Kids Nowadays! With Their Cameras, Their Questions, Their Expos Hats, and Their Arrests for Filming Cops

If nothing else, this video, made by a 17-year-old who I'm guessing is familiar with Radley Balko's work, probably hastens the day when the legal and practical mess around shooting video of police officers gets resolved:

Balko's January cover story on "The War on Cameras" here. Thanks to alert reader Brad Leeser for the tip.

Comments

[Tulpa]

Is the cop asking OnStar for directions to the nearest donut shop?

[Paul]

Doesn’t need it. Cop final exam is to know from memory all the locations and their addresses.

[Bill]

In New Orleans, 3 cops just opened a donut shop.

[Tulpa]

That’s what I was yelling at Celebrity Apprentice last night…they had to make a commercial for OnStar, and one of the teams had a cop leaning in someone’s window asking for directions to the donut shop. (Of course the execs were horrified since their business is obviously totally dependent on cop cooperation)

[ClubMedSux]

OK, I understand that there’s a general anti-cop sentiment around here, but I think we need to drop the whole cliched cop-donut schtick. I can’t speak for other parts of the country, but here in Chicago cops can be found loitering at a wide variety of eateries: hot dog stands, burrito joints, Chinese restaurants, etc.

[Warty]

I thought Chicago cops confined themselves to punching out small women in bars. No?

[Episiarch]

That’s merely part of their repertoire. They do other stuff! Like punching out women who talk back to them on the street after jaywalking. Oh wait, that’s here in Seattle.

[sloopyinca]

This cop-dunut shop thing is stupid. Seriously, people, we’re gonna get a lot more people listen to us if we accurately portray them.

Therefore, I propose the new cop meme is: hanging out in front of the GNC or the alley behind their gym getting their (cough) supplements (cough).

[Solanum]

No, they confine themselves to deep dish pizza parlors, which explains why they’re even more fat and surly than most cops.

[Episiarch]

Deep dish? Chicago cops truly are scum.

[MJ]

Who would rather deal with? A Chicago Cop who’s fat and happy, or a New York cop who’s fit and angry because what passes for pizza there is a thin scaping of ketchup on cardboard?

[Doc S]

Thanks for pointing that out CMS, I feel it’s unfair that our Chicago police don’t get the respect they deserve for their commitment to breaking the stereotype and eating at a variety of food venues.
When will people see that this kind of prejudice is just wrong?

[BigT]

The 2011 equivalent of ‘the beat’. (ironic term)

[omg]

As my blood pressure is high enough as it is, I’m going to have to ask one of the kind commenters on here to describe the video for me.

[sage]

Blood pressure. The reason I stopped watching the show Cops.

[Nomic]

Boredom. The reason I stopped watching the show Cops about 15 minutes into the first episode.
Drunk guy. No shirt. Took the term drive-thru restaurant too literally. Biggest worry is still whether his under-car lights look cool.
I don’t get the appeal.

[kinnath]

Take a chill-pill, then watch. I don’t think a description would do it justice.

[proegg antichicken]

fucking valium peddlers, can’t throw a show without hitting one.

[toddb]

It’s safe…they don’t shoot the kid’s dog or toss his house.

[Kristen]

I’m with you, omg – I can’t watch animals being hurt or cops acting like fuckfaces.

[Doc S]

Is it sad that I don’t care if I see people die in a movie, but if I think a dog’s gonna get killed or hurt I don’t want to watch?

[rather]

hmm, one’s make believe

[Doc S]

A movie was the scenario in both scenes. But yeah I’m not sure how i’d feel in real life if it happened either. Prob be a toss up between who I like more, and I fuckin love my dog.

[Fiscal Meth]

It’s very common. I think it comes from the idea that dogs remain innocent since, without a rational faculty, they can’t ever be truly guilty. The people, on the other hand, probably at least deserve it a little bit. I think an anti-reason bias is beat into our heads from a pretty young age.

[sloopyinca]

anti-reason

Does this mean we have to throw up our last drink?

[Kristen]

For me it’s not so much that someone getting hurt necessarily deserves it, it’s that they have the capacity to understand. As in “Oh, I’ve been shot/punched/stabbed”. A dog just knows it’s in pain and it doesn’t know why or how to stop it. That’s what really gets to me.

[Fiscal Meth]

That’s interesting. I’ve never thought of that. Even so, it still bothers me more when it’s a human getting effed up since I realized why it used to not bother me so much.

[John Markley]

What Kristen said. There’s an additional level of horror at the thought of a victim who can understand that something terrible is happening to him, but isn’t able to understand why. At least for me. It’s a sort of helplessness, as profound in its way as physical frailty.

[Ted S.]

I liked Old Yeller.

And I loved the scene in Marnie where Tippi Hedren’s horse breaks its legs failing to negotiate a stone wall, and Hedren starts screaming for somebody to shoot it.

[Nipplemancer]

I’m impressed by that officer’s self-control. He could have easily shouted “stop resisting” and beat the shit out of that kid.

[Mike in PA]

Had he known the kid was a “truther”, he could have beat him down and gotten away with it. It doesn’t matter what you see with you own eyes, as soon as someone says the kid doesn’t believe 9-11, nobody will care what the cop is doing wrong.

On the off chance, this kid stops by here… Dude, give up the truther stuff – it makes you look retarded.

[AU H20]

It seems more common among kids 4-6 years younger than me- basically, anyone under 10 when 9.11 happened.

God, wanna what’s gonna be the worst? In a decade, when we have kids who never witnessed 9/11 lecturing us on how a plane couldn’t have done it. They read it on the internet, bro.

[kinnath]

The way things are going, I would never go out by myself to videotape the police. This needs to be a team effort. One person out front directly videotaping the officer in question, and one or more persons in the background videotaping the interaction of the person out front engaging with the officer.

[Lorenzo]

“There are snipers videographers all around, Officer. Are you certain you want to make that move?”

Also, gutsy kid.

[kinnath]

The kid was outstanding.

[Barack Obama]

Let me be clear.

My order-giving last week was gutsy as well.

[JW]

Damn gutsy. Shouldn’t he be out doing donuts and a buddy’s front yard and getting hassled by The Man for the usual reasons?

[JW]

and=in.

[Queen Elizabeth]

Who was the cop talking to in the car? Was that the “investigation” he claimed the kid was interfering with?

[Doc S]

Im guessing the investigation had something to do with the unwarranted searches or whatever the kid mentioned when he first told the cop what he was doing.
But I was wondering the same.

[Free2Booze]

Today’s elite crime fighters are always conducting an investigation. It is obvious, that the officer in this video is so in tune with his surroundings, that his heightened senses, and computer like brain can analyze ever action, and behavior that is going on around him.

This punks actions clearly put lives at risk. He should be thankful that the officer didn’t put him down, right then and there.

[Chris Mallory]

He was investigating that badge bunny’s phone number and address and if she would be up for a frisking later on in the day.

[BigT]

His pimp. Or connection. Or an informer. Makes at least a little diff. But no excuse for the rough treatment.

[Paul]

“When I was standing on the public street”

Looks like this young whippersnapper has a different view of “public” street than the government does.

“Public” in the government’s view is you don’t own it and your access to it is at their discretion.

[Mr Whipple]

I was putting one of those yard signs in front of someone’s house between the sidewalk and curb. A cop pulled up and said, “get that sign off of my property”. I asked him where I could put it. He said anywhere but on his property. I asked, “is over there OK?”, pointing to the other side of the sidewalk. He said, “yeah, that’s OK”, and drove away. This is the same town where it is illegal to place flyers in people’s mailboxes.

[CaptainSmartass]

Pretty sure it’s illegal to put anything in anyone’s mailbox, anywhere. Federal law and all that.

[SugarFree]

I’m pretty sure he can come over and fucking mow it then.

[Paul]

In Seattle, I believe you have to maintain it, and will get fined if you don’t.

[SugarFree]

It’s like that here, too. Assholes.

[mad libertarian guy]

Fuck, I got fined in Lexington for my BACK yard being taller than 8″.

Cock eaters.

[Brett L]

I absorbed having an HOA so I could live on a private road. This is one discussion I’ll never have. And, now that my buddy’s wife bit the bullet and joined the HOA, we’re pretty much set. At some point we considered taking it over completely and approving everything while gutting the stupid rules, but that was too much bullshit for a temporary victory.

[Paul]

Oh, and good on this kid, but you’d have to sneak up on a glass of water while wearing those shorts. Just sayin’

[AU H20]

So, Balko’s college girlfriend DID get pregnant!

Seriously, props to that kid, and you know what? I have extra minutes this month- I’m going to call the police department and inquire whether the crime of “pissing off a cop” is a recent law.

[fresno dan]

i would just point out that the cop is the least culpable here – here is an irrefutable video record, and there is no firing, demotion, or reprimand by his supervisor, chief of police, or any city executive.
Apparently, most of the population likes being intimidated.

[sage]

I think we needmore of this. People need to askcops the toughquestions and postthem to youtube.

[Episiarch]

God damn, you know things have gotten bad when we’re missing LoneDipshit because our current trolls are so low grade.

[the real OO]

not everone who has a difering opinon is troll. try grow up a litle

[The Gobbler]

I miss the Lonewacko stories by SugarFree

[SugarFree]

That was actually a collaborative work. About a dozen or so worked on it during the process.

[Episiarch]

They were by me, dope.

[The Gobbler]

Why do refer to yourself as “dope”?

[Doc S]

So you apparently don’t really know what a troll is?

http://www.artoftrolling.com should help distinguish the difference between a troll and someone with a different perspective.

[Episiarch]

I know what you are, moron.

[Doc S]

Which I have come to conclude is: really fucking awesome.
Thanks sugar buns

[joshua corning]

The practical mess will be solved when someone comes up with the crazy idea to shape some plastic in such a way that a person can hang a cell phone camera on their cloths so they do not look like they are filming.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

I know. I mean if only someone would make, say, oh, I dunno – like hidden camera sunglasses.

[pmains]

The other thing you need is a 4G uplink to Qik in case your glasses get snatched.

[steeliv]

As a police officer who is also a libertarian, I would just like to say that we are not all like this. Please don’t lump us all in together. Some of us actually have no problem with being recorded. Of course the officers who are recorded doing nothing wrong don’t make the news. It is possible to be a law enforcement officer and also a libertarian, I just wanted to remind everyone of that.

[Warty]

Quit your job, for the good of your soul.

[Cytotoxic]

I urge you to rethink that Warty. We need more steeliv and Dunphy officers. If they quit, they’ll probably be replaced by more assholes.

Sorry steeliv, but after what I’ve seen of Toronto’s G20, it seems to me most (TO) cops are assholes. Which is what makes you so precious.

[AU H20]

steel, serious question to a cop: Why is there the “Blue Wall”? I mean, I would think if anyone, cops would be super pissed at anyone undermining the professions trust among the public, but any number of times, it seems that cops/supervisors cover for each other.

I mean, some of it must come from cops getting false accusations leveled against them, but in other cases, it seems to just be covering up bad apples.

[R C Dean]

Why is there the “Blue Wall”?

Human nature. At a cellular level, we form packs. The cops are a pack, so other cops are “us”, and everyone else is “them”. You protect the pack. Period.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

The thought of a “pack” of libertarians is somewhat chilling.

[R C Dean]

Watch the reaction to a new troll here, and you’ll get an idea what it looks like.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

As in “You are not of the body. You will be absorbed.”

[Mad Max]

Testing …3,2,1

[steeliv]

It does piss me off. There’s a tendency to trust the people you work with and interact with on a daily basis more than people you don’t know though. There’s also a mistrust of the media because they don’t tell the whole story. I’m not even talking about stories that involve police misconduct, I’m talking regular crime stories. I’ve seen the news reporting on something that I was involved in and get numerous details wrong and it’s so bad I don’t even recognize the story they tell and I was there! That leads to a mistrust of anything reported in the media, especially when it involves one of us doing something wrong.

I do hate when bad officers make the rest of us look bad. It bothers me when I see lazy officers, it bothers me when I see officers who are rude for no reason, and it especially bothers me when I see officers abuse their power. Make no mistake, we have to be men of violence when violence is warranted, but we have to operate within the parameters laid out by the Constitution, the United States Code, our state statutes, and department policy.

There is a strong desire to get the bad guys, and some officers place that above following the law. That is wrong. We are here to enforce the law. We are not here to violate it ourselves just to get to some kind of ends justify the means resolution. Yes, people are going to break the law and get away with it because we can’t prove what they did within the law. Upholding the law is what should be most important though, and I don’t think all of us realize that.

[BigT]

The public loves sensationalism. Bad cop sells. Capitalism can have a dark side if people behave badly. Life is not fair.

[sloopyinca]

Make no mistake, we have to be men of violence when violence is warranted, but we have to operate within the parameters laid out by the Constitution, the United States Code, our state statutes, and department policy.

FIFY. Most of the ones I helped you out with conflict with the only one that matters.

[Devilbunny]

Other than tribalism, the best argument for this that I’ve seen is that being a cop is occasionally really dangerous. Not as often as some would have us think, but often enough that it’s always in their minds (the way that doctors always worry about being sued). When you’re the guy who finds himself in a real shitstorm with a really Bad Guy, and you put out that Officer Needs Assistance call, you really don’t want to be the outcast that the rest of the department will be too busy to help – even if they are assholes.

[sage]

And the trigger has been provided to send this thread into nukular territory.

[sloopyinca]

I’m going for my KY as we speak.

[omg]

I’d have a bit more respect for the “everyone isn’t like this” argument if, say, one of the tens of officers standing around watching John Mckenna get the shit beat out of him had drawn down on the animals committing the beating and put a stop to it. None did, so no respect is given. Gotta support the brothers in blue!

[Episiarch]

Do you arrest other cops if/when they break the law?

[Paul]

But far too many are. Seattle PD is currently going through communication training for dealing with the public after some high profile incidents, one of them involving four bullets in the backside of a guy carrying a closed pocket knife.

A personal anecdote:

Just last week I called 911 to report a car which wrapped itself around a tree across the street from my house at about 1:30am.

After finishing the call, I went over to the accident to give aid (if necessary). When I got to the vehicle, it was empty as the occupants had unassed the scene.

Cop arrives, has pissed off attitude, I’m standing to the side of the vehicle, waiting to make contact with the officer to provide information since I now assume this is a crime scene.

Cop: This your truck?

Me: No, it looks like they left the scene…

Cop: Yeah, I know that… this your house?

Me: No (I’m about to explain I called 911 and live across the street)

Cop: Then get out!
===

I filled out a complaint with the Seattle PD. Dipshit just ejected his only witness from the crime scene. Needless to say I highlighted the urgency of their communication training.

Frankly, my patience is wearing very thin with police.

[Doc S]

Thanks for doing your job to serve and protect, as with all things some bad apples can give all a bad name. It is unfortunate that there are as many assholes in such a position of power, but I have definitely been helped by a number of great police officers.

[robc]

Great offices arrest the bad officers.

[RealJim]

I’m not the bad guy. It’s that guy over there.

I’m not going to do anything about it, but don’t blame me.

[Highway]

“It is possible to be a law enforcement officer and also a libertarian, I just wanted to remind everyone of that.”

But as we’ve seen, it’s very difficult to remain a law enforcement officer if you speak out publicly about fellow officers who *are* like this. And THAT’S what needs to change. If you don’t want to be lumped together, do whatever you can to get rid of the ‘bad apples’. Until there is a significant public movement within police departments to identify and shun these bad officers, the public will continue to assume that all officers at least turn a blind eye to these abuses. And if there’s nothing that can be done, because of the protections of the union or there are too many bad cops, then broadcast *that* fact, so that the public knows how rotten the whole force is.

Pointing to yourself and saying “I’m not like that” doesn’t do any good for the folks who run into the officers who are. And as long as those bad guys are allowed to stay on the force, the public knows they have a chance of running into them.

[Pip]

Go eat some shit.

[Coeus]

It is possible to be a law enforcement officer and also a libertarian, I just wanted to remind everyone of that.

I always thought that one of the tennents of libertarianism was the non-initiation of force. How do you reconcile accosting and forcibly detaining someone for breaking one of the thousand of laws that have no victims with being a libertarian?

[D-oh]

It is possible to be a law enforcement officer and also a libertarian, I just wanted to remind everyone of that.

Waiting for the comments about that!
3-2-1 GO!

[Paul]

Not much comment necessary, beyond that while of course it’s possible, it must be getting harder and harder.

[Troy]

Yes.

[Franklin Harris]

An Expos hat? Is this some bizarre form of sports hipsterism?

[RealJim]

I was about to make a comment on that undercutting the kid’s persuasion. Do you really want your audience to hate you before you speak?

[robc]

Someone hates the Spos?

[Brett L]

Are they still an MLB team?

[robc]

Yeah, but they call themselves the Washington Natinals now.

[Kristen]

Yes…they’re called the Washington Nationals.

[Brett L]

Oh yeah. Nothing like bringing a sorry team to a cursed city.

[Ray]

No but I hate you for using the term ‘spos.’.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

On the other hand, you have to like his t-shirt.

[SugarFree]

My car battery died Friday afternoon while I was waiting to give a friend of mine a ride to work. My wife was in a meeting and it was going to be a good hour before she could bring her car over. I was in this tiny parking lot and campus police officers (who are a division of the state police here) kept pulling in and running inside, probably dropping off time sheets to the adjacent HR department. A few glared at me suspiciously as I was sitting in my car, but most ignored me. I didn’t have my hood up or anything.

There was nothing illegal whatsoever in my car. I hadn’t had an alcoholic drink in days and I certainly don’t do any drugs while at work.

I couldn’t bring myself to ask one of them for a jump. I’m sure anyone of them would have been glad to help. But I couldn’t do it. Bearded, throughly white, home-owning, never-been-arrested, with a library degree–and I couldn’t bear the thought of voluntarily interacting with a police officer for any reason.

[Doc S]

Why is that though? This is far from rational behavior. I honestly want to know the reason for your feeling like this, it isn’t any sort of attack on you – just very perplexing to me.

[SugarFree]

I’ve thought about it. I know I wasn’t being wholly rational. It seems equal parts Epi: Interacting with pigs can only lead to trouble and “I’d rather just sit here if it’s them I have to ask for help” instinctual disgust.

It was a very visceral reaction.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

Did you have a dog, or any dog-like mammals, or dog-shaped objects with you?

[Doc S]

Fair enough, I can see your point.
I started to write about how I hadn’t had any experiences with police that would give me a bad view of them, and then I started having drunk flash backs.
I remembered I’d been arrested while drunk when I was younger, and how I did have a few that were complete assholes and violated my rights as well as tried to charge me with obstruction of justice on nonsense.

But I also had to interact with them very often in college and had mostly good experiences with them. I guess most of the times I just figure if i’m not a dick to them they’re usually not a dick to me. I do have a few speeding tickets that say otherwise though.

[SugarFree]

I’ve had one slam me into a wall and scream in my face. I barely escaped being arrested.

But mostly I’m turned off by the complete and utter dicks they were when our house was robbed when I was a kid.

Even the few police I’ve known socially are some of the most rigid thinkers I’ve ever met. Very black and white. And they think “rights” are something thought up to thwart their righteous justice.

[Paul]

And they think “rights” are something thought up to thwart their righteous justice.

They are.

[mad libertarian guy]

Try having a cop pull a shotgun at you from 8 feet while you’re a 16 year old kid standing in your own front yard after a curfew. Of course it didn’t matter that the house was filled with mold because it had recently been invaded by a fucking hurricane and was running about 90 degrees.

They had a curfew to enforce.

Fuck cops. I know there are some good ones somewhere, but fuck if I can tell the difference.

[Paul]

He was afraid they’d taze his battery.

[Fiscal Meth]

Might’ve worked

[SugarFree]

I did have Swiss army knife in the glove box. And a tire iron somewhere in the back of the car with the tire.

[SugarFree]

^for BSR. Stupid reply threads grumble.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

Well then it’s a good thing you weren’t within the vicinity of a TSA agent.

[robc]

SF reads Balko.

It is rational.

[Episiarch]

Interacting with pigs can only lead to trouble. Your reaction was the correct one.

[sloopyinca]

I hate to say it, but Epi is correct. I’ve yet to have a chance encounter with an on-duty cop that wasn’t filled with tension and concern. Also, most of them end up with him lecturing me on “respect” and me countering with a lecture on “liberty.”

Either way, I want nothing to do with them and almost go out of my way to avoid restaurants, coffee shops or other places they may be.

[Doc S]

This is borderline paranoia, you’re like 1 step away from getting your unibomber on.
It’s pretty extreme to think that everyone in a profession is an ass hole out to get you (other than lawyers)

[Episiarch]

You’re an idiot. It’s not that they’re all out to get you; it’s that any interaction with a cop could randomly be an extremely bad one. Even if 90% of interactions are fine, an extremely bad one is so bad that avoiding any chance of it is worth it.

[Doc S]

“You’re an idiot. It’s not that they’re all out to get you; it’s that any interaction with a cop could randomly be an extremely bad one. Even if 90% of interactions are fine, an extremely bad one is so bad that avoiding any chance of it is worth it.”

So if i have a 90% chance of something working out favorably for me and a 10% of it turning out poorly i’m an idiot for going with that 90% chance?
I’d love to play poker with you.

[Episiarch]

Too bad you’re too stupid to understand what I wrote. Wait, no it isn’t.

Does being a moron hurt, or is it kind of a dull sensation?

[Doc S]

It seems like we’re in the same boat. You can’t follow any logic that isn’t your own. You don’t think that this kind of paranoia and thinking could have anything to do with the problem at hand?

[Episiarch]

You didn’t answer my question, Einstein. Does being this stupid hurt or not?

[Doc S]

Being stupid probably doesn’t hurt since you likely wouldn’t know what you’re missing.

On the other hand does being so filled with rage, blind hate, and paranoia make your life really miserable? It’s gotta be tiring thinking the whole worlds out to get you, everyones dumber than you, and everyone just wants to ruin your life and step on your freedoms.

I’ll stick to my blissful stupidity if thats what you want to call it.

[The Gobbler]

“It’s gotta be tiring thinking the whole worlds out to get you”

He never said that. Stupid much?

[Doc S]

“He never said that. Stupid much?”

That’s fine, but I assume you concede the rest of my points which more than demonstrate my point.

Also reading many of his other posts would help one draw that conclusion.

Apparently “The Gobbler” refers to your work on Epsiarch’s healthy hog.

[The Gobbler]

I assume you concede the rest of my points which more than demonstrate my point.

I don’t have time for that shit.

[Mensan]

On the other hand does being so filled with rage, blind hate, and paranoia make your life really miserable? It’s gotta be tiring thinking the whole worlds out to get you, everyones dumber than you, and everyone just wants to ruin your life and step on your freedoms.

I’ll stick to my blissful stupidity if thats what you want to call it.

It’s called an apostrophe.

[Doc S]

I also completely understand what you wrote, but for me to accept it to be logical I would have to really believe that something of that large of a negative impact would occur 10% of the time on interactions, which is obviously an overstatement. It all depends on what i value I place on either of the outcomes.

If i really thought there was a 10% chance that I would die form asking a police officer to jump my car, then yea I’d probably pass up that risk or it would be pretty stupid.

But if you really think that thats a legitimate risk, then you my friend, are beyond stupid.

[Episiarch]

You still haven’t answered my question. I’m genuinely curious. Is it painful being as dumb as you?

[robc]

If the 10% chance involves death, then yes.

90% times value of gain vs 10% value of loss.

There just isnt enough gain to overcome one “accidental” shooting.

[Doc S]

Exactly, if 10% chance is death like I said above I would avoid the situation. But if you really think that by being a law abiding citizen and asking a police officer to help jump your car in front of their office that you have a 10% chance of dying, then you’re probably really bad at statistics.

[robc]

Same logic applies with a 0.00001% chance of death.

[Doc S]

Exactly and I weigh that .000001% risk of death everytime I do anything in my life, and yet I still wake up, eat food, take showers, go to work, own a gun, play sports, drink to excess, have sex, and interact with people every day. Even though any one of those things can kill me.

I value all of those things far more than I value the .0000001% chance of me dying.

[R C Dean]

Its not just the probability, its the outcome.

Let’s play a game, where there is a 90% chance that the card turned up will be a numbered card, and a 10% chance that it will be a face card.

For each numbered card, I give you a nickel. For each face card, I punch you in the face.

Still want to play?

[Doc S]

I mean if you want to go there, I’m well aware that this wasn’t a full decision making analysis. Also, It’s not just the outcome, its what value I place on the outcome. So if I think you punch like a girl and I won’t be phased then yeah it’s worth playing.

But once again, we’re talking about asking a police officer to help you jump a car. If death was a legitimate concern in this case I would value things differently. But I probably have a greater chance at dying trying to jump the car than asking a police officer for help in front of his office.

[mad libertarian guy]

Ahem…

[sloopyinca]

So if i have a 90% chance of something working out favorably the same as before the situation started for me and a 10% of it turning out catastrophically poorly i’m an idiot for going with that 90% chance?
I’d love to play poker russian roulette with you.

FIFY, dumbshit.

[Doc S]

Yes, yes you did. If by fixed it for me you meant “took it to an incredibly unlikely, unrelated extreme” then you sure did fix it real nice n purty like.
Thanks for the help

[mad libertarian guy]

There’s a mighty big difference between losing a few bucks playing small odds than going through the police wringer.

Fuck that.

Avoid at all costs.

[MrDamage]

You need to study the concept of pot odds. When interacting with a cop, unlike in poker, you stand to lose in a bad interaction a lot more than you stand to win in a good interaction.

[sloopyinca]

Yeah. Dealing with cops is kinda like the commodities market with no upside. You risk losing more than you gambled when you interact with them.

Fuck every one of them that hasn’t arrested another cop in their time on the force.

[sloopyinca]

It’s pretty extreme to think that everyone in a profession is an ass hole out to get you (other than lawyers)

It’s not this so much as it’s their hypocrisy. Almost every one of them protects lawbreakers within the ranks. From the CHP officer who doesn’t ticket his fellow officers (professional courtesy) to the ones who stand by while a “brother in arms” is pummeling a kid who mouthed off. I just do not want to be in the same room as them if I can avoid it.

Look, I’m sure there are good cops out there. I just don’t think there are many that stand up for justice when they are forced to take a stand or intervene when another officer is breaking the law…or someone’s nose.

How many stories do you see where a cop is arrested by another cop while making an illegal arrest? None, but there are stories in the news daily where they stand idly by and let it happen.

Fuck that. I want nothing to do with pigs at all. If I miss out on knowing a good person because of my paranoia, that’s a chance I’m willing to take.

[Doc S]

I completely agree with you on these points and the system needs to be adjusted to deal with accountability of their actions, that part is disgusting.
Just because you’re job is to enforce the law doesn’t mean you’re somehow above it.

[sloopyinca]

Just because you’re job is to enforce the law doesn’t mean you’re somehow above it.

And when you get every person who wears a badge to live by this code, I might actually want to associate with a few of them. Until then, they can all fuck off.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

It’s pretty extreme to think that everyone in a profession is an ass hole out to get you (other than lawyers)

Hardy-fucking-har.

Oh, the irony.

[Doc S]

Says the lawyer? And yes, irony was intended.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

Yeah, I make my living as an attorney working for a big law firm. But I’m most definitely not an asshole and most definitely not out to get you. I can say the same for a lot of lawyers I know, and I know a lot.

Are there asshole lawyer out there, who view their job as WIN WIN WIN? Hellz yeah. But just like there are asshole cops who love having their little bit of authoritai that we mere “civilians” must respect, and there aer plenty of decent cops out there who are not that way, just because you read a few stories of asshole lawyers being assholes, it doesn’t mean that every person making their living working at some aspect of law is an asshole out to screw you. Except the personal injury attorneys, of course…

[Doc S]

Hahaha I completely agree with you, and have been one of the ones in the thread trying to demonstrate that sweeping generalizations about a profession are ridiculous. I have far too many friends and family members that are lawyers to actually believe that. I too almost went into IP until I realized I would have been bored out of my mind.

But as for personal injury attorneys they dont have souls so they don’t really count.

[Libertymike]

Sweeping generalizations like “there’s a rotten apple in every bunch” are far more intellectually sloppy and inaccurate than sweeping generalizations like “cops are worthless parasites” or “cops are more apt to violate the non-agression principle”.

In fact, it is absolute nuttery to argue that within in each occupation there is an equal percentage of bad apples. There is no evidence, in fact, to support such claptrap. For example, do you really think that nuns are as apt as cops to initiate force and break down doors of people not assaulting them?

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

I will say, however, that there is a big difference between asshole attorneys, doctors, plumbers, whatever and asshole cops. The cops are the only ones acting under color of law, with authority to arrest and use force against you.

[sage]

I’ve had night and day experiences with LEOs. In Alaska every interaction I had with the cops was good. They only dealt with what was their business, and seemed to know what our rights are. When I moved to WA state it was completely different, and now I will not talk to the cops unless I have to. And even then I’ll go take a shower after.

[Kristen]

This is really interesting to me. Alaska is known for its culture of rugged independence and “get the fuck off my lawn”-ism. Washington is known for it’s squishy touchy-feely-hipsterness. I wonder if that has made the difference in how cops interact with people and how much they feel they can get away with. I woudl be willing to bet there’s a correlation.

[sage]

Things may have changed; I haven’t dealth with an Alaskan cop in almost 20 years. Plus if I were any whiter I’d be clear. And I didn’t own a dog up there.

[Troy]

I would have done the same thing.

[SugarFree]

I did get the thrill of puzzling out how to jump a Honda with a BMW, which has a battery buried deep in the engine compartment. Germans, you so crazy.

[German]

Owah cahz ah not for jumpink! Zey ah fua drivink onlee! Zis battery is not fua yoo to fiddle vis.

[proegg antichicken]

as an e46 three-series owner I can attest to the “Das es verboten” evident in bmw’s engineering

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

Can’t speak about BMWs, but we’ve owned Audis for nearly 20 years, and they tend to put their batteries in wierd places – mostly for weight distribution. But they also provide an easily accessible and clearly marked lug under the hood for jumping purposes. It just looks like a big fat bolt, with a big “+” on it. For the ground, you just clamp onto the engine lifting ring or any other clean metal part of the engine.

[SugarFree]

That’s what the BMW had as well. But it wasn’t that obvious.

They give you a very Frankenstein bolt sticking out of the frame to ground to. It’s a bout where you would put your hand if you were leaning over to uncap the positive…

[Troy]

I’d give my left nut for an R8 5.2 V10, standard transmission.

[Mensan]

That reminds me of my first week with my first unit after AIT. My squad leader tosses me a slave cable and tells me to go jump his HMMWV off the one parked next to it. The SSG just stood there and laughed as I opened the hood and tried to find the battery.

[JW]

I don’t blame you one bit.

We went to the open house at Univ. of Maryland the other week and they had the obligatory police and fire set up there, along with an militarized cop SUV. The son wanted to go over and play with crap, but I gave him a firm “no.”

He asked me why. I told him, “Because the police aren’t really your friend any longer.” He kind of accepted that answer and even the uber-liberal wife didn’t give me a ton of shit for that.

[R C Dean]

I don’t think it was irrational at all, as long as you didn’t mind the delay.

You had a choice:

(1) Wait for a hassle free jump.

(2) Take the chance that you would have an unpleasant encounter with a group of people known for being unpleasant.

I think it comes down to delay v. potential hassle. Choosing delay is not irrational.

[SugarFree]

Officer Friendly sez: “On the ground, motherfucker!”

[The Gobbler]

Back when I use to motocycle across the country, the first thing I would do when I got to some small town near the end of the day was to go to the police station and ask them where was a good place to eat and where was a good place to stay. They were always helpful.

[SugarFree]

I’ve have some good experiences with the police. And I’ve bad some very, very bad ones. This particular situation just didn’t seem worth it. And the campus police are some of the pettiest little shits ever.

For what it’s worth, there were occasionally a few “civilians” in the parking lot as well, but since my wife was going to get there eventually, I just figured I’d leave them alone to be neighborly.

[Upgrayyed]

Same situation for me recently, minus the beard, library degree and clean record- car in front of me swerving all over a two lane road. Couldn’t bring myself to call.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

I gotta say that in that situation, I would call. That’s one of the few situations that the cops actually are for.

In fact, I had that exact thing happen about 2 years ago. Driving home from D.C., car in front of me on I-395 doing about 25-30 mph, swerving across four lanes, bouncing off the guardrail, crossing four lanes, bouncing off the other guardrail. The driver was obviously smashed out of his gourd. Other cars were cruising past at 60-70 mph and we saw several very near misses. It could have been ugly if someone hit him as he wanded across the highway.

We dialled 911 on the cell phone, gave them the description of the car, the license plate, our location, and stayed with the guy, with our four-way hazard lights on, until the drunk dude crashed to a stop against the guardrail.

The cops showed up very quickly. They were not friendly, but they weren’t assholes, either. Asked me to fill out a statement form describing what I witnessed and what happened, and after I handed it over, they pretty much ignored me. I stood there for a minute, and then said, “so, uh, am I done? Can I go?” And the cop kind of barely acknoweldged my existence and said, “yeah.”

As I left, I’m thinking “thanks” might have been nice. This drunk dude was on the verge of killing someone.

Still, I’d do it again. I’d rather stop the dangerous driver than not call because I might have to deal with a cop who’s a dick.

[CaptainSmartass]

To be fair, the cops (and by extension you) didn’t do anything to stop that drunk driver. He stopped his rampage on his own by crashing into the guardrail.

Now, if the cops had managed to get his car to stop without hurting anyone else, then this would be evidence that you made the right decision. As it is, it’s just another example of how worthless the police are since they only ever show up after the damage has been done.

[sloopyinca]

As it is, it’s just another example of how worthless the police are since they only ever show up after the damage has been done.

Tell that to the victim of a dynamic entry at the wrong address. Or the guy who’s a little buzzed walking quietly down the street. Seems to me the damage didn’t get done till the boys in blue showed up to protect and serve.

[tote-road]

The kid’s got guts. Perhaps the officer just didn’t like his Expos hat, or the lack of a crease therein.

[Warty]

I always post this. Never talk to the pigs.

[melman]

i wonder why an expos cap? it is a bit obscure, but i’ve seen them around in the states

[SugarFree]

His Canadian girlfriend sent it to him. He met her at Niagara Falls last summer. She’s totally real.

[Episiarch]

She’s from Toronto! Really!

[SugarFree]

He got to 1.75 base!

[Episiarch]

Don’t be silly. Canadians can’t play baseball.

[SugarFree]

That’s his assessment. She thought it was a 0-0 tie at the half.

[Episiarch]

Did he get called for icing?

[SugarFree]

He didn’t even get to see her zambonis.

[Shmenge]

Larry Walker, Jason Bay, Justin Morneau and Joey Votto are Canadian.

[melman]

uh, Torontonians would not be wearing an expos cap

[Tim]

Meanwhile in other dumbness:

“According to police Jeffrey Penrod, 38, of Grand Isle, was inspecting his handgun when it fired, shooting him through the hand and leg. The bullet stopped in the driver’s seat, his girlfriend was driving but was not injured.

Penrod was driven to the emergency room at the Fletcher Allen Health Care and released with non-life threatening injuries, said police. An investigation continues.”

http://www.burlingtonfreepress…..dyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

[robc]

On the other side of the blue line, when the Louisville PD switched to glocks, they had 4 accidental shootings almost immediately, including two in which the cop shot himself.

Fortunately, no one important was injuried in any of the 4, but one cop did manage to shoot the gutter directly over the heads of the witnesses to a crime.

Considering it is basically impossible to accidentally fire off a glock, that was incompetence of an extreme level.

[Paul]

On the other side of the blue line, when the Louisville PD switched to glocks, they had 4 accidental shootings almost immediately, including two in which the cop shot himself.

Danger! Danger Will Robinson! Turning this into a Glock/Safety thread is hazardous to your health.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

I hate these fucking stories that report negligent discharges in a way that absolves the shooter of any responsibility. “…was inspecting his handgun when it fired.”

“It” didn’t just fire; the fucking idiot shot himself.

A common variant is, “…when the gun went off.” I’ve met gun-fearing types who don’t know anything about guns and who are scared of them because “it might go off.”

It doesn’t just fucking “go off” unless (A) it’s seriously broken or (II) someone pulled the trigger.

And he was “inspecting” his handgun while his girlfriend was driving? Bullshit. He was fucking around with his gun, admiring it and thinking how cool he was to have one, showing it off to his GF, and he had his big fat finger where it shouldn’t be – in the trigger – and due to his negligent handling, he shot himself.

When I carry my handgun in my vehicle, the last thing I do is handle it a lot or “inspect” it. It stays concealed, where I know it is in the extremely unlikely even I suddenly need it. Until that time, there is no reason whatsoever to be touching it or otherwise messing about with it.

[Mainer]

Well said.

[Brett L]

Fuckin’ A. Do not handle gun while vehicle is moving unless death is the only other likely outcome.

[Doc S]

It was obviously a case of spontaneous combustion and completely unpreventable. Stupid guns shooting innocent people cuz they’re jerks

[Mensan]

It doesn’t just fucking “go off” unless (A) it’s seriously broken or (II) someone pulled the trigger.

or (3) someone dropped it.

We had a soldier in a rehab unit I used to work in who had his right arm amputated just below the elbow because someone dropped their M4 and it discharged.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

Unless it’s something like an antique single-action revolver, a properly functioning firearm should not discharge when dropped. Most modern firearms that I’m aware of have some type of firing pin block. Even single-action revolvers these days have a device to block the hammer from striking the firing pin – or an internal hammer – which prevents the firing pin from striking the round unless the trigger is pulled.

Have to admit I’m not intimate with the inner workings of the M4, so I dunno, but it seems to me it should not discharge merely by being dropped or banged around.

[Kristen]

It’s exactly this kind of incident my liberal VT friends love to cite when talking about their desire to tighten up the gun laws up there.

[Vermont Gun Owner]

They may have managed to convince the farmers to outlaw billboards, but I think guns is a battle they can’t win.

[Vermont Gun Owner]

Meanwhile in other dumbness:

Because he chooses to live in Grand Isle?

[Cytotoxic]

I wish there were more like him. He’s just lucky he even got his camera back. I heard he’s troofer? Please not be true.

[sloopyinca]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news. This kid is a whack-a-loon. The home page of his group has a Bilderberg story above the Illuminati one, which is beside the Chemtrails one.

Lots of crazy over there. What a shame….unless he’s right.

[PIRS]

Sounds like the kind of stuff that Alex Jones believes in. I used to reject him outright as a loon. But this whole supposed “Osama killing” has started to make me question my previously anti-conspiritorial beliefs. I moved from an “athiest” on such things to my current position of “agnostic” on them. But I sure as hell don’t believe that Osama bin Laden was kiled in Pakistan on May 1, 2011. He died several years ago.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

But I sure as hell don’t believe that Osama bin Laden was kiled in Pakistan on May 1, 2011. He died several years ago.

Um, wut?

This is based on … ?

And the President (whoever it was at the supposed time bin Laden actually was killed) didn’t want to announce his death because … ?

You know, not everything the government does is a conspiracy to defraud and mislead the American people. And in fact, the government sucks at keeping information like this secret.

[PIRS]

Actually, she did announce his death.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnychOXj9Tg

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

Are you fucking serious? That’s your evidence?

She plainly misspoke. E.g.:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…..re=related

In the past week, I can’t count how many times I’ve heard news reporters and commentators report the killing of President Obama. They’ve all made the mistake of saying “Obama” when they meant to say “Osama”. Does that mean that President Obama actually is dead?

So, because Benezir Bhutto made a misstatement, that’s your conclusive proof? Where’s his body? Why would it be kept quiet all these years?

And now that they actually DO kill him, people are all skeptical because they didn’t get to see the body. There was no body back then, either. Why is her plain misstatement more convincincing or conclusive than what’s being reported now?

Fucking A, there’s nothing too outlandish for paranoid conspiracy theorists to cook up.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

And I have yet to hear any rational reason or explanation as to WHY the U.S. government would have wanted to keep it quiet that Osama was dead. After all, they had put out a $25 million bounty on his head, and stated over and over again that they wanted him dead or alive, and have spent billions of dollars and thousands of American lives trying to find him. So once they actually kill him, they keep it quiet and continue on as if nothing happened? You don’t think the Republicans would have been singing it from the highest rooftops if it had happened while GWB was still in office?

Jeezus.

[Wind Rider]

Jebus, Mary, and Guisseppi on a fucking crutch.

For (at least) ONCE in our history, we actually have a no shit conspiracy by high ranking members of our government to assassinate a high profile targeted individual in person, straight out of some Clancy book, that the conspirators are loudly and with gusto admitting to. . . and the only reaction from some is “I don’t think that really happened – it must be some kind of conspiracy”.

*shakes head*

[Cytotoxic]

But I sure as hell don’t believe that Osama bin Laden was kiled in Pakistan on May 1, 2011. He died several years ago.

Loony alert!

Sucks to here this kid is a fucking Bilderberger-9/11 troofer. I’ll still cheer for him if he focuses on things like this video and less on Alex Jones.

[PIRS]

BTW, I am at work right now and the page you cite is blocked by my employer’s web filter. Here is the message I get :

“You have tried to access a web page which is in violation of your internet usage policy.

URL: http://www.wearechange.org/
Category: Advocacy Organizations

To have the rating of this web page re-evaluated please click here.

——————————————————————————–

Powered by FortiGuard.”

[SugarFree]

Chemtrails, dude. Chemtrails.

[robc]

This kid is a whack-a-loon

And?

The loons need 1st amendment protection most of all.

[sloopyinca]

Very true and I didn’t say they should be limited. I was just pointing out that he’s obviously a fucking nutter in general and will thus have his credibility on this matter where he was completely in the right questioned.

[Libertymike]

No, only those a few fries short of a happy meal will question this kid’s credibility.

Nutterhood is instatnly falling for government conspiracy fables.

[Anti-vaxxer Birfer Troofer]

He has a cute T-shirt on. It’s gutsy to wear that with crazy DHS agents running around loose. He could wind up in Gitmo.

[Person wanting a Fish Licence]

I am not a looney! Why should I be tied with the epithet looney merely because I have a pet halibut? I’ve heard tell that Sir Gerald Nabardo has a pet prawn called Simon and you wouldn’t call him a looney; furthermore, Dawn Pailthorpe, the lady show-jumper, had a clam, called Stafford, after the late Chancellor, Allan Bullock has two pikes, both called Chris, and Marcel Proust had an haddock! So, if you’re calling the author of ‘A la recherche du temps perdu’ a looney, I shall have to ask you to step outside!

[sage]

Where do you get off, you sick little twist? Sexual? I’m not sexual with them. I’m not abusive with them, how dare you write that in your paper without knowing nothing about me, biting’s not sex, it’s biting! I’m not sick like that. Maybe I should come bite you, would you like that, scotty? I bet you would like that, I am right? You write about me like I’m sick. You’re the sick one, you know that? Is that why you like me, scotty? Is that why? I could come bite you; you tell me how sexual it is. You humiliate me like that? You mortify me like that in front of my father? My father’s father? Listen to me, smack daddy, crack daddy, little baby whack daddy, here’s what’s happening. You ain’t never going to find them anymore. You aint never gonna see them no more. I’m sending you something right now, You take a good look at this guy, because you ain’t ver going to see him no more.

[Lepus]

I must remember not to read the youtube comments. “This is like when people mess with a dog then get bit..”
Um, really? Comparing a reasoning, functioning human police officer to a dog and thinking that makes any kind of sense? My brain, it hurts…

[Warty]

Very rude to dogs.

[Ken Hagler]

It does if you assume the dog is rabid…

[Pope Jimbo]

I think the kid was just trying to get the hell out of Wahpeton.

In my teen years, I used to date a gal from Breckenridge (right across the river from Wahpeton) and I can safely say both of those cities are armpits.

Prison anywhere else would be preferable to living there.

[Mike]

Good video but the group he is with is a little whacky.

[Libertymike]

Says who?

[Cytotoxic]

Anyone who’s sane.

[Ted Denslow]

Kids Nowadays! With Their Cameras loud music and their Dan Fogelberg, Their QuestionsZima, Their Expos Hats hula hoops, and Their Arrests for Filming Cops Pac Man video games, don’t you see? People today have attention spans that can only be measured in nanoseconds.

Was this subliminally in your head when you wrote the lede, Matt?

[Geotpf]

Why doesn’t somebody in Congress try to pass a Federal law making it automatically legal for citizens to record (audio and/or video in secret and/or openly) officers of the governments (not just local cops, but the FBI, Federal bureacrats, whatever) in the course of official duties, with a limited national security exception? Use a first amendment reason to override local laws banning the practice and make it clearly legal nationwide.

[YourGov]

Just more of the same in our ongoing mission to provide freedom for ourselves and beatdowns to you. Thanks Citizens.

[KM8392]

I’m so thankful for people like him, who are challenging this ridiculous law.

http://sunshinereview.org/core…..-film-cops

http://www.intellectualtakeout…..-amendment