Withholding evidence case in Seattle

[n2doc]

Local computer security expert investigates police practices
An 'urban golf' outing raises civil liberties questions

By ERIC NALDER
HEARST NEWSPAPERS

Joshua Trujillo / seattlepi.com

Using his skills as a computer security geek, Eric Rachner spent long hours at his latpop in his apartment sleuthing out what happened to the police video and audio recordings of his arrest.


A drunken street golf game with foam balls has led to a serious civil rights issue, pitting computer geeks against police practices.

Eric Rachner, a Seattle cyber security expert and one of the golf players, wasn't satisfied when the city dismissed charges against him after a possibly illegal arrest for refusing to provide identification.

Rachner discovered through sleuthing that police had withheld video-recorded evidence in his case.

Rachner also hired Seattle attorney Cleveland Stockmeyer to look at his case and probably others where arrests might have been illegal or where police claimed to have destroyed valuable arrest videos that weren't, in fact, erased.

"How many people are sitting in jail who asked for their tapes and were told no, they can't have them," says Stockmeyer. "I don't know. But I tell you we're going to freaking find out." On a Saturday night in October 2008, Rachner was one of a sizeable group of "urban golfers" who were whacking the faux ball from bar to bar on city sidewalks, alleys and parking lots, imbibing more than keeping score.


http://www.seattlepi.com/local/418746_video.html

[Angry Dragon]

1. Golf is fun, golf is fun!!!

[BadgerKid]

2. Great comments over at Slashdot

Obstruction of justice

Conspiracy to deprive a person of their civil rights under color of authority

False arrest

"obstruction of justice" is one of those "bad laws". It's a catch-all, that any cop with an agenda can twist to make whatever you happen to be doing, illegal.

According to Wikipedia, Washington does not have a "stop and identify" statute .

"Stop and Identify" laws vary by state <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_and_Identify_statutes>

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/04/22/2031222/Seattle-Hacker-Catches-Cops-Who-Hid-Arrest-Tapes