predominantly black- and Hispanic-owned barbershops in the Pine Hills area.

In "sweeps" on Aug. 21 and Sept. 17 targeting at least nine shops, deputies arrested 37 people — the majority charged with "barbering without a license," a misdemeanor that state records show only three other people have been jailed in Florida in the past 10 years.

The operations were conducted without warrants, under the authority of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation inspectors, who can enter salons at will. Deputies said they found evidence of illegal activity, including guns, drugs and gambling. However, records show that during the two sweeps, and a smaller one in October, just three people were charged with anything other than a licensing violation.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/crime/os-illegal-barbering-arrests-20101107,0,2783682.story

[Dennis Donovan]

1. Was this one of them?

;)

[jmowreader]

2. This goes without saying...

but obviously the cops didn't feel like going to a judge and sticking their necks out asking for a search warrant, so they just went to the Board of Cosmetology, who's authorized to make no-notice inspections, and rigged up a phony "compliance inspection" bullshit scheme to raid these places. And isn't it convenient that ALL the shops checked had drugs? Obviously the cops KNEW which shops had dealers working in them and only hit those specific ones. You know, guys, it is NOT hard to get a judge to sign a search warrant if you say you're looking for weed.

Having said that, I wish the Board of Cosmetology would start raiding Korean-owned nail salons. You go in those places and there's twenty manicurists working on the same license. What the fuck is THAT about?

[Mojorabbit]

6. It is a part of town nicknamed "Crime Hills"

and I find it strange they did not get a warrant.

[opihimoimoi]

3. Rule #25.6 Promote Higher Fear Factors using Police Action...Its all about FEAR

Scared people are easily fooled....

[The Straight Story]

4. Now if they had messed up the financial stability of the country they would have been rewarded

But cutting hair without a license - now that is the real threat that needs to be punished.

[opihimoimoi]

5. Get those Pilliary things out...Throw eggs and shit on those illegal hair bandits

They should know better than to threaten them Banker$$$