[thefactor]

yeah, he went to far. but in any cop-citizen interaction, there has to be some give and take. officers are open to danger at any moment and must act accordingly. citizens must acknowledge the officers authority in as much as talking with respect.

but this kid never had any intention of this being a civil interaction. if cameras caught random interactions, that's one thing. but this is different, imho. the cop was trapped. he had nothing on the kid, but he could not let the kid act that way. the cop didn't know it was a set-up until it was too late. that being said, the cop went to far.

if that was me, i would have called another cop to the scene, combed the car for violations and gotten ID to write the ticket. if he still refused ID, he goes in cuffs to the station house, gets a ticket once ID is verified and is sent on his way. walking back to his car. all the while i'm calling him sir in a monotone voice. i bet THAT video would not be on his website.

[FlJoePa]

"...if that was me, i would have called another cop to the scene, combed the car for violations and gotten ID to write the ticket. if he still refused ID, he goes in cuffs to the station house, gets a ticket once ID is verified and is sent on his way..."

Write him a ticket for what exactly? I agree that the kid is a professional agitator, but he didn't do anything wrong - let alone illegal.

The cop is an a**hole that deserved to lose his job. Hope he enjoys working security for 9 bucks an hour. He deserves it.

[webstersII]

“if cameras caught random interactions, that’s one thing. but this is different, imho. the cop was trapped.”

Lots of people on FR say that if a person is not doing anything illegal then they don’t have anything to worry about.

[maine-iac7]

If the cop weren’t the cretin he is, who gets off on abusing his authority = and if he really thought there might be something suspicious about this young man - he would have followed protocol and had his camera ON.

He did not want his actions on tape. And it seems he about swallowed himself when he = too late = spotted the camera in the car...

I have a feeling there are a lot of law abiding citizens in that town who have had run-ins with this little Gestapo wannabe who are breathing easier with him off the force

[PhatHead]

he had nothing on the kid, but he could not let the kid act that way.

This is where I have to disagree with you completely. If he "had nothing on the kid," then his job was done. It is legal to be an a**h***. We expect waitresses and store clerks to put up with jerks because "the customer's always right." That's just good service.

Surely, with all the power we give to cops, we have a right to expect even more tolerance for jerks, and even better judgment in discerning the difference between rude and illegal behavior.

"Protect and serve" means that, until he violates the law, the citizen's always right.