WHAT?

BEHIND THE WHEEL

Law enforcement officers are joining Novaya Gazeta's "Experience of Private Resistance" campaign, launched by Moscow student German Galdetsky, who witnessed and then became a victim of police brutality. We already...

Law enforcement officers are joining Novaya Gazeta's "Experience of Private Resistance" campaign, launched by Moscow student German Galdetsky, who witnessed and then became a victim of police brutality. We have already published a monologue of the ex-sergeant of the Internal Affairs Directorate on the subway: he initiated a criminal case against himself in order to confirm his good name in court.

Today is another story. Militia Major Grigory Stupivtsev also equated the concepts of "by law" and "by justice". It turned out - in vain. Contacted the newspaper. This story turned out to be strange. About a collision with what he served for 10 years, taking the flaws of the system for granted.

Prologue

Traffic cops are beating up a district police officer. In a scuffle, they break his arm, threaten his family with reprisal and aim from a machine gun. The major is outraged by lawlessness, besides, it is not customary to touch his own, and the red crust of an employee is a pass even at Ukrainian traffic police posts ... He turns to the authorities and justice - the authorities and justice do not see anything surprising and criminal in what happened. It remains to seek justice from the public. After all, it is not clear why, for example, prosecutors do not care about the victims of police arbitrariness.

Is it incomprehensible?

All these, I will tell you, "werewolves in uniform", all these checks and arrests are a storm in a teacup. Well, beautiful, of course ... and a sense of social justice, again. But in reality - something like kvass fermentation: one external effect and raisins for sharpness. You can drink, you can spit, you can demand topping up after the foam settles - all the same, we are not given anything else.

So it remains to prop your chin on your fist and stare at the natural life of this system, bottled up in its law enforcement bank. There, you know, interesting things happen: the struggle for survival, “raids” and mutual takeovers – as according to Darwin’s theory. We now have the opportunity to present it in person.

Action one.

Yours among yours

The scene of action is the 105th kilometer of the Simferopol highway, Moscow region, near the traffic police post. The time is deep night, fifteen minutes past twelve, April 4, 2003.

A traffic cop pokes a baton at a passing "one-eyed" car - to the side of the road. Suitable for the driver's door. Inside — Wife and Son.

Senior sergeant of the traffic police (demonstrates professional politeness - that is, he pronounces certain words and expressions in a specific way. Therefore, hereinafter, instead of “what” read “what”, instead of “in general” - “finally”, instead of “now” - “shchaz”, etc. .d.): Ta-a-ak. We violate. What's with the headlight? Also, where is the inspection card?

Driver (takes out documents, hides something back in his pocket, hands the rest to the traffic cop): So there is no technical ticket. The headlight burned out on the way. What, now we will not reach Moscow?

Senior sergeant of the traffic police: Do you know what the situation is in the country now (for pronunciation, see remark above. - K.P.)? We will check.

Driver: No, I know. I'm a police officer myself.

Senior sergeant of the traffic police (after a short pause, he immediately switches to “you”. He speaks confidently and even impudently): Well, so what (again, see the remark. - K.P.) are you out here .. are you here? They asked for documents - provide them. Let's go to the post.

The driver and the traffic cop leave towards the traffic police post.

Action two.

Post and its inhabitants

PHENOMENON FIRST

Traffic police post, at the table - Captain. On the table is a monitor. Under the window overlooking the highway is a battery. You can see the next room. It's empty there. The senior sergeant of the traffic police and the Driver appear. The captain goes outside.

Driver (trying to solve the matter in his own way): Hey, well, somehow this is undignified - the employee writes to the employee. We are this...

Senior sergeant of the traffic police (sits down at the table, takes out a sheet, begins to fill in the cap): And what's wrong with that? Let's make it - okay. Get a certificate.

The driver takes out a “crust” from his pocket. Depeesnik reads.

Senior sergeant of the traffic police (grinning): Oh, so you are a district police officer. Major, b ..., also from Moscow ...

Driver (outraged. Wounded pride wakes up. He also switches to “you”, switching to the manner of communication accepted in these circles - see remark on the phonetic features of the professional language): How do you behave in general? Stopped for one thing, you start cursing something here. So what, what about Moscow, I’m an employee!

Senior sergeant of the traffic police (continues to grin. Unusually slowly and accurately displays the letters in the protocol): You are an employee, and we are the traffic police. Now we'll figure it out.

Driver (squints his eyes, looks at the traffic cop, comes closer and interrupts him): Can I tell you your last name? And I would write down the number of the badge ...

Senior sergeant of the traffic police (demonstratively, with a habitual gesture, turns over the badge. Snarling): And I am not obliged to repeat several times.

Driver (tries to turn the sergeant's badge back and gets hit on the hands. Then he collects the documents from the table and puts them in his pocket): Well, then what is there to talk about with you, since you immediately addressed obscene language to me, obscenity, being rude to me here.

(Takes a step towards the exit.)

The Captain enters.

Senior sergeant of the traffic police (pokes a fountain pen in the direction of the Driver and focuses on the word “from Moscow”): Like, here the major from Moscow, completely insolent, took the documents and put them in his pocket. The rights are swinging.

Captain (smiles and fumbles with his hand behind his belt): Well, now (the pronunciation is appropriate. - K.P.) we will put on the bracelets and pick them up.

(Also, at a sign from the sergeant, he turns his badge over. He fastens the handcuffs on the Driver on his left hand, and begins to bend the other to the battery.)

Driver (resisting): I don't like it at all.

Together, the Captain and Senior Sergeant push the Driver into the next room. A dull thump is heard. Then the fuss begins, as if a person is kicked with their feet.

PHENOMENON TWO

Son runs. Stops in shock. The driver throws him the papers.

Senior Sergeant of the traffic police (at first does not notice the child, but then turns around and, breathing heavily, hisses): Get out of here, puppy. Intervene here!

The son runs away.

PHENOMENON THREE

Son and Wife run to the traffic police post. The wife screams. The son looks with big eyes.

The senior sergeant of the traffic police bends the Driver's hand to the battery. The captain takes the other hand for a kink. A crunch is heard. The driver screams. The wife screams.

DPS senior sergeant (runs out of the room, but immediately returns with a machine gun. Addressing everyone at once): Well, everyone, shut up. Shcha everyone! Still twitch - I'll shoot.

Turning to Zhenya: Get out, hysterical!

To the Son: Puppy, we will deal with you when you turn sixteen years old.

The driver demands to call the company duty officer. The senior sergeant of the traffic police and the Captain call somewhere, then leave.

PHENOMENON FOUR

The Senior Sergeant and the DPS Captain return, followed by two Witnesses. Witnesses are either silent or speak in unison. Traffic cops sit down to write a report. Without letting them read, they ask Witnesses to sign.

Driver (heartfelt and jerky, because his broken arm hurts): Guys, I showed the documents, but they sweared at me. Then I took the documents. I have been serving since 1996. For the ninth year. Former military. Ten years ago he retired from the army with the rank of senior lieutenant. Now a Moscow district police officer. Well, I'm a policeman myself. And they beat me...

The Captain unfastens his club and hits the Driver in the groin.

Witnesses (in chorus): Come on, guys, why are you really.

Senior sergeant of the traffic police (threatening Witnesses): Be silent, otherwise we will issue you right now. I don't know how long to leave here.

Driver (almost doomed): At least read what you sign for. If they do this to me, what will happen to you?

Witnesses, while filling out reports, no longer say a word. They sign the papers and leave.

The driver is released. He calls on "02".

FIFTH PHENOMENON

Voice on the phone: Lieutenant colonel on duty in the Moscow region blah blah blah ...

The driver briefly reports.

Voice on phone: What? Police officer? What are the problems then? You will figure it out yourself.

Action three.

"Do you have any complaints?"

Police department of the city of Serpukhov. "Acceptance". Sitting Driver, alone. He gets up, goes to the intercom "Communication with the duty officer": I myself am a district policeman in South Butovo, I know the rules. If I was delivered, then draw up a protocol of delivery, a protocol of detention, so that I sign. Make a record of the seizure of documents. There is a law. And if traffic police officers write something about me, then I need to draw up these protocols, take them for examination - whether I'm drunk or not. And testify yourself. They didn't follow the due process. Therefore, all this work of theirs with reports goes down the drain. Why are you holding me?

The door opens. A hand with documents is pushed into it.

Voice from behind the door: We have no claims against you, you are free.

Action four.

In search of justice

Newspaper editoring. Driver and Correspondent.

Driver: In the Serpukhov hospital, I took a beating - after all, a fracture. Then our responsible from Butovo brought copies of their reports, where it was written that I ran out of the traffic police post, they returned me. Then I allegedly cursed, resisted, did not give documents, grabbed clothes, their weapons, and so on.

Three days later, my wife and I filed an application with the Serpukhov prosecutor's office. I had all the medical certificates, all the documents. The application was accepted.

Half a month has passed, and the investigator does not call me. I called and asked him why no one was being interrogated. The investigator replied that, they say, it is not necessary to teach him. This, they say, should be involved in me - for resisting the employees during the performance. I say: no problem, attract. But you don't have to talk like that. There are procedural limits. You must fulfill them. Send me agendas.

Another month has passed and no one has called me. Through acquaintances, he contacted the Prosecutor General's Office. There I was advised to contact a person from the prosecutor's office of the Moscow region. I phoned him, met, wrote a statement - they told me how. The prosecutor's office requested materials from Serpukhovskaya, conducted an inspection, pointed out the shortcomings and returned them back.

It's been two months and I still haven't been called. Then I received a notification that the application was considered and it was decided to refuse to initiate a criminal case. And again - silence.

A month ago, I again turned to the Prosecutor General's Office - asked to conduct an audit and familiarize me with the case materials. They sent me a detailed decision on the refusal, and again it all ended there.

Correspondent (sincerely not understanding): It is surprising that you have been waiting for justice from the prosecutors for more than a year. Don't you know all the mechanisms? Why was it not to use a corporate resource - to hustle with the authorities?

Driver: I have many acquaintances. There are different ones. When all this happened, there were two solutions: the first was to go into crime, give them money - 500 dollars (I think they wouldn’t charge me more), so that these guys’ heads would be torn off, so that the bandits would warm up these guys well. And the second option is the same, “legal”. Now I regret choosing it.

But the boss did not help - he loves "sixes" and that they creep low in front of him. If I had done so, they would probably have closed the case. But I'm not one of those people who tap on their own.

Correspondent (trying to broadly cover the topic and bring to generalizations): But you see all this all the time - don't you know that this is a system?

Driver (trying not to generalize): There has always been a confrontation between the police and the traffic police. How much I drive a car, I know that it is the traffic police near Moscow that treat Muscovites in a special way. Always go to the conflict, not like the rest. Even in Ukraine, when they stopped me twice, they saw that I was hiding my certificate, so they said: “Well, what are you hiding in your pocket? So we never touch our own. Bon Voyage! What difference does it make to us whether you work in Moscow or with us.”

And behind the wheel, even if I’m in uniform, I’m first and foremost a driver. I try to “blink” oncoming people if I saw a striped stick. I always knew that a traffic police officer lives better than any policeman.

Correspondent (to himself): “That's why they hate each other? And at the same time they consider themselves people of a special circle - untouchables. "Employee? Rights and technical certificate are not required, drive through, bro "- so, or what?

Criminals do not have a nationality, there should not be a profession. And here - that's how the concepts get divorced! There is a corporation and a clear division into friends and foes, and its own rules of the game, and its own ethics ... Is it because when one of us - representatives of the rest of the population - goes to seek justice, all those on whom it depends are sincerely surprised hearing the word "law".

I don’t believe that until the lawless gays broke the policeman’s arm, he didn’t even think about where and with whom he works next. It's just that reality is given only in sensations - until you yourself encounter it, until your relatives collide with it. Then you draw conclusions: each - his own.

Driver: But even here I'm not against the system. I have a lot of good friends in the traffic police. And I think that the case with me is an isolated one. These are lawless people who solve all issues in the prosecutor's office with money, so they feel at home. Their political officer told me that, they say, the guys are in good standing, they are specialists in drugs. But who does he hang on his ears! I know how it all usually unfolds. They stop any expensive car and throw heroin under the mat.

Correspondent (to himself): “A strange conclusion: just two lawless people were caught on the road, and then - a lawless person on duty and a lawless person-prosecutor ... Not like most - isolated cases. Punish them and everything will be all right.”

He tries to place accents: Well, why did you yourself join this system?

Driver: I have a one-room apartment in the "peasant wilderness". A year after the army I stayed in civilian life - I realized that it was not mine. Therefore, he entered the service of the precinct - because of the apartment. Unfortunately, the law is violated here too - I still can’t celebrate a housewarming party. For the ninth year I have been a bum. And for the fact that it was useful to deal with the apartment, they began to press at work. I offered money - and they began to be afraid of me. You know what's the logic here? I will explain: a person, when he works for a long time and rubs himself in this environment, he can give money, and then catch the one who took it. That's what they're worried about.

Correspondent: And after what happened to you, will you still stay in this job?

Driver: According to the results of 2002, I was recognized as the best district police officer in the South-Western region, the photo is on the honor roll. I was offered and now they are calling me to the chiefs, to the district administration. But I always answer: first you give me an apartment, and then I can go anywhere, to any position. Moreover, I “walk over” in terms of terms: I could have become a lieutenant colonel a long time ago. That is, from the position - there will be an apartment - I will leave, because I don’t really want to be in the “lower classes”.

As for the lawless people… It's good that I at least know who I'm dealing with. I know the process. And a simple person, I think, will beat his head against the wall, but will achieve nothing.

Even then, after the Prosecutor General's Office, they advised me to apply to the newspaper. They say that if there is an article, the case will be taken under control.

Well, here's the article for you.

PS Please consider this publication an appeal to the Prosecutor's Office of the Moscow Region.