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 had a girlfriend who had to leave town because of abusive police. Being a little mouthy does not mean you should get beat up.
My girlfriend is a older woman, very well educated, very small boned. She made the mistake of keeping asking the officer what he had stopped her for in the car. She wasn’t rude, just insistent to know what he had stopped her for.
The cop waited for backup, they hauled her out of the car
and slammed the top of her head into a cement wall while they had her handcuffed. They never did have a charge against her. She went to a lawyer and he told her it was a good old boy system and as she had teenage boys he wouldn’t advise her to press charges.
Sure enough, they started to follow her boys around, waiting outside where they were parked ,etc.
She eventually just left the town. She wanted to pursue, but couldn’t risk her kids. She said she wouldn’t live in an area where such corruption was so rampant.
We found out later several of the police were fired because of an excessive force incident.
Nowadays, I bet she would spring at putting cameras in her car. I can understand why this kid did.
Tell you what. Next time you're stopped for speeding or whatever, do what this kid did and get back to me.
You're telling us that the only reason a 20 year old would use a turn signal is to set up a police officer.
Brett: Nothing.
Brett: Can’t I park here? It’s a commuter lot right?
Brett: Yeah, I do.
Brett: Did I do something wrong?
Brett: I’m what?
Brett: In a commuter parking lot?
Brett: Cause I can park right here.
Brett: Did I commit a moving violation?
Brett: Really? What was that?
This is all it took to set the officer off. I see your point. /s
Don’t ask question, pay your made up fine and move along now. /s
I think they’re both jerks. While it’s a shame that officers have to endure lip from jerks like this, the officer’s response was understandable but he went too far in suggesting he could make up charges if he wanted to.
I don’t feel sorry for the driver obviously looking to set up the cop and I don’t feel sorry for the cop either but I do understand an officers frustration when having to deal with jerks like this. It is suspicious that he was parked in the lot yet not a commuter with a scanner and camera running.
What was he doing there?
Apparently this parking lot at 2am was not a real safe place to be. I suppose you think the cop should have just driven away, huh?
Looks like he is under investigation himself:
St. George Police Chief Scott Uhrig is also being investigated by city officials who say he may have failed to inform them that the State of Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission concluded that, "Uhrig's unwelcome sexual advances to a teenager, while on duty and under the guise of enforcing the laws, indicate an especially egregious mental state, show that he cannot enforce the law, and are cause for discipline."
Missouri: Cop Website Contained Apparent Death Threat Against Video Vigilante
You should be thankful to Brett Darrow for performing a public service - if you really want bad cops weeded out, IMO.
“You read the dialog. Would you talk to a cop that way? Would you be suprised if the cop responded to your mouthing off?”
I did read it and I didn’t really see where the kid was mouthing off, except asking why he was being questioned.
He gave the cop his ID. I think the cop just couldn’t help himself from being a jackass, he was told that he was being taped, but his overpowering urge to come down on anyone disputing his word won out in the end.
Bad cops can lose their jobs more than once on FR. Whatever happened to that quaint old search idea?
Is that what I told everyone?
I thought it was odd. Don't you? 2am. No one around. Deserted parking lot. And he puts on his turn signal.
OK. Fine. 20-year-olds do this all the time. They're safe and conscientious drivers, doncha know.
Plus a police scanner (turned off, of course) and multiple cameras transmitting to a secure recorder. Doesn't everyone have this in their car? Or just smarta$$ punks setting up a cop?
If the police are mere children who respond in kind, then you might have a point. However, police are supposed to be professionals, adults even.
The guy responded like a crazed madman, not a professional law enforcement officer.
So, yes I would be surprised.
BTW, we do not yet live in a police state, but if the majority of citizens feel the way you do, it won’t be long until this is a police state. Enjoy your chains.
I think they’re both jerks.
I agree with you there.
Incidentally, I think most people pulling in with a officer right if front of them would use their turn signal regardless of age.
Puh-leeze
2am. Deserted parking lot. Kid pulls in and parks (we find out later for no reason whatsoever).
Cop starts out professional, doing his job, the kid refuses ID, proof of insurace and starts in with the Bill of Rights.
This kid had better find another place to live and change his identity.
The cop is done, and he should be. He acted totally unprofessional, taking advantage of what he thought was just some typical young person without a clue.
It backfired in his face. In addition, it should have been obvious to the LEO that he was being set up.
instead of saying he would invent charges, the cop should have said, "i'll find something" and proceeded to find a legit violation.
cops are held to a higher standard for a reason. and as we see now, cops can be fired not for violating a person's rights, but for verbally THREATENING to violate a person's rights. scary.
i'll be sure from now on to ask permission to approach suspicious people. and open myself up to more danger. or maybe i'll simply let them go about their business.
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.
“Cop starts out professional, doing his job, the kid refuses ID, proof of insurace and starts in with the Bill of Rights”
I just went back and re-read the transcript. The kid gave him his ID, when the cop asked for insurance the kid asked if he had committed a moving violation, at that point the cop lied and told him yes, failure to signal, which turned out to be BS. You must be a cop groupie.
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