18 Sep 2013

The Policeman Is Your…

Big Brother 24 Comments

The thing that is disturbing about this video is the guy on the phone is the only rational person in the whole scene. Listen to how he talks to the 911 operator, for example. By the end of the video, the cop comes over, yells at him, hangs up his phone, and tosses it onto the grass.

WARNING: A few stray naughty words in the above.

24 Responses to “The Policeman Is Your…”

  1. Bob Roddis says:

    The incident took place on Sunday, when Cassandra Meyers was stopped for a routine license plate violation near her home.

    Her father-in-law, Aaron Tatkowski, witnessed the officer questioning Meyers, and approached the scene because he didn’t like the way his daughter-in-law was being talked to, according to Toledo News Now.

    http://www.bizpacreview.com/2013/09/18/neighbors-capture-video-say-cop-went-crazy-on-innocent-family-83622

    • Silas Barta says:

      Reporters are obligated by law to use the word “routine” in describing any interaction between police and civilians.

      Or at least, they act *as if* that were true (which was good enough for Milton Friedman.)

  2. Bob Roddis says:

    TOLEDO, OH — A bizarre scene was recorded in Toledo involving an officer aiming his Taser at an entire family, including a boy, as they were forced to lay in the middle of the street. According to witnesses, the aggressive encounter originated when a man questioned the way an officer was handling a license plate citation for his neighbor. The man who spoke up, and his entire family, were ripped from their vehicle and threatened with a taser.

    Aaron Tatkowski told Toledo News Now that he returned home on Sunday to find his daughter-in-law, Cassandra Meyers, pulled over in a traffic stop on their street by a Washington Township Police officer. Tatkowski witnessed the officer speaking to her in a way that upset him, so he questioned the officer.

    “He hollered for me to get back in my truck, so I got back in my truck,” Tatkowski told reporters. “Next thing you know, I’m yanked out of the truck and it made my girlfriend say a few things. He yanked her out of the truck.”

    Tatkowski, his girlfriend, and his 14-year-old son were all ripped from the vehicle and made to lay down in the street. Tatkowski began to fear for the safety of his family and called out to a witness to begin recording.

    The video begins with the encounter already in progress. An adult male, an adult female, and a boy are laying face down in the street with a heavyset officer pointing his taser at them, screaming.

    Christine Lipper uploaded the video to YouTube on September 15. Based on what she and others witnessed, she titled the video “Crazy Toledo Cop.”

    Neighbors gathered along the quiet street inside the trailer park, dismayed at the heated encounter. One concerned neighbor whispered, “Call a different cop.”

    The frazzled officer — identified as Officer Hart — continued to exchange words with the family he had proned out in the middle of the street.

    Lipper briefly described the events on the caption of the video, saying, “The cop pulled somebody over and blocked neighbors driveway, neighbor comes home and asks cop to move vehicle..this is what happens.”

    A man called Toledo police to request a different officer on the scene. “Umm yeah we need Toledo police here at 165 Pineridge in Washington Township,” the witness said to the 9-1-1 dispatcher. “We’ve got an officer in distress right now.”

    Officer Hart proceeded to pick up Tatkowski by his arms and shove him into the back of his cruiser, emblazoned with the words “Washington Township.”

    The officer then turned his attention to the boy. The female suspect screamed, “You had no right to throw him on the ground! You had no right to throw any of us on the ground! All you’re doing is harassing everybody!”

    The boy stood up and was escorted to the side of the truck. The officer then craned the female up by her arms, which were handcuffed behind her back.

    “Oww! He’s raising my arms up!” she cried in pain, as her limbs were unnaturally extended backwards.

    Officer Hart snatches witness’ phone and throws it to the ground. (Source: YouTube) Officer Hart snatches witness’ phone and throws it to the ground. (Source: YouTube)
    After sitting the woman on the back of her pickup truck, Hart turned his attention toward the witnesses; one in particular who had been on the phone with a police dispatcher.

    “Sir, get off the phone,” said the officer. “This is not the city of Toledo and they’re already on their way. Now hang up the phone.”

    “What are you afraid of?” the male witness challenged.

    The officer snatched the man’s phone and chucked it to the ground.

    “Go! Get out! I don’t need you people…” he barked.

    “What you’re saying is you don’t need witnesses,” retorted the neighbor, fetching his phone from the ground.

    Washington Township is found in Lucas County, Ohio, in the vicinity of Toledo.

    http://www.policestateusa.com/2013/bizarre-scene-toledo-cop-holds-entire-family-ground-taser/

  3. Mike M says:

    Law enforcement is increasingly at risk of losing public confidence and respect unless they step up and police their own. While I understand this Officer was no doubt frustrated and losing patience, he is supposed to be the “adult in the room” and exhibit mature professionalism.

  4. Jonathan Finegold says:

    Maybe I’m totally misreading the situation (I wasn’t there), but my mom was telling me over lunch an experience she had with a police officer. Someone has been hacking her phone and making calls from it, so the phone will call out three or four times within a ten minute period, and my mom just a passive observer. She was in her car and she calls the police. She’s from Spain, and she calls the police for just about anything; in fact, she had called them so that they could witness the hacking (as if they’re interested). When the officer comes and approaches her window, she says, “Hey, look at my phone!” And he responds, in an excited way, something like, “What? No! I didn’t witness anything! Are you planning to take me to court?” I thought it was a strange reaction; are there a lot of people who record policemen just to screw them over? (Or, was that policeman hiding something?)

  5. Yancey Ward says:

    The advent of easy video recording by nearly all the citizenry has revealed what was always going on with your “friendly” government servants. I would encourage every citizen to record every single instance they see a police officer dealing with another citizen.

  6. joeftansey says:

    I don’t know what you all see in these videos. Sure, there are a lot of really rotten cops, but even a thousand of these videos wouldn’t establish that even 1% of cops are crooked. Particularly statist apologists can just look at these and dismiss them as atypical, and then wash it all down with some lip service about how the system isn’t perfect and needs to be reformed in some areas.

    Don’t get me wrong. I think the person filming is doing a great service in that he is helping to protect the rights of the people being detained, but I don’t know what kind of impact this is supposed to have on anyone’s worldview. As far as I can see, these kinds of videos are circulated as pornography among malcontents.

    I’m an anarcho capitalist before anyone gets mad at me for “defending” the system.

    • Matt Tanous says:

      The response to the videos by government is more useful. Namely the idea that it should be a crime to dare to film a police officer abusing someone, etc.

    • Yancey Ward says:

      You have to start somewhere, Joe. Collection of evidence is a start.

      • joeftansey says:

        You’re right. It’s not worse than nothing. Congratulations.

        Now if only we had alternatives to gawking at cop-abuse videos as a means to generate sentiment against the state…

    • Rick Hull says:

      > but even a thousand of these videos wouldn’t establish that even 1% of cops are crooked

      Well, that would be barking up the wrong tree. The point is not to establish some percentage of cops as bad apples — it is a much broader critique of the amount of power that we entrust officers with, and how that very power may pervert any noble ideals they once may have held.

      • joeftansey says:

        No it’s not a broad critique. They have a lot of power. They can get away with murder. But does this much power actually cause a widespread problem?

        Statist apologists could even argue that even though some police do abuse their power, they still need that level of autonomy in order to do their jobs effectively; they have to do the right thing and not worry about how it’s going to look when some neckbeard films them.

        • guest says:

          Statist apologists could even argue that even though some police do abuse their power, they still need that level of autonomy in order to do their jobs effectively; they have to do the right thing and not worry about how it’s going to look when some neckbeard films them.

          They only need that level of autonomy if they’re going to do things the state doesn’t have a right to tell them to do.

          Their job is to protect individual liberty, so they are not permitted to have the autonomy to violate individual liberty.

          The Law by Frédéric Bastiat [1850]
          [WWW]http://www.constitution.org/cmt/bastiat/the_law.html

          Force has been given to us to defend our own individual rights. Who will dare to say that force has been given to us to destroy the equal rights of our brothers? Since no individual acting separately can lawfully use force to destroy the rights of others, does it not logically follow that the same principle also applies to the common force that is nothing more than the organized combination of the individual forces?

          If they don’t like it, they should stop working for those who steal from others to pay their salaries and pensions.

          Pensions. The state STILL steals to pay for the retirement of someone who’s not even doing so-called “public service”.

          Unions got the influence – unconstitutionally – and now the police work for the Unions rather than those from whom the state steals money.

          The solution is private security (after first returning to a commodity money standard – with or without the state’s blessing).

          • joeftansey says:

            “They only need that level of autonomy if they’re going to do things the state doesn’t have a right to tell them to do.”

            When I say “need”, I mean from a statist’s perspective. For example, a statist might think policemen need to have the right to preemptively use brutal force if they think there’s a chance the suspect could get violent.

    • Richie says:

      I do not view your statements as defending the system.

      However, I think we are given a valuable glimpse at the problem of granting uniformed soldiers the right to do these types of things with impunity. The hero worship of police officers is quite frightening. Any person or group given that much power should be viewed with a skeptical eye, but unfortunately, not here in America will they be.

      • guest says:

        Any person or group given that much power should be viewed with a skeptical eye, but unfortunately, not here in America will they be.

        It used to be the case that Americans saw the danger:

        The Federalist No. 41
        [WWW]http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa41.htm

        Not the less true is it, that the liberties of Rome proved the final victim to her military triumphs; and that the liberties of Europe, as far as they ever existed, have, with few exceptions, been the price of her military establishments. A standing force, therefore, is a dangerous, at the same time that it may be a necessary, provision. On the smallest scale it has its inconveniences. On an extensive scale its consequences may be fatal. On any scale it is an object of laudable circumspection and precaution. A wise nation will combine all these considerations; and, whilst it does not rashly preclude itself from any resource which may become essential to its safety, will exert all its prudence in diminishing both the necessity and the danger of resorting to one which may be inauspicious to its liberties.

      • joeftansey says:

        Right, so the reason that I am suspicious of cops is not because there are videos and stories of police abusing people, it’s because I’m not an idiot and realize that the cops have very little incentive to
        protect my rights.

        And actually, these police officers have plenty of incentive not to abuse their power. They COULD get reprimanded (even if it is rare). Their victims COULD fight back with lethal force. Their friends and families COULD ostracize them if the events are publicized, or even mis-publicized. Combined with virtually no monetary upside to clubbing randos, I’d say there’s a strong disincentive for the average cop to go looking for serious trouble.

        So I’m not worried about a cop beating the crap out of me, I’m worried about the cop giving me a speeding ticket for $200. I think that’s actually what most people are worried about, and this is in fact the exact incentive your typical police officer has.

        Now, I know it’s a little hard to get worked up about the system slowly nickle-diming the top 20% of aggressive drivers, but that’s really the most accurate way to view the bulk of the system…

        Maybe we could find something else to be mad about.

        • Richie says:

          And actually, these police officers have plenty of incentive not to abuse their power. They COULD get reprimanded (even if it is rare). Their victims COULD fight back with lethal force. Their friends and families COULD ostracize them if the events are publicized, or even mis-publicized. Combined with virtually no monetary upside to clubbing randos, I’d say there’s a strong disincentive for the average cop to go looking for serious trouble.

          What incentive do they have, absent video evidence, not to abuse their power? Who would most people believe? In almost all cases a cop’s words are gospel to the masses.

          Reprimanded? Sure, paid leave while the firestorm dies down, then he or she comes back to the job like nothing ever happened.

          Fight back with lethal force? Yeah, good luck with that. A cop killer, even if the killing is justified, will be slaughtered in cold blood, a story cooked up to say “He (or she) pulled on us”, and the authorities quench their (and the cop worshipers’) thirst for blood.

          • guest says:

            In almost all cases a cop’s words are gospel to the masses.

            10 reasons not to talk to police
            [WWW]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi434yXk_qo

          • joeftansey says:

            “What incentive do they have, absent video evidence, not to abuse their power?”

            I just gave three examples. Particularly the risk police officers face by messing with people is high. There’s a reason policemen like stopping soccer moms going 10 over the speed limit. It’s safe. They don’t go after the 30 year old male driving drunk at 3 AM because there’s a risk he could pull out a gun and blow the officer away.

            “Who would most people believe? In almost all cases a cop’s words are gospel to the masses. ”

            “Reprimanded? Sure, paid leave while the firestorm dies down”

            “Fight back with lethal force? Yeah, good luck with that.”

            So you didn’t read the word “rare”. Yes, I agree that in most cases police get off scott free. However the small risk that something really bad could happen is a disincentive.

            Or do you think breaking into people’s houses and shooting their dogs is a good way to maximize your life expectancy…?

            “It’s okay man it’s safe like 95% of the time”

        • guest says:

          Now, I know it’s a little hard to get worked up about the system slowly nickle-diming the top 20% of aggressive drivers …

          Try not paying the nickle and see what happens.

          It’s not the ticket I’m worried about, but the enforcement of the ticket, which is unjust:

          On “Speeding”
          [WWW]http://ericpetersautos.com/2012/11/02/on-speeding/

          And on a related note:

          Throw Your Plate Away Day
          [WWW]http://ericpetersautos.com/2013/07/22/throw-your-plate-away-day/

  7. Matt M. (Dude Where's My Freedom) says:

    We are already living under martial law, most people just don’t realize it.

  8. Chase Hampton says:

    This is more the kind of stuff that worries me…

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP__uf2Ubp0

    The interview with sheriff towards the end is particularly disturbing.

    • Chase Hampton says:

      By the way, the video is of cops forcibly drawing people’s blood after they refuse a breathalyzer test.

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