Missouri: Police Roadblock Harassment Caught on Tape.

TheNewspaper.com ^ | 12/30/2006 | Brett Darrow

[The KG9 Kid]

Missouri: Police Roadblock Harassment Caught on Tape
St. Louis County, Missouri threaten to arrest a teenager for refusing to discuss his personal travel plans.

A teenager harassed by police in St. Louis, Missouri caught the incident on tape. Brett Darrow, 19, had his video camera rolling last month as he drove his 1997 Maxima, minding his own business. He approached a drunk driving roadblock where he was stopped, detained and threatened with arrest when he declined to enter a conversation with a police officer about his personal travel habits. Now Darrow is considering filing suit against St. Louis County Police.

"I'm scared to drive for fear of being stopped at another checkpoint and arrested while doing nothing illegal," Darrow told TheNewspaper. "We're now guilty until we prove ourselves innocent to these checkpoint officers."

On that late November night, videotape confirms that Darrow had been ordered out of his vehicle after telling a policeman, "I don't wish to discuss my personal life with you, officer." Another officer attempted to move Darrow's car until he realized, "I can't drive stick!" The officer took the opportunity to undertake a thorough search of the interior without probable cause. He found nothing.

When Darrow asked why he was being detained, an officer explained, "If you don't stop running your mouth, we're going to find a reason to lock you up tonight."

The threats ended when Darrow informed officers that they were being recorded. After speaking to a supervisor Darrow was finally released.

"These roadblocks have gotten out of hand," Darrow told TheNewspaper. "If we don't do something about them now, it'll be too late."

A full video of the incident is available here. A transcript is provided below as the audio is at times very faint.

[3niner]

Your opinion will change after something like this happens to you.

[thiscouldbemoreconfusing]

Interesting, to bad I can't understand the video.

[The KG9 Kid]

"... Cop: "Where you headed tonight?"

Me: "Wherever you want... (tilting head and narrowing eyes) ... Why not your place?"

Cop: OKAY, GOOD NIGHT. MOVE ALONG. PLEASE DRIVE SAFELY.

[KarlInOhio]

Exactly! People have the right to remain silent, but they better be prepared to do so from a jail cell.

Do you have to be ready to go to jail to assert your rights apply to the first, second and other amendments also or only the fifth? Sure you have freedom of the press, but you'll do your writing for the prison newsletter if you try to assert it.

[Ecliptic]

"Dude, you could have avoided all that shiite if you had just been a tiny bit more civil to the first officers question. True it is your "right" to give dick answers, it's also their "right" to give you dick police treatment.
Play friendly, and you will be surprised how easy life can be!"


NO!! NO!! NO!! Cops do NOT have a right to give dick police treatment....and not saying where he was going is not being unfriendly.....And cops do not have a right to be unfriendly if they don't get thier way......

How far do you want to let the cops go? Can they make him buy their lunch? Polish their shoes? Dance for him?

What if it your wife, daughter, sister; How "friendly" do they have to be?

Why do you think the cops "own" the citizens? They don't...

[UpAllNight]

I don't think your description shows that you were intentionally confrontational. It appears you engaged in an honest, civil discussion with the cop. However, it is confusing since you say it was 60 before the 55 limit but then say that 61 was more than 10 over.

[Hot Tabasco]

Khrushev said that the they will bury us without firing a shot. Guess this kid is just one of his foot soldiers.

Not hardly dude, this kid is merely a shot across the bow. Kudos to him and a warning to you.....

[monday]

"The brat should have been arrested."

lol.... if stupidity were a crime you would be arrested and serving a life sentence.

[djf]

Agree totally. We NEED to push back.

Otherwise, the next conversation goes something like this:

Kid: But Officer, I leaned over and kissed your behind just like you said. Why am I under arrest?
Cop: Shut up kid. Everybody knows you're required to smile when you do it. Put your hands behind your back...

Now no doubt some criminals and low life types need to get slapped silly. But no doubt some cops do as well.

Actually, I think there was a psychological study done years ago and they found that two groups that were just about the closest psychologically speaking in all the groups they measured were...
Cops, and
criminals.

[School of Rational Thought]

"Hmmm, I often drive around at night with a camcorder on. Especially as I approach a DUI checkpoint (which have to be announced). Could we have a little setup here?

OTOH, the "I can't drive stick." part is pretty funny."

Are you suggesting this some kind of investigative sting? Ooops, that is what the government call it. ;-)

The kid also had a very valid point about not being initially stopped on the side of the road and then not being allowed to pull the car over. It is just a way for the government to get inside his car to look where they don't have a warrent or probable cause.

And the dogs are there because they are part of the police force. I guess they were there to take notes.

Can't think of a reason why citizens can't run a sting on the government.

[BeHoldAPaleHorse]

(Note: the above move is most assuredly not recommended when dealing with San Francisco's finest, the cop might take you up on it)

[Mark was here]

You must be a dirty rotten cop kisser. Let me break into your house and see if you play nice so the robery can go easier.

Get a grip, these guys were on the clock, were they out responding to home burglaries or out solving crimes, he no. That costs money. They we doing something to generate revenue, that is make money.

It is such a crock that they say they are out to serve the public when 99% of what they do is fleece the public. It is what unionized government workers do.

[PLMerite]

"They are trained to do so in order to take "control" of the situation."


If there's not some imminent threat to my life, I don't need to be taken "control" of.

[UpAllNight]

--Frankly, I think those cops should have seen the ACLU video in their training. It probably would have helped them avoid the lawsuit that this kid will easily win.--

This kid will win no lawsuit.

[bulldozer]

Hear the laugh Officer #2 gave when he got into the car and also said, “I can’t drive a stick.” This is one sick cop who gets his kicks by burning out the clutch and sticking it to the kid.

[RobRoy]

"and..........the cops have got him recorded while he was out of the car.....whoops!"

Interesting. You think that is gonna somehow exonerate the cops.

What if they don't find any of the kids DNA in her (if you get my drift)? Would they just have not bothered to keep the tape?

[SauronOfMordor]

Hmmm, I often drive around at night with a camcorder on. Especially as I approach a DUI checkpoint (which have to be announced). Could we have a little setup here?

Or perhaps somebody who had previously been rousted in a checkpoint before, and was prepared this time?

[Ecliptic]

You can engage in conversation without being personal..

[The KG9 Kid]

I can confirm that would certainly be the case with some of this town's cops.

Hey, either way you're getting out of a ticket.

[mysterio]

What kind of country have we got when little smartasses think they have some right not to answer a policeman's questions?

Yes, how dare he question a government official when he is doing nothing wrong. Are you an American?