Posted on 01/03/2007 2:08:50 PM PST by 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.
Brett
As a former "Law Enforcement", roadside checkpoint officer,
I salute you and your willingness to stand up, Not Only for Your rights but for the Rights of everyone. (Even for those who deride you)
You, my friend ... are truly unique!
MC
How about this, I bet the same people on this thread that are bashing this kid, are also bashing Nifong for abusing his powers. You can't have it both ways, LEO's can't walk on water and piss in the punch bowl simultaneously. If they want people to respect them more, they should show more respect. It's earned, not a right.
Well, check again.
Uh, Dennis, I learned to exercise my right to refuse consent of a search to an IL State Trooper wishing to rummage through my car from a university professor and practicing lawyer. The cop asked if I had "anything he should know about?" After answering "Nope" He surmised that was probable cause and he could search, but still asked for consent and I refused, which openly made him more persistent. This back and forth exchange seemed forever, but only lasted a few minutes until I explained to him that "I know my rights" and was a student of law. He then flatly stated for me to have good day and drove away.
When did anarchy become equated with exercising one's rights?
Why thank you for implying that I am a Nazi, and a Communist.
It's the little polite things that people say and do that define them.
Who's goose steppin to whose beat?
Philip, what's your gut reaction tell you? :)
Welcome to FR, Brett. Pleased to meet you.
He's half-retarded.
"You do realize "justice" depends on how big your family's bank account is?
Overall: Recognition that you are a citizen, not a subject: A+
Tactical Error: Never let the enemy know you are taping
or having a record made: F- (too many cops will plant dope and gun in your vehicle which is good for ten years in most states)
For future shopping list use: Best buy a thin soled pair of shoes, 'cause you are going to be walking on eggs from now on.
Bottom line, pick your friends very carefully, some idiot facing prison time could set you up and make a deal.
Personal question: Lot of Irish in your ancestry?
You can decline to answer ;^)"
Well as far as telling the cop I was taping, I made a quick decision that I'm still not sure was right or wrong. Officer #4 was getting extremely upset (I could see in his face) with me and I expected if I didn't do something then, I would have ended up with something illegal being planted on me so that officer could get the arrest he was talking about.
When I told him about the stop being recorded, I motioned with my hands as if there were others around taping from a distance. I didn't want him to think he could just take my camera and everything would go away. I even looked at a spot as though I was accidentally giving away where they were taping from and he turned and looked that way. After that, I seemed to get control on the conversation again. You could tell he wan't happy about being the one answering questions. Like I said, I'm still not sure it was the right move, but at the time I felt I had to do something as I knew they didn't have any problem playing by their own rules.
Yes, I know I will be a target from now on. If any of those cops happen to be reading this, I just want to let them know I will be more prepared with surveillance equipment and any harassment will be recorded and dealt with properly. There is not much else I can do. I can't sit at home and be scared of them. I've got to go on with my life.
I will be watching out for strangers as you suggest. I wouldn't be surprised to have them try a surveillance operation on me. They're probably watching me type this right now since I'm practically a US hater for questioning government authorities, right?
"Something tells me the kid is our hope for the future, stands up for his rights and smart enough to record the cops playing their intimidation games!
I salute him."
"Brett
As a former "Law Enforcement", roadside checkpoint officer,
I salute you and your willingness to stand up, Not Only for Your rights but for the Rights of everyone. (Even for those who deride you)
You, my friend ... are truly unique!
MC"
Thanks. It's people like you guys that made me release the video. I knew there would be those who would tell me I had done wrong, but I also knew there would be lots of support. Thanks again for the kind comments.
"Welcome to FR, Brett. Pleased to meet you."
Nice to meet you as well. This seems to be quite a forum. This site has the best discussion about my video and there are quite a few. They're are some great points being made.
Smart move, now I know your Irish!.
Don't let them run your life. BTW I did 20 in the cops and robbers biz and even did a couple of stints in the headhunter (internal affairs) investigations.
In many states, police tows pay 4 to 5 times what auto club does. Sometimes there are 'arrangements' between the tow companies and LEO's as to who will pay for the beer at the End Of Watch
I'm not saying that's the case here, but it can explain why so many cops are quick to hook-book&tow.
Now lose that car and go grey man ... real low profile.
And do be careful with whom you hang out with....Just a word to the wise
bookmark
Yep about impounding. My aunt had an expired tag and as her car was being impounded, she requested that the officer let her use a phone(she had forgotten her cell) or drive her to the nearest populated area.
He refused and she had to walk with her BABY in her hands on a highway---AT NIGHT.
The police chief called in response to her complaint and apologized and said that it was policy to allow a phone call or drive to the nearest destination if travel by foot was unsafe.
She was black and the officer was white. What a surprise.
Down a highway. At night. With a BABY. What a POS that cop was...
Second, don't mind dennisw. He's just one of the resident trolls.
Are you a lawyer?
Once he said that he proved he's just another jackass looking to provoke a response, no better than a cop who gets suspicious of him and every bit as stupid as the one who can't drive a stick. He accuses the cops of looking for trouble yet he himself was looking for trouble as you can see by his conversation with the supervisor.
Then junior finally got around to what his real problem is and pretty much shot any chance of getting any sympathy:
"That just happens to be at a checkpoint. I know, I know you get a lot of drug busts off DWI checkpoints."
Looks to me like Junior's not some unsuspecting innocent but an activist who planned to start something with the officers all along or he wouldn't even have brought up the dog or drugs as an issue - notice the police didn't start that or say anything about drugs. They didn't have the dog search his car. Only he focused on the drug issue and proved he was current on the law on that issue- and so he exposed himself as just another activist who thinks his manure pile should be our mountain. As if we couldn't tell by the fact he's running about the countryside looking for just such events to record.
When you roll into a situation with that going on in your head before they even pull you over - you may think what you said set them off when it may very well be your physical behavior, your excitement and expressions. Your fight or flight body language alone is going to invite a closer look at you to find out why you're diffrent from everyone else - if you're just nervous, behaving like an evasive, cornered truant child or worse, like someone who's got a bomb in the trunk. If you're a good neighbor and citizen you would do what you can to look the part so your personal issues won't distract others from dealing with real threats. It saves everybody time.
The cops looked, didn't find anything and let him go. Not content with that and no doubt very disappointed they didn't arrest him for something, he pressed on, trying to find a magic button to push to set them off. How DARE they not feel inclined to mace him and stomp him flat with their metal-studded jackboots! To make things worse they didn't even wave a billy club his way. They just let him go like he wasn't even important. What gall!
So instead of taking his complaint downtown - the legit complaint about a cop saying the other cop would look for something to nail him and not the clutch thing he lied about- he goes on in his preplanned quest to make a scene. Just being "inconvenienced" doesn't make for good news, after all... so he needed more to spin a good yarn of outrage.
When you look for trouble you shall receive it. I hope this boy watches his attitude not just when he's around cops but particularly when he's around animals or he's got some bad experiences coming his way. A person with an "I'm not afraid of you I want to play" mindset isn't going to get bit. But animals are going to instinctively detect his very different "I want to fight" mindset in his body language and his odor and view him as a potential threat. He's got 'bite victim' written all over him- though of course, when that happens he'll blame the animals for their accurate assessment of his desire to kick them.
Maybe he should try his hand at provoking bar fights or go burn a flag or two down at the VFW post so he can have something real to complain about.
"My point was that I'm definitely not anti cop/law enforcement. And also that the cop in this case was way out of line"
You certainly are coming across as a moron. You are anti-cop. How do you know what was in the cop's mind when he stopped the kid. You apparently don't like road blocks for DWI. Do you know what it's like to inform parents that their kid has been killed in a MVA? Have you ever witnessed an autopsy of a victim of a DWI? The kid was certainly on a mission. How many people do you know approach a road block with a video tape? Cops aren't perfect, and the kid was being a smart ass. Cops are trained to look for something out of the ordinary, and the answer the kid gave was certainly out of the ordinary.
What color is the sky in your world???
Have you been THAT oppressed by law enforcement that you feel the need to strike down anyone who has the decency to to show respect to men and women in uniform??? Me thinks you also have an axe to grind, just like this kid.
Well, have at it, Mr Paranoid.
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