A seven-second long video uploaded to YouTube on Saturday morning captured a man asserting his rights, and an officer actually respecting those rights, even as the man called him a scumbag.
This just may be the fastest we have ever seen a cop get shut down.
“Sir, what do you got in your bag?” An officer asks.
“None of your f*cking business, that’s what I’ve got in the bag.” The man asserts as he films the encounter.
“Alright,” the officer concedes, as he begins to walk away.
“Honor your oath scumbag!” The man filming throws in for good measure.
As awesome as it is to watch a cop get shutdown so easily, the most incredible part of all of this just may be the officer’s reaction. He didn’t puff out his chest and make threats or harass the man further, he accepted the refusal and walked away. It is a sad sign of the times that an officer respecting someone’s rights is noteworthy.
In 2014, the Civilian Complaint Review Board investigated 42 cases of individuals recording the NYPD over the course of just six months. In 27 of those cases, the police were accused of reacting inappropriately to the camera presence.
Earlier this week we reported on one of those videos which has just been released. The footage captured the NYPD officers lying in their police report, as the entire incident was captured on three surveillance cameras.
The surveillance footage incriminated the officers after they viciously assaulted a man for filming while one of the police officers got too handsy during a stop and frisk on the man’s female friend. After falsely arresting the man, they proceeded to throw the phone that he was using out of their vehicle window before driving away.
Know your rights, and always film the police. These interactions can be a deadly game of Russian Roulette. With a camera present, however, officers are often on their best behavior – especially with the ease in which these officers can be made famous from a simple YouTube clip.
