Cop outburst caught on dashcam (1 Viewer)

[drobbins]

Even if he way trying to bait the cop, what lead up to this?
With out a really long post with all the details I will summarize my experiences with the NJ State Police. My first 2 cars were a Falcon station-wagon then a van with no windows. I was never pulled over. My friend had the 4 door Falcon with a lifted rear and sporty tires. He was always getting pulled over. Once when I was with him, 4 cop cars pulled us over in the middle of the 4 lane street with guns drawn hiding behind their doors. After they searched us and the car, they said "sorry wrong car I guess".
Then I got into the monster 4X4 truck scene. I might as well have hung a "pull me over" sign on the back of my truck. I got pulled over at least one every 2 months never got a ticket, but always harassed. I had one cop search my truck, threaten to shoot my dog, gave me a ticket that I know for a fact I wasn't speeding. When I questioned him about how the radar works, he replied " I see you truck on this road all the time. If you fight this in court, you will be seeing much, much more of me." I was pulled over again and again after that.
As I was pulling in to the driveway of my honeymoon hotel with a just married sign on the back, a cop followed me in. I said "good evening" to which he replied "Did I say you could talk?" I had a until then happy bride with me and a $300. per night room, with our privet swimming pool waiting, so I was on my best behavior. I hadn't even drank at the reception for fear of being pulled over. I can only imagine what would have happened if I said anything else. He gave me a ticket for the licence plate light being out. I could see in my side mirrors that it was working fine and I had just passed state inspection 3 days earlier. Needless to say the first few hours of married life didn't go as planned. Once I sold the truck (baby came along) I have been pulled over only once in 13 years for a speeding ticked that I deserved.
I looked into getting a voice activated tape recorder to keep in my truck. Not to trap a cop, but to defend myself in court if needed. This guy may have had previous experiences that made him carry a recorder.

 

[Holadem]

Since we're reaching to far to make excuses for this guy, why don't we decide that he lost his partner two months ago in a similar incident, that's an even better explanation . Seriously, the above is an awful lot of pure speculation. Let me add my own: Nothing that I can hear in that officer's voice indicates the kind of caution and wariness you suggest. The guy sounded annoyed almost right off the bat.

I don't think he should lose his job over this unless there is a history of precedents. Some kind of disciplinary action should suffice. People say dumb shit when they're pissed. This guy was clearly having a bad night. It happens...

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H

 

[JonZ]

No matter what the situation, the first thing a cop will do is ask someone for their ID.

Whether you did anything or not, youre expected to show it.

Resistance to do so sets off alarms.

I agree this guy was out of control and probably has been a cop for too long, but also agree with Carls comment about the kid (w/ the intention of deliberately pissing the cop off).

"Not to trap a cop, but to defend myself in court if needed."

I went to court to defend myself for a ticket once. My very first ticket when I was 17 years old. I havent since. The cop had exaggerated the speed I was going. I waited for 4 hours to get up there, explained what happaned and was found guilty. Its always possible the cop wont show, but you can never win by pleading your case with the judge. So I wouldnt waste my time going to court, sitting for hours only to be told "Guilty. Pay the man".


"This guy may have had previous experiences that made him carry a recorder."

It was entrapment. He was completely uncooperative and gave answers and behaved in a manner he knew would piss the cop off.

Im not on the cops side, I think hes a asshole. But not on the kids either. I think he was just as wrong.

 

[Holadem]

Jon, how was he uncooperative in the exchange I quoted earlier?

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H

 

[JonZ]

Holadem,
Youre quote ended before he said "I can park right here". But its not just words, but also the tone being used.

Once I got pulled over in a pretty foul mood, which but put me in a really bad mood, because I didnt do anything wrong. I was moving along under the speed limit. I saw the cop in his rear view turn around. He asked for my license and I said to him "You want to tell me what the hell you pulled me over for" and he responded "Ill be happy to, after Ive seen your license" (I was dirivng my G/Fs car and her plate light was out).

I was taught to have your license at the ready when approached by a cop.


Again I think the cop was wrong. But so was the kid. But I guess he got what he wanted.

 

[Holadem]

This is subjective of course, but at the point that my argument is concerned with, I find nothing wrong or out of the ordinary with the driver's tone. I understand if you disagree, again this is subjective.

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This is what I am getting at:

Does inappropriate reaction to perfectly normal behavior become somehow justified because the intent behind the perfectly normal behavior is anything but normal?

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H

 

[Nathan*W]

Curious on what you consider to be speculation in my post you quoted, outside of the "why are you parked here". Everything else was observable on the video and can be articulated. In legal terminology, the totality of the circumstances would be reasonable suspicion that something was amiss and to investigate further.

I'm slightly incredulous that you would come down on me for putting myself in the cop's shoes and wondering why this car and driver were doing all these odd things that don't add up? After all, the "why" question was the whole reason for the stop.

You seem to have the opinion that the cop should have continued driving and left this fellow alone, and I submit that given all the circumstances surrounding the event, the cop would have been negligent if he hadn't looked into things. The pretext of the stop was good, it was the actions of the cop once the encounter started that got him into hot water.

 

[Nathan*W]

I contend that this driver did NOT exhibit perfectly nornal behavior. It is not normal to go into a high-crime area late at night and pull into a disused, unlit parking and sit. It is not normal for the average joe to have a hard-wired camera system mounted in a car, complete with operating scanner to monitor police frequencies.

 

[bobbyg2]

It sounds like there was a little bit of frustration/impatience in the drivers voice before the officer used an attitude... I'm not saying the attitude the cop used was right, though.

 

[Garrett Lundy]

I have $5 that says the officer will be back on payroll by week's end, this kid will be forgotten by Halloween, and the law enforcement practices of Whereverthehell will be back to "business as usual" in 2 weeks.

 

[Carl Miller]

I was under the impression the kid was intentionally baiting the cop and had done this type of thing before..this from a prior comment here, something else I had read about this video, and that he was recording it. It was his recording, and not the cops, wasn't it? Maybe I'm wrong about this as well.

If the above is correct, then he most certainly did occupy the cops time unnecessarily.

Regarding other comments...We have commuter lots here where I live. Lots of trouble goes on in them off hours. Drug dealing, teen drinking, fights etc. It may not be illegal to park in one at night, but there's no reason to loiter in one, and the cop had every right to check out an occupied car in that lot.

Our local police patrol those lots and clear them of loitering people and vehicles all the time...something the people in our community actually appreciate, rather than criticize, cry foul over and otherwise complain about. Go figure.

 

[Patrick_S]

I might have to take that action. Especially considering tomorrow is Friday and I doubt anything will happen until next week. By the way from what I have been reading about the police department you are probably right about him being back on the job.

Today the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH had this little tidbit concerning our poor misunderstood officer.

"A check of court records shows Kuehnlein himself pleaded guilty of assault and stealing in two different cases, in 1988 and 1990. He successfully petitioned a judge in St. Louis County in 1998 to expunge his criminal record, which was making it hard for him to get work as a cop.

The judge ordered those records sealed, as well as records of an acquittal for drunken driving and an assault arrest that did not result in charges."

What the hell was the judge thinking? It was a good thing that it was hard for him to get work as a cop because he had proven time and time again that he didn’t have the character necessary to be a good one.

One last interesting fact is that the commuter lot that this all happened in, is outside of St. George’s city limits. One has to ask, what the hell was Officer Clean doing outside of his township in the first place? Being a look out for someone else perhaps?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

From what you've described, Patrick, the officer in question deserves to be off the force regardless of the events captured on the video. Can one get assault and stealing convictions expunged off their records? I can understand the acquittal and the charges that didn't result in a conviction, but if you plead guilty you did it. If you did it, employers should have a right to know.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Sounds like the cop suddenly became reasonable when he noticed the video camera. What an ass. I know being a cop is a dangerous job, but after he saw the kid was no threat, he started in with his bullshit. Human or not, they have power over us and carry weapons, and must be held to a higher standard.

On the other hand, what the hell is that annoying clicking sound? The kid does deserve a quick Buttisker for that.

 

[RichP]

Really? I thought that's what was called FREEDOM. None of those things are in violation of ANY LAW.

Regardless, no matter how much of a prick the kid was or was not being... the officer must adhere to professional code. He is the "keeper of the law" and is expected to be above power-trip bull$hit like that.

The kid may have been wrong, but the cop was WRONG!

 

[Jason Harbaugh]

People have been saying that it was the kids radar detector.

 

[bobbyg2]

Police tickers are used to warn you of nearby police, or emergency vehicles. My uncles uses it so he knows when to slow down.

That's probably what the ticking sound was.

 

[Nathan*W]

Where did I say the the video taker violated the law? Also where did I say that the cop shouldn't be punished for losing his temper? No where.

I stand by my statement that the pretext for the initial encounter was valid and was only soured by the cops demeanor as it progressed.

And yes, the clicking is a radar detector. It seems to be an audible warning type device, as you can hear it announce "KA Band" at the beginning of the video.

 

[Greg_S_H]

My father used to have a radar detector, back when they were legal (I think they're illegal in my jurisdiction now), but they sounded better back then. It was a pinging noise that increased and became solid when right upon the source.

 

[RyanAn]

Did he have the turn signal on the entire time or was that the radar? What "are" radars legal for?