Missouri: Police Roadblock Harassment Caught on Tape.

TheNewspaper.com ^ | 12/30/2006 | Brett Darrow

[The KG9 Kid]

Missouri: Police Roadblock Harassment Caught on Tape
St. Louis County, Missouri threaten to arrest a teenager for refusing to discuss his personal travel plans.

A teenager harassed by police in St. Louis, Missouri caught the incident on tape. Brett Darrow, 19, had his video camera rolling last month as he drove his 1997 Maxima, minding his own business. He approached a drunk driving roadblock where he was stopped, detained and threatened with arrest when he declined to enter a conversation with a police officer about his personal travel habits. Now Darrow is considering filing suit against St. Louis County Police.

"I'm scared to drive for fear of being stopped at another checkpoint and arrested while doing nothing illegal," Darrow told TheNewspaper. "We're now guilty until we prove ourselves innocent to these checkpoint officers."

On that late November night, videotape confirms that Darrow had been ordered out of his vehicle after telling a policeman, "I don't wish to discuss my personal life with you, officer." Another officer attempted to move Darrow's car until he realized, "I can't drive stick!" The officer took the opportunity to undertake a thorough search of the interior without probable cause. He found nothing.

When Darrow asked why he was being detained, an officer explained, "If you don't stop running your mouth, we're going to find a reason to lock you up tonight."

The threats ended when Darrow informed officers that they were being recorded. After speaking to a supervisor Darrow was finally released.

"These roadblocks have gotten out of hand," Darrow told TheNewspaper. "If we don't do something about them now, it'll be too late."

A full video of the incident is available here. A transcript is provided below as the audio is at times very faint.

[Lloyd227]

"the kid began the exchange confrontationally for no reason whatsoever"There was absolutely NOTHING in the kid's response that should be seen as confrontational. He did not wish to discuss his personal life, got it? To expect him to proceed with a discussion of his personal life anyway IS confrontational, but oh yeah.. that was the cop who did that.... hmmmm

[LuxMaker]

Sounds like a case of "You must answer Z questions." "If you don't we can send you to a reeducation camp."

[rawcatslyentist]

Yes, bow down before your masters.

Get real, and grow some brain cells.

[rawcatslyentist]

>"all this could have been avoided if the officer had minded his own business and if he held any respect at all for the rights of a citizen."

I suppose you value your right to not be accidentally killed by an intoxicated vehical operator.

How do you propose we do that?

Anxiously awaiting your answer to end world wide drunk driving without LE intervention.....

[zeugma]

 

I suppose you value your right to not be accidentally killed by an intoxicated vehical operator.

How do you propose we do that?

Anxiously awaiting your answer to end world wide drunk driving without LE intervention.....

Are you trying to claim that "LE intervention" has ended "world wide drunk driving"?

You either live in a different universe than we do, or you have access to some superior pharmaceuticals. 

[rbmillerjr]

"You're defending roadblocks, I'm not."

LOL. No, you are defending your interpretation of the US Constitution, which is incorrect.

[tpaine]

"-- reality is that the Supreme court is the final arbiter in constitutionality. --"

Read the 10th & the 14th. The 'final arbiter' of Constitutionality is whether our rights to life, liberty, or property are being infringed upon by powers not delegated.
There is no power to block roads [for DUI control] delegated to ~any~ legislative body in the USA.

You're defending roadblocks, I'm not.

LOL.
No, you are defending your interpretation of the US Constitution, which is incorrect.

You're 'laughing' because you can't refute my facts about our Constitution. Poor fella.

[StolarStorm]

Of course, I must genuflect before all LEOs. They are our masters and can do no wrong.

I should just follow all orders by the great masters with associate degrees and low average IQs. If they want to know where I'm going, even though it is NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS, I must comply. If they want to harass me because they don't like the way I look, I must comply.

If they decided to hit on my wife while searching my vehicle, I should sit and take it because they are always in the right!!! Yes police officers are our masters and life would be oh so blissful if I just followed their dictates and kissed their corrupt a**s.

[elkfersupper]

Now that they know about you, they will make life hell for you every chance they get.

And such is the sad state of life as we know it now in the United States of America.

In my 55 years as a citizen of this country, I never thought that I would now be lecturing my family to do whatever they can to not attract the attention of "Law Enforcement"; and if they do, their response has to be "I have nothing to say".

[rawcatslyentist]

Hey, what are you doing?

Like i care!!!!

Do you really think the cop gave a rats where the kid was going?

Not a chance.

It was a simple question to evaluate impairment.

The kid flunked! Just like a drunk!

Don't give me none of your junk! You are equal to the Bush=Hitlers naming your fellow freepers as such drivel!

[rawcatslyentist]

>"Are you trying to claim that "LE intervention" has ended "world wide drunk driving"? You either live in a different universe than we do, or you have access to some superior pharmaceuticals. "

You failed to even give one alternate example of how to reduce or eliminate drunk driving!

Poser!

If there's a new way. I'll be the first in line. But, it better work this time!

[Artemis Webb]

Looks like the kid was not the only smartass that night.

[Artemis Webb]

"Play friendly, and you will be surprised how easy life can be!"

A person is not required to be friendly or polite to police officers. Maybe they should be polite but they are not required to. The police officers on the other hand HAVE NO RIGHT to detain someone for not being polite to them or bending before them on one knee.

[Artemis Webb]

"The brat should have been arrested."

On what charge? Not worshiping the officer?

[Artemis Webb]

Obviously the kid was trying to provoke a response from the police that he could then record. At the same time the kid was not REQUIRED to engage in conversation with the cop. It is a tough situation.

I don't have a lot of sympathy toward cops and check points however. Let me give you my personal experience:

I was about 21 years old (I'm 46 now so forgive me for not remembering my exact age). I was in northern Missouri, daytime, on a curving state highway. I came around the corner and there was a checkpoint ahead. Their main purpose was to check for license and registration. Well, my plates were expired, I knew this. I was caught. There were two officers standing together as I pulled up to them. The first one (an older officer) asked for my license and registration. I gave them to him. "Do you know your plates are expired sir?" "Yes Officer I do", I said. I was ready to take my lumps (my ticket). I was guilty and had been caught. The younger of the two officers wanted some "action" though. He sticks his head up to my window, "DO YOU THINK YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR PLATES?".

Good Cop
Bad Cop
Good Cop
Azzhole Cop.

[elkfersupper]

It was a simple question to evaluate impairment.

And when that didn't work, then what happened?

[zeugma]

>"Are you trying to claim that "LE intervention" has ended "world wide drunk driving"? You either live in a different universe than we do, or you have access to some superior pharmaceuticals. "

You failed to even give one alternate example of how to reduce or eliminate drunk driving!

You're the one who attempted to claim that "LE intervention" would end "world wide drunk driving".

I'd say that the best thing that's been done to reduce drunk driving has been years of endless propaganda against it.  The only way that MADD and other nanny-statists have been able to make it look like the problem is not taking care of itself through societal pressure is be redefining down what is considered to be "intoxicated".

In addition to propaganda, another method of reducing it is to make sure that penalties for accidents caused by intoxication are dealt with by the law.

Fishing expeditions like the "drunk driving checkpoints" at issue in this article is one of the least effective ways to actually do anything to stop it. They are nothing but opportunities for 'revenue enhancement', and are barely a step removed from the scenes we used to see in old movies where some jackboot would be demanding "your papers please".

That only a minority on this thread support that kind of crap is good news IMO.

[elkfersupper]

Looks like the kid was not the only smartass that night.

I am a smartass. I have been for 55 years.

I intend to continue to be a smartass for the rest of my years, and I have trained my children (and intend to train my granchildren) to be smartasses.

Smartasses with guns and the authority to arrest people are downright dangerous and a threat to our way of life.

My kind of smartass is the fabric of the nation.

Long live my kind of smartass.

[StolarStorm]

The kid flunked because he stood by his rights??? No, people who actually allow LEO harassment flunk. They flunk as citizens.

[Poser]

1000?