The New MBI

It was in Orlando area news today that agents from the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) arrested 5 hookers in a Craigslist sting. The only part of this that bothered me was a photo in the Orlando Sentinel that showed an officer, who was actually the supervisor of MBI's Vice and Organized Crime Unit, pointing a taser at one of the alleged prostitutes that heavily objected to a Sentinel reporter taking her photo in the hotel room as she sat handcuffed on a bed. Clearly the taser threat was unnecessary because of the cuffs and the arrestee's size – she couldn't have weighed more than 110 lbs and was already restrained. It is a show of power on the part of supervisor Riggi.

I'm not sure why Sentinel reporters would be invited to the sting either – is the MBI attempting to build-up a reputation again? I mean, if they're just doing a job of getting some hardcore Craigslist hookers out of the picture, then great, I do not begrudge them for this. The particular arrestee and two others arrested were also arrested in Sex Busts in Polk County, Florida just a few days ago, and this does place each in the hardcore category from my viewpoint. Every city/county area the size of Orlando/Orange County, Florida needs a vice unit, but why the power play?

I posted a short statement on the Sentinel blog to add to the over 70 statements already there. Sentinel blogs are close to worthless these days as the newspaper switched from the Topix format wherein posters could argue and/or exchange thoughts in real-time, to some other format that doesn't really work if you intend to have a conversation. I did invite Brunosylv to debate me any old day in relation to the MBI, as he was trashing the agency thoroughly – a trashing that is undeserved today. Brunosylv actually thought that he could tell me about the MBI – I'm still laughing – but I still have no forgiveness in my heart for the old regime for all that was done to me and many hundreds of others. I just see the point in getting the hardcore Craigslist trashy types out of the picture. As with the many arrests in Polk County over the weekend, most of these people look like they're on some real drugs. But then what type of idiot would book a hooker on Craigslist these days anyway?

Warning here – the show of power with the taser and the Sentinel invite won't be accepted or tolerated by very many around here, as is evident in the many angry posts, so reconsider the approach and just do the job that you are paid to do.