--- Dennis Perrin <dperrin at comcast.net> wrote:
And there's
> concern that some in the police sympathize with
> their xenophobia.
I forgot to addres this point, sorry. Anyone with any knowledge of the Moscow beat cops would not be surprised at all by this. These are mostly uneducated guys largely from the Moscow region (the area around Moscow) who became cops because it is a quick way to get an apartment in the capital. They are underpaid and overarmed, and many engage in a lot of, ahem, side activity involving, ahem, "fines." Policeman is not a respected career path in Russia, and few people will ask the cops for help. In fact a lot of people view them as thugs. They have a very bad reputation. Cf. Mexican police.
I do not think I have ever seen a non-Slavic beat cop in Moscow, which is interesting in and of itself. I have met non-Slavic higher-ups in the police though (specifically, a Georgian). Higher-level cops have a much, much better reputation. Not as good as the FSB, but definitely better.
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