police-recording

RULE 1: Never File a complaint THEN ask for records! REMEMBER THIS! They’ll lock your records up in an investigation exemption

Agencies will do what is in their power to either swiftly provide you the record, or make it harder for you to get. There are ways to combat their denials without having to sue. Sometimes there is a requirement to sue. Florida only allows attorney fees to be recovered as part of the settlement if the city is found “at fault” or in violation of not providing the record. The reciprocal is true for them also; except they will bill you an outrageous amount of money to defend and protect the record they are denying.

After all, the records are incoming forms, data, emails, reports, and other things that the public should be able to see. The stuff they DON’T want you to see is what is damaging to them and they will protect those records if they can. You would imagine that anything should be able to be inspected, but it is NOT! There is a 375 page manual that gives the clerks what they can and can’t do. Use it to your advantage and arm yourself with knowledge.

Definitions

Axon

Axon Audit Trail

Blue Team
IA PRO

Company who supplies Tasers, Body camera, and restraint devices

EXIF Data for body camera

Software for Internal and external communication complaints that don’t make it to IA

Software for complaint tracking

What can be requested

Anything and everything can be requested and you may be provided something that otherwise wouldn’t be released if an uneducated record holder has it in their possession. So even though it’s exempt, don’t hesitate to ask for it. Here are several types of records I receive and ask for. Below is a short list of items that can be requested. There are many more that are capable of being requested but this should give you an idea. You literally can ask for anything but it is up to the clerk to check to see if they can legally withhold it for any exemption. Remember there’s no statutory penalty for releasing an exempted record. I will go over exempted records later. The following are releasable record examples:

Video

Photographs

Documents

Audio

Beat The System!

Government may try to prohibit your request, delay it, and then not even fulfill it. The following is the best practice when doing a request. Keep it short, sweet, get one item fulfilled and then request another. This will allow for free fulfillment and faster reply. There are several other things you can do to get them to comply faster and provide more information. Remember, at the other end of the computer, phone or desk is a person who will like you or hate you. The first line of the 119.01 FSS states “It is the policy of this state that all state, county, and municipal records are open for personal inspection and copying by any person. Providing access to public records is a duty of each agency.” This is similar to the Bill of Rights. In fact, the public records are listed in the Constitution of Florida Section 24.

Eric McDonough who runs True Homestead and Facebook page has been a huge inspiration at learning about public records. Doc Justice as he is known has several lawsuits and some pending, one in which he just won out of the south Florida area. He has lost some cases but as crafty as he is those cases he lost in helps his future cases by rulings of judges. I’d hate to play chess with this guy. We’ll do an interview with him in the future. You must see his work! Go give him a follow.

Basics of your request

·         Submit in writing (keep description concise)

·         Request receipt confirmation (accountability)

·         Phone call follow-up and get name of call taker (if no reply)

·         Request one item at a time (this triggers a fast response)

·         Once first request fulfilled submit another (second items will come slower)

·         Request for previously released items (body cameras, reports, etc.) These have already been redacted for someone else

·         Build a rapport with the record holder

·         Ask to be put on the media list for release

Tips to get it fast and free!

One way to prevent you from a record is to charge you a lot of money for it. These costs can be justified if you ask for a ton of records. Most departments in Florida provide a set amount of time they are willing to provide records for free.

That’s why I mention using a short and sweet method. This will allow for free fulfillment and faster reply.

Slamming 20 requests into one email will have them tally up the total time to get ALL of your records While I do not believe this is legal, since each record may only take 5-10 minutes to get, they combine the total request into time and bill you for that. The bill should be for the lowest paid person who can handle those requests. Most of the time it is $15-30/hr. Doing one single request will get it done quicker and they usually fulfill it pretty fast. But don’t trust them!

If you get a bill, you can combat the fee in several ways. Question the cost, submit a second request for the hourly rate of the person they are citing is preparing it, request the cost of materials such as DVD, Thumb Drive etc. Public records is not a profit generating service. Florida statutes 119.07 (4)3 Cover fees, specifically states for copies “For all other copies, the actual cost of duplication of the public record.” Speaking of DVD’s specifically a copy of an existing record copied to DVD shall only be the cost of the disc itself. You will find several agencies in violation already charging no charge for the review of a 5 minute body camera but charging $10.00 for the DVD. This is a violation of the statute. The 100 Pack of Verbatim DVD is $24.99 or $0.25 each.

Law Suits for 119 statute violations is not difficult, but difficult.

Lawsuits are a possibility when it comes to being denied a record. Many attorneys may not take your case since the damages are insignificant to those of injury lawsuits. A smart attorney will take this on contingency if he or she is knowledgeable and then get their monies repaid on the backside plus a multiplier allowed by law.The attorney can not share the attorney fees with you but they can share a settlement with you. If you do find an attorney that will sue, try your hardest for a settlement so that your time and effort will be compensated by the settlement otherwise the attorney will retain the costs of his work with the courts awarding of the fees.
A writ of mandamus must be filled to get attorney costs.

A person who has been denied the right to inspect or copy public records may bring a civil action against the agency. In almost all cases, a person should bring this civil action by filing a petition for a writ of mandamus in circuit court. This is an extraordinary writ that commands a government official or entity to perform an act. In cases involving the requested production of public records, the writ of mandamus would command the custodian of the requested records within the state agency to turn over the requested records. If a writ is issued, the court may also award reasonable costs and attorneys’ fees to the petitioner.

In order to get attorney fees awarded you must prove:
The agency unlawfully refused a record to be inspected copied or provided and the person initiating the lawsuit provided written notice to the custodian of public records 5 days before filing the suit.

This goes back to the fundamentals – use e-mail, a written letter or their form to submit your record. While the forms and written requests are not required, it is if you’re going to sue. In order to sue you must give the records custodian that written notice. Do it, don’t argue that you don’t have to put records requests in writing. It fortifies your case and shows a paper trail.

Mediation is part of the process that is an informal program with the office of the attorney general. It’s an alternative to the courts involvement. If you are set on getting the record then mediation is your next option. Please note the mediator can provide a recommendation but the agency can ignore that recommendation all together. You can reach that division at Open Government Mediation or call  (850) 245-0140.

I am currently in the process of initiating a lawsuit with the City of Sanford. I wanted to see body camera footage of an incident that was involving The Armed Fisherman and his open carry activism. There were 5-6 officers on scene and I wanted to see the shortest one which was around 7-8 minutes long. Not expecting to be denied the video without first paying a $150.00 fee to begin the work. This fee is claimed to be a deposit to begin the redaction. I am extremely familiar with their redaction software as you all know with my law enforcement background. The clerk handling the request, Alisha, stood by their policy. In fact, provided me a policy and procedure to take these $150.00 fees for body camera requests. I felt they were unreasonable, calling her and explaining with the human element behind it and they still have not provided the body camera footage. I have an attorney representing me in this. I just want to view these videos. They are in public, and with real time redacting as you view there should not be any cost according to the cities 15 minute free policy.

I will update this post as I determine more information is beneficial. Here’s the form she had provided to me. This form establishes pattern of practice of what I believe is a violation of Florida Statute §119. This is a special fee for the record and is excessive to me preventing me from obtaining an otherwise record that almost ALL law enforcement have provided at no charge or the actual cost of duplicating it. I have asked for an estimate but as of 8/20/2021 have not recevied the estimate.

You can see more about the City of Sanfords records here: https://www.sanfordfl.gov/departments/police-department/police-records. Remember this is not legal advice. If you’d like to help support the cause visit the support page

Homestead Police – UNLAWFULLY detain man

Homestead police are some of the most unprofessional, arrogant, egotistical and incompetent cops in the state. They’re a disgrace to policing.

I love when cops are incredibly aggressive towards a passive person, and claim the citizen is acting aggressive and needs to calm down

The way they are saying “calm down, you’re all worked up,” when the guy is just sitting there calmly and not raising his voice at all.

I like this angle. They keep acting like the homeowner is super upset. It’s one of their tools (like accusing people pf interrupting…when normal conversations are happening. A tool to shut you down.) The homeowner is so under control. He could have kept reiterating that he is under complete control of his emotions. Don’t buy into that gaslighting. They will even lie about that. Another good get, James Madison Audits. Thanks.

Respect to the cop who’s video this was . He gave him I’D and was the only one that was OK. But unfortunately the rest will poison him or force him to leave.

Black male cop aggressively demands he “shut up” about 6 times. Other cop mocks him for knowing his rights, forcefully demands he sit like a dog, and that barely scratches the surface. Then acts surprised when he labels them A-holes. How out of touch can you possibly be? You really don’t get why people hate you? It’s like a Twilight Zone episode.

The cops are telling him to calm down and they’re the ones who are escalating the situation and getting worked up.

I’ll be damned if cops are going to order me around like a dog on my property. I’m not going to sit on command.

as a former Law enforcement officer I am very Offended by these officers actions, Total disgrace

Cop: “She can be pregnant.” As though he’s ALLOWING her to be pregnant.

Police Drinking Game: Take a shot every time they say the word “listen.”

When will people learn NOT to ask “What am I being detained for?” The right question is “What CRIME am I being detained from?” Less chances for the public servant to answer “For investigation”.

All of this talking is unnecessary, simply say “I want to talk to my lawyer”. At that point the cops MUST stop asking questions.

That many officers acting that way definitely the culture of the department

As a former police officer too, you and I both know that they got word over the phone or radio that they were at the wrong address. I’ve seen other channels that were unable to get info because there was no incident report for this address. That’s because everything is under the actual address the warrant was being drafted for, and the department was conveniently using this as a way to deny turning over anything citing ” mistakes on request form”

This is a perfect example of why I always say that any man or woman that wants to become an officer MUST have at least two years of formal law college training. They ALWAYS make up laws and violate laws for to justify their lies and actions.

That was badass. Did you see him pull out that cop kryptonite? A recording device. As soon as he pulled out his secret weapon, “the recording device”, the cops just scattered, like when you turn the lights on and the cockroaches run.

His first mistake he came outside

“What Academy did you go to ?” Calm reply = ” I’m not answering any questions.” These detectives, police attitudes = We don’t have him yet = the hilarity

First mistake was opening the front door. Talk through the door and see what they want, but never open the door to allow them to grab you and pull you out, or even put their foot in the door to prevent you closing it. Making him sit down on his own property like a dog is enough cause to not answer any/all of their questions. There is absolutely no law that states that we the public have to be polite or even respectful to them … ever!

Why do they always assume that you are a lawyer if you know you’re right

You do NOT legally have to sit. And if they detain you, by law they must tell you why.

One thing is for sure if a cop tells you to sit down don’t sit down, challenge that fools insecurity about his need for power and control.

The “we will tell you in a minute ” cops are the biggest danger to the public out of the bunch.

To each their own, but I’ll never open my door without a warrant. In life, best to avoid a risky situation entirely rather than deal w/ it & risk it go bad. Evaluate actions before taking them, ask yourself what you could possibly gain, or what you could lose. Best of luck.

During a criminal investigation, you have certain basic rights. There are also best practices that law enforcement officers should follow to ensure that they don’t violate the rights of an individual suspected of a crime. Unfortunately, current best practices for law enforcement officers often include intentionally lying to or misleading the subject of an investigation in order to access information and evidence. Police can lie directly to someone whom they suspect of a crime, as well as other people with secondary or tertiary connection to the crime. The better you understand your rights, the better you can determine if ” police violated those rights ” during an investigation or an arrest.

WHY DO POLICE LIE DURING INVESTIGATION ? Police lie for a number of reasons. The first and most obvious is to create a sense of urgency in a suspect that can promote honesty when they might otherwise withhold information. Beyond that, police officers may say certain things to a suspect in order to build rapport, which means they want the suspects to trust them. Lying about what the officer believes happened or what kind of evidence the police have is a common tactic to undermine someone’s story or get them to comply with the wishes of the police. Although it is against the law for people to give false statements to the police, the same is not true for law enforcement. They can and do lie to both suspects and others during criminal investigations without any sort of consequence. “

HOW POLICE LIES AFFECT THOSE ACCUSSED OF CRIMES ” By misrepresenting a situation, police can make people feel like they don’t have any choice but to cooperate with law enforcement. For example, if an officer tells someone that a confidential informant places them at the scene of a crime for which the suspect has no alibi, that individual may decide to confess in the hope of securing a plea bargain that will reduce the penalties they face. Research has repeatedly demonstrated that “

POLICE DISHONESTYHAS NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES ” for innocent individuals suspected of a crime and may push them into confessing or pleading guilty to an offense that they had nothing to do with. If you believe that police violated your rights in the way they conducted an investigation, discussing those concerns with an attorney can help you better determine what options you have available. IMHO Nothing worse than a bad officer to tarnish all the GOOD ONE’S

When they ask me if i’m in the academy or where i went to law school at, i always tell them that “ignorance of the law is no excuse. I thought everyone knew that.”

Again this guy who tells him to shut up needs to be fired because he is CLEARLY abusing his authority and is showing ALL the RED FLAGS that would be required to show he is going to be aggressively abusing people under colour of law. How the fuck did he ever pass the psych eval? Seriously? Do they not bother to screen these assholes based on clear behavioural patterns that demonstrate a tendency to abuse their authority or bully those that are weaker than them?

lol the second he pulls out his camera and they are held acountable. They scatter like cochroaches.

It seemed like each Officer was trying to see who could be the least professional. Just a terrible look for the Homestead Police. No doubt they got back to their station and congratulated each other for teaching the homeowner a lesson, even though the homeowner was the only person under control in the video

The same cop that actually said “I’m gonna put you in the back of my car…I dont know where you think you at” and “I already raised my voice” is telling HIM to calm down. Hilarious. Something seriously needs done about this entire situation.

Unfortunately for us, when detained they don’t have to articulate the reason for detention to us. They only have to be able to articulate it in court. Of course this is why videoing interactions is important so they can’t change a story from the interaction.

Civil Asset Forfeiture makes it Legal for Cops to engage in Highway Robbery

Washington Post: A former Marine was pulled over for following a truck too closely. Police took nearly $87,000 of his cash.

The officers did not arrest Stephen or charge him with any crime. They just took his life savings and left him on the side of the road without enough money to even afford gas to drive home.

He is considered guilty of having illicit cash until he can hire a lawyer to prove that he is innocent.

Greenville News: Civil Asset forfeiture hurts African Americans most

[bg_collapse view=”button-orange” color=”#4a4949″ expand_text=”Show More” collapse_text=”Show Less” ]

Stephen is a 39-year-old retired Marine from Lubbock, Texas. He is a devoted father of two teenage daughters and, once a month, he drives from Texas to see them in California, where they live with their mother. Eager to be closer after spending the pandemic in Texas caring for his elderly parents, he has been shopping for a home near the California-Nevada border.

In February 2021, Stephen was making his usual trip west through Reno when he was pulled over by the Nevada Highway Patrol for supposedly following a tractor-trailer too closely.

The officer complimented Stephen’s driving, thanked him for observing the speed limit, and explained that NHP was “conducting a public information campaign” to help drivers avoid danger. Confident that the officer was only there to help, Stephen cooperated with his escalating investigation, even volunteering that he was carrying a large amount of cash.

Ninety minutes later, Stephen had been robbed of his life savings—$86,900—which he carried with him after a spate of robberies in his parents’ neighborhood. The officer who pulled Stephen over wanted to let him go; he was overruled by NHP Sergeant Glenn Rigdon, who ordered the money seized specifically so that it could be “adopted” by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

“Adoption” is a process by which federal law enforcement agencies can take over a seizure by state and local law enforcement. If the federal government is successful in forfeiting the property, its “equitable sharing” program guarantees the state or local agency that seized the property up to 80% of the proceeds for use in the agency’s budget.

In Stephen’s case, the DEA sat on his life savings for months, ignoring the legal deadlines requiring it to charge Stephen with a crime, begin a civil forfeiture case against his property, or return the money within six months of seizure. The DEA did none of those things. So, on August 30, IJ sued it in federal court on Stephen’s behalf.

Early the morning of September 1, the agency announced it would return all of Stephen’s money. In less than 24 hours, it had learned of our lawsuit, answered hard questions from The Washington Post, and committed to reviewing its policies for federal adoptions.

When we learned he would be getting his money back (filled with joy), he told us, “This isn’t over.”

And it isn’t. At the same time we filed in federal court, we also filed a major constitutional challenge in state court. Our state case aims to make federal adoptions impossible in Nevada as violations of the state constitution’s guarantees of reasonable seizures supported by probable cause and due process of law—not based on mere suspicion or for the financial benefit of the seizing agency. If we are successful, it will be the first time a state court has struck down federal adoptions. And a victory will take the profit motive out of roadside seizures.

Filmed with a Canon C70 with a 50mm 1.2 lens. Aputure 300d, 120d, and amaran.

Comments

Check out our latest video in our Policing for Profit series. This one is about local police terrorizing a small town. They even got a tank. https://youtu.be/-cil2gdCa-k

I spent 33 years in law enforcement I can tell you this is corrupt no matter what the pretense is. If police can’t understand why they are hated by the public look no further then these actions.

This is what being transparent,complying and being respectful will get you when the system is corrupt to its core

When someone like a cop or detective starts acting nice, that’s the moment you need to call your lawyer.

This is why I sometimes regret serving my country during the best years of my life. I’m boiling over this!

As a retired Marine myself, I found this to be appalling. I wonder if racism was rooted in this officers decision. He, like I, and being Marines are always respectful of authority. I’m truly saddened that there are law enforcement officers out there with their own self righteous, feel good, look what I did today attitude. I will certainly be less forth coming, but respectful, if I am ever involved in a situation such as this Marine went through. God bless our country…

He didn’t trust the banks and now he doesn’t trust police. What a shame.

“To protect and to serve, they’re own interests” The fact that it’s not illegal, in their book,should tell you that ethics and morality have little to do with what’s legal and what is not. The DEA agent was surely aware of the high % of cash that drug residue is found on, yet uses this as justification for this,,quite literally no less than highway robbery. When this corrupt practice is considered legal, every (Law) is a crime, and every cop is a criminal.

I’m a bartender and I almost got $8k taken from my car once. Had to say over and over to the officer during the stop that I don’t consent to searches. He insulted me up and down with how bad that makes me look but at the end of the day there was nothing he could do about it. I was within my rights.

This has nothing to do with “drugs”. Our government hates it when people take back their financial privacy. It’s easy to track people that use their credit card like a good sheep.Lots of power in such information.

“He was driving under the speed limit which is odd” “he has his bank receipts which is odd”.. you can’t even do the right legal thing without it being odd

This happened to a buddy of mine, also in Nevada (Las Vegas), where the police entered his home due to a loud party he was having. They entered, found some Marijuana and then continued to search the rest of his house and discovered some savings in the amount of 22k. He was a real estate agent, and also did not trust banks. They seized the cash and he had to go through the same process of proving the money was legal gained and not through illicit activities. It was a long battle but I believe he got most of his money back, minus attorneys fees of course.

It happened to my 68 yr old brother too. He doesn’t trust banks and he over 10,000 in cash. And he got pulled over and they took it from him stating it looked suspicious to have that much money. My brother lives in a mobile home and works full time in group homes for mentally challenged. He doesn’t do drugs. And he is a loner! He never got his money back.

I’m 57 years old and was raised to be pro police as my father worked as an LEO for a few years. I’ve always supported law enforcement, even with financial donations. That ends today. This is a fucking disgrace to a man who risked his life for my freedoms. The cops confiscation motives are driven by a Service Award Commendation related to theft in office. Until things change I have to distance myself from further law enforcement support.

once a cop says “give me a second, let me make anphone call..” you know you’re going to be a victim.

A former Marine should not only know his rights, he should have invoked his rights. Never talk to cops without a lawyer present, and never consent to a search…ever!

That cop acted like he was his friend. How do you be so nice and cordial while stabbing this good citizen in the heart? How much lawyer money did it cost this guy to get his money back? This is sickening.

” I don’t trust banks so I keep my own money. “, you’re not the only one, Marine.

No cop can search your vehicle unless they have evidence of a real crime, or a warrant, or your permission. I’d Never say yes to a search. They could plant something on you.

This makes me as angry as the next guy, that being said I understand why he did what he did. The world we live in now is so bad that you must know there’s absolutely no winning with cops anymore. Good cops are out there but you definitely can’t trust them. The system is rigged against all of us, and it’s getting worse! Thank god this guy got his back..

This man was racially profiled. The reason he got pulled over in the first place was completely bogus. Also, if he had refused to have his vehicle searched they would have brought out the drug sniffing dog, signal to the dog to react, and then search it anyway. This man was screwed no matter how cooperative he was.

What’s even more shocking is the victim also has a tonne of receipts to prove where the money has come from 🤦

As a veteran who doesn’t trust banks as well this really kills me. You serve your country, have friends and family die for your country, then it robs you. This should never happen, and reminds me of other countries I was in over seas.

Unfortunately, law enforcement agencies and prosecutors have abused civil asset forfeiture programs in the past. In many cases, innocent Texas residents lose their property because they lack knowledge of civil forfeiture laws and the proper proceedings to challenge them. Many people do not realize that you can lose your property through civil forfeiture even if you have never been convicted of a crime.

The police had ZERO intention of getting that money back to him unless they were sued AND given bad PR. Thank you for representing him!

You’ll never understand until it happens to you, welcome to the club, safe travels out there people.

Same thing happened to my senior citizen parents at the airport when they were going on vacation. They had $10,500 and it was seized because of suspicion of drug money. They were able to get it back after proving how they legally earned it.

The same thing has happened to me by the CBP they seized my property while driving on the road without a warrant or reason. Now I have been out of business for more than a month.

If cops do this to a vet with a clean record and receipts I can’t imagine how many other people this happens too.

If you people understood the level of corruption in law enforcement in the state of Nevada from corrections to highway patrol to sheriff’s departments and P D’s you would be afraid. I’ve also seen unfair treatment like this in California.

This will make people never want to trust that the police are “just asking routine questions”. It should’ve never taken a lawsuit to get HIS money back because it should’ve never been seized to begin with, unless they had PROOF of illegal activity. This gives “highway robbery” a whole new meaning! This man fought for the country, but then had to fight the same government 😡

[/bg_collapse]

Was a Racially Motivated 911 Call Responsible for Police Overreaction?

Always quick to handcuff and arrest with insufficient evidence. I’m tired of immediately being deemed a criminal and a threat for existing. I am tired of this!!!

The USA system still baffles me. In my country, if a police officer takes their gun out of the holster, it’s the same as pulling the trigger. It will be investigated, there will be a lot a questions if it was necessary. In the states, it seems to be more normal to point a gun at someone, than saying hello.

[bg_collapse view=”button-orange” color=”#4a4949″ expand_text=”Show More” collapse_text=”Show Less” ]

These YouTube videos from “Audit the Audit” should be a required course material at the Police Academy.

As an African American realtor this is my biggest fear. Thank you for sharing information on this incident.

As someone who lives in a country where police have to go through multiple years of training, seeing American police in action is genuinely terrifying.

They never commented on the fact that there was no sign of forced entry on the door! That’s pretty easy to see if that had been the case!

“WHERE IS YOUR REALTOR ID?” as she pulls out a stack of business cards…these are the cowardly idiots sworn to protect us…oof

She wanted his official state issued realtor ID not a business card, and realized that such a thing doesn’t even exist.

After she figures it out – “Where’s your.. do you have.. like.. ID on you? ” lol

“he’s got ID and realty cards on him.”

“Pat his groin for weapons”

The hell is wrong with these people.

The realtor had loose business cards in EVERY pocket. A lack of organization is prominent among folks who are misunderstood. Best hold yourself to a better standard to stay out of trouble.

As soon as she saw his ID and his realtor card everything should have stopped and they should’ve been un cuffed. Smh

Literally the first thing she pulls from his pocket is a stack of his realtor business cards, and then a driver’s license and his friggin’ realtor id. A pure example of “guilty until proven innocent”

Why is she continuing to search his pockets and keep him handcuffed after she knows he’s a realtor and there was no forced entry? The retired officer should be charged for false reporting.

As a real estate agent, I imagine he is in a nice car, wearing nice clothes and well groomed. Seems the witness has tunnel vision.

That realtor was quiet after he said “I’m a realtor”. I don’t think I heard a peep, after that. He already knew where he was going with this, much respect. These cops aren’t smart at all — the ones who just quiet up and watch you dig your grave are the ones that KNOW they’re about to win the battle.

If I was the homeowner I would sue the neighbor for blocking the sale.

If I was the homeowner I’d be so pissed and sued for lowering the value of my house

Imagine the pain the retired police office caused during his service..

Imagine how many terrible things that retired cop did back in the day. So upsetting.

Just think, this is their “best behavior” (knowing they are on camera) Imagine what it was like prior.

Gotta love it when they say they were just going by what was reported. Well taking a witness statement into account without ever thinking it could be false or misleading is the first error, not following proper procedure in turn is even worse.

Did any of the cops take 2 seconds to check the MLS lockbox to see if it had been opened with a key, a key that only a realtor would have? Nope, guns drawn and not one word that came out of the 2 men was even considered for a moment. Even after producing realty cards and an ID that matched, it was totally unbelievable to the cops that he could possibly be a realtor. I think the City of Cincinnati got off easy.

I’d give a shiny penny just to hear her explain her ‘probable cause’ for drawing her weapon. And I think we all know what it was….

Apart from the obvious racism in this case and others, do you as Americans realise just how heightened and anxious these encounters are because everyone involved is worried that someone has a gun? As an Englishman, I’ve had and witnessed run-ins with the Police, but there has NEVER been any worry that anyone might have a gun in a glove box in a car or in an inside pocket.

I like how the officer says that race car doesn’t fly anymore, when it literally is being proven by them

I’m ashamed that this is in my own town

As a person from Cincinnati I’m glad you made this video on these officers

The fact that she keeps going through his shit after they prove he’s a realtor.

The way that female officer said he’s got realtor cards and i.d on him, she sounds so disappointed like damn I though we got em. This was sad.

We need to start paying the fines out of the Police pension fund instead of the tax payers having to foot the bill

fun fact: Officer Valentino was arrested in 2020 for domestic violence and criminal damaging with her sister. Valentino got crazy drunk and a card game turned into fisticuffs lol

We REALLY need bigger penalties for people who lie on 911 calls

The caller knew exactly what he was doing, he knew they were probably checking out the house since it was for sale and he didn’t want those poor guys living in that neighborhood so he called his old cop buddies to go and harass them and make them go away. Evil as hell and it’s even worse because his plan worked… and he doesn’t get punishment

The worst part of this story is that the jackass that called this in got exactly what he wanted, although likely subconsciously. He clearly didn’t feel that black people belong in his neighborhood, and I doubt that this man wanted to buy a house with neighbors like that afterwards. The retired officer continues to keep his neighborhood the way he feels it should be. I wish there was some consequences for that man.

I’m only a minute in and already I can say the 911 caller needs to be charged with a crime. They used the lock box, the way he says “they forced the door open” is already setting it up for the police to come at it thinking it’s a burglary or something. Although I think a lot of these officers seem to lack common sense, part of the problem is the information they are given going in. They will be basically be told two black guys just broke into a house, all based solely on the word of one caller. That’s too much power for one person, to be able to call 911 and make up anything. It can and probably has lead to unnecessary deaths.

That retired cop that called it in knew exactly what he was doing, using the precise terminology, “forced entry/forced their way in”, because only then would the police on-scene be SURE to have all the probable cause they need to do what they did. Most people that would call for what they believe to be suspicious activity would just say something like they went into the place and they aren’t sure if they should be there, or something generic like that, but this former cop knew if he said they forced entry that they’d get the full-cavalry treatment

I’m a realtor. This is beyond disturbing. How did that agent stay so calm. He is a saint. So let’s just call this what it is. Cop across the street knows they didn’t force open the door. He saw 2 black men looking at a house “for sale” across the street from his house. He figured, “Lets eff with them so they will decide they don’t want to live here”. Objective accomplished. That folks is exactly what happened here.

To the cops in this video: Instead of arresting both the realtor and the man who was planning on purchasing the house, you should’ve arrested the retired police officer for filing a false police report and racial profiling.

Any officer with functioning eyes can see upon arriving at the scene that the front door was not forced open. 911 caller’s story should immediately become suspect. All they needed to do was knock on the door and asked, “what are you doing here?” “I’m a realtor showing the house to this man.” “Have a good day.” No gun drawn. No hand cuffing. That’s it.

Do people not know what an “open house” actually is? It means there is a realtor at the location for any purchasers. No “open house” sign does not mean that the realtor or agency can’t open the house for an appointment. I’m glad this guy got the justice, and hopefully new home, they deserve.

It is amazing to me that they did not ask them what their business was for being there before drawing guns and detaining. She found his id and cards proving he was who the other man said he was and yet they still treated them like they were criminals, yet they were adamant that it was not racial.

The biggest theme I’ve seen in these types of interactions is in alot of cases the responding officer has the inability to say something along the lines of “sorry for intruding on your day, we got a faulty tip”. Just because the 911 operator said something based on a statement from a random citizen shouldn’t mean it overrides the actual situation upon arrival.

As someone from outside the US I always find it weird how everyone says Sir or M’am even when being aggressive. Adding ‘Sir’ before being aggressive towards someone doesn’t negate the fact that you’re being an asshole. Try just being respectful in your actions.

I’m so sick of cops saying “we don’t know who you are” like that somehow this lvl assault and detention necessary

I’m so impressed about how calm and polite theses guys are while they are being handcuffed for absolutely no reason. As a white person, I never really experienced any discriminations but I know that I would have gone crazy if I was getting handcuffed by police while doing my job. Huge respect to these guys and shame on these officers for not even apologizing to them.

As a realtor, that incident ruined his reputation in that neighborhood. Glad the city did the right thing. Unfortunately, citizens will continue to pay the price for poor police conduct.

I love how you can hear them pleading their case with the man they put into handcuffs first. “We’re just responding to a call, we don’t know what’s going on when we get here.” Exactly…and you didn’t bother trying to find out. You saw 2 black men and automatically assumed they were committing a crime. This easily could have been resolved by saying “We got a call that someone was concerned the house had been broken into,” and then looked at the f***ing front door and realize that it hadn’t been forced open and then left. These cops should be fired.

I am constantly amazed by the sheer number of police you must have in the US. I can see this type of incident being attended by maybe 4 police officers maximum in my country. We just don’t have enough police officers to be wasting time with bullshit like this.

This female cop is a danger to the public and should be fired

Many realtors conceal carry. This could have gone even worse if that was the case here. Im glad they filed something. I probably would’ve sued the neighbor too based on the fact that he was retired law enforcement. It probably would’ve been dismissed but the inconvenience would have been worth it.

Extremely humiliating. These types of experiences leave long lasting anxiety and stress for years.

I love how the guy and the realtor became best friends after that lawsuit

[/bg_collapse]