[harry chickpea]

Am I in the minority thinking that the stop was an illegal stop? Not only does the dashcam video show a driver in full control and driving normally, but news now is that the troopers were supposed to pull over two cars per hour. Is unreasonable search and seizure now legal in the state? A National Guardsman handcuffed and tossed in the back of a cruiser for having the temerity to do a legal open carry in Rutland, then be subject to an ad homonym attack by WCAX, and now this?

[arctichomesteader]

The cops are out of control here, and I would point the finger at our AG rubberstamping everything they do for their boldness. Of course a lot of these cops also came out of the bigger cities in states south of VT and brought their authoritarian, militaristic, anti-freedom attitudes right up with them.

[OhBeeHave]

I watched the video, and yes, the driver appeared to be in control.

I wonder if the 'pull over two an hour' is a way of possibly intercepting drug dealing mutts and such without being accused of profiling?

[Chadd1014]

I think it will get thrown out in court Higbee was in control, the cop was the only one out of control. You or I would be facing a DWI charge and be found guilty.

[thunderkat59]

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

The cops are out of control here, and I would point the finger at our AG rubberstamping everything they do for their boldness. Of course a lot of these cops also came out of the bigger cities in states south of VT and brought their authoritarian, militaristic, anti-freedom attitudes right up with them.

I had a registration issue with my car wen I lived in Rutland. The sheriff lit me up 50 feet outside of my driveway. Instead of letting me drive the car back, he called a friend of his to put the car on flatbed. They then drove me to my bank where I had to drain the cash reserve to get the car back home. I was constantly threatened with "Gonna lose the car for a long time" when I asked what was going on.

[vermonter16]

Gosh - we get cops who sit outside bars all the time. I even know someone who got a ticket before she even got on the road! She literally came out of the bar, got into her car, started it up and the cop was right there. She probably could have fought that one.

We have checkpoints all over the place at night and we also have cops waiting for you if you try and turn around. Of course, we have a kazillion cops.

If they pulled the guy over for not using his turn signal - isn't that valid? It may be a cheap way to pull someone over but still valid. I watched the entire 40 minute long video (apparently I had nothing better to do) and I don't see that the cop did anything wrong. If he smelled booze on his breath and his eyes were red and dilated - seems to me that that is probable cause. We can't quite see from the dash cam exactly how well Higbee did or didn't do on the 3 tests. We couldn't see the reaction of his eyes. He did struggle with walking in a straight line but hey - I might have trouble with that too. And we didn't see the third test at all.

And - why wouldn't Higbee just submit to a breathalyzer if he had nothing to worry about? He looks pretty darn nervous in the cop's vehicle and it looks like he has dry mouth unless he normally has mouth twitches.

I don't know - seems to me he got caught fair and square.

As for a quota - why is it everyone seems surprised? This is actually new news? I don't know. You break the law - you get caught - take responsibility. Good cop, bad cop...if you're in the wrong, just own up.

[FrugalYankee]

I don't know about Burlington but here in southern VT the cops are trying very hard to crack down on the growing problems of drugs and gangs. If you look suspicious in any way you are going to get the sniff over at the very least. Are people's civil rights getting stepped on? In some cases maybe.

Pick one:

A) cops tread carefully to avoid infringing on civil rights -> crooks have an easier time

B) cops try hard to get dirtbags arrested, some innocent people (maybe you) suffer unnecessary detainment and / or search

[arctichomesteader]

Originally Posted by FrugalYankee

I don't know about Burlington but here in southern VT the cops are trying very hard to crack down on the growing problems of drugs and gangs. If you look suspicious in any way you are going to get the sniff over at the very least. Are people's civil rights getting stepped on? In some cases maybe.

Pick one:

A) cops tread carefully to avoid infringing on civil rights -> crooks have an easier time

B) cops try hard to get dirtbags arrested, some innocent people (maybe you) suffer unnecessary detainment and / or search

The real problem is DA's will prosecute people for defending themselves and their property against the crooks. If anyone remembers the incident off Quarterline Road in Rutland Town not that long ago, a woman saw a crook coming through her window and scared them off with a gun. The local DA said they'd prosecute the woman if that burglar complained. That only emboldens the crooks.

I will not budge an inch on civil rights issues. We need to take back our freedom from the ever expanding police state.

[VTJeep]

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

I will not budge an inch on civil rights issues. We need to take back our freedom from the ever expanding police state.

THIS. Police State. Literally the fist thought I had when I saw the thread.. Yes, there are good cops. And thank god for that, but there are a majority of them that are bored, overworked, under payed, or simply to ignorant to be the ones in charge of upholding the law. I can say the last time I had to deal with the cops (it was a statey) he was professional, but did try to collect information irrelevant to the stop. This was frustrating as it made me look somehow guilty (I assume..) for not wanting to answer some of his questions.. Just like the government- who is monitoring those who monitor? idk...

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by thunderkat59

I had a registration issue with my car wen I lived in Rutland. The sheriff lit me up 50 feet outside of my driveway. Instead of letting me drive the car back, he called a friend of his to put the car on flatbed. They then drove me to my bank where I had to drain the cash reserve to get the car back home. I was constantly threatened with "Gonna lose the car for a long time" when I asked what was going on.

That's insane. I would have caused the biggest fuss ever. If you think your police are corrupt, call the state police. I hope to Hell your state police aren't corrupt. Newspapers and television stations are good tools for fighting corruption too.

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

The real problem is DA's will prosecute people for defending themselves and their property against the crooks. If anyone remembers the incident off Quarterline Road in Rutland Town not that long ago, a woman saw a crook coming through her window and scared them off with a gun. The local DA said they'd prosecute the woman if that burglar complained. That only emboldens the crooks.

I will not budge an inch on civil rights issues. We need to take back our freedom from the ever expanding police state.

What?!?!!? Doesn't Vermont have Castle laws? Pennsylvania's is pretty sweet. We not only have the Castle Doctrine but we also have the Stand Your Ground Law, which means we have a right to defend ourselves when we're not home too. I'm disappointed that Vermont has such weak gun laws!