That cop trying to get ID for cigarette ash is EXACTLY the type of cop who would plant drugs to get a bust like Zach Wester. Same personality, character, & superiority complex. I wonder what all his bodycams show over the years? He’s itching to get that town sued into oblivion.
the fact cops can treat us like this shows how far our “rights” have fallen.
I’m an officer in Cincinnati, I’ve never seen anything so petty. I’m sure these officers can spend their time more wisely than detaining a man for simply dropping an ash.
And this is another perfect example as to why I dont trust a word that comes out of a cops mouth. And i never will until they change the laws making it a crime for ANY law enforcement to lie just as its a crime for a civilian to lie.
The fact that the LT admitted that they train their officers to split hairs to hopefully lead to a bigger violation is absolutely cringe.
….can kinda lead to other things…” That’s called being pre-textual (before-the written word/law)…using a small infraction in hopes of obtaining info for a larger offense.
The problem here is,…when that younger police officer one day becomes Sargent he will abuse his powers and get I.D or whatever else he wants, he is a bully. The ego’s and feeling of power over the peoples goes to their heads. Then they wonder why is their such a disconnect between the citizens and police officers, the clan protects and covers for their own.
Wow imagine how many people’s rights these police walk all over
Thin blue line on his belt buckle tells us ALL we need to know about these officers and their department. The only reason the officer didn’t push the issue is because he KNEW he was on the losing side. The LT telling him “he’s a good officer” is telling us ALL to believe HIS words and NOT our own eyes and ears. This video was SUCH a black eye on this entire department. Even the officer making the BS claim on the ashes being “littering” couldn’t keep a straight face as he spewed his bs. I’m surprised they didn’t charge him with “attempted arson”. The biggest blunder here imo is the higher ranking officer choosing to defend such outrageously disguisting behavior. The minute he did that, he owned the disgraceful abhorrent behavior of the first cop. He made it clear that they are in it to protect each other no matter how ridiculous their behavior and abuses of power are.
I’m watching this from the other side of the world (I’m northern European) and I really can’t believe this stuff, it’s insane what you good Americans have to put up with from your police, it’s absolutely absurd and a big shout out to this channel for exposing this kind of ridiculousness!
The cop can’t even really look him in the eye. He knows he’s being shady and disingenuous.
I came around the end of a pavilion and looked up and there was a police officer standing there and he said to me I don’t think you’re supposed to be in here doing this! I said to him I have a permit and I actually have more right to be here doing this than you do Smoking a cigarette and standing right in front of a sign that says “Young lungs at play no smoking permitted in this park $50 fine for any violators”. he became visibly agitated and started running his mouth to me about me telling a police officer what’s right and what’s not right and then he wanted to see my ID and then blah blah blah. he then flipped his cigarette onto the ground got in his car and drove off in a hurry and he was not a happy man. I refuse to show my ID which made him even matter. I didn’t do anything wrong and I wasn’t going to show him my ID no matter how hard he pressed. And I wasn’t being anti-police I was being pro citizen.
12:35 Being overzealous and vindictive is not indicative being a “good officer”. It’s indicative of someone who is prone to abuse his authority.
Now this is just one of the many reasons why so many people hate cops. This entire incident was totally unnecessary and the cop was on a power trip over pettiest bs that I have ever seen
I had a friend – a Marine Corp Veteran – that was driving home from a friend’s house in his pickup truck. He was honorably discharged and by now was rocking a ZZ Top look.
He brought a bottle of expensive liquor to his friend’s house and they drank a little bit of it. My friend left and didn’t want to leave the almost full bottle at his friend’s house and since he didn’t have a trunk he put the almost full bottle on the floor behind his seat – he didn’t want it to break in the bed of the truck. It was a short drive & an expensive bottle.
He got pulled over by a cop less than 1 mile from home for some BS reason. He was sober but got a ticket for having an opened bottle in his car (not open exactly – the seal was broke.)
The cop made him park his truck at the police station that was nearby and find another way home. My friend complied to avoid a confrontation and started to walk home when the cop called him back over and tried to hand him a knife, saying “You forgot your knife.” My friend was shocked and knew the cop was trying to plant evidence on him. He backed away and refused to accept the knife.
This behavior by the criminal cop is NOT how a democracy functions. Cops like that and in this video are undermining democracy and the Rule of Law all because they are ignorant, insecure twats on a power trip.
If criminal cops were removed from the force quickly and permanently we would get more ethical, honest police officers. They are the minority due to this sick culture. Thank God for the good cops!!
So basically pretty much, these 2 cops main number 1 goal is to hopefully be able to make arrests, and the easiest and fastest way of achieving that is to get i.d.’s and run the names. So if they run 90 names a day, that would average out to X many arrests. Wow!
For once, a reasonable man in charge of upholding the law when he stopped a situation from turning into something much worse. I’m also impressed how much he was open to you guys training some of their officers, that’s stellar! Someone who I would absolutely want to be in charge of my local force!
I would honestly have to ask for a FOIA request on any convictions related to cigarette ashes and littering. The cop claims he had cited people “several times” including pulling people over while driving and ashing out the window. It that is true then there will be court records that state the violations as well as the specifics.
The last officer on the scene was really the best one in the bunch. He was willing to listen and learn as well as reciprocate the “lack” of knowledge that many officer’s have. Really glad that officer stayed behind to talk to you guys.
I hope that any cops on this site read this: I used to be a hardcore supporter of law enforcement. Now, I’ve seen enough of this selective enforcement BS and outright abuse of citizens’ rights to view them as the enemy until they individually prove to me that they aren’t.
What kind of career satisfaction does this guy even get from trying to enforce this?
“I arrested someone for driving well over the drink limit”
“I intervened to stop an armed robbery”
“Well I and two other well paid officers argued for twenty minutes with some guy over a tiny speck of cigarette ash on an empty street”Wounder if this guy would be just as passionate and aggressive if he was called to a school shooting, or would he hide, scroll his phone and pee his pants far from the action like the rest of those cowards.
This cop is everything that’s wrong with police today. I love what cops do and I believe there are many more good than bad out there. They need more training on the constitution and perhaps they need to spend more time on real crimes, or better yet, some public assistance to those in need. So much potential to do good but…
This officer is petty af. He’s on a fishing expedition to feed his ego.
Context is everything. Flicking ash in a wooded area during a drought is one thing. Having ash fall on concrete in the middle of a town with nothing that could possibly ignited from it is another. This guy is ridiculous, and coincidentally 1 town over from where I grew up. I’ll remember his face the next time I visit family. Easy to remember, as he exudes di ckness.
I saw the title and bust out laughing!, A sheriff in Houston Texas did that same thing to me ; told me to get rid of the cigarette? And I released it on the ground. Of course he wrote me a $250 littering ticket, the day of court? I parked on the side of the court house where the cops gather to smoke and laugh,I.videoed them.flickering cigarette butts everywhere; long story short??; DISMISSED.
My mate had something similar once before but he was pulled over for flicking ash out of his car window. Unbelievably petty. My mate asked him to show the evidence, then suddenly there was a speeding violation. This was way before cameras were common place. One stupid cop and my trust has gone forever for watching them make it up on the spot.
And he says he’s done the same job for seven years, apparently he hasn’t learned anything including the law.
That older cop was actually good. Rare to see older cops like that who understand all your rights
“It might seem light but it can lead to other bigger things”?? So ashing a cigarette in public leads to serious crime?
I would like to see what a federal court thinks about this violation of a man’s civil rights. You do not have to show ID for smoking a cigarette. Ashes falling off a cigarette is not disorderly conduct, obstruction or littering.
I know a lot of LEO’s and do you know how many of them I trust??? 2. That’s right 2 out of over 2 dozen. That LT is one who actually seems to believe in the constitution and it was surprising how he said the auditors are doing a service to the public and mentioned the auditors doing training to help teach cops about constitutional rights. I would say that he is actually a good cop which is a true rarity.
I’ve now seen the most trifling attempt to ID someone in all history. Cigarette ashes on a concrete sidewalk constitute both littering AND a fire hazard? Somebody tell the prison industrial complex to get busy building many millions more cell blocks to house all the repeat offenders they’ll soon be incarcerating.
Cigarette ash is a violation of the law…a law which I have just admitted that I don’t know… but it’s a violation…! If you don’t know a law, you CANNOT enforce it…by just making it up as you go along…!! 🧐🤬
The thin blue line belt buckle speaks volumes of the kind of officer this guy is.
The cops in Illinois confiscated the cremated ashes of my friend’s dead wife claiming they were some kind of drugs. They sent them in to the drug lab and found out what they were and then disposed of them. The guy couldn’t even get his dead wife’s ashes back after they dropped all charges against him. I would have sued their asses all the way to Hell.
I hope these guys stay in touch with the LT. I”d love to know if he took them up on their offer. THAT’S the kind of police interaction I actually like to see.
This cop’s hair alone puts his intellectual capacity at question. He verifies that he is not all that bright by using such a lame ploy to coerce this guy’s ID out of him. The guy saw through it immediately.
Pathetic abuse of authority. The retaliation is real, folks. This “pretext” of a friendly conversation turning into a baseless, unwarranted Terry Stop is ridiculous, and likely against that department’s own policy…
The fact that they can say some of this shit with a straight face, and then continually double-down…… I just can’t comprehend the mindset it takes to act like this, AND think you’re doing nothing wrong. It’s like self-hypnosis or something.
I think the fact that he admitted he’s pulled over multiple cars over the 7 years he’s been a cop suggests we should FOIA request all his traffic stops and get a group lawsuit together for what I’m positive will be multiple violations of rights.
I would absolutely refuse. Take me to jail I would love for you to explain to a judge that you arrested me for ash falling on the ground. I think that video in itself would be hilarious.
This is a great video of how hard it is for some people to just say, shit I was wrong. He’s trying so hard to justify lol.
That supervisor was one of the best officers I have seen. I would 100% support him.
I think everyone should ask the following question at the onset of contact with ANY LEO…. “Officer, will you please qualify the nature of this contact…is this consensual, am I being detained, or am I under arrest?” The LEO’s answer, if any, should determine how the citizen interacts with the LEO as encouraged by WTPU and countless other 1AAs. -VGQ
If I was a tax payer of that city I would be livid! It amazes me that even the cop was told by is LT he fucked up he still couldn’t let his ego go. He has to have the last word saying it was basically a warning. Did the LT spit out some bs that smoking a cigarette leads to busting people with drugs? 🤦♂️ I feel sorry for the next grandma smoking a cigarette. She might be slinging dope. 🤦♂️ I got secondhand embarrassment just from watching this.
The LT says at 12:39 it has to do with stud interdiction and that can lead to other bigger things like drugs. So they use cigarette ash out a car window as a justifiable reason to pull a car over and search it for drugs. This is total bs as ash out a car window is not illegal, only if driver throws the cigarette butt out the window.
Would have loved to have heard the conversation the two cops had in the cop car.
This lieutenant was pretty cool at deescalating this situation as the other cop was in my opinion ready to arrest this guy. As he stated plainly he had used it bother as probable cause to stop motorist..
I’m always overjoyed when they pull this and the person complies only to find out the person is an FBI agent.
Whether or not he had the legal authority to demand this man identify really doesn’t matter it just shows what kind of person this officer is by pulling a dirty rotten stunt like that. Pathetic. I hope this man learned his lesson though and realizes no police officer is your friend and there is no reason to talk to them at all because if you do they will only use what you do and say against you.
I would ask the cop something like, “is that a strategy of ur department, to do whatever u can possible to get as many i.d.’s as u can to run the names in hopes to be able to make as many warrant arrests possible?” Just to hear him flat out lie and say some practiced lines.
It seams like harassment to me ! When Cops esculate a situation when there is no need they are not doing that city any good
This cop is the true definition of a tyrant. He needs to turn in his badge now.
“it might seem real light but it kind of can lead to other bigger things”… Oh okay, got it. So you want to investigate people in order to find out which crimes they have already probably commited instead of having probable cause.
The police treat the public as the enemy. This is ridculous. Not to mention a complete waste of time.
This happened to me. A traffic stop, my brother was driving and the cop asked me for ID. I had my seat belt on and I told the PA officer that he had no right to ask me anything. They tried asking my brother but he wasn’t telling. After 30 minutes of them harassing me I lit a cigarette and when I flicked the ash out the window, bam! Cop showed me on the registration that it was littering. They got me for a probation violation I knew I had. Off to jail
Why does this cop claim “I’m recording, too” then continually cover his body cam lens with his left hand while interacting with the auditor? And what a pedantic argument about whether the ash is created by something man made?
I’m in my mid-60s and have always been a support the police/law and order kinda guy. The behavior of these officers disgusts me, as does their appearance – tattoos and hairstyles.
Someone please charge and fine that officer for littering, the dead skin cells that are falling off of him and onto our streets is just insane out of control 😆
I had a cop try this on me years ago. He pulled me over and tryed to tell me not to smoke my cigarette. I told him he was free to get away from my window if he didnt like the smoke. He made me get out of the car and stand at the back. I knew he was trying to get me to flick my cigarette but to harass me further. So I ashed into my own hand the whole cigarette then ate the butt after putting it out on the ashes in my hand. He literately said he was going to ticket me if I had flicked the butt.
People: I wish the cops arrested rapists and murderers and solved violent crimes. This cop: best I can do is harass you for ash.
You can tell that cop at the end has a good understanding why people do the audits that they do. The world needs more cops like him and less cops like that young one.
I saw this on Facebook. This cop was looking for a reason to try and identify this man and the statement about the ash on the concrete sidewalk was just about the most asinine idiotic reason to try and identify someone. Police are really out of control with their perceived authority. No laws were broken so go away. Stop fishing
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the most fragile thing on a planet is a cop’s ego
that’s called making a mountain out of a mole hill….literally
That’s what happens when you have a “for profit’ penal system.
“He’s a good cop. He’s the field training officer.” He spends his time trying to manipulate laws for his own purposes. Being an old geek, that would be called “lawful evil” in DnD terms. He uses the law to do evil things, like try to violate 4th Amendment rights by lying about littering.
The cop said he didn’t know the law then tries to enforce what he doesn’t know. The cops that harass citizens over silly stuff like this and even admit to not knowing the law need to get a ticket. They also should be required to take and pass tests covering the laws before being hired. They should also be required to be tested periodically during employment.
I generally support police, they do a hard usually thankless job, but they should absolutely be versed in the laws they are empowered to enforce. If you want to know if you’re dealing with a good/bad cop at a glance look no further than the Blue Line gang insignia. That’s an inconspicuous indicator that they stand with other police before they’ll stand with citizens and laws they are sworn to serve.
If I was a luetenant, I would have dismissed this young cop from working the rest of the day. Period… His arrogance and ignorance is very typical of an ego driven twit just wanting to start trouble while working on the city time clock.
I hope no one ever goes to this town and spends a cent with jerks like this that should be out on the road patrolling and protecting . They give good police officers a bad name . Shame on you and the town you have sworn to protect I served 25 years in the service to protect our rights and these guys should be FIRED
Best advice when a cop approaches you is to simply tell the cop the name of your attorney and give the name of said attorney and tel lthem if they have any questions to contact your attorney and walk off. If they physically stop you at that point it’s assault and kidnapping. Defend yourself using any means possible and this shit will stop.
Many things scare me in this video in the sense that the young man is training other officers how to split the law to find bad people or bad things that gets very dangerous to corruption. The FTO might be trying to train the other officers however I believe he’s also training the officers to possibly break laws and step on people’s civil rights. RLEO
A cop tried to keep him from recording a traffic stop, but now he’s fighting back to change the law
The battle over the right to record police is far from over. That’s because a case pending over a routine traffic stop in Lakewood, Colorado, where police interfered with a citizen journalist recording, could have a huge impact on a controversial legal precedent which shields cops from legal liability.
End Qulified Immunity Protections, & Civil Asset Forfeiture. Hold Cops Accountable.
Cops who break the law must be held accountable for their illegal actions !!!
This is also why you need to tell the cop that he is about to violate your rights and will lose his qualified immunity. Otherwise he can claim he didn’t know that law or right and use the qualified immunity as a defense.
Get it right in your heads people. “To protect and serve” means themselves.
Qualified immunity isn’t a matter that will be addressed by police reform. It’s part of the holding accountable of elected officials.
If cops didn’t break the law. These people who record them would not need to record the cops
In “this day and age…” Why do cops NOT know the law?
That cop who try to obstruct them from recording definitely has more issues under the radar and he’s a ticking bomb.
this is America cops should lose their pensions three strikes and they’re out!!😎
That would be three justice systems.
One for police, one for the wealthy, one for the rest of us.And PlEASE leave a comment for copwatcher Abade aka Liberty Freak, his law suit may become case law that protects your right to record the police! So make sure to give him some kindness and support as he will be turning himself into law enforcement and will be incarcerated for a few months. So this is your chance to share your thoughts with him before he goes inside. Thank you! -taya
What an incredible episode!!! I especially love it when you break things down and illustrate clearly how our system has “run amuck” and been abused to undermine & sabotage itself.
“Qualified Impunity” is such a clever, creative and accurate play on words. I would love to see that term widely adopted because I would hope that this shift might become a catalyst for reform by bringing a better understanding of just how broken our system is; and how close we may be to losing our democracy itself! It is being attacked and undermined in so many ways right now from so many sides…
If ignorance of the law is no excuse for civilians ignorance of our rights should be no excuse for the law!
Since this video was from Colorado it would make sense to mention that, at the time of this report, a new police accountability law was about to go into effect. Since then several cops, notably Loveland PD, have been held accountable with this law. As for my opinion I would like to say, no one has done more to end qualified immunity than corrupt cops all over the US.
If cleaning up neighborhoods changes the culture by changing the way people feel, then cities have an interest in leaving them neglected to justify dumping more money into police presence. It’s business as usual.
There are three types of versions of laws, the one for the poor aka the “criminal class” and then the one for government officials/LEOs, and finally the one for the elites/the rich who line the pockets of said govt officials & LEOs
I think we now know why the police are no longer required to learn the law before claiming to “enforce the law”.
Not knowing the law lets the police officers claim “I didn’t know the law” and the courts say it was an “honest mistake” and let them off with a warning to do better.Oh and…….”qualified immunity” sounds like a “Jim Crow” law. It’s sickening that such a perversion of our Constitutional Rights is allowed!
Something to keep in mind. Until privatized, for profit, publicly traded prisons are done away with none of this tyranny will end.
I’ve always said that one of the main goals of 1st Amendment auditor’s is to remove the sovereign from the state 👍💯👍
Driver: I’m just defending myself here. You really have nothing to fear from me. I’m not out to get you. So can you kindly just cite or warn me and we can go on our way?
Wait, qualified immunity gets it’s power by proving that the law enforcement officer was ignorant of the law? Make it make sense somebody please.
The Curious Death of Sandra Bland w/Malcolm Gladwell | Joe Rogan
09:42communication and he is this attitude09:45that he’s a cop and that you have to09:48listen to the cops because he’s them and09:50you’re you yeah and that that’s like09:53when he’s telling her to put the09:55cigarette out and she’s saying I don’t09:57have to do that and he’s saying get out09:58of your vehicle and she’s saying I don’t10:00have to do that and then he’s screaming10:02at her I mean that’s that’s all right10:04there yeah so it seems like to me he10:05wants compliance he won’t sir to listen10:07he does yeah he does what he gets it’s10:10funny the what’s remarkable about that10:14tape which I must have seen 50 times and10:18which has been viewed on YouTube you10:20know even a couple million times is how10:22quickly it escalates you know the whole10:24thing is it’s insanely short yeah you10:28you would think if I was telling you the10:30story of this you would think oh this10:32unfolds over 10 minutes and it doesn’t10:35it unfolds over a minute and a half and10:39that what I remember years ago I wrote10:41my second book blink and I have in that10:44book a chapter about a very famous10:47infamous police shooting in New York10:49case of amadou diallo I remember that I10:51remember that was shot like 40 times by10:53cops yeah and one of the big things I10:55was interested in talking about in that10:59case was how long does it take how long11:02did it take for that whole terrible11:05sequence to go11:06down so from the moment the police11:08develop it suspicions about amadou11:12diallo to the moment that amadou diallo11:14is lying dead on his front porch how11:17long how much time elapsed and the11:19answer is like two seconds11:21it’s boo boo boo it’s like and I had a11:24conversation with them actually here in11:26the valley with Gavin de Becker11:30has he ever been on your show no11:32fascinating guy was a security expert on11:35a security expert incredibly interesting11:37guy’s friends with Sam Harris I know11:39that yes yeah yeah and he was talking11:43about this question of time that when11:46you’re a security guard guarding someone11:48you know famous a lot of what you’re11:50trying to do is to inject time into the11:53scenario instead of you don’t want11:56something to unfold in a second and a11:58half where you have almost no time to12:00react properly and what you want to do12:01is to uh knit to unfold in five seconds12:03if you can an align this up I can’t12:06remember his exact term but basically12:07what your job is is to add seconds into12:10the the encounter so that you have a12:13chance to intelligently respond to12:16what’s going on and so he was hit this12:18great riff about um how good Israeli12:23secrets of Secret Service guys are and12:26one of the things they do is they’re12:28they’re they’re either not armed or they12:31don’t they’re trained not to go for12:33their weapons in these situations12:35because this point is so say you’re12:37guarding the president you’re a body man12:40for the president you walk into a crowd12:42somebody comes up to you like pulls a12:45gun wants to shoot the president12:46his point is if you’re the secret12:48security guy and your first instinct in12:51response to someone pulling a gun is to12:53go for your own gun you’ve lost a second12:55and a half right your hands got to go12:58down to here your whole focus is on13:00getting to your own gun and in the13:01meantime the other guy whose guns13:04already out has already shot you’ve lost13:06you need to be someone who forgets about13:08your own gun and just focuses on the on13:12the man in front of you right and13:13protected the president but he was all13:15in the context of time is this really13:18crucial13:20variable in these kind of encounters and13:22everything as a police officer you13:24should be doing is slowing it down wait13:28I you know13:30analyze what’s happening and that’s what13:33he doesn’t do the cop in this instance13:35speeds it up right he goes to DEFCON you13:39know she likes a cigarette and within13:40seconds he’s screaming at her this is13:43like you know a parent shouldn’t do that13:45I mean let a little police officer by13:47the side of the highway Brett but the13:48difference is he knows she’s not a13:50criminal13:50I mean he must know it’s [ __ ]13:54he’s pulling her over because he’s13:56trying to write a ticket and the way13:58he’s communicating with her when she13:59lights a cigarette14:00it’s like she’s inferior like he this is14:04not someone who’s scared he’s not scared14:07of a perpetrator he’s not scared that14:09there’s a criminal in the car about to14:10shoot him he’s not scared of that at all14:12he wants uh Terr total complete14:15compliance and he’s talking to her like14:18like he’s a drill sergeant but can’t you14:21can’t both those things be true how so14:25well in this so in the deposition he14:27gives which I get to the end of the book14:29and I got the tape of the deposition14:30it’s bad it’s totally fascinating14:32it’s like he’s sitting down with the14:34investigating officer in looking into14:37the death of Sandra bland and he’s got I14:39don’t know how long it is two hours now14:41he’s walking them through what he was14:43thinking that day and he makes the case14:46that he was terrified that he was14:49convinced he says he goes back to his14:52squad car comes up and there’s submit14:55there’s some evidence to support this so14:57he pulls her over and he goes to the14:59passenger side window and leans and says15:02ma’am you realize why I pulled you over15:04blah blah and is are you okay because he15:06she doesn’t seem right to him she gives15:09him her license he goes back to his15:10squad car and he says while he’s in the15:12squad car he looks ahead and he sees her15:15making what he calls furtive movements15:17so he’s like furtive movements also he15:20thinks she’s being all kind of jumpy and15:23you know isn’t he just says I saw her15:25moving around in ways it didn’t make me15:27happy and then when he returns to the15:29car he returns driver’s side which is15:32crucial because if15:33you’re a cop you go driver’s side only15:35if you think that you might be in danger15:36right he doesn’t if you go driver’s side15:39you’re exposing yourself to the road15:40when you reason you do that is it when15:42your driver’s side you can see the it’s15:45very very difficult if someone has a gun15:47to shoot the police officer who’s pulled15:50them over if the police officer is on15:51the driver’s side right you have an15:53angle if they’re on the passenger side15:55so why does he go but if he thinks she’s15:57harmless there’s no reason to go back15:58driver’s side I think this guy I think16:01these two things are linked I actually16:02believe him he constructs this16:04ridiculous fantasy about how she’s16:08dangerous but I think that’s just what16:10he was trained to do he’s a paranoid cop16:12and then why is he’s so insistent that16:16she be compliant for the same reason16:19because he’s terrified he’s like do16:21exactly what I say cuz I don’t know what16:23the what’s gonna happen here right and16:24she’s I you know I I don’t know I I16:28don’t think those two those two strains16:32of of interpretation are mutually16:34exclusive mmm that’s interesting it16:37didn’t sound like he was scared at all16:40it sounds like he was pissed that she16:42wasn’t listening to him yeah I didn’t I16:44didn’t think he sounded even remotely16:45scared I felt like he had I mean we’re16:49reading into it right right I have no16:51idea but from my interpretation was he16:54had decided that she wasn’t listening to16:57him and he was gonna make her listen him16:59yeah that’s what I got out of it I17:01didn’t get any fear and I thought that17:03version of it that he described just17:05sounds like horseshit it sounds like17:07what you would say after the fact to17:09strengthen your case well they so17:12there’s another element in here that I17:13get into which is I got his record as a17:17police officer he’d been on the on the17:19force for I forgot nine ten months and17:22we have a record of every traffic stop17:24he ever made and when you look at his17:26list of traffic stops you reason you17:28realized that what happened that day17:30with Sandra bland was not an anomaly17:33that he’s one of those guys who pulls17:35over everyone for [ __ ] reasons mmm17:38all day long so I think I’ve forgotten17:40exact number but in the hour before he17:43pulled over Sandra bland he pulled over17:45for people for other people for equally17:48ridiculous reasons he’s that cop no and17:51he’s that cop because he’s been trained17:53that way right that’s a kind of quotas17:55strange strain of modern policing which17:57says go beyond the ticket pull someone17:59over if you if anything looks a little18:01bit weird because you might find18:02something else now if you look at his18:04history as a cop he almost never found18:06anything else his history is a cop in18:09fact I went through this I forget how18:11many hundreds of traffic stops he had in18:13nine months if you go through them18:15he has like once he found some marijuana18:17on a kid and by the way the town in18:19which he was working as a college town18:21so I mean how hard is that I think he18:24found a gun once misdemeanor gun but18:28everything else was like pulling over18:30people for you know the the light above18:33their license plate was out got that’s18:37the level of stuff he was using he did18:39this all day long every day18:43so he’s like to him it’s second nature18:46yeah pull her over like who knows what’s18:49going on she’s out of state she’s young18:51black woman was this comparable to the18:53way the rest of the cops on the force18:54and his division did it well I looked at18:57I didn’t look at the rest of the cops on18:59his voice what I looked at were state19:02numbers to the wherever they’re several19:05American states give us like North19:07Carolina for example will give us19:10precise complete statistics on the19:16number of traffic stops done by their19:18police officers and the reasons for19:20those stops so when you look at that so19:22I have the I look at the North Carolina19:24numbers for example in the North19:25Carolina Highway Patrol it’s the same19:27thing they’re pulling over unbelievable19:29numbers of people and finding nothing19:31like night you know one percent less19:34than one percent hit rates in some cases19:36of being hit rate being finding19:38something of interest19:39so like they’re pulling over ninety nine19:41people for no reason in order to find19:43one person who’s got you know a bag of19:46dope or something in the car19:48you cannot conduct policing in in a19:53civil society like that and expect to19:55have decent relationships between law19:57enforcement19:58in the civilian population yeah no20:00question but doesn’t that sort of20:02support the idea that he’s full of [ __ ]20:03that he was really concerned that she20:05had something he’d never encountered20:07anything well or or this was the one the20:11fantasy in his head is so what so the20:13questions why does he keep doing it if20:14this is a guy who day in day out pulls20:16over people for no reason and finds20:18nothing and continues to do it20:20now there’s two explanations one is he’s20:22totally cynical and thinks this is the20:24way to be an effective police officer X20:26mission number two is this is a guy who20:28has a powerful fantasy in his head that20:30one day I’m gonna hit the jackpot and20:33I’m gonna open the trunk and is going to20:34be 15 pounds of heroin and I’m gonna be20:37the biggest star who ever lived I think20:39there’s also a rush of just being able20:41to get people to pull over this the the20:44compliance thing which is another reason20:46why he was so furious that what she20:47wasn’t listening to him yeah and she20:48kept a cigarette lit yeah or she was20:51listening but not complying yes yeah um20:53what are the laws I mean are you allowed20:56to smoke a cigarette in your car when a20:57cop pulls you over how does it work like21:00that21:00yeah I mean of course yeah they can’t21:03stop you from engaging they can’t tell21:05you to put out your cigarette there’s no21:07law no he could have said I mean no21:10there’s no law I mean the car though two21:13things the courts historically give21:16enormous leeway to the police officers21:19in a traffic stop as opposed to a21:21person-to-person stop but uh but no I I21:24mean right this is about what he should21:26have said is he could have said ma’am do21:31you mind I would prefer if you put out21:35the cigarette while we’re talking or I’m21:37allergic to smoke or whatever I mean21:39he’s a million ways to him to do it21:40nicely21:40yeah but he’s he’s a jackass about yeah21:42but I mean he’s basically doing the job21:46like a jackass he’s doing a jackass21:48version of being a cop well so this is21:50so this is one of a really really21:53crucial point in the argument of the21:54book which is I think the real lesson of21:58that case is not that he’s a bad cop22:00he’s in fact doing precisely as he is22:02was in trained and instructed to do he’s22:05a he’s the ideal cop and the problem is22:10with the particular philosophy of22:12law enforcement that has emerged over22:14the last ten years in this country which22:16has incentivized and encouraged police22:20officers to engage in these incredibly22:23low reward activities like pulling over22:26a hundred people or defying one person22:28who’s done something wrong that has22:29become enshrined in the strategy of many22:32police forces around the country they22:34tell them to do this I have a whole22:37section of book right go through in22:38detail one of the most important police22:41training manuals which is you know22:45required reading for somebody coming up22:47and which they just walk you through22:48this like it is your job to pull over22:51lots and lots and lots and lots of22:53people even if you only find something22:55in a small percentage of cases why22:57that’s what being a proactive police22:58officer is all about right so they are23:01trained that that phrase go beyond the23:03ticket is a is a term of art in police23:07training like you got to be thinking you23:09sure you pulled him over for having a23:11taillight that’s out23:12but you’re look you’re thinking beyond23:14that is there something else in the car23:16that’s problematic that’s to try to find23:18so there he was being a dutiful police23:22officer and the the answer is to23:24re-examine our philosophies of law23:27enforcement not know I mean you can’t23:30dismiss this thing by saying oh that’s23:32just a particularly bad cop not great23:34but I don’t know if he’s any worse than23:36you know he’s just doing what he was23:38trained to do that’s the issue23:40he should be trained to do something23:41different right that is the issue right23:42the issue is there this is standard23:45practice a treat citizens that are doing23:48nothing wrong as if they’re criminals23:50yeah and pull them over and give them23:52extreme paranoia and freak them out yeah23:55I hope you find something I was home I’m23:58Canadian and I was home in Canada24:00small-town Canada couple weeks ago and I24:04saw in the pack you know how these cars24:06always have there’s often that our24:08slogan on the side of the car the back24:09of the commune so in my little hometown24:11in southwestern Ontario sleepy you know24:14farm country the slogan on the back of24:17the police cars is people helping people24:20so Canadian like the X know understand24:25this24:26country with very low levels of gun24:29ownership which means that a police24:30officer does not enter into an encounter24:32with a civilian with the same degree of24:34fear or paranoia that the civilian has a24:37handgun right which is a big part of24:39this regardless of how one feels about24:42gun laws in this country the fact that24:44there are lots of guns mean makes the24:46job of a police officer a lot harder and24:48every police officer will tell you that24:49in Canada they don’t have that fear but24:51it’s also Canada and its small town24:53Canada and so when you encounter a24:55police officer in my little town he’s24:57like he’s people helping people he’s24:59like he’s like driving like a Camry and25:02he’s you know he’s like this genial25:04person who was a really camera amis I25:06forgotten exactly what the driver was25:08not like they’re not driving scars yeah25:11explorers painted black with like big25:14bull bars at the front right and then25:17you go you know I was you go I mean even25:20in LA I hate you know I like that25:22cars are painted black and white so they25:25look ferocious I mean the whole thing25:27that was it is still look ferocious do I25:30just look they identify as police to25:32connait to a Canadian looks to me it25:35looks a little why do they have to paint25:37them black forgets nothing Oakland25:39Raiders I mean it’s like what do you25:41think they should paint them something25:43mild and like bright yellow something25:45lovely something lovely like a nice can25:48you imagine a like a teal or a25:50lime-green well that would be yeah25:52because there’s a lot of black cars a25:54lot of white cars a lot of teal cars25:55it’s good so it would yeah it would25:57stand out like oh it’s cop this paint26:00car but you know this kind of symbolism26:03right matters right right you wanna see26:06an image sheriff joe arpaio who makes26:08all those prisoners wear pink yeah yeah26:11that’s kind of thing but I mean to26:14against his point though how many women26:16shoot cops26:18isn’t that an insanely low number yeah I26:21mean insanely low I mean what are the26:24numbers I mean it’s probably almost26:26non-existent26:27yeah well guys pull over women I don’t26:29think they’re worried about being shot I26:30really don’t I think it’s horseshit I26:33think it’s all after the fact yeah he26:35was trying to concoct some sort of an26:36excuse I was gonna excuse for26:38is he still in the force I know he was26:41either he’s kicked off for I forgotten26:46the precise language they used but for26:48basically being impolite to a civilian26:52but um yeah I don’t think there’s a lot26:54of but I don’t know whether I mean I I26:57still think we’re saying the same thing26:59which is the thing that’s driving him27:02his motivation is not rational right and27:05if you were a rational actor you would27:07never engage in an activity where 99.9%27:10of your police stops resulted in nothing27:13right27:14yeah he’s he is off in some weird kind27:17of fantasy land for a reason which is27:20that’s what in certain jurisdictions in27:23this country that’s what law enforcement27:24has come to look at Brooke like yeah27:26that’s that’s problematic it’s a huge27:28problem27:34[Applause]