Here is another example of a police officer going too far and abusing his authority.
http://dailybuzzlive.com/archives/2052A cop like this is a huge liability to his department and to taxpayers. This kid never gets upset and rude but yet the cop is abusive when he discovers that the kid seems to know the law better then he does. I hope at minimum he filed a complaint. I know I would be billing that department for the damage to my vehicle. I would likely be suing him and the department for violating my rights. Its clear that cop lost his cool almost immediately which is frankly unprofessional. His sergeant should have pulled him from that detail.
That officer needs a refresher course on the constitution badly. I hope he gets it before they put him in that position again.
Do we need the DUI checkpoints? I don't think so. Its not that hard to find drunk drivers.
Back to the liability part. Most of the time these incidents nothing happens, in some cases people don't even know that the officer has gone beyond the rules. Other times people don't want the stress of filing complaints. Or its simple he said she said, so it goes no further because there is no proof.
But when it does go to far, and there are complaints, it can cost taxpayers big money. My folks know all to well.
Back when I was a kid, (this is the 1980's folks) I was friends with two brothers (at the time 12 and 10 years old). They lived three doors down the block from me and my folks. One day my folks are out taking my then infant brother for a walk in his stroller, and on the way back see a village police car in front of my friends house. My friends aunt is out front, very upset. She tells my dad what is going on.
My friends had been in a fight with the two kids further down the block. They had taken their little brothers bike (7 years old). They defended their little brother, got his bike back, and took those kids two bikes and tossed them over a fence. Then they left. Those kids parents CALL the police (even though their kids had started it) and (as it turns out, the cop dispatched is a friend of theirs).
My dad, having served as a MP in the Air Force started to ask the aunt questions. Turns out the cop had entered the house even though they told him he could not enter. He only stopped in the entry hall when my friend mom told him they had a big dog (a big black retriever). After my mom's friend got the kids into the living room he takes them out of the house, I guess after asking a few questions.
Unfortunately for that cop, he then is facing my now angry dad. He at first tries to help the cop, telling him that he is making a mistake, violating the rights of minor children by taking them out of the house without permission and worse yet, without a warrant and without cause. He says if you don't believe me ask your sergeant before you make the worst mistake of your career. He tells him he will not file a complaint if he stops his illegal actions.
The cop mouth off, asking if he is a lawyer. My dad then tells him that he is a retired MP. And there will now be a formal complaint filed, your badge number please!
By now the whole neighborhood is gathering around.
The cop then puts the brothers in back seat of the squad car. My dad is staying on that officer demanding his badge number. He is not giving it, breaking yet another law. My dad still has my brothers stroller in tow, which is now in front of the squad car in the street. A second officer arrives, with the two bikes in his trunk (I guess he had radioed the location of the bikes to the second officer). The second officer does nothing to defuse the situation, standing there like a bump on a log.
By now there are thirty people there, and they are getting angry. Two neighbors are now backing my dad demanding badge numbers. The aunt asks for permission to join her nephews in the car. He tells her no.
Now the cop is telling my dad to back off. He finally shows him his badge number almost hitting him in the face with it (the badge). By now my father is livid. The cop threatens him with arrest. For what says my dad? Mob action and obstruction of justice, pointing to my brother stroller in front of his car. My dad moves the stroller, not really realizing he had put my little brother there. The aunt manages to open the back door on the squad.
Think this is nuts enough!!!
Oh, and guess what? The neighbor across the street is a county circuit judge, traffic division. Someone thinks to find him. Those cops see him coming their way and they freak out. They get in their cars and start to take off, making people move so they don't get hit by the cars. He nearly drags the aunt on the street, she falls off and the door dangles open as they get the h#ll out of there.........
The judge is pissed beyond belief. He runs back in his house, calls his bailiffs, they being county police (remember this is the 1980's, no cell phones). He, my dad, two other neighbors, the mom and aunt then take off for the police station, tires squealing.
So they all get to the station where a showdown with the chief begins. County police and the bailiffs arrive and the judge orders the boys released, the two village officers arrested for kidnapping. Evidently there was already bad blood between the two departments over some other incidents before. My dad retells how tense the situation became. Neither department would back down and threats were made.
Thank God for that judge. I can't imagine what would have happened had he not been there. Yeah, it would have been hard to cover up, as the whole neighborhood had been witness to it. But that judge prevented false charges being filed and got two cops busted for breaking a whole bunch of laws that day.
Long story short. Those two cops lost their badges. It helped force the chief to resign in disgrace.
There were lawsuits. My dad, my friend mom and aunt sued the village and those cops. There were lawsuits between the two families over a neighborhood fight. Went on for years afterward. For a fight between minor kids...........
You know what it ended up costing taxpayers?
Years later I found out that the village spent over two million dollars defending itself. The village, since it had lost the suit also paid for my dads legal expenses which amounted to over $300,000. It would have been more had he asked for a cash settlement (he knew it was costing taxpayers plenty as it was).
See why I hate corrupt cops now!
We moved away about 5 years later.
Flash forward to about 6-7 years ago. I am watching the news. There is a story about an incident in my former town, I watch, interested because it involves police. Some cops had been videotaped stealing campaign signs off a lawn. They got caught by neighbors in the process, and a showdown happens (they are on "duty" in uniform). And yes, it was stealing, as there is no law against campaign signs. Guess which block it is. Yup, my old block...........two neighbors from the 80's thing were involved yet again......
You can't make up this nonsense, and these morons NEVER learn......
