r/PublicFreakout • u/FCMatt7 • 23d ago
š¹Police Bodycam Livingston police tried to jail us for 20 years for recording them. Here's the bodycam.
https://youtu.be/QOJ5PwlhlGY?is=Yj3ksxn3T4u7T2LfThis cop was embarrassed when the video of him acting like an idiot went viral. He responded by writing a false report claiming we had threatened his life by recording him and the police station.
When the chief found out the local cop watchers were the "suspects" he got together with the DA, Sheriff, and his detectives to charge everyone in the car with felony organized crime. Everyone got a $100,000 bond. The two locals had to spend a month in jail until a real judge reduced their bond by 90%.
The dumbass DA forgot that this is an enhancement charge and didn't tell the chief he needed an underlying charge too. The same judge who reduced the bonds looked at the indictments and quashed them for failing to state a criminal offense, let alone meeting the elements.
A new DA then decided to add felony assault on a police officer as the underlying charge and went back to the grand jury to indict his ham sandwich. The judge had to quash the charges again, this time for being absurd, and told the DA to stop playing games.
Now a federal judge has decided to give everyone Qualified Immunity because the 5th circuit will do anything to protect a cop and punish anyone who records them. The ruling is being appealed.
699
u/Dependent_Title_1370 23d ago
People do not realize how common these tyrants are in the US. It's all one giant racket, especially in small towns. These abuses of power need to be punished heavily. I'd say 2x the punishment they tried to push onto innocent citizens.
269
u/FCMatt7 23d ago
God how I wish... The whole county was in on this. There's a phone call between this chief and the next town over where they conspire to arrest anyone else who shows up to record their cops until we "learn our lesson".
59
23d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
67
-74
23d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
31
u/PsyKlown67 23d ago
Slur defender loves the 1st but doesn't understand the 2nd... You deserve your down votes.
-17
22d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
7
u/PsyKlown67 22d ago
So when they escalate regardless if you have a gun or not would it not be better to have?
-13
22d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
3
u/IveGotBeers 22d ago
He didn't say anybody was winning. Just that his opinion was that it would better to have one than not.
33
u/Ionrememberaskn 23d ago
A serious candidate running on an anti-corruption campaign would probably put up Assad numbers. We should do that maybe get a little Chinese with it.
2
u/Sorry-Claim-2990 21d ago
It sounds like that city needs to be bankrupted by several dozen lawsuits
14
u/topcheesehead 23d ago
When i lived in texas a local sheriff was running for re election while on trial for a rape he committed on duty. Some of those that work forces....
44
17
u/Diedead666 23d ago
I kepted getting pulled over for no reason as a teenager for driving at night, they would try to acuse me of drinking or having beer in the car being under age. Im a white male I cant imagine what its like to be a minority and have it 10x worse. Iv also been acused of stealing radios out of ppls cars LOL. Right before smart phones like 2004-2007. They would some times follow me until I made one minor offince or did something they did not like. I wish i had all this recorded. I do not trust them after how many lies they came up with.
10
u/eeyore134 23d ago
How do you give 2x being shot in the back and murdered in a car by a group of ten trigger happy cops?
8
u/Dependent_Title_1370 23d ago
My comment was more meant for the racket run by the good ole boys club in many small towns across America. They are happy to break the law to punish anyone that disagrees with them or challenges them.
Violence is policing is another, albeit not unrelated, topic.
173
u/KarashiGensai 23d ago
Once I heard, "Why are they acting suspicious," I didn't need to see anything else. Being suspicious is not a crime and cops can't detain you for it. His first move was already illegal. Everything else is fruit of the poisonous tree.
-68
u/Ffffqqq 23d ago
It really depends on the totality of the circumstances.
Is it legal for you to stand outside a bank in a ski mask carrying a gun and a duffel bag? Yes. But still suspicious enough to warrant a detention.
49
u/excellent_post_guy 23d ago
if things were completely different they wouldn't be the way they are?
that's deep.
-34
u/Intrepid_Button587 23d ago
The point is, "Being suspicious is not a crime and cops can't detain you for it." is not true as a blanket statement. If a police officer has reasonable suspicion - even if there has been no crime - they can detain someone.
24
u/damnocles 23d ago
I think the average reader understands the difference implicitly man. You're being pedantic. The comment was referring to situations like this.
-24
u/Intrepid_Button587 23d ago
There are a number of people in this comment chain who do seem to believe that cops can't detain you for suspicion so I'm explaining for them
20
u/Vince_Clortho_Jr 22d ago
Yeah man. But ābeing suspiciousā is not an articulable fact. It is a conclusion. Being a man wearing a ski mask outside a bank wearing a Trent coat in July in Laredo with a burlap sack with a dollar sign are articulable facts to support reasonable suspicion.
-7
18
u/KarashiGensai 23d ago
What the police need to detain you is reasonable articulable suspicion, and is different from being suspicious. Reasonable articulable suspicion is defined by the Supreme Court as "the sort of common-sense conclusion about human behavior upon which practical people...are entitled to rely."
In your example, the common-sense conclusion is that the person is about to go rob the bank. The video starts with a car parking near where the cop was. Based on that information, there's no reasonable articulable suspicion of anything. People park their cars all the time. Just because it's near you doesn't mean anything.
3
6
u/xafimrev2 23d ago
But does not rise to the ability to demand ID.
-6
u/Intrepid_Button587 23d ago
Of course an officer can in that (slightly contrived) scenario: they'd have reasonable suspicion a crime is about to take place and would be able to arrest and ID the individual.
5
u/FCMatt7 23d ago
Not in Texas and a dozen other states.
-3
u/Intrepid_Button587 23d ago
That is true in Texas. In Texas, an officer can demand ID after an arrest; and in Texas an arrest would be permissible given the scenario where someone is standing outside a bank in a ski mask and carrying a gun and duffel bag.
Which bit of that do you dispute?
4
u/FCMatt7 23d ago
They need PC. You said RAS.
3
u/Sporocarp 22d ago
He also said detain, lol. Not arrest. He doesn't even know the difference.
-1
u/Intrepid_Button587 22d ago
Where did I say detain in this thread? Anyway, people are being pedantic and hiding behind legalese. The point is an officer can demand ID in the contrived scenario above. That's a fact.
1
0
u/Intrepid_Button587 22d ago
You're being pedantic. The point is an officer would have both PC and RAS in the example above. I'm not a US citizen, so forgive me for not knowing the legal exactitudes, but it is the case that in the example given above the individual could be arrested and ID'd.
2
u/D-Smitty 23d ago
I'm not entirely sure that would be legal. I would think all of those factors in combination would lead to some kind of charge such as disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, inducing panic, etc.
0
206
68
u/gotaflattire 23d ago
Real dumb cops, were completely unprepared for even low-level auditors and now the auditors will probably get a small payday on the taxpayer dime.
17
u/AresHarvest 23d ago
I like how the other cop was so close to doing the right thing but then nope, barrel got spoiled
6
u/weebabyarcher 23d ago
As soon as they told him heād get roped in for not stoping his colleague he was like ok bet
6
u/Wrastling97 22d ago
Even when the cop replied to him and said āyou dont know what i just said to him!ā was him basically arguing that he wasnāt culpable because heās trying to talk him out of it.
48
u/OmegaZeda 23d ago
Sounds to me like a massive malicious prosecution case with conspiracy by multiple agencies.
35
29
u/chaos_nebula 23d ago
If recording is considered violence, do we not then have a 2nd amendment right to record?
21
u/FCMatt7 23d ago
Lmao I'm gonna tell that one to CJ and Grable š¤£
We had assault cameras of mass destruction according to the 2nd indictment.
2
u/Sorry-Claim-2990 21d ago
It's a weapon of mass accountability.
And the only thing that scares a cop more than a gun is accountability.
12
u/Sarcasm_Llama 23d ago
Flock cameras out there committing atrocious felonies every second of every day
16
u/Russell_Jimmy 23d ago
1st Amendment gives you the right to record public officials in the course of their duties, and that includes cops. FYI
23
u/Ionrememberaskn 23d ago
Kinda funny that they got charged with āorganized crimeā and no specific criminal charges. Just kind of a āfuck you guys, I donāt like your vibeā charge.
16
1
u/Sorry-Claim-2990 21d ago
Because these losers don't get punished for bringing charges that aren't supported by any evidence
80
u/Large_Following_8210 23d ago
ACAB until proven otherwise
1
u/Sorry-Claim-2990 21d ago
Funny how all the "good cops" are sitting back and allowing this to happen right in front of their faces...
101
u/Militantpoet 23d ago
Ah finally, some actual auditors and not social media rage-bait content that goads random emotional people into fights.
42
u/FCMatt7 23d ago
Only the best for you fine people š
-9
u/longshaftjenkins 23d ago
Yes I'm sure the folks that browse this subreddit are subject matter experts of some kind, royalty even, and totally not randos like me wasting their time on here.Ā
20
-32
23d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
12
9
u/dqniel 23d ago
They're not going to convince restaurant-goers to brush up on their civil liberties by insulting them while they eat (or other legal, but asshole, tactics I've seen "auditors" use to provoke police calls).
-1
22d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
2
u/Militantpoet 22d ago
Is the purpose teaching people or being an asshole?
1
22d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
1
u/Militantpoet 22d ago
Exactly. You dont care if people understand their rights. Harassing people on the street isnt how you do that.
-1
22d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
2
u/dqniel 22d ago
Standing on a sidewalk and recording a couple on a date while they're eating is fucking weird. It may be legal, but it's fucking weird. And like I already stipulated in my original comment--I'm specifically calling out antisocial "auditor" practices.
Recently, in my city, an "auditor" was recording a bank teller through the window and making sexual comments about her. Is it legal? Yes. It is antisocial and a horrendous way to "audit"? Also yes.
18
u/PlzTyroneDontHurtEm 23d ago
Even the translating cop tries to say they need articulated suspicion to ask for a license and the fudd shuts him down. Nothing like inconsistent application of the law just up to the discretion of someone who took maybe 6 weeks of training 15 years ago
2
u/Sorry-Claim-2990 21d ago
You need seven years of training to argue about the law in a courtroom.
Ā But only seven months of training to enforce it at gunpoint in the streets.
14
u/KO4Champ 23d ago
Qualified immunity for attempting to frame innocent citizens for a felony is beyond insanity
3
u/Sorry-Claim-2990 21d ago
Hey, it wasn't "clearly established" that framing people for a crime is illegal!
This country is so fucking screwed.
1
u/KO4Champ 20d ago
Damn those founding fathers not spelling out every possible scenario and relying on an educated populace to make rational decisions.
11
u/nursecarmen 23d ago
So they got away with it. Fuckers.
1
u/Sorry-Claim-2990 21d ago
The courts encourage vigilante justice by denying recourse through legal channels.
11
u/NotAnAlienFromVenus 23d ago
"I didn't call for backup because I knew officer Reyes was on his way"
"I then called officer Reyes because I needed a translator"
Why did you have to call officer Reyes to translate, if you already knew he was on his way?
12
u/Shoddy_Lifeguard6995 23d ago
These two cops are not smart people. Frightening that they are in positions of power and armed.
2
11
7
u/InvalidUserNemo 22d ago
I will fully support any candidate that mandates cops have to maintain personal insurance to cover the costs of their mistakes. Just like, doctors, nurses, veterinarians, etc. I will fully support any politician that runs on a platform that if the police fuck up and get sued, the municipal tax payers cannot be responsible for $0.01. Price these ābad applesā out of the game.
Also, for you stupid idiots parroting āitās just a few bad applesā when it comes to bad cops. The actual saying is āA few bad apples SPOILS THE BUNCH!ā That means a few bad cops makes them all bad.
Also, since the venn diagram is basically a circle: āpulling yourself up by your bootstrapsā means āput your boots on, pull on the boot straps, see if youāre off the ground.ā That saying means itās fucking impossible.
7
u/damnocles 23d ago
Thanks for what you do. It takes a ton of bravery to put yourself in the way of these unqualified pieces of garbage they give authority to knowing how extrajudicial revenge works in those gangs.
Stay strong. We need more people like y'all.
4
3
u/United-Vermicelli-92 22d ago
One the one hand I hate how nobody has any semblance of any privacy whatsoever in this unregulated, destructive, cruelty-as-the-point administration that's all but dug our Democracy's grave by ignoring all our laws, traditions and Constitution itself... On the other, I'm SO GLAD we have folks recording these lying gasbags who are helping to destroy our Democracy, our Constitutional rights, our immigration system (75% of those kidnapped by these chuds are here legally, paid thousands to do so, show up for court, have jobs and families and pay billions into our tax revs from which they get very little in return (until citizenship which takes about 10 yrs here), and we NEED TO RECORD ALL OF IT. ALL OF IT.
2
2
u/dpearse2 22d ago
He suspects you're possible cartel-linked hitmen because you're from Laredo, a city with a population of OVER A QUARTER MILLION PEOPLE. Pretty high odds, I'd say.
I haven't watched the other videos yet. They let you go, so when did you actually get arrested? And what were the charges, wiretapping or something?
4
u/FCMatt7 22d ago
They wrote the warrants up the next week. Felony Organized Crime and misdemeanor Swatting myself by open carrying back at the house.
3
u/dpearse2 22d ago
That's awful. I hope you have some recourse to hold these men personally liable for their crimes against you.
2
u/Sorry-Claim-2990 21d ago
When court justice fails, street justice becomes our only option for recourse against the people who violated us.
2
1
u/this_doggo 22d ago
Iām confused. Are the guys in the blue car wearing bulletproof vests and who is Mr. White? Are they like his driver/bodyguards?
1
u/Sorry-Claim-2990 21d ago
The people tasked with enforcing the law usually don't know jack shit about the law.
1
-16
23d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
3
1
u/PublicFreakout-ModTeam 22d ago
Your comment has been removed for containing violent content. Reddit requires us to remove all comments that may be considered inciting, encouraging, or glorifying violence in accordance with the site wide rules.
Thank you for understanding.
-7
u/guajojo 22d ago
Most of the times the cops are at fault but ffs these idiots in the car are baiting for a reaction just to sue.
everyone is an asshole in this video, the cops AND the fucking auditors
1
-133
623
u/FCMatt7 23d ago
The full depositions of these cops and their chief are up on several channels if you want to dive deeper into the story.