Posted on 09/22/2007 8:03:54 AM PDT by beltfed308
ST. GEORGE — A police officer who was recorded berating a motorist earlier this month has lost his job.
The board of aldermen voted 5-0, with one member absent, to fire Sgt. James Kuehnlein on Monday. The vote was cast in a session closed to the public and wasn't announced until Wednesday, when a notice was posted at the City Hall of this tiny south St. Louis County community.
In a video that got wide viewership on the Internet, Kuehnlein taunts and threatens motorist Brett Darrow, 20, sometimes shouting and using profanity, after questioning him in a commuter lot near Interstate 55. Darrow posted the footage of the Sept. 7 incident on the web.
(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...
I hear Marsellus talking to Zed. And I keep thinking, "Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead."
This bad cop was an idiot. He was informed about the camera, and chose to be an idiot. What part of behavior in the public , and 4th amendment, did this cop miss? Also, as a contractor, per 10th amendment, 4th amendments may pertain to the vehicle(s) involved in a person’s commercial business. The officer deserved to get the ZOT.
The cop acted exactly the way I would expect any cop to act when spoken to that way. The problem is, the camera was rolling -- probably another YouTube fame seeker. Because it's now public, I agree that the cop needs to be fired.
So you expect a cop to act in a way that merits firing any time someone asserts their constitutional rights?
um, yeah. he drove like that because he knew there was a camera on him. he used a police scanner to find a place where he would be questioned by a cop...a commuter lot at 2am where there had been a rash of break-ins. this kid is a professional agitator. this is not his first video. he drives around looking to get messed with and give an attitude.
“My point being that he was setting up the cop.”
No doubt. The cop fell for it hook, line and sinker.
Looks that way.
Of course, that does nothing to mitigate the officer's actions.
he had every right to approach the car and question the driver. and then all of this happens.
good cops are going to see this and be less likely to stop suspicious cars for fear of similar scenarios. cops just want to go home safe at the end of their tour. if that means sitting in the car and just filling out reports for crimes that have already happened, so be it.
Is that how justice works in your world? Cops can act like little tyrants as long as it remains private? A good cop could handle the situation without swearing and inventing crimes, this wasn't a murder investigation.
Those are good points. Although if the cop had just refrained from claiming he’ll make up charges, he’d probably still be on the force. A stern talking-to would be completely appropriate in this situation.
http://www.policeone.com/training/articles/1355617/ gives an idea of the departments size. Between the officer and the chiefs previous problems the statistics don’t look good for SGPD being true “white hats”.
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.
Or work off those extra donuts.
The conversation could have taken a really nasty turn if the officer had tried to emulate his chief and attempt sex with a stopped citizen, altho the kid was a few years older than the teenaged girl his chief stopped and propositioned.
What stains. Plus St. Louis city cops, on a website called "Coptalk", posting thier plans to "visit" the guy and "investigate" his parking habits. One even posting how he was gonna shoot the guy if he was lucky enough to pull him over.
St. Louis has already gotten off light, once, from this guy for a false arrest in '05. Makes me ashamed to have to read about this, from cops.
look at all my subsequent posts. i say the cop went too far. my point is the negative repercussions of this episode for good cops. if a cop is found guilty, he should be punished. i don’t know anything about the other case. but if he wasn’t fired, there was a reason for it. chiefs don’t usually do traffic stops so it smells bad.
Including invention of false charges?
I have a lot of friends in LOE, mostly State Troopers. I had a bad experience with a farm-town cop once. Dropped a dime on him to a buddy high up in the ranks and made the simpleton's life miserable for months.
Almost as good as anonymously reporting someone to the IRS for revenge purposes.
Your post makes no logical sense whatsoever.
There are VERY clear crimes committed here and recorded for evidence.
This low life MF should be rotting in jail with a girlfriend named Bubba.
No. I'm being realistic. You're the one living in a fantasy world.
Would you expect to be assaulted while walking through Central Park at 2am or would you say that you have a constitutional right to walk on public property any time you want?
Me? I would expect it. If it didn't happen, all the better.
"So you expect a cop to act in a way that merits firing"
I would expect a cop to react when a punk mouths off. You don't think he will. Fine.
May I suggest you talk to all cops like this in the future -- assert your rights, dammit!
“My point being that he was setting up the cop”
Like concealed carry people, just carrying looking for a gunfight. Sure.
The kid had a right to be where he was without harrassment.
If your read the entire transcript the cop suggests he was driving “impaired” because the kid said he was upset.
Should the kid not pull over, and continue driving impaired.
Where is the evidence of the kid mouthing off. This is only an assertion by the bad cop, who clearly stated that he would come make charges against him.
Does that include threatening to make up charges? Is that how you want police to behave? There is a fine line between police work and bullying. This guy crossed it, and did it even though he knew there was a camera there. His attitude does not imply professionalism, just someone on a power trip.
I have seen officers be far more professional in far tougher situations than just shaking down a 20 year old. They earned my respect, this guy did not.
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