Man 'Tests' Whether Florida Deputies Will Uphold His Right To Film -- They Fail Miserably

Chris | InformationLiberation
Jul. 31, 2013

In this video out of Macclenny, Florida a man "testing" how much respect the local Baker County sheriff’s have for the first amendment took his camera to their HQ and began to casually film. Two sheriff's deputies are seen immediately showing up to greet him, but rather than ask how they can "serve" him, they choose instead to harass him and treat him as a potential criminal, possibly someone plotting a jailbreak.

Despite not having any actually reasonable "reasonable suspicion," they first illegally detain him and second illegally searching him. A bevy of officers are seen gathering around to support their fellow deputies in their harassment, and note, not one of them is a "good cop" who steps in to point out their demands are ridiculous and the deputies should stop with the harassment, instead they all turn a blind eye.

One of the many deputies to show up apparently sees a shiny object in his pocket, and he whispers to another deputy who then goes to search him. The man informs the deputy he doesn't consent to any searches.

"It doesn't matter if you don't consent," the sheriff's deputy tells him (in effect, summing up his entire job in a single sentence).

He "suspects" him of having a weapon, so he can do whatever he likes.

Theoretically, cops are supposed to have to have "reasonable suspicion" to search someone and/or detain them, merely filming a sheriff's department from a public street is hardly reason to suspect criminal activity, nonetheless "law enforcement officers" don't follow the law, and judges almost never hold them to it, so like the deputy said, your desire to not be violated "doesn't matter."

The deputy shoves his hand into the man's pocket without his consent... and pulls out a flashlight.

America is safe at last!

After illegally detaining the man for an unspecified extended period of time, the sheriff's supervisor shows up and asks him what he's doing, he says he's "just getting some pictures of the fallen officers memorial" (laugh), and the supervisor, who up to this point was the only one acting in any way "professional," immediately says he's free to go. I guess he's the only one of these deputies who actually knows the law, or cares enough about it to actually follow it, it's too bad his underlings couldn't show this man the same basic level of respect.

Incidentally, all these deputies salaries are paid for by taxpayers such as the man in this video they are seen harassing, is there anyone out there gullible enough to believe this man is being "served" by these deputies as opposed to intimidated and bullied by them? Would anyone voluntarily pony up the cash, to the tune of millions of dollars, to employ these deputies to sit around for an hour and harass people like this man?

Most law enforcers these days are not "protecting and serving the public," they're operating a protection racket and serving themselves on the backs of the public -- there's a difference.

HT: Carlos Miller
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Chris runs the website InformationLiberation.com, you can read more of his writings here. Follow infolib on twitter here.