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.

[The KG9 Kid]

I am an American, sir! What about it?!

;)

[sam_paine]

If he was using a wireless, I'd say the driver had something in mind with his interaction with the police......Could we have a little setup here?

If the cops aren't doing anything wrong, then what have they to worry about?

Isn't that what we're always told by "the State."

[SauronOfMordor]

Hey, you're right, the pigs suck. It's my fervent wish that the country spend about five years with no pigs whatsoever, anywhere.

The country got along fine for most of it's first hundred years without a professional police force.

[Wormwood]

If the cops aren't doing anything wrong, then what have they to worry about?

BRAVO.

[School of Rational Thought]

I think your tag line divulges more than your posts.

[McBuff]

Point? You made a point? I'm sorry, I thought logic was needed in order to make a point. ..I guess not. . .which is why you conclude. . .wait. . .not conclude. . .that takes logic. I guess for you thoughts just "appear" in your head..which is why the thought appeared in your head, in response to what I wrote, that I'm against the constitution. ..perhaps if I wrote it on colored construction paper in crayon you could at least feel better about it?

I'm not "against the Constitution". .I'm not even against sophmoric, illogical, chatter about the Constitution. ..chatter til your hearts content. . .I'm just saying the kid is a smart-ass punk playing little-boy small time games. ..the cops are in the real world where punks are killing cops daily.

[Ben Mugged]

Dealing with pigs makes that pretty easy.

One of those "pigs" died for you this morning in Atlanta.

[knews_hound]

Excellent post and you have done a good job keeping the conversation on point.

These cops were wrong, period.

Sadly, it happens all too frequently, typically however, we don't have tape of it.

Keep up the excellent work my ECV friend.

BTW, going to make the spring doins in Isleton?

Ringer says he is buying the first round.

Cheers,

knewshound

http://www.knewshound.blogspot.com/

[School of Rational Thought]

"and what kind of cop can't drive a stick??"

The kind that needs more time in the car to take a look around. ;-)

[Wormwood]

the cops are in the real world where punks are killing cops daily.

The Bill of Rights applies to the "real world" as well.

[UpAllNight]

Calif. officer fatally shot during traffic stop; teen arrested

H.G. Reza, Staff Writer
Los Angeles Times

OCEANSIDE- A 17-year-old boy was arrested Thursday, and another teenager questioned, in the killing of a police officer during a routine traffic stop.

Officer Dan Bessant was the second policeman shot to death in this city in less than four years.

Oceanside Police Capt. David Heering declined to release the juveniles' names or explain their alleged roles in the shooting. He said they were picked up near the place where Bessant was killed Wednesday evening by a single bullet that went through his left arm, missing his armored vest before entering his chest. The officer was treated at the scene by paramedics and flown to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, where he died.

"It's just beyond belief," Heering said. "I don't understand it. The department is in a state of shock. We haven't gotten over the loss of Officer Zeppetella. The mood is somber."

Tony Zeppetella was 27 when he was gunned down June 13, 2003, by a gang member during a traffic stop. Adrian George Camacho, 31, was convicted of the shooting and sentenced to death. Zeppetella left a new wife and a 6-month-old son.

Bessant, 25, is survived by his wife and a 2-month-old son, but Heering declined to release additional information about family members, including the wife's name because, he said, they were in seclusion. Bessant had been a sworn officer for three years, Heering said.

He said the officer had arrived as backup for rookie Officer Karina Pina, 28, who had stopped a vehicle with six occupants for a minor traffic infraction at the intersection of Gold Drive and Arthur Avenue. Both officers were outside their patrol cars when they were fired on from behind, he said.

Pina, an officer for eight months, fired back and then called for medical assistance when she realized Bessant was wounded. The occupants in the car Pina had stopped had nothing to do with the shooting, Heering said. Pina was not injured.

Police have not uncovered a motive for the shooting, and Heering said they did not know whether it was the work of a sniper.

Heering looked grim when he met with reporters early Thursday after visiting the crime scene, where Bessant's police cruiser was still parked almost 12 hours after the shooting. Crime technicians were combing the area for evidence.

The neighborhood, near Camp Pendleton's southern boundary, is one of the city's older communities. Heering said the area was plagued by gangs but refused to say whether the two teenagers picked up by police were gang members.

He said the incident began at 6:18 p.m., when Pina initiated a traffic stop. Heering said she asked for backup but didn't say why. Bessant arrived at the scene four minutes later, Heering said. About 6:30 p.m. he was hit by one of several shots fired from about half a block away, Heering said.

He declined to say whether he suspected that the 17-year-old who was arrested was a shooter or how many shots were fired. He also refused to say what kind of weapon was used or whether any weapons had been recovered.

Officers from various departments in San Diego County sped to the scene after the shooting to assist in the hunt for suspects. Heering said witnesses in the car that was stopped by Pina directed officers to the 600 block of Arthur, and three residences were searched.

The 17-year-old was arrested about 3 a.m. Thursday, and the second juvenile was detained for questioning seven hours later.

Oceanside Mayor Jim Wood, a retired police officer, did not return calls for comment.

Contributions for Bessant's family can be made to the Dan Bessant Memorial Fund at any Washington Mutual bank branch.

[DCPatriot]

Are you really an idiot...or do you just play one on FreeRepublic?

[Ecliptic]

He is 19...I had piece o junk cars until I was 26.......that's when I could afford it...My son had a piece o junk car until he was 23....

We didn't have your mommie to buy us nice cars like you got..

[blu]

? If he was using a wireless, I'd say the driver had something in mind with his interaction with the police.

Well, the cops set up a sting, the kid set up a sting. Looks to me like the kid won, fairly.

[Ben Mugged]

Your opinion will change after something like this happens to you.

You don't know anything at all about me. I've done time in jail and have been arrested on numerous occasions. A couple of which were undeserved in my opinion. I still think our police do a fantastic job. Especially when compaired to the alternative. I find a lot of folks on this thread undeserving of their sacrifice.

[knews_hound]

And why, praytell, did you feel the need to post that to me?

Just curious.

Cheers,

knewshound

[sam_paine]

I have intimidated several cops out of giving me tickets. Even when I ADMITTED I had my cruise control set five over....That is safe unless the cops are LOOKING for a reason to pull you, specifically, over. At least that is what all my acquaintances that are cops tell me.

That's the country I want to live in. The tough-old-guys that can mentally intimidate young cops get off, while younger, more timid kids get taught to bow down to their masters! Yay 'for my own good!' (barf)

[UpAllNight]

Traffic stop ends in officer's slaying
Colorado Springs department mourns second killing of '06
Marc Piscotty © News

Linda Huscher, left, Keyshawn Davis, 5, and Shawna Davis, all of Colorado Springs, leave flowers at the site where Colorado Springs police officer Ken Jordan, 32, was killed during a routine traffic stop late Monday on East Fountain Boulevard.STORY TOOLS
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By Joe Garner And Dick Foster, Rocky Mountain News
December 6, 2006
COLORADO SPRINGS - The car was weaving - probably a drunk behind the wheel late on a cold night.
Following the blue Kia Rio, a Colorado Springs police officer radioed at 11:14 p.m. Monday that he was stopping the car, which was westbound on Fountain Boulevard.

It braked on a bridge over Sand Creek, so close to the Colorado Springs Airport that you can hear the jets roar.

Officer Ken Jordan, who had a knack for talking to boozed-up drivers, pulled up to help.

It would be his last stop.

Jordan, 32, who had been a Colorado Springs officer for six years, was shot several times as he stood at the driver's side door of the Kia.

Two other officers opened fire, police said, hitting 25-year-old Marco Lee, the DUI suspect who was behind the wheel.

At 11:30 p.m. dispatchers received a chilling radio call: "Officer down!"

Less than an hour later, as more than 50 officers, united in grief, spilled out into the halls of Memorial Hospital, Jordan was pronounced dead.

Lee, who was taken to the same hospital, was in good condition late Tuesday.

"You don't know why there was a decision to shoot one officer and not another," said Interim Chief Dave Felice. "I never second-guess the mind of a suspect."

During the traffic stop, the suspect called a friend on his cell phone and suggested that he didn't want to be arrested again for drunken driving, Lee's stepbrother said Tuesday.

The stepbrother, DeAndre Barnes, told The Gazette newspaper that Lee told his friend he loved his family but was "tired of all this drama."

"I'm sorry, but this is it," Lee allegedly told his friend moments before the shooting.

Lee had run-ins with law enforcement twice previously this year.

In one incident last March, he unleashed a string of profanity and insults at the officer who stopped him for speeding. In May, he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Jordan, who was single, had been with the department since 2000 and had been a DUI officer since 2004, patrolling primarily in southeast Colorado Springs. The department credits him with 584 DUI arrests.

The report of Jordan's death spread through the night over laptops in police cars. He was the second Springs officer to be killed this year. In February, Detective Jared Jensen was shot after trying to arrest Jereme Lamberth in connection with a knife attack on the suspect's sister. Lamberth was arrested after a massive search.

"Having two deaths in one year is a horrific tragedy for the police department," said Sandi Johnson, a United Methodist minister who is a volunteer police chaplain.

"It's a huge loss for the officers. These are their brothers."

Black tape across badges marked the beginning of mourning for Jordan, a strapping "gentle giant" committed to clearing the streets of drunken drivers, said Sgt. L.C. Morgan, supervisor of the DUI unit.

"Ken was a good guy," Morgan said. "I had lots of dealings with him."

Felice, who declined to say how many shots were fired, said Jordan was wearing a protective vest.

He added that the two other officers at the traffic stop, who were not identified, will be on administrative leave while the incident is investigated.

"There is nothing to indicate any officer deviated from standards," Felice said.

Lee worked at a pizza parlor in Colorado Springs and a glass company in Denver, according to police records. He lived at home with his mother.

The 25-year-old, who never graduated from high school, maintained a complex Web page on MySpace.com. He posted an album of pictures portraying himself as a happy-go-lucky young man with lots of friends.

He wrote that he liked "kicking back, going to the firing range, smoking a bowl every now and then, hanging out with friends and being outdoors."

The site of the shooting became a memorial by Tuesday afternoon. Red roses and white lilies and bouquets joined two Teddy Bears, candles and a tiny Christmas tree.

An American flag waved from the bridge railing.

A woman who signed herself "Sarah" left a handwritten note with her bouquet.

"Although I never knew you, I want to thank you for your bravery," she wrote. "I pray for your soul and your family."

A native of Chicago, Jordan is survived by his parents and a sister, according to the department.

Services have yet to be scheduled.

Donations to the Officer Ken Jordan Memorial Fund can be sent to the Colorado Springs Credit Union, 426 S. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, Colo. 80903.

[Wormwood]

Stay on topic! Stay on topic!

[RobRoy]

>>Yes, I did. ..the kid is full of himself and he has an agenda. He was approaching the cops in bad faith. . .this is the real world I'm talking about. ..don't approach the police in bad faith. .DUMB. . .say "yes sir, I was on my way to krispy kreme to pick up some honey-glazed for my mommie"<<

Not outside of North Korea or maybe Iran.

In this country we are equals. No STRANGER has the right to be anything other than annoyed when I tell him to take a hike when he asks me questions like that.

The deep issue here is, how do you feel when around cops. Do you feel like a citizen of a free country with God given rights protected by the constitution, or do you start breaking out in a sweat and hoping they don't notice you, as a Jew in 1930's germany might have felt.

It is ALL about the quality of life of citizens, which is supposed to be enhanced by the existence of police, not damaged by fear of their attention, while you are doing NOTHING wrong.