ny trooper - "I see you post this on Youtube, I’ll find a way for the D.A.s office to arrest you"

[Liberal_in_LA]

he officer claims he stopped the car for a traffic violation and requests Houghtailing’s license and registration, before once again complaining about being filmed and threatening Houghtaling.

“How about if I see you post this on Youtube, I’ll find a way for the D.A.s office to arrest you,” asks the trooper.

“Is it illegal to record police officers?” Houghtaling replies.

“When I tell you to put the phone down and you disregard what I’m telling you, yes, it is,” said Rosenblatt.

“So am I being detained for recording?”

“Put the phone down.”

“Is it illegal to record officers,” Houghtaling asks.

“Give me your license and registration,” the trooper replies.

When asked why he has been pulled over, the trooper explains “your exhaust is extremely loud, that’s why you’re being stopped.”

The officer then becomes belligerent, sarcastically saying, “Have you got an answer for that?’ before again insisting Houghtaling stop filming with his phone.

The troopers then asks, “What is your issue with always videotaping?” to which Houghtaling replies, “Am I legally obligated to answer that?”

http://www.alternet.org/ny-state-trooper-threatens-driver-recording-stop
“You’re obligated because I asked, you, that’s why” an angry Rosenblatt replies before stalking off.

[MrScorpio]

1. According to the cops, you have no rights that they're bound to respect. nt

[riversedge]

53. “You’re obligated because I asked, you, that’s why”

I wonder is this is legal talk. Probably is.

“You’re obligated because I asked, you, that’s why” an angry Rosenblatt replies before stalking off.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. I am going to invent some sort of pocket where you can put your phone

so it can record without you having to hold it in your hand - something that affixes to a shirt or jacket so the phone itself isn't noticeable and only the lens is uncovered. It could work, and people could video various events without being hassled. Of course, you should be able to video in a public place without being hassled or having your phone or camera taken away, but it doesn't seem to go that way these days.

[AtheistCrusader]

6. Most smartphones have the camera at one end. Start recording and drop it in the passenger door handl

e before the officer approaches you, so the camera is up top, and facing you. Sucks because it'll probably record portrait mode instead of landscape, but the video should fully capture you, the officer/window, and all audio, and if you do it right, the cop will never even know there's a camera.

[C Moon]

19. They watch you as they're pulling you over. If they see you reaching across the car,

they'll probably think you're grabbing a gun or hiding something.
I'd be careful with that.

[AtheistCrusader]

20. I do it as I get my registration out of the jockey box, but that's a good point.

I tend to have my license/reg out by the time they get to the window, hands on the top of the wheel.

[C Moon]

45. Ah. True!

[notadmblnd]

65. And make sure everything you record gets backed up to a cloud where it can be recovered

if phone is taken and destroyed by LE

[Old Codger]

40. Dash Cam

I have a dash cam mounted on the bottom of my rear view mirror with velcro and can turn it to point either straight ahead which is normal or if I get stopped I can turn it to point toward driver or passenger window, it records sound and video, also has a second cam out rear window... Have not had to use it yet but am ready for it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

41. Good for traffic stops but I'm thinking of something you can use

when on foot and away from your car. If you aren't holding a phone/camera in your hand they aren't so likely to notice it and hassle you or try to take it from you.

[Old Codger]

47. try this

There are a lot of ways to do it, phone cameras are a pain to use if you are in a hurry...

http://www.spytechs.com/body-worn-camera.htm

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=spy+cams

[WinkyDink]

3. Police must be told, clearly and perhaps in a Presidential press conference, that "Because I said

so" IS NOT THE LAW OF THE LAND.

[DesertDiamond]

18. They seem to think they are our parents.

[WinkyDink]

62. Complete with punishing perks.

[msongs]

4. another police man who might want to find a new career nt

[Hassin Bin Sober]

5. According to the youtube comments, the pig wrote him for the muffler and then mailed 3 more.

I know a chicago cop who used to brag about doing that. If someone "mouthed off" he would mail extra non moving (parking etc.) tickets (fill them out at the station and the driver would get the computerized notice later)

John Houghtaling " Hello, everyone. My name is John Houghtaling, obviously the person in the video. I want to thank everyone who has commented and shared this story. Here is what happened after he came back to the car: Trooper Rosenblatt approached my vehicle as I still had my phone in my hand. When i went to hit the record button, he used his hand/fingers to reach in my car knock my phone down. I was terrified that this man was going to take me out of the car and assault me. After he knocked my phone out of my hand, he dropped a muffler ticket into my car and left the scene. Three days later I received three more tickets in the mail. One for using my phone while driving, one for littering (which I agree was wrong), and one for having an air freshener on my mirror. "

[AtheistCrusader]

7. A ticket for air freshener on the mirror?

Any reasonable administrator would fire a vindictive creature like that. That officer is a liability to his department, and it's insurance company.

[Michigan-Arizona]

10. In Michigan

Back when they had to have a reason to pull you over to give you a seat belt ticket, having my daughter's high school tassel hanging from the mirror was against the law. ..... Nothing can hang from your mirror.... Not sure how other states handle it...... It sure was news to me at the time......

[Spitfire of ATJ]

15. I bet that law started because of those long feathered roach clips.

[Michigan-Arizona]

56. It wouldn't surprise me if it was....

[tblue37]

51. What about handicapped placards? I have one of those--it doesn't interfere with my field of vision.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

54. The people I know who have them

only put them on the mirror while parked, they don't drive with them in place.

[Michigan-Arizona]

55. Good question

I never thought about placards but I never thought about anything hanging from the mirror was against the law in Michigan. I mean my whole life I've seen a little bit of everything hanging from them... I'm not sure that they really enforce it unless they are needing a reason to pull you over..... This was a Michigan State Trooper that used that law on me & he made me rip the tassel off while he was standing there...

[H. Cromwell]

60. Most

states have laws against Anything hanging from the mirror. Handicap Placards are to be used when the car is parked Not while in motion. "Silly Law" maybe, but it is a legal reason to get pulled over.
I got a warning for having my graduation Tassel hanging from my mirror back in 1975...town cop was hoping I had booze in the car. I learned all about the mirror laws back then.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

22. It's an oldie but a goodie.

My friends got busted last year at a music event called Summer Camp in Chilicothe near Peoria il.

Apparently it's a huge windfall for the local pigs. They set up a drag net for the kids driving through their little podunk towns. They pull them over for "violations" like items obstructing the driver's view or, in my friend's case, no turn signal for a lane change.

Then they ask to search the car.

If you refuse, the K-9 unit just happens to be handy.

[damnedifIknow]

44. Chillicothe is a red neck little town

Strange place that I avoid at all costs. Seriously, it's a weird place.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

48. Yeah. All these kids don't know what they are in for when they come in to town.

The kids think they will be able to park and camp for the weekend not having to worry about driving. Surprise.


When my friends got busted, I googled the event to see what was up and found tons of articles. Even some of the locals are embarrassed at wha the cops are doing. One of the articles mentioned a judge wanted to know why cops had dogs at the ready for minor BS stops - don't know what ever came of it.

One of my friends was a third year law student so they were smart enough to dummy up and not consent to search. The pigs made them pay for it by making them spend the night in jail ( versus everyone else was sent home with a notice to appear/ bail). Our other friend who is a retired public defender drove down and sprung them - the cops tried to tell the lawyer the kids would be there through the holiday but the lawyer put a stop to that shit.


The DA dropped all the charges once they saw they had a fight after the lawyer subpoenaed the dashcam for the supposed "no turn signal lane change"

[mopinko]

66. kids going to the gathering of the jugalos are a regular economic stimulus

package for all the little towns in southern il that they drive through.
daughter got nailed 2 years in a row.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

68. The first year I went up to Alpine Valley to see The Dead...

.... I saw the guy sitting on top of the pickup truck in a tie-dye T-shirt with the hood up as if he was broken down - he had a hand held radio calling ahead for kids who cracked a beer while waiting in the three hour traffic jam to enter the parking lot.

The next year, I needed to buy a loose ticket so I went out to the road with two signs. One said "need one ticket" and the other said "the guy on the pick up truck is a cop"

[mopinko]

73. hahaa. oh, the days.

yeah, lots of traps on the way to alpine valley.

[ecstatic]

24. You can also get a ticket for mounting a GPS or phone

to your windshield. I did it for years and was never ticketed (I wasn't aware that it was illegal), but an overzealous cop can easily ticket you for that.

http://gpstracklog.com/2014/07/gps-windshield-mounts-illegal-half-u-s.html

[AtheistCrusader]

25. Holy crap, I don't own a vehicle that doesn't have a radar detector on the windshield.

I had no idea this was an issue in Washington State. Thanks for the tip!

[peacebird]

31. But EZ Pass tool things HAVE to be mounted on the windshield, and my company requires

my parking pass be hung from the rearview mirror?

Those two are breaking the law? Really? Good grief....

Guess it's a good thing I "drive while white" or else I probably would've gotten tickets for that already - I am sure many a black or latino driver has been hassled for less...

[Historic NY]

38. Ez pass is not supposed to be placed in line of sight...

its supposed to be mounted at the top of the windshield. At least thats what NY's say on where to mount them.

[left-of-center2012]

8. Some cops need to be honest ...

Some cops need to be honest with the public by wearing their Gestapo uniform.

[herding cats]

9. Way to do it, John Houghtaling!

I love that it ended up on YouTube. This guy makes me proud!

[DeSwiss]

11. K&R

[center]

Winston Smith: Does Big Brother exist?

O'Brien: Of course he exists.

Winston Smith: Does he exist like you or me?

O'Brien: You do not exist.

~George Orwell, 1984[/center]

[BeanMusical]

12. Kick and R.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

13. He looks like Strickland from "Back To The Future"....

Could you just hear him calling the driver a "slacker"?

[NBachers]

14. You know what? I'm going to be a different voice here -

I've had plenty of run-ins with the cops; I'm not going into details, but let's just say that I'm experienced.

I've spent a lot of time being resistant; expressing an attitude, and talking back to 'em.

It usually didn't work out too well.

I finally arrived at the point were my encounters with the cops were courteous, polite, and respectful.

It doesn't always make the cop be courteous, polite, or respectful to me. But it's what I can do to steer and defuse the situation into better territory.

Yeah, I know, Scott Olsen, or those guys who were shot in cop cars while handcuffed, may have a different experience.

But I still believe in diffusing the experience and getting out alive. Ratcheting up the tension and pissing cops off usually doesn't work out too well.

When my son reached the demographic where cops would start checking him out, my advice was "Whatever cops say to you, your response is Yes sir, No sir, I'd be glad to co-operate." A good attitude will get you further than a bad one. And if a cop's going to be a prick anyway, you're not giving him an excuse to be a bigger one.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

16. Nice except it's the COPS that are supposed to be the ones who defuse the situation...

These days they're the hysterics that escalate things to the point of no return.

[NBachers]

17. You're welcome to get into a cop's face any time you want. See how it works out.

There's what's sposed to be, and there's what really is. I do what I can to make the encounter as short and not-unpleasant as possible.

Plenty of people have different experiences, where the cops come on all belligerent and insane, ready to explode. I'm not sure how you can defend yourself from that.

Everybody's got their own way of dealing with it.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

23. Maybe you weren't paying attention to the video.

It was the cop who pulled the kid over. The cop got in HIS face.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

26. Right now they're being told by Republicans to HATE us.

[ChosenUnWisely]

29. They don't need to be told they already do they are just receiving enforcement and bias conformation

F da Police. F em all

When they act like thugs and goons I will treat them accordingly.

[H. Cromwell]

61. I agree with you

I got arrested in Northern VA in 1978 for DUI (in a parked car). I was way drunk from attending a Christmas Party. I finally realized I was too drunk to drive and pulled onto the berm of a 4 lane highway. (I was 22 yrs old and registered a .24 bac when tested.) It was cold and I had the car running with the window cracked. Two county troopers stopped and I was taken into custody for DUI.
I ended up getting a lawyer and had the DUI reduced plea bargained to Reckless driving. My lawyer told me the cops told the judge that they would agree with what the plea was because "I was one of the nicest guys they've ever arrested."
I have always kept that in mind when I've gotten pulled over. It has saved me Many times regarding getting a ticket or the kind of ticket I did get.

[DeSwiss]

27. “The consequences of every act are included in the act itself.” ~George Orwell, 1984

[bemildred]

28. "Means determine ends; and must be like the ends proposed.

Means intrinsically different from the ends proposed achieve ends like themselves, not like those they were meant to achieve. Violence and war will produce a peace and an social organization having the potentialities for more violence and war." - A.H. Eyeless in Gaza

Or as I like to put it: "You become what you hate." Something Mr. Cheney ought to have kept in mind.

You can really see what Huxley was talking about in our recent adventures.

[Logical]

35. So in your world cops are never called out or caught on video.....

Doing stuff wrong! Wow, no protests either because that makes them mad also? Perfect!

[NBachers]

69. Yeah, right - you've perfectly quoted exactly what I said in post #14. What perfect Logic

You're a fucking liar- I never said any of the shit you accused me of in your little screed. Worst example of Logic you could ever post.

I've been pulled over more times than I can remember. I've been ticketed, tear gassed, thrown in jail, busted, convicted of felonies and misdemeanors, threatened, shoved around, chased, targeted, and shot at by cops.

I'm applying real world experience and the lessons I've learned. I know about behavior and it's consequences.

I ain't some keyboard warrior fantasy hero.

Step away from your keyboard. Go find a couple of cops. Get in their face and be as bad and bold and brave and brazen as you can be. Don't take any shit from these pigs. Really let then know what you think of them. Stand up for yourself!

Good luck, dude.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

71. Why don't you cut the kid some slack.

He seemed like a nice kid just trying to mind his own business. Not some nine time loser with prison tats on his fore arms and a tear drop tattoo on his eyelids.

Maybe your experiences are different than his.

[Logical]

72. Lol, ok, cool story bro! nt

[Orsino]

36. Just take care that "I'd be glad to cooperate" doesn't waive your rights. n/t

[KingCharlemagne]

37. Do you believe that American citizens have 'rights' or is that merely a

quaint and obsolete notion as far as you are concerned?

[csziggy]

63. When a LEO is ordering you to stop doing something that is within your rights

Do you automatically comply with his unlawful order?

Videotaping a police officer is legal and the Supreme Court has said it is constitutional. So ordering the man in the OP article to stop taping is violating the man's rights. Knocking the camera out of his hands is assault - the cop had no legitimate reason for that action.

In the video referenced in the article, the man who was pulled over was not resistant; expressing an attitude, or talking back to 'em. He was polite - but he refused to blindly follow the officer's unlawful orders.

No wonder this guy (according to the YouTube entry) video every interaction with police. It seems the police in that town like pushing people around.

Here is the video if you'd like to review it:

[B Calm]

30. Cops don't like you messing with their ego!

[Vinca]

32. At least this one walked away and didn't shoot anyone.

[B Calm]

33. That's true. .

[tk2kewl]

42. the video guy appears to have been white

what if he wasn't?

[Javaman]

34. You your rights - The Clash

Know these rights

Number 3
You have the right to free
Speech as long as you're not
Dumb enough to actually try it.

[Historic NY]

39. Somehow I think there is more to the story than this encounter...

by itself.

[Logical]

43. What are you basing that on?? Link? nt

[Historic NY]

46. Familarity between the both of them.

this wasn't just a one time thing between them..

[Hassin Bin Sober]

49. Yeah. The pig mentions something about "why you always film us"

So yeah. The loud muffler was most likely bull shit. As were all the other charges.

[VScott]

58. Listen to the video

If that's the kids car I hear in the background, then it is pretty loud just running at idle.

Note... it would be unusual for the cop to pull someone over, and not have them shut the engine off, and keys out
of the ignition.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

59. what a coincidence.

someone a cop has a hard-on for also has a petty offense.

[VScott]

64. Petty offense or not

if the charge is legit, the fault/blame is on the kid

Pro-tip: If you're going to poke the bear, at least have the common sense and forethought
to CYA and not provide them a reason to pull you over (yeah... I know... I know;
they'll just make one up).

It's like Drug Running 101... make sure your vehicle and driving habits are 110% legal
when transporting contraband up the I-95 corridor.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

67. Sure. One of the tip-offs for drug interdiction is "110% legal."

So there's that.

[NBachers]

70. I-95 . . .

[VScott]

57. Strange though that if the kid was constantly recording the cops

like the office claims, then there should be more videos on his YouTube page.

There's only the one posted (a week ago), and he signed up back on Feb 08 14.

[madamvlb]

50. I'm surprised the officer didn't ticket him for throwing the cigarette butt out the window. n/t

[tblue37]

52. He did. That's what the mailed littering ticket was for. nt