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.

[monday]

"Looks like a snot-nosed punk being uncooperative with officers who are just trying to do their job. In fact, the snot-nosed punk was trying to provoke this whole situation with his little video cam already sent up. . .he's a punk. . a snot-nosed spoiled little punk that needs to go home to his mommie who probably bought him his piece o junk car."

lol... got a thing for snot McBuff? Perhaps you need to blow your nose? Wanna yell at the punk to get off your property while you are at it?

[BeHoldAPaleHorse]

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.

First, I am a medically retired cop courtesy of of a punk with a gun. (Cost me one of my two favorite lungs.)

Second, the Constitution does not contain any clauses to the effect of "all this goes on hold if the cop feels like it." If the cop cannot remain within the boundaries of the Constitution, then he needs to find something else to do for a living.

Third, the leading cause of death for cops is cardiovascular disease, not punks shooting at them.

The cops were pretty clearly in the wrong, especially when they started threatening the man with jail time.

[Ben Mugged]

lol.... if stupidity were a crime you would be arrested and serving a life sentence.

I spent 20 years in the service protecting your right to free speech.

I withdraw my gift.

[UpAllNight]

--Looks to me like the kid won, fairly.--

What did the kid win?

[School of Rational Thought]

--No, I read the transcript.--

"It shows. I suppose you believed all those 'descriptions' added in by the kid, too?"

You are deducted several points in this debate. There is a video link which is consistent with the transcipt. You only go to the razzles dazzle shuffle in the absence of facts. Missed that link eh?

[The KG9 Kid]

Send me doins' info in Freepmail. I also want to sign for your chapter's newsletter.

[RayStacy]

How very melodramatic, but I live in VA.

[Diddle E. Squat]

The kid is a complete ass who set this up, just like those 6 imams that got themselves thrown off the plane and suddenly were all over TV. Yeah, I always take a video camera rolling with me every time I drive. (/sarc) His intent was to provoke an incident and then try and make a scene in the media. Unfortunately for him the police acted professionally, and the encounter is nowhere close to how this activist writer and the other cophating filth try to portray it as.

[knews_hound]

Tell Ringer to, it is his chapter.

I'm in 3, he is the one in 1797.

I will let you know though.

Cheers,

knewshound

[WestVirginiaRebel]

And that justifies bad behavior by other cops how, exactly?

[UpAllNight]

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

I've had worse and I was not confrontational with the cop like the snot-nosed kid was.

[School of Rational Thought]

Agree. I must have seen too many WWII movies with Nazis stopping people for "their papers". This is portrayed as bad and I still believe it.

[monday]

Just saying, stupidity isn't a crime. It's the only possible crime the kid committed and you wanted him to be arrested for it. Think about it.

[ConservaTexan]

Do you have to be ready to go to jail to assert your rights apply to the first, second and other amendments also or only the fifth? Sure you have freedom of the press, but you'll do your writing for the prison newsletter if you try to assert it.

You might want to avoid DWI checkpoints for the next few hours. Do us all a favor and stay at home and sleep it off!

[Wormwood]

Unfortunately for him the police acted professionally, and the encounter is nowhere close to how this activist writer and the other cophating filth try to portray it as.

In addition to the ILLEGAL search of the citizen's car, I also noticed a verbal threat of arrest at the officer's whim.

[UpAllNight]

--Or perhaps somebody who had previously been rousted in a checkpoint before, and was prepared this time?--

No. More like his liberal teacher had 'prompted' him on how great it is to get police brutality on film.

[DCPatriot]

Yeah, and lots of people also join the military because they're uneducated...

John Kerry...is that you?

[BeHoldAPaleHorse]

Unfortunately for him the police acted professionally

No, they did not.

Police officers acting in their official role do not have rights; they have enumerated powers. Authority to compel you to tell them the nature of your business is not one of those enumerated powers. The authority to threaten a citizen with jail time for being insufficiently servile is not one of those enumerated powers.

[knews_hound]

Since you have chosen to ignore my question, in the future, if you find the need to post a reply, please do it to someone that you actually have a point to make with.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

knewshound

[NorthWoody]

The conversation should never have taken place to begin with. The fact that they stopped him for no reason is unconstitutional, checkpoint or no checkpoint, regardless of how the communist courts have ruled.

I used to hate cops too, and I still do. This incident is an example of why.