studio36uk wrote:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8520847761350501823

Very good video.  A lot of things people already *sorta* know (many people I find are unsure of things, and that's why they give in to police intimidation).

I would have liked it better had the people not actually been committing crimes, because as someone who does not commit crimes I have been illegally stopped, searched, and questioned several times; and that to me is the real danger of the police.

Having not committed any crime other than speeding -ever- I find it disconcerting how many times I've been stopped and questioned.  Several times in the street, when doing nothing more than walking.  I've had my truck searched without my consent...twice...  I've had my person searched once without my consent while not under arrest.  I've also had what *I* personally feel is several dozen illegal searches of my "papers" when driving and police randomly run my license plate (it is very obvious when they are doing this...cops don't follow you at the pre-determined 5 second interval other than when they have a particular interest in your actions.)

James Jackson wrote:
Very good video.  A lot of things people already *sorta* know (many people I find are unsure of things, and that's why they give in to police intimidation).

It wouldn't have been quite so instructive if they were just minding their own business  - like, at the onset of his encounter, the chap at the bus stop.

Everything discussed in the video, however, applies especially to someone that is not doing anything to warrant that kind of police involvement - street and location photography in particular; but also some of the more recent incidents noted here and especially the one that involved several police showing up and seizing a cameras and conducting a personal search in circumstances where there was no obvious or apparent wrongdoing. Or the other where the police gave the photographer a boot from his shoot, under the apparent guise of trespass, and it turned out, after a bit of investigation by the photographer, that he was on public property and entitled to be there. Or the guy shooting the bikini clad girl in the park, who offered to show his pictures to the cop to "prove" that he was doing nothing wrong and had his camera seized... all pure, unadulterated, crap.

The ultimate lesson is that if they are intent on arresting you make them work for it... don't do it for them.

There is another [trucking industry] video I have seen about engaging truck drivers on the front lines of the "war on terror"... report anything suspicious and all that crap... here's a toll free number that you can call... and, so, what was the example used of something suspicious? A guy sitting in his car on a public road with a camera. Oh, my... that is the most suspicious thing I've seen all day. When I watched it, I just hoped the guy in the trucking video had seen the ACLU video.

Studio36

Doug Mackay    DMP wrote:
...they block off the highway both directions no cars in or out, they then search every car, run every occupant of every car, roadworthy every car, drug and ahcohol test every occupant of every car...

They've been doing that in New Jersey for years...  My dad was witness to them illegally pulling me over and searching my truck without consent during one of these "random" "road-worthiness"  checks.  My dad and I laughed at it, but he at least understands now that when I say "I don't do anything wrong and I get pulled over" I mean it and am telling the absolute truth...

Doug Mackay    DMP wrote:
the boys in blue as we call them in australia [ home of the repressed ] , have a neat new trick that little johhny howard has given them the power to do, they block off the highway both directions no cars in or out, they then search every car, run every occupant of every car, roadworthy every car, drug and ahcohol test every occupant of every car, now while this will not effect me either way, as i drive a new vehicle and have no warrants , nor take drugs, what it does do is piss me the hell off, civil rights in this shithole do not exist ,  since when did 911 give the authorities this sort of power, cannot wait to get a one way ticket outta this place. best way to go these days is marry a lawyer and have them with you whenever you hold a camera, walk the street, or drive?

Which shithole are you speaking to Aus or NV?

Studio36

studio36uk wrote:

Which shithole are you speaking to Aus or NV?

Studio36

australia ,with a capitol A

Doug Mackay    DMP wrote:
australia ,with a capitol A

Geez, you ought to come to blighty... I can't say that I have even seen a cop, on foot, on horseback or in a car, in the last ten days. Of course the counterpoint is that Britain is overrun with rent-a-cops but they have zero power to do anything.

Studio36

James Jackson wrote:

They've been doing that in New Jersey for years...  My dad was witness to them illegally pulling me over and searching my truck without consent during one of these "random" "road-worthiness"  checks.  My dad and I laughed at it, but he at least understands now that when I say "I don't do anything wrong and I get pulled over" I mean it and am telling the absolute truth...

As a former resident of New Jersey....I can really understand what you're saying....another habit they used was following you very closely for miles....pulling you over for something small like you front wheel going over the center line on a curb....not all the way ....but just a bit.....then ticket you for driving erratically......crap... after a cop follows anyone for 3-4 miles right on your bumper ...you get nervous and yes...drive erratically.....

No wonder NJ loses on the avg....30,000 people a month moving out of state.....besides killing you with taxes.....some of the highest auto insurance rates in the country......the cops use their power to make money for their municipalities....

FKVPhotoGraphics wrote:
after a cop follows anyone for 3-4 miles right on your bumper ...you get nervous and yes...drive erratically.....

Back country road, no highway lights, moonless night... a car comes out of nowhere and starts tailing me in my truck, moving in closer and closer.  Suddenly I can no longer see its headlights and realize that is because they are under my tailgate (which is down) and that is literally how close this car was... well... I don't know anyone who would just let that stay that way for very long.  About 30 seconds goes by and I speed up.  Car gets right under me again.  I slow down and then speed up again.  Car right under me again.

We get to an intersection and the streetlights let me see that it is a cop.  After the light changes to green, he pulls me over.

Asshole.

INever wrote:
There is very minimal and infrequent police roadblock activity in urban Northern California (San Francisco Bay Area).

No need to now... They used gentification, and incarceration to get rid of most of the so-called "problem" areas and people. The 80's & 90's was a tough time for me as a teen here.  Glad to hear things are great for you now.

craig-r wrote:
...amazing. Not the video, the responses...

how so?

studio36uk wrote:
Britain is overrun with rent-a-cops but they have zero power to do anything.

And no guns!!! LOL! What do they do, yell, "STOP!! Or I'll... yell stop AGAIN!"??

mjr.

SayCheeZ! wrote:
I think the law should be changed to where the Moranda rights

That'd be "Miranda"...  Don't play TV lawyer.

mjr.

Marcus J. Ranum wrote:
And no guns!!! LOL! What do they do, yell, "STOP!! Or I'll... yell stop AGAIN!"??

mjr.

You ain't far wrong with that... no pepper spray [mace] or billy clubs either... they won't even chase you if you drop the merchandise. No fun at all.

Studio36

James Jackson wrote:

Very good video.  A lot of things people already *sorta* know (many people I find are unsure of things, and that's why they give in to police intimidation).

I would have liked it better had the people not actually been committing crimes, because as someone who does not commit crimes I have been illegally stopped, searched, and questioned several times; and that to me is the real danger of the police.

Having not committed any crime other than speeding -ever- I find it disconcerting how many times I've been stopped and questioned.  Several times in the street, when doing nothing more than walking.  I've had my truck searched without my consent...twice...  I've had my person searched once without my consent while not under arrest.  I've also had what *I* personally feel is several dozen illegal searches of my "papers" when driving and police randomly run my license plate (it is very obvious when they are doing this...cops don't follow you at the pre-determined 5 second interval other than when they have a particular interest in your actions.)

running a plate is not a search though, how can it be illegal... also how do you think cops find stolen cars.

Marcus J. Ranum wrote:

That'd be "Miranda"...  Don't play TV lawyer.

mjr.

Yer right
it's too early for me
i'm going back to bed.

Justin Gracey wrote:

running a plate is not a search though, how can it be illegal... also how do you think cops find stolen cars.

Well it's a search of my personal information and personal effects to me.

If running the plate simply returned a result of "stolen" or "not stolen" to the police computer I would agree that it is not an illegal search.  However, at present in most municipalities in the United States, when a police officer within your own state runs your license plate in his on-board computer system the result is a full list of your name, address, telephone number, driving record, any past tickets issued (not just the convictions mind you, but also what you've been accused of), as well as comments by other officers who have stopped you in the past and a threat level assessment.

How do I know this?  I've read it all right from a computer screen about me.

If that is not an illegal random search of my personal information I don't know what is.

James Jackson wrote:

Well it's a search of my personal information and personal effects to me.

If running the plate simply returned a result of "stolen" or "not stolen" to the police computer I would agree that it is not an illegal search.  However, at present in most municipalities in the United States, when a police officer within your own state runs your license plate in his on-board computer system the result is a full list of your name, address, telephone number, driving record, any past tickets issued (not just the convictions mind you, but also what you've been accused of), as well as comments by other officers who have stopped you in the past and a threat level assessment.

How do I know this?  I've read it all right from a computer screen about me.

If that is not an illegal random search of my personal information I don't know what is.

You forget - it's not YOUR plate. The plate belongs to the state. You simply pay license fees to use it and when you stop paying those fees, you need to return the STATE'S property to their agent, the DMV. Part of the licensing of that plate allows other agents of the state, law enforcement, to check it's validity and assure proper usage.