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NYPD Says Lucky Bag, Others Say "Not So Fast"


By

tien mao

Published Apr 27, 2007

Modified Mar 7, 2008


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By

tien mao

Published Apr 27, 2007

Modified Mar 7, 2008


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2007_04_shoesleft.jpgIf you find something of value on the subway, be wary. It could be the NYPD trying to catch you in their "Lucky Bag" sting. Yet another report has surfaced of someone arrested by the NYPD. This February, Aquarius Cheers (best name ever?) was arrested for picking up a bag of electronics that was on a subway. Cheers and his partner, Kia Graves, saw an abandoned Verizon bag, picked it up, and, despite seeing a police officer nearby, boarded an arriving train, leading to his arrest.

Cheers, who we can assume is all about harmony and understanding, told NY1 that he was, "going to look for a receipt with a credit card number and then take it back to the store." The police say that not turning the bag over to the officer was grounds for the arrest for theft. While Cheers agreed to a plea that was not an admission of guilt following the arrest, the district attorney's office dismissed the charges yesterday.

Since the introduction of the NYPD's "Lucky Bag" sting, civil liberty groups have voiced concern and last June, Helen Calthorpe was arrested in the same operation. On top of that, it's a clear violation of the finders keepers rule. While an NYPD spokesman said that the operation is still continuing, a ranking member of the department's Transit Bureau told NY1 the operation was suspended a month ago because of litigation.

Photograph by dagomatic on Flickr

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