LV cop beats citizen for videoing burglary investigation

[TheTman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-qWNqOjsW8

First, I must say that I have much respect for LEO's and the difficult job they must perform, often placing their life in harms way. But we all know that sometmes that power is abused, as I believe they did in this case.
A man was videoing a burglary investigation from a friends driveway whose house he was watching while his friend was away. What happens in the video seems totally uncalled for. The cop asked the guy to stop filming, and he refused and received a beat down. What kind of police state are we living in where we can't video tape police actions. I can see if it was a case where undercover agents identities may have been revealed they would not want it taped, but this was not such a case. This was brought to my attention by the Nationalgunrights.org who had the following to say:
Was a crime committed?

Nope.

And despite the Las Vegas Police Department admitting the officer’s actions “violated several Metropolitan Police Department policies,” the officer is probably not going to be punished!

Amazing, isn’t it?

A cop can grab a guy and beat the snot out of him for the simple act of operating a video camera, yet he may not even get fired.

It’s possible that all he will get is a 40-hour unpaid suspension.

Now get ready for the worst part…

…he’s been on paid “administrative leave” for 4 months!

I should tell you, I have several friends in law enforcement.

I’ve done ride-alongs with them, and witnessed firsthand, from their perspective, what a tough job they have.

And I deeply respect them for doing that job, because I think we need more constitutionally-minded law enforcement officers.

But this Las Vegas incident is yet another example of the ever-growing police state that you and I live in.

In a mad rush to make our country safer, police departments are using strong-arm tactics that go far beyond their moral and legal boundaries.

I think Ben Franklin put it best when he said that those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.

I don’t want to lose our freedom in exchange for some perceived temporary safety by creating a police state, and I know you feel the same.

Can you imagine if the guy in the video had been carrying a firearm?

The cops would probably have branded him as a “terrorist,” or worse, they might have simply shot him as a matter of course.

Today it’s a random guy with a video camera.

Tomorrow it could be you.

[jocko]

a real shame.

[O'Dell]

First, my son is a cop, actually a Chief now, but a cop and paramedic for 15 years. Also a number of the Lawrenceville, GA officers came into the Diner, so I know quite a few. Most were nice guys and I liked them - a very few were arrogant jerks, but the same could be said of shoe salesmen or funeral directors.

However, there is no excuse for the behavior shown in the video. This is the second such video to appear on this forum in the last two weeks. Hopefully the proliferation of phone cameras will eventually weed out these violent officers and their illegal acts.

[jocko]

I put a cop/leo into a complete different category than a shoe salesman or funeral director. Neither of those carry a gun or have the powers that a police officer has and they are also public servants paid by the taxpayers in that area,. One bad officer can give an entire area police dept a bad name. If they handle the incident propelry then the public will accept it as a bad cop who needed let go. but to still be on PAID leave pending "what ever". gives the smell of a cover up.

We just had a local 19 year police officer in my small home town FIRED yesterday by the merit board. Fromn thge start of the firing process it took over 1.5 years for it to come to full circle at a cost to our city of over 5K. Justice seems to move very slowly sometimes.

We have pending in Indianapolis a police officer who rammed into 3 motorcycles while at a stop light, killing one and injuring the other tworiders seriously. He tested B.A. of 2.8 but it was thrown out ofcourt as the technician who drew the blood was not certified to do so, even though the results were tested by a certified lab. Explain that justice ifu can. The officer rammed them at 8:05 am. 5 minutes after he reported on duty and he was stone drunk. His fellow officers at the scene tried to cover up alof of what happened but there was to many other witness at the scene. 4 high ranking officers were fired over this cover up also, but his one officer is still to this day on paid leave pending further charges. The systrem certainly works better for some than others.

by the way the fella killed had just retired the week before and had just bought his new harley and was just out for a ride with friends.

[TheTman]

Liberty and Justice for ALL, should include our friends in uniform. I know we have "secret" AA meetings for the police that have become alcoholics. That way they don't have to mix with people they have issued DUI's too and are forced by the courts to attend meetings. LEO's are people, and have problems just like the rest of us. A few were bully's that grew up and got a badge, a few were the victims of bullys and got a badge to get even. Most are good honest people out to protect and serve, but bad apples do creep in. I've only dealt with one that was a jerk, a rookie out to prove himself, the rest have been very professional and courteous. I just hate to see things like that video shows. Unfortunately some cops think that you have no constitutional rights unless they give them to you. I would have stopped filming, or at least pretended too. I'd rather give up my rights than have my face stomped in. You can file a complaint later. I post these things to keep us informed that not all cops are equal and sometimes you might want to think twice before asserting your rights. I hope the one that killed the motorcyclist gets punished appropriately, he should be charged with vehicular manslaughter at the least, just like any other drunk driver would. Can't believe they threw that evidence out of court because a guy wasn't registered to draw blood. What the hell difference does that make? It's not like he could draw it from the wrong spot and magically get some higher reading. That is pure politcal and legal B.S. Actually whether he was drunk or not should have no bearing on the fact that he committed vehicular manslaughter.

[jocko]

oh ur right, but in Indy the men in blue tend to cover their buddies. This is not the first big scandel to hit Indy. cops running whores were busted not to long ago. Another selling stolen guns. Probably no differnet than a pimp running whores and a Bg selling stolen guns but when a cop crosses the line he makes the news big time, for whether he or we like it or not he is put on a different pedestal. This motorcyle incident inflamed a hell of alot of people around Indiana, for it was well know (after the fact) that the police took their fellow ifficer to a lab that they knew was not certified. I think tha tis why also some higher up officers were fired to..

They also have video of the liquor store where the officer bought his vodka just hours before going on duty.

[knkali]

There are two sides to every story. We do not know what happened before this took place. Maybe he was obstructing the investigation before this video? Maybe he looks like a suspect? Maybe the LEO saw a weapon?Finally, how hard is it to comply and stop the filming until the LEO got some questions answered? He didnt ask the guy to do something unreasonable. He said to stop filming. Sometimes people look for trouble too. When I was gowing up, I was told when a cop asks you to do something you do it. You dont challenge them.

[Bawanna]

There are two sides to every story. We do not know what happened before this took place. Maybe he was obstructing the investigation before this video? Maybe he looks like a suspect? Maybe the LEO saw a weapon?Finally, how hard is it to comply and stop the filming until the LEO got some questions answered. He didnt ask the guy to something unreasonable. He said please stop filming. Sometimes people look for trouble too. When I was gowing up Im was told when a cop askes youm to do something you do it. You dont challenge them.

We have a bingo here boys and girls. The thought of saying no to any reasonable direction an officer might give is totally foreign to me. I was brought up to respect the law man until such time as he doesn't deserve it. I agree with above there are many that don't deserve it but I still don't test them in an effort to get beat up.
Many just want to push buttons and test an officers restraint. I have a guy I went to school with that is like that. He instigates.
In this case based only on what I saw I would have stopped filming and asked why he wanted me to stop. Resolve the issue and then move on. Like knkali said we really don't know what the guy with the camera was doing. Maybe he's frequent flier known well to LE, maybe a long haired dirt bag (crap there I go again profiling) that needed a beat down.
Maybe this whole deal was staged by the media to stir things up. If it isn't in the Enquirer you just never know if it's factual.

[JodyH]

Was filming legal?
If so, the officer was wrong, no matter how big a instigating dirt bag the cameraman is.

[aray]

In Maryland you can't film LEO doing their job even in public places. This has been tested in the court system in this state several times and upheld. Maryland has strict wiretapping laws and the LEO community (with approval of the courts) have interpreted that to mean that you can't record LEO, even in public places, even if there is no expectation of privacy.

[O'Dell]

We have a bingo here boys and girls. The thought of saying no to any reasonable direction an officer might give is totally foreign to me. I was brought up to respect the law man until such time as he doesn't deserve it. I agree with above there are many that don't deserve it but I still don't test them in an effort to get beat up.
Many just want to push buttons and test an officers restraint. I have a guy I went to school with that is like that. He instigates.
In this case based only on what I saw I would have stopped filming and asked why he wanted me to stop. Resolve the issue and then move on. Like knkali said we really don't know what the guy with the camera was doing. Maybe he's frequent flier known well to LE, maybe a long haired dirt bag (crap there I go again profiling) that needed a beat down.
Maybe this whole deal was staged by the media to stir things up. If it isn't in the Enquirer you just never know if it's factual.

Maybe so - I can't really disagree. However, how do you explain the beating? Police officers are trained, or they should be, not to over react. If there were other factors involved that were not explained on the video, the officer had other options rather than physically attacking the subject. Arrest and handcuffs come to mind, but good luck with that if all he was doing was shooting a video. I've always considered leading police on a high speed chase, and endangering innocent people a very serious offense, but even that doesn't justify a physical attack on an unarmed person. Remember how the Rodney King episode turned out.

If I was elected Benevolent Dictator for a day, I would decree that anytime any person takes up a deadly weapon, knife, gun, car, or whatever, and attempts a felony act, he forfeits his rights at that point. However, I can just see the civil libertarians jumping on that one. Currently we, you and me and police officers, have to abide but the laws as they are written, and that means NO physical attack unless doing would protect someone from death or injury. Personally, I would include loss of property in that, but in many jurisdictions, that will get you tossed in jail.

[TheTman]

I agree, I would have stopped filming when asked, I always do as instructed by cops, sure beats getting a beat down, even if you are within your rights, but how could filming from accross the street obstruct the investigation? And if he had obstructed the investigation earlier, he should have been placed under arrest and none of this would have happened. I doubt if a suspect would hang out and film the investigation. Even if he was a suspect, does that take his rights away, NO. The guy didn't have any weapons on him, so that should not have been a factor.
But some people like to stand up for their rights, and end up paying the consequences. I wouldn't have done so without any witnesses present.
You need to choose your battles wisely, and that's not one I would have chosen.
This is not a police state... YET. And I don't see how the guy was doing any harm.
Why would they object to him filming? Basically all he could record was cops pulling up and other things occuring outside of the house, in public view. Why was their such a fuss over a guy taking video of it. That's what bother's me. If I stand on my front porch and film a guy being arrested out in the street, do they have the right to come on my property and tell me I can't film their activities? NO they don't. If they did, I'd comply, and possibly file a complaint later, but in this small town, things like that get you harrassed by the cops and is not worth the trouble you bring upon yourself. You'll get stopped for little things like speeding 3 mph over the limit and things like that, it's certainly not worth the trouble of watching over your shoulder all the time.
I admire and respect our LEO's in general, Not a job I'd want with all these crazy psycho's running around ready to blow your head off. I just posted the video to show that you'd better think twice before taking a stand for your rights. I certainly don't think he deserved a beat down for making a video. I might have helped the situation if the cop had explained why he wanted him to stop filming. Maybe he had a good reason, I don't know. I think sometimes there is too much attitude of "I've got a badge and you're going to do what I tell you too, whether it's justified or not".

[georgepittenger]

In Maryland you can't film LEO doing their job even in public places. This has been tested in the court system in this state several times and upheld. Maryland has strict wiretapping laws and the LEO community (with approval of the courts) have interpreted that to mean that you can't record LEO, even in public places, even if there is no expectation of privacy.

How can taping a public official in a public place be illegal ? :confused:

That makes NO SENSE to me , or I suspect the average citizen .

I read today that at least 3 state have such laws .

How can a police force believe that they need to hide behind such a statue ?

And what politician advocated for that ? Throw the SOBs out of office .

Our legal system is out of whack .

The BGs get away w crap . The police get away w crap too .

Makes me sick ...............

Ok , I'm going to find a chill pill ...............

P.S. I used to live in MD , for over 20 years . Much happier here in gun-friendly Ga !

[Bawanna]

Agreed. The officer was out of line beating the guy without question. The guy was an idiot for not complying in the first place.
He didn't deserve a beating for not complying or even for running over the officers dog if that were to happen for that matter. Police are not allowed the pleasure of beating people up, even the ones that so desperately deserve it.

I just gotta believe there's factors in this that we don't know and probably never will.

[TheTman]

Bawanna and O'dell, if I choose to wear long hair, does that mean I'm a dirt bag? I had long hair for quite a few years until the chemo made it fall out, just was a part of my "biker" look, doesn't mean a thing. I abided by the law, paid my taxes, and generally was a good citizen. Must have been or I certainly wouldn't have got my CC permit. From what I've seen most the dirt bags don't wear long hair these days, they don't want to call attention to themselves, it's the skinheads I watch out for. My friends that still wear their hair long are good people that happen to like long hair and motorcyles. I'm just saying don't judge a person by the length of their hair.

[Bawanna]

Bawanna and O'dell, if I choose to wear long hair, does that mean I'm a dirt bag? I had long hair for quite a few years until the chemo made it fall out, just was a part of my "biker" look, doesn't mean a thing. I abided by the law, paid my taxes, and generally was a good citizen. Must have been or I certainly wouldn't have got my CC permit. From what I've seen most the dirt bags don't wear long hair these days, they don't want to call attention to themselves, it's the skinheads I watch out for. My friends that still wear their hair long are good people that happen to like long hair and motorcyles. I'm just saying don't judge a person by the length of their hair.

A 1000 apologies there thetmanski. I have many friends with long hair, and probably more with no hair but that's another deal. The long hair comment I made is pretty much generic, just something I attach to a descriptor of a dirt bag. I'm good at profiling, its wrong, its not allowed, but it works and the country would be far better off if we did more of it. Like Political Correctness, its taking us down fast.
Your absolutely correct in that not all long haired folks are dirt bags, I shall forthwith refrain from attaching that descriptor in the future.

It's sort of a connection similar to Harleys and back in the day perhaps it wasn't that far off. Now days doctors and lawyers go a week without shaving, strap on the leather outfit and go riding. My chief does the same thing annually. Why he feels the need to grow a beard to ride his Harley baffles me but if it blows his dress up, have at it.
On my last trip to Cody Wyoming I thought the Hell's Angels were in town, turned out they had been there the week before and the town loves them. They pay their bills, never any problems at the hotels they fill up. The group there when I was was HOG. Harley Owners Group or something like that. I talked to several of them, they looked the part of greasy biker but were all fine folks, and I could tell that.

[TheTman]

Bawanna, back in the day, I remember a lot long hairs were up to no good. So I can see how you would associate long hair and dirt bags, no apologies needed. And back then a lot of the long haired types on Harleys could have been low-lifes, or druggies. Again, there were exceptions, but not like today, where the majority of the Harley Riders are good decent hard workng people, but enjoy looking the part of the "bad ass biker" My Doctor just bought his first Harley this spring. A lot of folks just want a good American made bike to ride, and Harley has really improved the quality and reliability of the bikes making them more coveted by the weekend rider.
As for profiling, I agree, many terrorists fit a certain profile, and we would do well to take that into account, instead of waisting time patting down granny at the airport. It wasn't granny that attacked our country on 9-11.

[Bawanna]

I'm tremendously relieved that you saw my point and understand my poor use of terminology. I still plan to refrain from that association.

Your dead on correct with the Harley thing.

[knkali]

Yes all guys with long hair are dirt bags because I do not have much hair and I am extremely jealous.

[O'Dell]

Bawanna and O'dell, if I choose to wear long hair, does that mean I'm a dirt bag? I had long hair for quite a few years until the chemo made it fall out, just was a part of my "biker" look, doesn't mean a thing. I abided by the law, paid my taxes, and generally was a good citizen. Must have been or I certainly wouldn't have got my CC permit. From what I've seen most the dirt bags don't wear long hair these days, they don't want to call attention to themselves, it's the skinheads I watch out for. My friends that still wear their hair long are good people that happen to like long hair and motorcyles. I'm just saying don't judge a person by the length of their hair.

I don't recall saying anything about hair long or otherwise.

[knkali]

if you got it grow it.
Funny how kids who have all this great hair shave their heads. I would give a lot of money to have half of what they shave off.

[jeepster09]

The country appears on a path straight to hell.....just recently I saw in the news that there was a state that now allows police to come into your home without probable cause. A couple of weeks ago during work I ran into a guy who just moved here from Russia, he wanted to know what is wrong with Americans. He said we have best country in world and it seems so many are trying to wreck it with stupid laws. He said he is thrilled to be out of Russia and people here are trying to make it like Russia.

[JodyH]

He didnt ask the guy to do something unreasonable. He said to stop filming. Sometimes people look for trouble too. When I was gowing up, I was told when a cop asks you to do something you do it. You dont challenge them.
In the United States of America you should not be subject to harassment or arrest for challenging authority in a legal manner.
If Nevada law does not prohibit filming law enforcement, he should not be subject to harassment for filming from outside the secure perimeter.
Bad cop... no donut.

[JodyH]

The guy was an idiot for not complying in the first place.
What makes him an idiot?
Why should he be forced to comply with an order that has no legal basis?

[Bawanna]

What makes him an idiot?
Why should he be forced to comply with an order that has no legal basis?

You got me on this one. Just my upbringing I guess. I don't question or test officer authority. Although I sorely lack respect for most authority. I'd comply and deal with the legalities later.
I guess I see more good in cops than bad, if in fact he is a bad cop/no donut then I would have been right and he would have been wrong but neither of us would have been beat up. Most importantly me.

I still think theres more to this than we're being shown or told.

[knkali]

the guy was asked if he lived there and he clearly said no. Then if you listen closely he changed that to a yes he did live there. While that alone is no reason for a beat down, it could provide a hint to the timbre of the entire scenario that we are not aware of.

[Dietrich]

It will be interesting to see what transpires in this incident.I wouldn`t be surprised if nothing at all is done to the officer.Not too long before I moved from the Raleigh area,a Raleigh officer shot and killed an unarmed man near a local college.The cop said he "thought"the guy had a weapon.The shooting was ruled as justified.I make no sudden moves around LEOs and I don`t give them any reason to notice me if I can help it.Damned if I want to be murdered by a cop any more than I want to be murdered by a crackhead.