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.

[cowtowney]

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!

I totally disagree. I think the police have an obligation NOT to ask anything that is none of their business. They want to have a conversation because they are lonely? Go to the donut shop.

This stuff gives good cops a bad name. It's not as if the cops shouldn't know proper protocol. It's been litigated over and over.

[UpAllNight]

--I have intimidated several cops out of giving me tickets. Even when I ADMITTED I had my cruise control set five over.--

What did you say? Threaten to kill his family if he gave you a ticket?

[Ben Mugged]

only adherence to the law

Tell me how he was in compliance with the law which states to cooperate with a duly authorized police officer when he makes a request of you in performance of his duties?

[bigbob]

The point of "having the conversation" was for the officer to assess the kids state of mind and the possibility he'd been drinking. To some of us, the kids answer was quite reasonable, to others it was "smartass" - but isn't the cops job the same, regardless? Being a "smartass" isn't a crime but DWI is, and that's why they were there. The cop could have easily just said "Fine, you don't have to tell us where you've been". Why didn't he?

Citizens have a duty to police the police, whether it's through Police Commissions and city elections or by having a video camera turned on. Again, whether some here think he's a weirdo for having a camera running is beside the point, it was a legal act and without it we never would be having this debate!

[UpAllNight]

--The kid done good! I suspect he was following the ACLU video to a tee, and the cops trashed his rights, and he got it on tape!--

Oh, this is a pro-ACLU, cops are jack-booted thugs thread. Thanks. I would never have guessed!

[School of Rational Thought]

Way to go kid. I would have gotten pissed off.

The "Fuzz" can test sobriety without getting involved in your personal business.

It is funny too that the kid won the battle of wits too.

[L98Fiero]

"...to judge whether the driver was DWI."

Ah, slurred speech and all that.

[jaime1959]

>> What kind of country have we got when little smartasses think they have some right not to answer a policeman's questions? <<

A free one?

[marshmallow]

America is becoming a country of rude, unreasonable people. Confrontational people, with a huge chip on either shoulder. The kid was technically within his rights, but he expressed them in such a rude, confrontational way, that the officer then reciprocated and felt the need to play the authority card. He took the bait.

The entire situation could and should have been avoided. I've encountered cops who overstepped the mark and I've seen lots of kids with an attitude. When the two come together, you get situations like this.

[truth_seeker]

"Sorry, but the kid began the exchange confrontationally for no reason whatsoever. You don't have to be a "cop worshipper" to see that."

And he was all set up to tape it, too.

In my area, the police MUST notify the public of DUI checkpoint, in advance. I believe they have to give the date and street.

If that was the case here, I expect this 19 year old went out to find, provoke and tape the response he got.

The cops didn't handle it too well, either.

I'd say both sides had a bit too much attitude that night. And both have tapes to show nobody got clobbered, handcuffed, beat up, detained for hours.

For the cops, the question is not helpful. Might as well just start with "have you been drinking?"

[Rb ver. 2.0]

My Girlfriend's 28 year old son was driving to NC from Texas where he'd gone for a 5 day repo job helping a buddy of his.

He got pulled for a burned out tail light, he let the officers search the car when they asked and they found his $3000 cash he was paid for the job.

The car was impounded and torn apart looking for drugs and the money was confiscated. He was arrested for "money laundering" and tossed in jail. One day, $15,000 and one Texas lawyer later the charges were dropped, but the cops still kept his $3000.

The cops in this case were thieves and highway robbers.

[Emmett McCarthy]

Sorry, but cops don't have "rights". As agents of the government they have only "enumerated powers". As individual citizens, of course, they have "rights", but not in their official capacity as agents of the government.

[RobRoy]

I'll watch it.

[KarlInOhio]

A couple of years ago Ohio Department of Transportation officials were setting up checkpoints in my area to ask everyone where they were coming from and going to to investigate traffic flow. I was annoyed by the idea that it wasn't just the police who were running checkpoints, so I had my response ready if I were stopped: "Under which section of the Ohio Revised Code are you authorized to stop me and ask me those questions, under which section am I required to provide answers and what is the penalty if I refuse to provide you truthful answers?" However, I was never stopped so I didn't get a chance to try it out.

[The KG9 Kid]

Ah, my post got pulled. I admit that I was over the top on that reply.

Folks, that marks the second post I've ever had pulled in my 8+ years of posting on FR.

[dljordan]

"What kind of country have we got when little smartasses think they have some right not to answer a policeman's questions?"

You have to identify yourself but you DON'T have to engage in conversation with police officers. The kid was being reasonable, the police were trying to intimidate him.

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

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."

officer should be fired on THIS statement alone

[jaime1959]

> But then, this is FR, where "pig haters" outnumber "cop worshippers" by quite a bit from what I've seen. It constantly amazes me. <

What amazes me is this absurd straw man. "Pig haters?" I doubt anyone here is anti-cop, let alone liable to use early 1970's anti-cop slang like "pig."

[TexasTransplant]

>>>>>>"In my county, the week-end (mostly) checkpoints are more about revenue generation than "protecting the public".

It's a real cash cow..."<<<<<<<


DING DING DING DING DING DING!!!! We have a Winner!!!

Seat belts, Tags, Lights, Tires etc etc etc as many bites of the apple as they wish. If people don't think that collecting $$$$ isn't discussed in every meeting prior to deploying each shift for the day then people just don't understand how the Police Department is funded or even what its mission is.

TT

[The KG9 Kid]

"... why was this young fellow driving with this camcorder set up in his car and running(?)"

I have news for you both. Civilian in-car CCD cameras just like the police have in their cruisers are going to practically become a standard feature in this decade.