Posted on 07/30/2010 9:43:20 AM PDT by conimbricenses
When a deputy sheriff began questioning Melissa Greenfield's boyfriend at a Delaware County truck stop, she began recording video with her cell phone.
She never thought that she, or her phone, could be viewed as a danger while she documented the activities of public employees in a public place.
Sgt. Jonathan Burke wrote that he repeatedly ordered Greenfield to place the "unknown" object in her pocket and keep her hands free. When Greenfield refused, she was arrested and charged with obstructing official business and resisting arrest.
Burke wrote in his report that he feared that Greenfield could have been holding a dangerous object such as a "cell-phone gun."
(Excerpt) Read more at dispatch.com ...
Seriously. The pervasive "Officer Safety Uber Alles" attitude that cops in this country have needs to stop. It's hurting innocent people and putting their lives in danger, all to serve a delusional and paranoid fear that cops have about "officer safety" - literally up to and including dreaming up hypothetical fantasies about spy gadgets.
I am surprised he didn’t shoot her and go to her home for the dog.
I Googled “cell phone gun”...wouldn’t you know...they have them...
Wow. Just when you think you’ve heard all the “dumb-cop” stories...
I’m surprised he didn’t check her for machine gun jumblies.
I Googled “cell phone gun”...wouldn’t you know...they have them...
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Wallet guns too. Kind of cool, that one.
LOL post of the day material
He thought it might be a cell phone gun, so rather than disarm her to check it out, he told her to keep it in her pocket for . . . Oh, I am at a loss for the right word also.
Sgt. Jonathan Burke wrote that he repeatedly ordered Greenfield to place the “unknown” object in her pocket and keep her hands free. When Greenfield refused, she was arrested and charged with obstructing official business and resisting arrest.
Burke wrote in his report that he feared that Greenfield could have been holding a dangerous object such as a “cell-phone gun.”
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When it goes to trial.... LAWYER: Sgt. Burke, if you really thought it could have been a gun, then why would you ask her to put it back in her pocket? Is it standard police procedure for the police to tell folks who have a gun pointed at them, to ask them to put it away?
SGT. BURKE: (sweating stupidly) Uhh-— Well, Ummmm...
In a normal world, the cop would have told the woman to play with her cell phone, just so she would stay out of the conversation.
Now... we need to ‘solve’ this problem.
We have the technology, we have the money (obama keeps borrowing infinite amounts of money to spend on useless causes, might as well have some solve this problem).
We require all ‘officers’ when ON DUTY to wear a miniature camera and recorder that sends the video via wireless links to a central storage location.
Since a LEO’s job is to enforce the law, uphold the law, and follow the law, there is not one reason they should object to having a video record of everything.
If they did this, then the issue of the ‘little people’ using their own camera would be removed.
You could still take video , just so you have your ‘own’ record to compare ‘their record’ to, later on.
Hopefully, we could trust the LE organizations to protect the videos from any alteration.
That’s a big ‘IF’, lately. The Las Vegas Police sent the video evidence from their gangland style shooting of Kirk Scott off to CALIFORNIA to have it ‘fixed’. Fixed meaning edited.
It’s pretty obvious that most people don’t like being photographed by strangers, so it’s natural for a police officer, acting in an official capacity, to not like strangers taking pictures.
Meanwhile, a good percentage of police work is being monitored by cameras mounted on police vehicles; but that footage isn’t generally available to others.
I’d say that those told to stop taking pictures should do so; and remember that moment later ... if necessary.
Meanwhile, we are not yet an enslaved nation, but ... enslavement is creeping up.
So taking clandestine pictures, as the police do, is what I’d recommend.
But even if these things all exist somewhere, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to make the common sense realization that they're not being carried by a random lady at a truck stop in the middle of Ohio.
hehe... this is good point, R2. SOP for a LEO whose life is in danger isn’t to request the perp to put away the gun, it’s to draw his duty weapon and fire. Personally, if I was in this situation and thought it was any sort of weapon, I would’ve called for backup.
Our law enforcement community has gone from service and safety to politics and self-preservation. I love my local LEOs, and I don’t think any of them would react this way; however, I believe LEOs should be permitted to be taped and that tape used in a hearing if there’s any malfeasance on the part of the LEO. They’re requiring that we be video taped, monitored, our personal belongings rifled through... why should they be held to a similar standard?
Considering that most modern cell phones are about the same size as the MP3 players, I would suspect that it would be difficult to install a firing mechanism, and barrel into a cell phone. It is possible, but the calibre of the bore, and the bullet, would have to be extremely small.
I'm guessing it would have about the power of a good BB Gun.
Over in the Middle East where they make these cell phone guns, I assume they use older model cell phones, which are big enough for say a .22 round and the mechanics to fire it.
Alternate headline. CIA Stalks Local Cop.
The lawyer should ask the cop if he also checked her truck for an ejector seat button and those spinning blade tire slasher things that pop out of the axles.
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