Have you ever watched someone get arrested?

[hedgehog]

If I see a cop stopping a young black man, I worry about what's going on. How do you tell a proper arrest from someone getting hassled? When do you stop to watch or even interfere?

I saw some illegals pulled off a tran and arrested last Easter. I still don't know how I feel about that.

[deadmessengers]

1. never, EVER interfere

That's a one-way ticket to prison - interfering with an officer in the performance of his duty is a felony in most places.

[eauclaireliberal]

5. RE: never, EVER interfere

The oinkers in my hometown (Milwaukee) won't think twice about blowing your head off with a Glock. Waukesha county, Milwaukee county sherrifs and State Troopers are just as bad.

[LostInAnomie]

12. I cannot agree more.

DO NOT EVER interfere with a police officer while he is making an arrest. First of all, it is illegal. Second of all, it is a very good way to either get your ass kicked or shot. Third, you have no idea what the person is being arrested for. They could have just shot up a convenience store, raped a kid, or stabbed someone to death.

I know it isn't the popular opinion here on DU but most police officer do try to do a good job. They try to serve the public as well as possible and not single anyone out because of race or ethnicity. Sure their are a few bad ones out there that are more than willing to abuse their power but they are the slimmest of the minority.

[Clark2008]

27. Thank you.

I covered law enforcement for 10 of my 12 years as a reporter. Did I know some bad cops, some shady cops, some cops on the take? Sure! But they were far fewer than the number of policemen and women I knew who were trying to do a good job.

My advise to the OP is the same - don't interfere. If you THINK there MIGHT be a reason to suspect mistreatment or foul play on the part of the officer, get your phone out and take a picture. Get tons of eye-witnesses to stand around - if it's a bad arrest, then that both puts an end to the rough treatment and/or provides proof of misconduct to the victim.

[KAZ]

16. What board am I on? What, sit down and shut up?

You see injustice? You scream, and yell, and film, and make sure the rest of the world knows what happened. YouTube is our friend. "Officers" performed their duty at Kent State dude.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

20. Uh, that was the National Guard.

And nobody's suggesting you shouldn't film what's happening. But please, continue with your tirade.

[KharmaTrain]

21. A Big Difference Between A Traffic Stop & Sending In The National Guard

It's not sit down and shut up...if anything, if a person suspects the police have done something wrong, there are several ways to bring it to light. One way is to call the local newspaper...most still cover police activities and they can check out the stop and get the police records far easier than an individual can and if the report doesn't jive with what you saw, they can follow up, or you can take the information to a civil liberties group or other local advocate.

One suggestion I have is to always carry a camera in your car. I was involved in an auto accident and the pictures I took at the time was used to over-ride the police report and force the moron who ran a stop light and hit my car and another to confess he blew the light. Remember, it was also a video camera that caught Rodney King in action...with a zoom, one can video from a safe distance and if there's abuse or something else going on, having it on tape can be a powerful way to expose the truth.

When I was younger I hated all things involving "pigs"...that was until I met several who serve on various departments and grew to respect the tough job they really have. Yes, there are bad apples...as there are in any profession, but I've seen my share of "hot shot" cops get bounced from the force due to abusing their power or because of repeated complaints. Two years ago, a local cop was not only kicked off the force for what was considered racial profiling (he only was pulling over cars with blacks and letting white speed on by) and ended up in court facing a civil suit.

[ret5hd]

2. A couple months ago...

wife and i were downtown, playing with our new video cam. Happened to see a couple cops giving a hard time to an obviously very poor (if not homeless) black guy on a bicycle. I started filming them, the cop noticed, looked confused, looked over his shoulder to see if i was filming something of interest behind him, looked confused again, let the guy go, got in their car and left.

We laughed for the rest of the evening.

[Clark2008]

28. Yep - that's all you need to do.

If it's a bad arrest - or harrassment of an innocent - the cops WILL stop. They don't want to be filmed. If it's really someone they suspect of shooting up the local five and dime or molesting a child, they won't CARE if they're being filmed because they know the public will be on their side.

[951-Riverside]

3. I always see blacks being pulled over by the CHP

...I rarely see whites and hispanics stopped.

Anyway you are talking about arrests, If I were you I would not get involved because you really have no idea what the person is being arrested for, it could range from domestic violence to robbery.

[sweetheart]

4. heck, have you ever got arrested?

They grab you and push you on to something, in my case, a car win my face on the
car and put on hand cuffs. Then, as in my case, they take your drivers license
and toss it off the side of the freeway so that i'll have to buy another one...
and haul me off to jail, to sit cuffed to a bar behind the bench i'm sitting on,
waiting in a piss-stench area for a criminal cop to do his dirty.

Inevitably, when they get you to 'the holding area', it will smell like urine as drunks
are a constant user of the holding services.

Nuthin' like getting arrested to get a free trip to the public urinal.

[AlCzervik]

6. oh hell yes, i live in northern california. Seeing Car accidents and arrests

are a part of every commute.

[htuttle]

7. I've videotaped it

It was at a demonstration in Madison, WI. I even conspicuously took down the cops names, etc...

They weren't particularly happy about it, but then again, it was in Madison, so I didn't really fear for my life, either.

:shrug:

[WillyT]

8. Yes, And So Have These Guys !!!

Berkeley Copwatch is the original Copwatch group. We began in 1990 on Telegraph Ave. as an all-volunteer organization dedicated to monitoring police actions and non-violently asserting our rights. Since that time, many Copwatch-type organizations have sprung up across the nation, in various forms. You are welcome to copy any of the materials on our website and use them to help educate the public and to start a Copwatch group in your community. Although you may find web pages or organizations that call themselves "Copwatch", read through their material carefully. Berkeley Copwatch is based on the idea that WATCHING the police is a crucial first step in the process of organizing. We do not attempt to interfere in police activity or to resist police misconduct physically. It is our hope that, one day, mass outrage at police and government violence will increase to a point where fundamental change in the nature of policing becomes inevitable.

Berkeley Copwatch's Goals

Our main goal is to reduce police violence by directly observing the police on the street, documenting incidents and keeping police accountable. We maintain principles of non-violence while asserting the rights of the detained person. We provide support to victims whenever possible. We also seek to educate the public about their rights, police conduct in the community and issues related to the role of police in our society.

Our other goal is to empower and unite the community to resist police abuse. We will do this by sharing information with the community, conducting "Know Your Rights" trainings, sponsoring rallies, supporting victims and other community based efforts to deal with the problem. We also encourage people to solve problems WITHOUT police intervention. We want to explore alternatives to calling the police. Most importantly, we encourage people to exercise their right to observe the police and to advocate for one another.

Link: http://www.berkeleycopwatch.org/index.htm

All communities should have this.

:shrug:

[uppityperson]

9. if I could kick 1 post I've seen today, this would be it.

thank you

[dubykc]

11. Excellent information, I will be contacting them ...

through the website to try to start a group in my community.

[Generic Brad]

10. Just this past summer

Some drunk guy staggered up to me on a pier I was fishing on. He guzzled his bottle of Boone's Farm wine and told me I was doing it all wrong. He grabbed my gear and started fishing with my stuff as if I wasn't even there.

Another fisherman with a cell phone discreetly called the police on his cell phone and they showed up within five minutes. When they asked the guy to set down the rod and reel and come talk to them for a second he told them to fuck off because he was fishing.

The St Paul Police Department officers remained patient and professional. They politely and respectfully talked the guy off the pier and convinced him to come with them to shore where they promptly handcuffed him put him in their squad car.

Prior to them showing up the guy told me he had just been released from jail that morning and he would dance on my face if I tried to take my equipment back. I have never been so happy to see the police in my life. My personal experience with the police has been negligible my entire life and every time I have encountered a peace officer I was damned glad they showed up when they did.

By the way -- my spouse is a minority and she has never encountered any problems with the police either. I am not discounting anyone else's experiences, by the way. My personal experiences have been exactly what any tax paying citizen should expect. I know that is not the same case for everyone else.

[THUNDER HANDS]

13. i see at least 2 or 3 arrests a month

I work at Wal-Mart. If it ain't the shoplifters, it's the employee's going out in cuffs.

[demosincebirth]

14. Suppose the cops are black and beating around a black man.

Would that create an uproar? Just asking?

[htuttle]

15. Um...where I'm from, cops "beating around" anyone would cause an uproar...

...but I suppose that if you're from Bumfuck, Ignorantville that the racial background of the officers in question might be relevant.

Local cops are controlled by the local government. If you want to have come control of the actions of the local cops, control the local government.
:think:

[The Straight Story]

17. Used to be a cop, so yes.

There were plenty of sick wackos we dealt with day to day.

It is a stressful job having to deal with some of those folks. 'Nuff said. I am pondering my own post on it all, from the cop perspective. Good OP though, and worth discussing.

[hedgehog]

19. I think you should make that post.

I read through the replies this morning and saw that people are starting to think. My thinking is that most of the time, the police officer knows what is going on and is doing the best he or she can in a bad situation. Someone who looks docile to a stranger could turn violent very abruptly, especially if there is a change in procedure such as an outsider interfering.

I think the people at Berkley Cop Watch are headed in the right direction. Something like that has to be a partnership. Community policing, if that is the proper term, is another. People and police have to be working together to weed out the bad cops. Police have to be part of the community, not outsiders. When my teen age children spent the summer working for the community theater group a few years ago, they ended up finishing at midnight still all wired up. They would go over to the local Dunkin Donuts and play cards for an hour. As a result, they got to know the local cops very well. It sounds like a joke, but it is a good thing. The police here now have a cop assigned to the high school. If he gets to know the kids, that's a good thing.



As citizens, we have a responsibility for what the police do in our name. Having a camera phone handy is a last resort. I wish just a bit of the outrage that the recent Taser incident has stirred up could be directed at what we tolerate day after day, year after year in our prisons. Once we lock people up, we are responsible for their safety, even if it means protecting them from each other.

[RoyGBiv]

18. Yesterday, actually ...

A man and woman had hidden themselves behind the enclosed dumpster area outside my office building and were exchanging meth for sexual favors. The security guard, an off-duty police officer, saw this on camera and went out to stop what was taking place. I happened to be coming back from lunch just at the time he walked out of the building. He told me what was about to take place and asked me to go inside, because he didn't know what was about to happen and didn't want me endangered, so I did and watched part of the incident on the monitor.

I actually eventually walked back out again, because I felt I needed to inform the guard I saw people coming that would soon be walking through the parking lot, and saw some of what took place in person. (This office is located near neighborhood where the residents don't tend to own vehicles, and people use our lot as a shortcut from the main street to the residential area behind it.)

He was very professional, even respectful given the circumstances. He handcuffed the individuals without incident and called the local PD to come pick them up, and he even slightly loosened the cuffs on the woman when she complained of pain. The guy had a warrant out for him on other charges (severe ones), and the woman was simply arrested for prostitution and possession of CDS. It was uncomfortable watching this, for reasons I can't fully describe, but the behavior of the guard and on-duty officers was, to my mind, exemplary.

I only wish that were the case in all situations.

[Robb]

22. Good story

I work with cops quite a bit. Arguably small-town LE, but still.

Every day a few dozen interactions with the public, every one with the potential to go south for an infinite number of reasons. And what I see, when I watch it all, is a lot of care and consideration. And a willingness to escalate two steps beyond the civilian if it calls for it.

I also hear a lot of terrible talk back at HQ. Cops will say awful things in private. But really, it's no worse than what ER docs and EMTs say among one another. The difference is, of course, cops are under a spotlight in a different way, largely because of their authority.

If the general public heard half the comments made on any given ambulance, you'd never visit medical professionals again. :D

[TexasLady]

23. my son, right after his wedding

he had been married about two weeks, and was stopped for a minor traffic violation. I got a frantic call from his wife, and my H and I were asked to come to the scene, just a few miles up the road, so one of us could drive his car.(D inlaw didnt have a license.)

Son was in cuffs, I asked the officer why, and he said that there was a warrant. Come to find out that he hadnt paid a 26 dollar remainder on an old ticket, and his license was suspended. He had no idea, because he had just moved back into the state. I taught my son to always yessir and nosir a cop, and it must have paid off. The cop uncuffed him, and said he didnt want to send my son to jail for six months over 26 bucks. Cop told me that he was well mannered and calm. Well Thank GOD

With a promise not to drive until it was cleared up, we drove him and his wife, and their car back to the house. Son kept promise, and is doing fine.

Its not much fun seeing your child in custody. Im thankful it all turned out well.

Also, I notice around our small town, its mostly older cars that get pulled over. I guess they figure older cars mean less chance of insurance, tags etc..

[No Exit]

24. Lots of times.

The most important thing to know about being arrested is that you must keep your cool--because the police arresting you may not be calm. Young people, especially males, should be told this over and over again. Since the arresting officers may be running on high adrenalin, one should at least try to promote a calmer atmosphere--because that makes them less likely to harm (or even kill) the arrestee.

If one is arrested, he/she should keep this thought in the forefront: "This is temporary. Things will be better soon. Let's get this over with."

Of course, the above is not the case for anyone who knows he/she has committed murder--or for someone who is kidnapped off a street as a "terrorist". But, um, most U.S. arrestees don't fall into one of those categories.

And yes, I have been arrested.

[hedgehog]

25. I think all young males need a survival course.

Your comment about remaining calm and non-belligerent when faced with arrest reminds me of an incident in college. I was taking a Judo/self defense course. After class one time, all the guys bunched up around the really muscled teacher and asked which moves to use if confronted in a bar. He looked around and said "Guys, I start by staying out of the bars where that kind of thing happens!"

[No Exit]

29. Smart guy!

Unfortunately, though, there seems to be something in the makeup of young men which sometimes makes them feel like "getting into it".
Some of them work this aggression off with verbal fireworks. Smart.

Anyway, I think a cop who is responding to a call or a stop probably has extra adrenalin pumping. That alone makes the cop somewhat dangerous. And it's not worth it to antagonize a dangerous person over some small offense and the ensuing arrest. Maybe if more people understood that you can make bail, they would stay calmer. (Um, unless they're drunk. That's certainly a problem!)

[treestar]

26. I would not interfere unless there was really something wrong about it

I would assume they are doing the right thing until they gave me reason to believe they were abusing their power, then I would do what I could, within reason. At least get their name and badge number and make a comment to them. Most certainly make sure the victim got my name as a witness.

They have to know that they don't just do whatever they want.