Police Complaint Center

Why is the camera guy so hostile in every video towards the police? Geesh...maybe if he was polite and respectful he wouldn't need this website full of him antagonizing the officers.

I think it's funny in the LAPD "standoff" video when he jumps out of the car yelling that he has not committed a traffic violation. Nevermind the fact that he had illegal window tint. I guess he forgot about the equipment violations that apply to vehicles too, not just the moving violations.

As with any career, there are a few bad apples who ruin for everybody. But just as YOU want a fair shake when you get stopped, don't forget to give the OFFICER a fair shake too. Don't base your next opinion/contact with a police officer on the last one. Assess each one independently, and you'll be a much happier person. Don't stress so much. I just don't see a need for all the hostility, anger, resentment and rudeness towards people doing their job. You wouldn't walk into a private business and treat an employee like that, so why do it to a public official?

Treat others as you would like to be treated.

I have to admit the entire incident was very confrontational. I believe that was un called for and a poor way to prove a point. Honestly? The police made those guys look bad on that one. The entire incident was wrong. Reasons? 1) You should never jump out of a vehicle on a traffic stop. That is plain stupid. 2) Do not antagonize the officers. What good come from that? Nothing except make you look like a idiot.
If the vehicle did in fact have tinted windows, that is a violation of the law. Deal with it. Find a better way to prove your points.

I think you're missing the point of the videos. What's being done is, these officers are being tested to see how they handle certain types of situations.
Judging by the accusations you're throwing around, I'm gonna assume that you're unaware of the fact that, police departments from all over the country have turned to the Police Complaint Center for consultance and for training purposes. With that being said, I don't think any police dept. would want to be involved with us, if all we did was "antagonize" police, like you claim.

Why so "hostile"?

The only reason I signed up was for the opportunity to answer this question.

219 years ago our forefathers recognized the damage out of control law enforcement could do to society and left us with a Bill of Rights. This document is unique in the world in that our forefathers felt these rights were not granted to the people by the government but by Almighty God.

Everyone should commit all these to memory but let's review the Fourth Amendment which reads:

"Protection from unreasonable search and seizure. - The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

It's important to remember the right of protection from unreasonable search and seizure does not come from the government or police to you the right, so wrote the authors, flows from God.

While necessary government is inherently evil and will go to great lengths to protect itself from scrutiny.

If I am sitting on a park bench minding my own business when a cop asks me for ID it's my duty to my children and grandchildren to 1)question why he wants it and 2)refuse to produce it if I don't feel like producing it. If a cop doesn't like my attitude then I suggest he do what tens of thousands of Americans do every day and that's find a different job or perhaps immigrate to Russia, China or North Korea where they don't have something as pesky as the Bill of Rights.

Remember it is only the Bill of Rights that keeps you from being enslaved in a Gulag.

The cops just don't get this Art! The police state is here and if some control is not forced by the people we are headed down a dangerous slope as sad as that may seem!

Doejoe wrote:

QUOTE:
The cops just don't get this Art! The police state is here and if some control is not forced by the people we are headed down a dangerous slope as sad as that may seem!

There may be some cops that visit so let me clarify some things.

If a cop asked me for my ID I would ask why whereupon a plausible reason is given I wouldn't mind producing it as long as the cop knows I am doing it as a show of good citizenship. If a cop gets nasty then he can be sure I am going to get hostile just as the cop would have every right to get hostile if some agency came along wanting to violate his rights. His right to be free of unreasonable search and seizure is equal to mine and when he helps me protect mine he protects his.

Memo to cops: When you create an atmosphere where my rights can be trampled you are doing the same to yours. You are doing the same to your children and grandchildren.

I don't expect a cop to kiss my ass but a cop better accept I am not going to kiss his either. If we respect each other then I'll be glad to help out all I can. Act like an ass and you can rest assured I will be a troublemaker.

I visited the Soviet Union before its fall, 1978 so that kind of dates me, and everyone can believe it when I say you would not want to live in a police state.

Nothing trumps the bill of rights. I would rather a million drug dealers be let go then risk one citizen having his God granted rights trampled. Don't trample someone's rights in my name.

Just an observation here, and so we have an understanding as to my frame of mind, I'm not a fan of police at all, but I believe in fairness & I do accept responsibility for my actions. Having said that, I just wanted to address the issue of a cop asking for ID. Here in California, it is the law to always have an ID on your person when in public. Did anyone realize that here? With that being said, and knowing that an officer's right is to enforce & uphold the law, any cop can ask you for your ID and YOU MUST show it. If you refuse, you're violating the law and legally they can arrest you to find out who you are (investigation). Since most cops don't wanna go through the paperwork and time to do such a boring-ass task knowing they'd rather be doing something else, they usually let it go.

However, my only point is 2 things, one, unfortunately (in Calif.) cops have the right to ask a citizen for their ID, and two, by law, we have to show them, regardless of how they ask for it. That's just how it is.

As far as the jumping out the car when being stopped, I think that's ridiculous to do, but that's just my opinion.

rennyj58 wrote:

QUOTE:
Just an observation here, and so we have an understanding as to my frame of mind, I'm not a fan of police at all, but I believe in fairness & I do accept responsibility for my actions. Having said that, I just wanted to address the issue of a cop asking for ID. Here in California, it is the law to always have an ID on your person when in public. Did anyone realize that here? With that being said, and knowing that an officer's right is to enforce & uphold the law, any cop can ask you for your ID and YOU MUST show it. If you refuse, you're violating the law and legally they can arrest you to find out who you are (investigation). Since most cops don't wanna go through the paperwork and time to do such a boring-ass task knowing they'd rather be doing something else, they usually let it go.

However, my only point is 2 things, one, unfortunately (in Calif.) cops have the right to ask a citizen for their ID, and two, by law, we have to show them, regardless of how they ask for it. That's just how it is.

As far as the jumping out the car when being stopped, I think that's ridiculous to do, but that's just my opinion.

First off I'm not 100% sure that IT'S THE LAW in Calif.That you must have ID on your person at all times.If for example your driving and your pulled over then you HAVE! to have your drivers licence, that's the case any where but you don't have to have ID on you at all times.If your just walking and a cop pulls up beside and for no peticular reason asks you for ID and you don't have it with you that's not a crime.

Yes. Just to back up what I said, my AA degree is in Administration of Justice, so I'm really not making that up. It is the law in the State of California to have Identification on you AT ALL TIMES while in public. I am 100% sure of that.

Please forgive my tone, I don't mean to sound argumentative, I just wanted to clear the issue up. It is a crime that can warrant a citation or arrest (depending up the circumstances). Let's say they ride up alongside you while you're walking and they ask you for ID, they can do that, and if you don't have it, they can cite you for it. If they believe (and we all know how that is) that an actual crime has been committed and they can warrant stopping you (i.e., you look like the perp, etc.) and you don't have it, they can arrest you until the run your prints, and then cite you afterwards (this is to cover themselves for stopping you in the first place). Unfortunately, that is one of the reasons why California is considered a Police State.

Well what your saying now is a little different.Your saying "If they believe a crime has taken place" that's different then just asking you out of the blue for ID and I've checked it is not a law that everybody on the streets of California has to have at all times ID on them.You make it sound like the old days of communist Russia "Give me your papers". It hasn't gotten that bad...Yet.