Once again, I’m Brett Darrow the who was stopped by this out of control officer. Here is the proof that I posted about a year ago for those that will say I am not who I say I am.
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/2579/dsc00016lt3.jpg
To clear a few things up... This was a traffic stop and I was not having a consensual conversation with this officer. Once he hit his overhead lights, this is clear. What is his reason for the stop? High crime rate area? US Supreme court has ruled that is not reasonable suspicion and an officer cannot conduct a terry stop.
Also, some of you seem to say the officer talking about making up charges is not illegal. Are you kidding me? Not only was he talking about making up charges, he told me he was going to say and charge me with resisting arrest even before he attempted arrest! He was going to beat me up and say I fought him.
When he sees the camera he said he would tear all of them apart. Only after I lie and tell him they are being uploaded to a secure source does he start sucking up to me. He even asked me one more time before I got in the car if the tape was in my trunk.
This officer was NO GOOD! Police that defend him are just pissed because they do the same thing to innocent citizens.
Also in this article the other day
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/B37E0AAF74CD32448625735E0008BA00?OpenDocument
“ST. GEORGE — Police Chief Scott Uhrig has given his eight officers a reminder about courtesy — and some words of warning — after one of his sergeants got fired for berating a motorist on tape.
“They know to be polite and courteous,” the chief said, “and they’ve been advised, ‘Stay on your toes. We don’t know how many other Brett Darrows there are out there.’””
Since the chief has already said I didn’t do anything wrong, this makes me believe his comment means, just don’t get caught by someone with a video camera. Why should they have to worry about someone like me? Shouldn’t they be worrying about people violating the law? They’ve already proven they can’t be trusted with their camera’s videotapes, so the people better have their own when they go through St. George.
I should be telling my friends to be cautious and aware when driving. THEY need to stay on their toes. We don’t know how many James Kuehnleins (violating rights, making up charges, assaulting) or Scott Uhrigs (using authority to make sexual advances at 17 year olds) are out there in uniform.
The chief’s comment makes me fear what I had in my mind the whole time. He wasn’t outraged by Kuehnlein’s behavior, but upset he got caught. He was probably even more furious that he didn’t arrest me and destroy the evidence from my car just as he did from his cruiser.
Thanks for the post, and for sharing more info. It wouldn’t hurt for ALL motorists to eventually have a little videocam in their cars for protection.
Brett,
I find it hard to believe that the crime rate is that high in that area. I lived in a house that looked down on that commuter lot for 4 months a bit over a year ago (during the lightning storm that knocked out power to that area for a week or so).
While not the nicest looking lot, the neighborhood was very decent and not run down, only older.
You’ve done a great job getting rid of a bad cop. Those that remain on the force won’t feel the need to cover up for a bad comrade and can get on with doing a good job (assuming that any in St. George are good cops)
You are not alone:
He said that my permit had “better say just that, handgun carry,” but even if it did, he’d just “find some other reason to take me in, disorderly conduct, or inciting a panic. I’ll make some reason.” I was shocked to hear him openly state that he would manufacture probable cause to falsely arrest me, in the hearing of my girlfriend, standing no less than 5 feet away, the Wal-Mart employee he had been speaking with, and the small crowd of bystanders watching.
Best regards,
Kudos, Brett. Despite some of the hand wringers here, you did good work.
In the early ‘90s, I drove a Suzuki Samurai. The Samurai was once known as a “poor man’s Jeep” or more vulgarly, a “n*****s Jeep”. It was a cop magnet. I got stopped in that vehicle at least once a month. Sometimes my “music was too loud” or my “tail light was too dim” and once because I was in a well-to-do neighborhood trying to find an alternative route around a closed bridge. I even had one cop pull me over and literally SCREAM at me because I was doing 61 in a 55... yet he issued no ticket. I wish that the technology existed back then... I would have surely employed a camera to catch some of these evening cowboys behaving badly.
Keep up the good work.
APf
Did your friend ever come to pick up his iPod?
The work you've done here absolutely rocks IMO. While we all might not like to set up video equipment in our cars, the little pocket recorders that will record 15+ hours of MP3 files are dirt cheap. Everyone should have one and use them when appropriate. Perhaps we could get rid of more bad cops.
Do you have any vids of cops stopping you that have acted professionally?
Z
I live in NYC an around 1993 I was walking in mid town where grid lock happens and I saw this officer in a mini car he was blocking traffic and I happen to comment to him he was causing grid lock.
There was a time you could speak your opinion and not get ruffled from them.
I never did this before but it was obvious the thing they were trying to prevent they were causing some drivers to get caught in the grid!
He came over wanted my ID ete. and got real tuff and threaten to lock up somewhere no one could find me!
It was an intense time!