Texas sheriffs confront man filming in public

originally posted by: buster2010

originally posted by: Jungian
a reply to: Mamatus

Obama must be quite proud of the Gestapo which has been created the past few years.

Texas is a Republican state. So you are blaming the wrong party.

Why does everything have to be partisan? A major reason, in my opinion, of the gridlock in DC is the partisan attitude of so many people. This gridlock has done nothing to help put people back to work and to increase the health and happiness of the US.

a reply to: HUMBLEONE

Umm. Crept that this happens all over the US.

So what does your small minded comment say about you?

The kid kept his cool, not always the case. The old cop stepped in and manned up, again not always the case. Kudos to both of them. The first cop he dealt with was also reasonably professional, the only d-bag in this scenario was the guy from the Sherrif's dept. I am not sure the kid should press charges, but definitely file an official complaint.

I have a feeling if those other cops weren't there, this guy would've been beaten with his camera.

originally posted by: Daedalus


yeah, like some little town, in the middle of nowhere would really be any kind of terrorist target "rolls eyes" if he's REALLY that scared of nonsense like that, he shouldn't be a cop...

attacking that place would be as pointless as opening a bottle with C4..

what a joke.....

Between this little town in the middle of nowhere and Amarillo on Hwy 60, is a small little plant called Pantex.

The Pantex plant is America's only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility and is charged with maintaining the safety, security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile. The facility is located on a 16,000 acre (65 km2) site 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Amarillo, in Carson County, Texas in the Panhandle of Texas. The plant is managed and operated for the United States Department of Energy by BWXT Pantex and Sandia National Laboratories. BWXT Pantex is a limited liability enterprise of Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Group, Honeywell and Bechtel.

Wiki

Still think they have nothing to worry 'bout there?

a reply to: retiredTxn

ya since the guys wasn't at that facility... then there is still nothing to worry about.

originally posted by: bbracken677
a reply to: HUMBLEONE

Umm. Crept that this happens all over the US.

So what does your small minded comment say about you?

my comment was intended to be rather ambiguous, left to the readers interpretation. Have one of these dude aw hell have a couple of em!!

originally posted by: buster2010

originally posted by: Jungian
a reply to: Mamatus

Obama must be quite proud of the Gestapo which has been created the past few years.

Texas is a Republican state. So you are blaming the wrong party.

Wrong party? Good one. Thinking they are any different is a liberal illusion.

originally posted by: Jungian

originally posted by: buster2010

originally posted by: Jungian
a reply to: Mamatus

Obama must be quite proud of the Gestapo which has been created the past few years.

Texas is a Republican state. So you are blaming the wrong party.

Wrong party? Good one. Thinking they are any different is a liberal illusion.

Cops are state not federal employees so maybe you should be blaming Herr Perry for the way those cops are acting. Everyone always blames Obama for the way cops are acting when it is state and county that passes the laws on how their police act. So if you want to blame someone for the way cops act then blame the people really responsible.

a reply to: buster2010

Agreed on blame, it should be placed on the people who elect the officials. So, here are CA cops doing more egregious actions. Guess both sides of the aisle are equally corrupt and totalitarian. The answer is not whether the politics are blue or red, it he is mentality of LEO in general and the advancement of the "infallible" law.

CA COP BEATING AND TASERING

a reply to: Mamatus

I like how the officer totally lied and said he didn't grab Andrews wrist. Police seriously need to step back from the power trip! What a joke, these small town cops can't even comprehend that photography is actually a hobby. Good grief!!!

I give him credit for keeping his cool, I sure wouldn't have been able to.

a reply to: rockflier I wouldn't say they have a redneck mentality... unless you think they work in their fields all day, in the blazing sun, in order to ensure a good crop yield for the season.

Personally, I'd love all cops to have a Redneck mentality. They would have morals and ethics and their word would be as strong as oak. These hard-working farmers got the name, "redneck", due to the sun burn they would get on their neck (from their hair-line to their shirt collar) after spending 16-hours a day looking at the ground as they worked throughout the winter, spring, summer, and fall.

Public servants all to often abuse their powers either consciously or unconsciously.

It is a fault within the human psych and we are all prone to it.
However, it has been my experience that when individuals are under constant surveillance they are much more unlikely to commit these rights violations.

It is my sincerest opinion that public servants should be under constant surveillance while on duty, and reviewed by independent civilian monitors, who are afforded legal consultation. (with of course an oversight for sensitive materials.)
Individuals like this man could carry "Civil Monitor" cards similar to "Press" cards.

Monitoring these people would end a lot of corrupt behaviors.

Officers of the law, should not fear surveillance...especially in open public places by civilians of the state/country they live in.

Give Liberty a chance, and monitor its progress...I say.

originally posted by: esteay812
a reply to: rockflier I wouldn't say they have a redneck mentality... unless you think they work in their fields all day, in the blazing sun, in order to ensure a good crop yield for the season.

Esteay, I grew up on a farm/ranch in Northern Colorado and worked the fields until I left for the service. I well know what it does to the body. I am merely repeating what my friend said, and I believe her.

EDIT: Redneck does not always indicate a "slam", it sometime indicates a rural attitude. Good or bad, depends on who you are and where you are from.

Yeah the one deputy was completely out of line. When he grabbed the guys camera he committed a battery.

The whole "we need your camera for evidentiary purposes" was complete crap. I mean at times that could apply (filming a suspect committing a crime) but in that case no.

You know I just don't get it. As a police officer I couldn't care less if someone films me. It has happened before and it will happen again. Whatever. Sometimes I joke around and ask the filming party to get my good side.

I guess it is just a case of a human with a god complex. No profession is immune to hiring the like.

Hopefully the guy will file a complaint. There is no room in the law enforcement profession for people like that.

a reply to: Mamatus

The saddest part about this is the cops do not even understand how rights work. This is getting sad and pathetic and these cops should be ashamed.



They should be suspended without pay pending an investigation for crimes against this man. His rights were violated by the men who are sworn to uphold them.

originally posted by: terriblyvexed
a reply to: theantediluvian

I feel like both sides were right.


This was obviously a set up.

That being said the second cop was in the wrong, and set himself up for that.

The other cops were professional, even the one who laughed, I mean it was funny.

My opinion this is propaganda, but it's all opinion.

That's what I was thinking as well. The guy was clearly fishing for attention; recording multiple traffic stops, photographing official buildings, etc., till he caught their attention. The way he talks makes that very clear. The first cop that came over was perfectly polite, and also reasonable. With what he was doing, the cops did have a reason to consider his behavior suspicious. I took a picture of our local courthouse one night, because it's very pretty with the way they have it lit, and a cop actually slowed and looked. He drove on without even asking me anything. Why? All I did was take a photo. Had I been driving around taking pics of the police station, jail, and various traffic stops, I am sure I would have been asked some questions as well, and rightly so. Following the police around is suspicious, and this guy doesn't even deny he was doing just that.

The second cop (sheriff's office, I believe, instead of the town's police), acted like a jerk, and was flat out lying about the legalities. While the behavior was suspicious, it wasn't illegal in and of itself, and he could have done a lot better explaining that. The guy did NOT give his name when the first cop asked, either; he gave what sounded like some online handle to me. He didn't have to give his name, true, but claiming he did, when he didn't was dishonest on his part. Complaining that someone else isn't honest when he wasn't himself is hypocritical. Also, the way he kept interrupting the sheriff's office guy (deputy or the sheriff, I don't think we know which) was confrontational and rude, and it seemed his intent was to get the cop mad so he could then claim the cop was unreasonable.

When the rest came over, the other that had spoken before was still polite and professional, and clearly trying to keep things civil. Even then, this guy wasn't polite about the whole situation . He knew his behavior was suspicious, and he knew that their questioning him was thus reasonable, and he still attempted to cause things to escalate. He could have, instead of stating "you can subpoena it", offered to make them a copy of the footage. I had video of a fight, that I copied for the cops, so they had it for evidence, and I didn't ask them to subpoena it, either.

This whole thing was planned. Small town, suspicious behavior, and confrontational attitude, then it goes on LiveLeak? Yeah, definite set up.

Knowing our rights is a good thing, as is standing up for them. Deliberately baiting cops to get a reaction? That's not right.

originally posted by: retiredTxn
Between this little town in the middle of nowhere and Amarillo on Hwy 60, is a small little plant called Pantex.

The Pantex plant is America's only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility and is charged with maintaining the safety, security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile. The facility is located on a 16,000 acre (65 km2) site 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Amarillo, in Carson County, Texas in the Panhandle of Texas. The plant is managed and operated for the United States Department of Energy by BWXT Pantex and Sandia National Laboratories. BWXT Pantex is a limited liability enterprise of Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Group, Honeywell and Bechtel.

Wiki

Still think they have nothing to worry 'bout there?

Posting facts won't change opinions on this one. For many, it isn't just automatically anti-cop, but also anti-Texas/Southern. The camera guy clearly set this up, taking pics of all the official buildings, then recording several traffic stops, so they would see him as suspicious. I'd bet money he knew about that facility as well.

Nice fact-finding there.

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

Don't see how this was clearly set up... He would have to know for a fact that the cops were going to have 2 traffic stops going to set this up.
Just recording cops when you see them is not evidence of a set up

Having first saw this and reviewed the video tape the following can be stated:

Both sides were wrong, and here is why:

The man doing the videotaping was in the wrong and could have been arrested under a Texas state law. The law states that a person has to identify themselves, their date of birth and address. The only time an id is required is if the person was going to be arrested.

The person who was approached by an officer of the law, only gave his name, and not his address or date of birth, as is required. He could have been jailed for failing to identify himself. He did not have to give his ID at all at the initial encounter, that is correct.

Now the second officer, the one who was pushing his weight around was in the wrong for several reasons. The first is that in the state of Texas, many of the small town courthouses, and county buildings and government buildings, most are considered historical monuments. Would he deny the right to take pictures of such or record such as it would be of public interest. Most have plaques that proclaim such. The second part, is does this officer who is so worried about cameras, does he expect going into a business, that they would turn off the video recordings? Does he not go to say Walmart, a Bank, or some gas stations? Does he not know that those places have cameras everywhere recording at all times? That even in front of a business all of their actions could be caught by the buildings security cameras. Would he then go in and demand or turn off said devices or demand copies of such for evidence?

The officer was wrong on 2 other accounts. One is that he should never have attempted to grab any ones hand or take something that did not belong to him, that is armed robbery right there, and the other is that the officer did not seem to keep up with the news and what all the courts have ruled, to include that while out in public the police and other law enforcement is and should be expected to be filmed.