NH Man Arrested For Videotaping Police.. Again 666
OhPlz writes "Back in 2006, a resident of New Hampshire's second largest city was arrested while at the police station attempting to file a complaint against officers. His crime? He had video tape evidence of the officers' wrongdoings. According to the police, that's wiretapping. After world wide attention, the police dropped the charges. His complaint was found to be valid, but the evidence never saw the light of day. Well, guess what? Round two. There are differing reports, but again the police arrested Mr. Gannon and again, they seized his video camera. This time it's 'falsifying evidence' because he tried to hand off the camera, most likely to protect its contents. If there's the potential of police wrongdoing, how is it that the law permits the police to seize the evidence?"
Re:New app (Score:5, Informative)
Fuck The Police (Score:3, Informative)
Fuck The Police
Re:New app (Score:4, Informative)
Re:What are these words? (Score:1, Informative)
Actually, not. Police and firefighters are solid Republcan voters.
That's why these two unions were not touched by infamous Wisconsin governor.
Re:Police state (Score:5, Informative)
In Austin, Texas, when the police shoot someone they've pulled over, they are allowed to review the dash camera [theppsc.org] before having to give a statement or answer any questions about the incident. This policy was instituted by police chief Art Acevedo to ensure that the descriptions of the incidents given by officers would align with the video taped evidence. Civilians are not afforded this privilege, however.
Seth
Re:Falsifying evidence? (Score:5, Informative)
If you ever have any question, make sure you're in view of the dashcam and ask the cop the following, verbatim:
"Officer, am I under arrest or am I free to go?"
At that point, the officer must make the determination. The two options you have given them are the only two options available to them legally, and are mutually exclusive. If they choose to arrest you, they'd better have a damn good reason. If they don't, and they simply want to ask you questions, you are well within your rights to say "As I am free to go, and I choose not to answer your questions, I will now leave."
Re:Falsifying evidence? (Score:4, Informative)
The correct response, dipwad, is:
1. "Officer, am I under arrest?".
2. If the officer says yes, demand to know what for, state that you are exercising your 5th amendment right, and shut up.
3. If the officer says no, ask "Then am I free to go?".
4. If the officer says yes, leave.
5. If the officer says no, that's the wrong answer. Rreturn to step 1.
Repeat until you are either told you're under arrest or free to go. You must be one or the other, and they know it.
Re:Falsifying evidence? (Score:5, Informative)
the guy is arrested for TRESSPASSING, "the owners want you gone, if you don't go, that's trespassing, if you haven't done anything wrong talk to the owners or call a lawyer after you have left the premises." could avoid the scuffle that you so clearly enjoyed.
instead you antagonized the situation by downplaying the legal rights of the owner and up-playing your authority.
I've seen thousands charged with resisting arrest in my country, and more often than not, the courts dismiss the charges.
People don't and won't ever like to involuntarily give up their own safety and ability to protect themselves and put complete trust into an absolute stranger who (as been proven) have almost 0 recourse for unlawful action unless caught on tape. It's reasonable to expect that a reasonable person may fight this on a purely instinctual level.
Re:What are these words? (Score:5, Informative)
If you really want people to understand, listen, and take you seriously about grievances you have with your local police, you need to back off of the political garbage and treat the problem for what it really is, cops that lie and cheat.
When one political party is a group of people who in the past few years have been strongly associated with Stormfront-level racism and thuggery, the political party seems to have more to do with it than you are willing to allow.
Looking at the rhetoric coming from the Republicans and the Tea Party in areas like Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, the secessionist nutwad fringe from California, and even in northern states like Wisconsin and Ohio, it's not hard to understand why the OP would consider the primary problem to be the association of so-called "law enforcement" with the Republican Party, especially if OP happens to be of one of the demographic or racial groups that the Republicans/Tea Party have been targeting recently.
Also, consider the cases we've had in political and police corruption in the past. Civil Rights legislation and investigations - some of cases going back 60 years or more - go on because the police were all in the same political party, were all members of the KKK, and were all complicit in that sort of behavior in the South. The fact that OP's home county is dominated by the one political party is not to be discounted in the ability for said party to be corrupt, through and through.
Of course, I'm assuming that OP lives in the South. But it's not a bad assumption. They're well-known for the whistle-stop sort of towns with cops who do crap like went on in Tenaha, TX [youtube.com], another Republican stronghold.
Re:If Live Free Or Die are your choices (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Falsifying evidence? (Score:5, Informative)
Being helpful is stupid.
Yes, it is.
Don't Talk to Cops, Part 1 (in which a lawyer tells you why you should never talk to the cops)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8z7NC5sgik
Don't Talk to Cops, Part 2 (in which a cop agrees with the lawyer)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=08fZQWjDVKE
Re:Falsifying evidence? (Score:5, Informative)
Completely wrong. The problem is that police officers have shown time and again that they are NOT ethical. Keep in mind that a cop is ALWAYS gathering evidence. Sure you know you didn't do anything, but you were nearby. Now you're a suspect. Wait, you were by yourself, so now no alibi. The cop will then of course make stuff up like you looked nervous or seemed anxious. Suddenly you're a prime suspect. At this point all it takes is an eye witness (people see things incorrectly all the time, police can pressure someone to talk) which carry way more weight in court than they should and you're going to jail.
You may think this sounds crazy, but just look at people finally being proven innocent by DNA years later. Turns out the cops and prosecutors got a bead on them and simply make stuff up to make the case work. Don't think police make stuff up? Read this [denverpost.com].
A friend of mine is a lawyer. His advice, never speak to the police without your lawyer present. First, he can obviously advise you and second the cop can't later lie in court about what was said.
Re:What are these words? (Score:4, Informative)
Actually, I followed that case closely and watched the arguments in the supreme court. Ohio does video tape it's supreme court sessions and plays them on one of the PBS stations for anyone to watch.
The corrupt cop was certified, he didn't bring his certificate to court. The court was very meticulous in determining this officers record on estimating speed. They considered factors like cops go through training to estimate the speed of a vehicle and this particular cop's record was something like within 5 mph over 35 of the 40 times needed to pass some part of the academy training.
So let's not make this into more then what it it. It's also not a republican thing. The most corrupt cities with the most corrupt cops in history in the US is demonstratively democrat controlled. Los Angeles, Chicogo, Denver, Cincinnati, Cleavland. And lets not forget the deputies in Zanesville ohio who were busitng people for drugs just to keep the evidence and sell themselves. And yes, Zanesville ohio, Cleavland ohio, and Cincinatti ohio are largely democrat strongholds even though they are in as you put it, "in Ohio (a Republican stronghold)". If there is any connections to republicans and this behavior, it's probably because they don't pay enough to get quality officers hired (I would suspect the same with democrats) and instead end up with these inbred john wayne syndrome asshats because it's all that is willing to work for the same amount of money as a waiter in a halfway decent restaurant. I know cops in ohio who make just over $12-14 an hour.
Re:Falsifying evidence? (Score:3, Informative)
I used to drive a 'sporty model' and the local shit-kicker cops use to like to stop me and cite me for stupid crap.Young guy in an aerodynamic car with loud pipes, must be doing something wrong, never mind the minivan that just blew past me.
I started taking the tickets to trial, taking the opportunity to drill the officer on physics and math, velocity v acceleration, sin vs. cos, at 9pm( municipal court times ) It was pointless but entertaining, the cops didnt know how to respond to this type of questioning but the judge ordered them to answer. Im about as much a lawyer as they were mathematicians so I was always found guilty( surprise ) but it was fun.
The harassment eventually stopped. Conclusion: being a pain in the ass is a virtue.
Re:Falsifying evidence? (Score:3, Informative)
I never said it wasn't.
I didn't address the made up story about rent-a-cops and trespassing, I was addressing the part where he said "people who aren't ignorant of the law buy it" -- around here, it is used only when the prosecutor doesn't think anything else will stick. It's actually a pretty good indicator of how much of a case the local prosecutors have; if they didn't include that charge, they have a pretty solid case. If they include it, you can bet they'll come offering a plea bargain, and if you tell them to shove it, you have a very good chance of getting everything tossed.
Also, note that I'm making a distinction between being arrested for something, and being charged with something. The officer can put down whatever they want on the arrest paperwork, it makes no real difference. What matters is what you end up being charged with.
Obviously that's not going to be the same everywhere, but it doesn't change the fact that where I'm at, it IS a bullshit charge.
Re:lulz (Score:3, Informative)