Abuse of Power

MrBrian

I was confronted by a couple of officers, they started to get extremely aggressive (physical contact) . at one point I told them (so they would stop) that I had a cell phone that records video and that I was going to start recording things.

They informed me that if I did that, I would be arrested because "it is against the law to record someone without them knowing". This is what they tell me.

Now I was not fully aware of that, but I figure anyway that even if that is true, I don't think it would be a problem as long as It was of someone breaking the law or doing some sort of injustice, recording would be just fine, I mean imagine, my righst or someone elses are being violated and then I get thrown in jail for wanting to record it for proof. nevertheless I did'nt make the move for my phone.

I even got the cuffs waved in my face. I told them repeatedly "I know my rights". They then demanded to see my license and reg, (this was not a traffic stop) I asked them what for, they demanded again and threatened me again with arrest.

Now this all happened in a parking lot, right as I got out of my car to head into the mall. I had done nothing wrong, they just decided to go after me, no emergencies in the area or anything, it was perhaps just a case of profiling, angry cops, I don't know for sure, what I do know is that none of this was warranted. (I did some research after and nothing was going on in the area, no robbers running around or whatever else, these officers were just hanging around)

I gave them my license and one of the officers starts to check my record out? He jumps out of his car and yells "You are not even an American! what rights do you think you have?" I guess when he pulled my file it shows "non citezen" (I'm canadian but live in the US due to work)

How can they speak to people like this? how can they say these things?

anyway, They knew that I did'nt do anything wrong so they had nothing to ticket me for, then they started searching for things, looking into my car and such.

Now after they find nothing on me he even demands that I move my car to another space! No reason given expect "because I said so!" ....I mean if it was for an emergency I would've gladly moved it, but it was all abuse of power on their part. They just wanted to show that they had power over me....

But fine,I moved my car to another spot (next parking space was about 500 meters from the malls entrance), the only reason I moved was because I wanted to fight this injustice off the streets, in a court room, via the rules.

I asked for badge numbers, they laughed and said "we don't even have any"
Fine, they had name tags so I took one of the officers names down. I asked for supervisor contact info, they refused.

It pretty much ended at that point,I went on my way and later found a professional standards line for situations like this, the office was closed so I waited until the weekday to file my greivence. I was infact not even going to follow this up but it bothered me so much when I thought about what they did and how many other people they may of done it to, people are scared to complain and fight for was is right, I just had to take the issue up.

Now I've been in hard situations with officers a couple times before (anti war rally and once during a traffic violation when I asked to see the radar gun), after each time i'm always learning more about my rights,laws and procedure. But none of that matters, I have rights, but when the injustice is happening, the only one with the rights is the person with the gun.

anyway, some extra details about what happened, after I found another space and got into the mall a guy about my age (in his 20's) came up to me and said "I saw what happened, if you need me, i'm a witness, they can't get away with this" we exchanged contact info.

Now a week or so goes by, I get around to making my complaint. a couple weeks later I get a call from a supervisor and he opens up an investigation.

He contacts my witness, the witness tells the supervisor how physical the two officers got with me, this guy (my witness) was angry himself about what he saw. he demanded justice.

Now this happened just over a month ago, the investigation into regarding the officer started about two weeks ago. I did'nt post what happened on the forums because I was waiting for this situation to resolve. well now it has.

about a week ago the one officer in question (of abuse and violating rules) was killed after driving his motorcycle into the back of a construction truck on the highway. On his own personal bike, no helmet and apparently traveling at unsafe speeds for where he was. just right into the back of A truck.

I heard the story on the news, it was all over the news.

Today I got a call from the division saying that the investgation can obvioulsy not go on and the case is closed.
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ryan198

that's f'd up dude...at every level.

Rushlimbo

Sounds like justice has been served. Karma can be cold.

jeffbr

Rushlimbo wrote:

Sounds like justice has been served. Karma can be cold.

I was thinking the exact same thing.

What a shitty thing Mr. Brian had to go through. I wish this were an isolated incident. Unfortunately, many cops seem to have this authoritarian mentality. It sounds like they were on an unsuccesful fishing trip. I applaud Mr. Brian for pursuing it after the fact, and am not sorry that an asshole cop isn't in a position to screw around with people anymore.

JamMastaE

f.y.i. for future ref. you can video tape any cop you want,they are (supposed to be) public servants,any public servant or politician can be tapped without their permission

Gary Carter

wow that sucks all around

MrBrian

unfortunately what happened to me happens often to people, it's a sad reality. Just the other day the news reported an incident a motorist had with a highway patrol officer and another incident involving a highschool kid. Most involve people of color.

As far as my story goes, I really only care now about further learning the laws and my rights. People who know my story now, they themselves have taken steps to understand the rules and laws. They are scared, infact things like this has happened to some of them before, they just did'nt know about the professional division line and so on. Now they do, that is important.

---

This is his story,

---

Off-Duty Deputy Killed In Motorcycle Crash

Henry Pierson Curtis
Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted January 18 2007


The motorcycling death of an Orange County deputy demonstrated early Wednesday what authorities say is the fatal attraction ultra-fast sport bikes hold over older as well as younger riders.

How fast 39-year-old Deputy was going when his Kawasaki Ninja disintegrated on Interstate 4 awaits a crash reconstruction.

The wreckage, though, suggests blistering speed.

On Wednesday, The Deputy was off duty and riding without a helmet at 2 a.m. when he struck the rear of a slow-moving, brightly illuminated safety truck.

Visible for at least a quarter-mile, the westbound truck near Sand Lake Road was protecting a road crew replacing lane-marker reflectors. Other motorists who claimed they had been driving about 60 mph just before the crash told troopers the motorcycle passed them "at a high rate of speed."

The impact threw his body about 200 feet, reports show.

Hours later, Sheriff Kevin Beary spoke about the death and called him "a quality cop."

Beary noted that the deputy served as a sniper in the Marine Corps before joining the Flagler County Sheriff's Office in the late 1990s. Two years ago, he transferred to Orange County and hoped to join the agency's motorcycle unit.

"It's a tragedy anytime you lose a police officer," the sheriff said.

An auto mechanic before he became a deputy in 1998, Long outfitted his motorcycle with a Dynojet Power Commander computer to boost the 178-horsepower, 1,199 cubic-centimeter engine by as much as 10 percent, according to interviews.

The remains of the bike were impounded at a towing storage yard in Winter Garden until FHP traffic-homicide investigators try to download speed information from the onboard computer.

"Hell of a license plate," tow-truck operator Brad Conner commented on seeing Long's vanity tag -- "BULLIT" -- in the pile of wreckage in The Car Store's fenced lot.

----

Maybe what this officer did to me he did many times to others? maybe it was his first time? maybe he killed many people while being a sniper in the marines?

Whatever it is, I hold nothing against him at this point, my friends think i'm crazy for saything that. But it's true, I mean he's dead now and gone. All I wanted was justice, I guess that's the form it took.

Other officers are around now and living who will themselves break the law, that is now my concern. I hope people will always report abuse of power and stand up for what is right and whatever happens After, will happen.

trappedinmyradio

so, why did the officers approach you? and, when officers ask you to do something, just do it, unless you have something to hide.

MrBrian

JamMastaE wrote:

f.y.i. for future ref. you can video tape any cop you want,they are (supposed to be) public servants,any public servant or politician can be tapped without their permission

I figured as much at the time but felt that since they had hand on gun, making any move towards my pocket would result in a shooting, regardless of the fact that I said I wanted to record it. It could've been an excuse they used later. "he was reaching for his pocket"

So I tried my best to handle the situation with care. But thanks, it's good to know for sure that I could've recorded it.

JamMastaE

trappedinmyradio wrote:

so, why did the officers approach you? and, when officers ask you to do something, just do it, unless you have something to hide.

yeah we know you like to bow down and take it up the ass,dip-shits like you welcome a police state.

MrBrian

trappedinmyradio wrote:

so, why did the officers approach you? and, when officers ask you to do something, just do it, unless you have something to hide.

Well I had hope that the investigation would give me those answers.

so when an officer asks you to move your car for no reason, just to show off his power, you do it? well, I did. he asked me for my reg and licence, I asked what for, I mean it was not a traffic stop. But I did anyway and in the process having them crowd me like i'm a criminal, and this "unless you have something to hide" is a fairly pathetic stance, we have laws, we have rights, it's not what i'm trying to hide, it's what i'm trying to protect.

JamMastaE

MrBrian wrote:

Well I had hope that the investigation would give me those answers.

so when an officer asks you to move your car for no reason, just to show off his power, you do it? well, I did. he asked me for my reg and licence, I asked what for, I mean it was not a traffic stop. But I did anyway and in the process having them crowd me like i'm a criminal, and this "unless you have something to hide" is a fairly pathetic stance, we have laws, we have rights, it's not what i'm trying to hide, it's what i'm trying to protect.

AMEN BROTHER!!

redrock

MrBrian wrote:

Well I had hope that the investigation would give me those answers.

so when an officer asks you to move your car for no reason, just to show off his power, you do it? well, I did. he asked me for my reg and licence, I asked what for, I mean it was not a traffic stop. But I did anyway and in the process having them crowd me like i'm a criminal, and this "unless you have something to hide" is a fairly pathetic stance, we have laws, we have rights, it's not what i'm trying to hide, it's what i'm trying to protect.

Are you non-white?

even flow?

MrBrian wrote:

about a week ago the one officer in question (of abuse and violating rules) was killed after driving his motorcycle into the back of a construction truck on the highway. On his own personal bike, no helmet and apparently traveling at unsafe speeds for where he was. just right into the back of A truck.

Call me sick, twisted, whatever....But Karma sure has a way or rearing it's ugly head.


And the fact he was in the marines...................yeah, you can see where the attitude and power trip came from.

Collin

That sucks man.
Happens here too. I was walking with a friend (he's from North Africa) and these cops ask us to show id. We asked why and they said it didn't matter and we had to show them. My friend said we didn't do anything wrong and if they couldn't give a reason we weren't going to show our id. They couldn't give a reason so we walked away.

Jeanwah

Your story Brian is the primary reason I hate cops. They think they're above the law on every level. It's ironic that your story ends the way it does. Not many police have a karma episode like yours. Most never get what they deserve (dismissal or discipline for harassment, assault or the like.)

cincybearcat

That is messed up.

I wonder why they approached you in the first place. Would be interesting to know.

mammasan

Mr. Brian that is s fucked up story. I called my brother-in-law and spoke to him about it, he is a cop. He stated that they broke so mant rules it's not funny. First you have the right to record them, specifically because you informed them that you would. Second, they had no right to look in your car unless they had suspicion (you or your vehicle fit the description of someone/vehicle they where looking for or if they ran your plates and it came back as unregistered or your license was suspended/revoked). As for asking for ID he stated that they can do that for no reason at all. Lastly if you ask an officer for his badge number he is required to provide the number and the name of his supervising officer to you.

Something similiar to you happened to me a few years back and luckily for me I knew what a cop could and could not do because of my brother-in-law. The officer triesd to search my vehicle with no cause. I wouldn't let him and he became very confrontational. I told him that I was going to call my brother-in-law, was a police officer, and ask him what my rights where. The minute I mentioned that he backed off and let me go. I asked him for his badge number and he refused. Again I stated that I would call my brother-in-law to ask. He simply walked away and got into his cruiser at took off. I managed to get the number on the plates. Went down to the station the next day, with my brother-in-law in tow, and filed a report. The guy only got a reprimand in his file, but it felt good to know that i stuck it to this asshole. So good for you for not letting these power crazed assholes think they can bully the public around simply because they have a badge.

MrBrian

mammasan wrote:

Mr. Brian that is s fucked up story. I called my brother-in-law and spoke to him about it, he is a cop. He stated that they broke so mant rules it's not funny. .

Yeah, at the time I was pretty sure of the rules they were breaking, but at that point, what could I of done? They did'nt care, they just went on and on.
all my rights were gone. I really felt it.

You know one of the last things I said to him as I walked away was "it does'nt pay to be a loser"....When I spoke and filed my complaint telling the supervisor the story, he asked me why I told the deputy that (it does'nt pay thing), I said because to me, this deputy acted like a loser and sometimes when you do bad things to people, bad things happen to you in return. Kinda
like a karma thing. (Like some of you guy's already mentioned in this thread)

haunting words now that I think about it.

norm

Jeanwah wrote:

Your story Brian is the primary reason I hate cops. They think they're above the law on every level. It's ironic that your story ends the way it does. Not many police have a karma episode like yours. Most never get what they deserve (dismissal or discipline for harassment, assault or the like.)

Now come on not all cops are like this. I've run into many cops that aren't on a power trip. Those guys are just assholes and would be whether they were cops or not.

Brian, I had a similar experience. Long story short, I was pulled over by what turned out to be "school cops" and was given a ticket for going 85 in a 35 zone. The laws of physics made this to be impossible but he gave me the ticket anyways and when I went to court to fight it, the douchebag never filed it. Like your cops, I hope Karma kicked his ass.;)

NMyTree

No surprising.

There's plenty of douche-bag cops out there.

Glad you came out of it okay, without any thing worse.

Mammasan pretty much touched on everything else I was going to say.