Jerks in the Night

I think most folks have seen this, right?

Synopsis:

Kid has what seems to be a blingmobile decked out with a video camera and sound recording gear. He rolls by a cop into a commuter lot in the middle of the night. Cop lights him up to check him out. Kid seems to be defensive (but legal AFAIK) in his responses to the cop. Cop orders kid out of the car - a tiny bit of garbled vocal from the kid. And the cop goes off. He's yelling. Threatening to find or make up something to run the kid in on. Kid posts video on the net.

What Else May or May not be true:

The kid is supposedly a troll - he has been trying to bait cops into confrontations in order to capture just such a video. I cant seem to find anything else about the cop other than he has been suspended pending an investigation.

What is Obvious From the Tape:

This is a brief slice of time. We dont know what has gone on before the tape starts. We dont know what relationship these two might have had before. And I cant tell what might have been said that was garbled before the cop went apeshit. I'll leave that to your imagination.

My Thoughts:

A simple fact of life is that people can be assholes. Actually, everyone has asshole moments. Cops included. Lord knows I have had my share of encounters with cops who are either having a shitty day or a shitty life. And I am certainly guilty of occasional periods of prickishness. Yes cops are held to a higher standard. But imagine having to inform a family that thier child is dead just before this encounter? Imagine having to deal with some real scumbag in a physical confrontation just before this encounter? Yes, in a perfect world with perfect Police Officers, this wouldnt happen. But they are human like the rest of us. And as citizens, we simply dont have carte blanche to be shitty to anyone. We do have certain rights, but with them come responsibilities. And common decency.

Armchair Quarterbacking:

The kid - "Kid" my ass. He is supposedly 20. That's an adult age in this society. And able to assume all adult rights and responsibilities except for alcohol consumption and becoming President. Yes we have rights as citizens. And I am ALL for exercising those rights. In this case, DL and registration gotta be handed over on request. From that point on - "Am I free to go" and "I do not consent to any searches" are all that need to come out of your mouth. If you want to share more with the officer, that is up to you. I dont recommend it. But sometimes a little bit of cooperation goes a long ways. Example: A couple weeks ago I was parked on the shoulder near the intersection where my house sits. We have been having lots of troubles with reckless driving there. I decided to sit a while after work and note down plate numbers of offenders. THis is what the sheriff told me to do to help them. Well I guess I made someone nervous because in about 15 minutes, a sheriff pulled in behind me. I turned off the truck. I put both hands on the wheel. Now when the deputy approached me, I *could* have just pulled the name, rank, serial number routine. I was perfectly within my rights to do so. However I informed him what I was doing and pointed out my home right across the street. Done. Sorted. He even spent half an hour patrolling the area looking for the pricks that have been tearing up the intersection. So it boils down to - if you are looking for a confrontation, you *will* get one. Mouthing off is *never* a good idea. First it antagonizes someone whom it does no earthly good to antagonize. Second, you may well end up giving him the rope he needs to hang you with. Just as a cop sizes you up in the first few seconds of an encounter, you have to do the same. When in doubt, be polite but say nothing.

The Cop - Dude, if your fuse is going, call for help. I know it is probably against some sort of unwritten macho rule to ask for it. But hey, if you are on the edge, get a calmer officer to back you up. As a citizen, I would be grateful for it. As a professional, you should be too. I know you all are trained from birth to always be in control and dominate a situation. But sometimes the best way to control the situation is to turn it over to someone else. Yes there are assholes out there just looking for you to blow your stack. So help each other out, huh? I dont mean hiding behind the Blue Wall. I mean keeping each other sane as well as safe. And if you do blow a gasket at me, man-up and apologize. I understand. I have lost my cool. And I have apologized for it.