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.

[RayStacy]

Exactly precisely what I was going to say. Word for word. But you beat me to it.

[Sandreckoner]

"Why would so many firebreathing CONSERVATIVES hate the pigs? That is the question. As a conservative, I am predisposed to love many things, and I do. Why the exception? Why would we hate pigs if not for the horrible treatment you always see us describing?"

Hey, you're right, the pigs suck. It's my fervent wish that the country spend about five years with no pigs whatsoever, anywhere.

[The KG9 Kid]

"Evading conversation is interfering with the officers duty."

Did you just make that up, or are you the worst Constitutional attorney in the nation?

[freeplancer]

No doubt, the cop lovers will love this thread. Of course, there are only a few bad apples in law enforcement.

[RobRoy]

>>There is a reason the officer needs (not wants) to engage the driver in conversation. The need is derived from identifying impaired drivers. The need is derived from law. Evading conversation is interfering with the officers duty.
The brat should have been arrested.<<

You forgot your sarcasm tag.

At least unless you are living in North Korea, I HOPE you forgot the tag.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

'Evading conversation is interfering with the officers duty."
And,,,,there was plenty of conversation. Certainly enough to show there was no reason to suspect the kid was impaired. The officers made a mistake on this one!

[RayStacy]

We can dream, right?

[Wormwood]

Hmmm, I often drive around at night with a camcorder on. Especially as I approach a DUI checkpoint (which have to be announced). Could we have a little setup here?

I carry a cheap $100 point-n-click digital camera/camcorder in my pocket. I keep it next to my mp3 player.

If I were about to enter a police checkpoint, *at the very least* I would record the audio of the proceedings.

[KarlInOhio]

Looks like a snot-nosed punk being uncooperative with officers who are just trying to do their job. In fact, the snot-nosed punk was trying to provoke this whole situation with his little video cam already sent up. . .he's a punk. . a snot-nosed spoiled little punk that needs to go home to his mommie who probably bought him his piece o junk car.

I'm sure that King George III had a similar opinion of our founding fathers.

It is was sad day in our country when we had to start recording all of our dealings with government officials to protect our rights.

[freeplancer]

You must be a dirty rotten cop kisser. Let me break into your house and see if you play nice so the robery can go easier.

[Sandreckoner]

"Of course, there are only a few bad apples in law enforcement."

I get where you're coming from, man. Every time some pig does something wrong, the cop lovers say, "Well, there are just a few bad apples." But we know the truth. Where there's smoke, there's fire. "Only a few bad apples" my ass.

Just like when people say that about the military.

[bigbob]

and what kind of cop can't drive a stick??

[RobRoy]

I think he set them up. His actions were absolutely what the aclu videotape tells you to do, step by step. Right down to rolling the window only partially down and locking the car.

It looks like these guys needed to be set up though...

[calex59]

Dude, you could have avoided all that shiite if you had just been a tiny bit more civil to the first officers question. True it is your "right" to give dick answers, it's also their "right" to give you dick police treatment. Play friendly, and you will be surprised how easy life can be!

BS. This is a crock of sh**. A person doesn't have to tell police where they are going and if they refuse they don't need to be harrassed about it. It is also ok to refuse to have your car searched and it is totally illegal for them to search without your ok or a warrent WITH YOUR NAME on it, not a john doe warrent.

If a cop arrests me because I tell him it is none of his business where I am going, and it isn't, I will sue him and the city, county, state, and do my best to get him/her fired. I am NOT a teenager, I am a free adult american born free and determined to stay free and I remember having much more freedom than we have today in this progressive controlled country.

If you wish to live in a police state where you have to kiss ass when you are stopped by the police move to any other country, I am sure they will be as authoritarian as you would like.

[CORedneck]

I think the kid had a right not to answer the question. One time, the college I went to for my undergrad degree had a DPS department that was kind of power hungry. One of their officers was in a rival fraternity. One time I got into town and stopped at my fraternity house. I remembered that I made a turn around the corner and then went into the parking lot. The DPS officer was turning out but decided to make a U-turn. I was pulled into my parking spot when they pulled in behind me. The officer started to ask what I am doing here, where I was going and I basically told him I was going to visit one house before going into my own house. The officer became very flippant and started to make all sorts of threats. I basically told him off and walked away. The DPS had no arrest powers. This was on Friday night. On Sunday Night when I got home, I wrote a nice letter to the President of the University along with one of the VP's who overseen the DPS. I mentioned that is not a good way to treat their alumni. Several months later, the officer along with another officer who I also had problems with both resigned. The other officer gave me a speeding (school ticket, not gov't summons) ticket which I blew off.

Thanks to groups like MADD, we are becoming a more of a police state. Checkpoints should not be allowed. One thing forgotten thing in our politically correct society is the right to be left alone when you are not bothering anyone else.

I am currently on vacation here in New Zealand and it seems more of a live and let live attitude. I had a discussion with a Kiwi and a Oz person at the Hostel and the consensus is both in the US and OZ, there is the tendency to over-legislate such as seat-belt laws. With the coming legislative season in the states, I know groups like MADD will be pushing for primary seat-belt legislation such as in my home state of Colorado. Unfortunately, they might have the votes this year to pull it off. MADD also supports police state laws. The group has outlived their usefulness. They are kind of the sacred cow of society like 55 mph national speed limit was at one time.

[Sandreckoner]

"We can dream, right?"

Right on, man.

[RobRoy]

If what is on the tape is how it actually went down, these cops NEEDED to be set up.

The kid gets kudos.

[UpAllNight]

--Something tells me this kid would be just fine in a free society.--

Driving around late at night alone talking to your video camera indicates that this kid is not all there.

[Wormwood]

and what kind of cop can't drive a stick???

The same kind that can't read the Bill of Rights.

[Ben Mugged]

What about our right to remain silent?Then the officer has to explore other ways of determining if you are operating under the influence.