[ArkansasTgirl]

Originally Posted by Ray Deckard

Are we living in a free country? If we call a Police Officer a derogatory name or question them in any way we are arrested and thrown in jail. If we don't pay taxes we are arrested and thrown in jail. We are monitored 24/7 by video cameras (every intersection has cameras in my town) not including who is watching us online. We can be sued for slander or defamation and be arrested and thrown in jail. If we don't pay child support on time every month we can be arrested and thrown in jail, etc, etc.

Is this what you call a FREE COUNTRY?

Lol, your complaining about all the video cameras now.

[Huckleberry3911948]

yelling at cops hitting them and trying to grab their guns is not "standing up" to anything. its trying to get yourself killed for nothing.
think im kidding??? try doing any of that with the latin kings see what it will get you.

[PDD]

Originally Posted by Luvvarkansas

Guy is an idiot.

Plus a Dousch Bag Idiot.

If that guy worked for me I would fire him for public stupidity

[UKWildcat1981]

This young man is everything that is wrong with America today plus he does not understand the laws.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Ray Deckard

Are we living in a free country? If we call a Police Officer a derogatory name or question them in any way we are arrested and thrown in jail. If we don't pay taxes we are arrested and thrown in jail. We are monitored 24/7 by video cameras (every intersection has cameras in my town) not including who is watching us online. We can be sued for slander or defamation and be arrested and thrown in jail. If we don't pay child support on time every month we can be arrested and thrown in jail, etc, etc.

Is this what you call a FREE COUNTRY?

This is what I call a country you have total disdain for as well as scarce understanding of and respect for the laws and Constitution. I suggest a relocation. I hear North Korea is looking for new residents and you won't be bothered by protections whatsoever.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Ray Deckard

The guy was a jerk, yes, but he is protected by the first and fourth Amendments. Educate yourselves before making useless comments not backed by the U.S. Constitution.

Wake up and read about your Rights!

there are rights and there are rights; you need to understand the difference. If you are right, what is wrong with screaming in public: bomb or if near the President yelling: i am going to shot the President. There is free speech, that is something we have that most countries do not have, but in this case all the cop did was question the guy and ask for his Id. End of story!!11

[thegreenflute334]

Originally Posted by Ray Deckard

Are we living in a free country? If we call a Police Officer a derogatory name or question them in any way we are arrested and thrown in jail. If we don't pay taxes we are arrested and thrown in jail. We are monitored 24/7 by video cameras (every intersection has cameras in my town) not including who is watching us online. We can be sued for slander or defamation and be arrested and thrown in jail. If we don't pay child support on time every month we can be arrested and thrown in jail, etc, etc.

Is this what you call a FREE COUNTRY?

There are responsibilties for your actions and you don't get that. A child is dependent on you, so don't attack a child because the child didn't ask to be here. You want to play? Life is not a game. And don't teach that child that is okay to treat police officers like trash, becasue it's not okay.

My kid could have been in a car wreck at the exact time and location of the officers that were wasting time on your garbage. Your disrepect of people and your own shallow principals are going to sink you on a larger scale, eventually. I would have fined you, if I was the judge and it was presented in a court of law. I would have sued you if the above example would have happened.

[JWG223]

"Can" and "Should" have different definitions in every dictionary I've had the pleasure of reading. Typically, the variables that separate the two, are common sense and intelligence.

[RichCapeCod]

I’ve read this thread from the beginning. There’s a good deal of miscommunication taking place. The issue is not whether or not the individual calling out to the officers was a fool, speaking out inappropriately, acting in a socially unacceptable fashion or was simply a jerk.

The question is; was that person in violation of the law and were the officers response to his obnoxious verbal taunts appropriate?

For the record, I’m a retired police officer with forty-one years active service in two departments (twenty years apiece in one very large, one very small agency. Retired as a lt. in one and chief of police in another.). I am most sympathetic to the officers in the video. None the less, they were wrong (legally) in their interaction with the person doing the catcalling and videoing.

We don’t know why the woman was stopped and arrested. The search of her outermost garments by the male officer, using the back of his gloved hand, was proper and correct.

When the obnoxious individual called out to the officers the only correct action they could have lawfully taken was to ignore him. The scene played out on the video is the common opening gambit to a successful federal violation of civil rights lawsuit (42 USC 1983). They had no probable cause to arrest this person. Their demands for identification were clearly a response to their annoyance at his abrasive verbal taunts. In a federal court, should this matter get that far, they would be toast.

Fundamentally, a person has the right to say nearly anything they wish to an officer (yes, we could come up with limitations and bizarre hypotheticals that might cause one to question that assertion, but, as a rule, what I stated is correct.).

I repeat my earlier comment; the officers should have ignored Mr. Cretin. They should not have approached him, trespassed on his property (they were put on notice by Mr. Cretin he wished them off his property. No exigent situation existed that mitigated this demand.). By coming up to him they put themselves in a difficult and unwinnable situation. They will win the battle (the arrest) but lose the war (the lawsuit). This may be unpleasant to hear for some, but that is the legal system we live under in our nation.

[Ray Deckard]

Originally Posted by RichCapeCod

The question is; was that person in violation of the law and were the officers response to his obnoxious verbal taunts appropriate?

For the record, I’m a retired police officer with forty-one years active service in two departments (twenty years apiece in one very large, one very small agency. Retired as a lt. in one and chief of police in another.). I am most sympathetic to the officers in the video. None the less, they were wrong (legally) in their interaction with the person doing the catcalling and videoing.

When the obnoxious individual called out to the officers the only correct action they could have lawfully taken was to ignore him. The scene played out on the video is the common opening gambit to a successful federal violation of civil rights lawsuit (42 USC 1983). They had no probable cause to arrest this person. Their demands for identification were clearly a response to their annoyance at his abrasive verbal taunts. In a federal court, should this matter get that far, they would be toast.

Fundamentally, a person has the right to say nearly anything they wish to an officer (yes, we could come up with limitations and bizarre hypotheticals that might cause one to question that assertion, but, as a rule, what I stated is correct.).

I repeat my earlier comment; the officers should have ignored Mr. Cretin. They should not have approached him, trespassed on his property (they were put on notice by Mr. Cretin he wished them off his property. No exigent situation existed that mitigated this demand.). By coming up to him they put themselves in a difficult and unwinnable situation. They will win the battle (the arrest) but lose the war (the lawsuit). This may be unpleasant to hear for some, but that is the legal system we live under in our nation.

Finally we get someone who has some brains! Rich Cape Cod is a retired LE and he is telling the truth so all you nay sayer Morons can go to take a hike down jail house lane. So the bottom line I am 100% correct Rich is backing me up.

Thank you RichCapeCod for manning up and telling the TRUTH.