Portage County Sheriff's Department....Ohio

[Bill]

YouTube

Couple calls cops for help after strange people keep coming to their house in the middle of the night. Cops demand ID's from complaining couple, who are calm, and both tell the same story. Husband won't ID, cops leave in a huff, but not before running the plates on the cars, then noting on their police CAD system that the husband is "HOSTILE TO LAW ENFORCEMENT." And of course, they don't bother to look for the car that the actual suspicious trespassers were driving.

Bish, the homeowners called you for help, and your 'help' is to run the people that called you for warrants and then, butthurt that they are law abiding, to label them as dangerous, so the next cop that comes along also treats them like crap?

[dvarapala]

Isn't it the law that you must identify yourself to a peace officer when asked? In any event, what's the objection to doing so?

[Bill]

Originally Posted by dvarapala

Isn't it the law that you must identify yourself to a peace officer when asked? In any event, what's the objection to doing so?

Even in a stop and ID state, which Texas is not, thankfully, an officer has to have at least reasonable suspicion a person he wants to ID has committed, is committing, or is about to commit, a crime. The cops didn't have any of that, and I don't blame him for not wanting to give ID. Why would he? How would it benefit him? We see what the cop did when he learned the guy's name from the license plate.....he checked the guy for warrants, THEN he added a derogatory note about the guy to the sheriff's department computer system.

Guy says he doesn't trust the police, the police prove exactly why he shouldn't trust them....self fulfilling prophecy. They had the wife's information as a complainant, they should have looked for the car that she reported. Instead, they conspired to **** over the husband and chose NOT to even try to look for the car.

[dvarapala]

Originally Posted by bill_daniels

Even in a stop and ID state, which Texas is not, thankfully, an officer has to have at least reasonable suspicion a person he wants to ID has committed, is committing, or is about to commit, a crime. The cops didn't have any of that, and I don't blame him for not wanting to give ID. Why would he?

The guy is an idiot. What negative result could possibly come from telling your name to the cop that you called to your home? I have occasionally had to call the cops because of sketchy behavior in the park across the street late at night; sometimes the dispatcher asks for my name and even my phone number. I have never refused to provide that information, and I have never suffered any negative consequences from doing so. You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.

In any event, the cop knows where he lives and could very easily discover the names of every resident of that home, so his attempt to hide his identity accomplished exactly nothing. And the original problem he called the police about wasn't solved either. Brilliant.

Was he required to identify himself? Apparently not.
Should the cop have been more professional and investigated the incident anyway? Absolutely. Clearly there was asinine behavior on both sides. But had this guy been reasonable instead of combative things undoubtedly would have turned out very differently (and we wouldn't be having this conversation).

[Bluescorvette]

Slippery Slope...

[Mike Mercury]

Couple calls cops for help after strange people keep coming to their house in the middle of the night

one reason to ask for ID is to determine if the person at the door could be one of the reported "strange people"... while the real homeowner is tied up in the basement.

Caller is a dunce.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Mike Mercury

one reason to ask for ID is to determine if the person at the door could be one of the reported "strange people"... while the real homeowner is tied up in the basement.

Caller is a dunce.

The officer was invited in, there was a very calm discussion about the events that transpired that matched the 9-1-1 report, and after all of that, if the officers were really unsure if the people they were talking to were actually home invaders who had the real homeowners tied up in the basement, then, well, they really should turn in their badges.



When I see crap like the original video, I'm so thankful our local guys are so decent and professional.

[theandies]

The only people that don't ID themselves when a LEO ask for it are people that have warrants or a criminal record. Why would anyone call the cops then refuse to ID themselves? This guy is a ****ing idiot.

[Steve_R]

So, are all cops bad? Most? Some? A few? Just the ones you don’t agree with?

Just defund the police, things would be so much better.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Steve_R

So, are all cops bad? Most? Some? A few? Just the ones you don’t agree with?

Just defund the police, things would be so much better.

I can objectively say that THESE two cops are bad. These two right here. The cop that threatened the homeowner with arrest? He's a bad cop, and his partner that backed his play rather than trying to deescalate things by getting his partner out of the house is a bad cop. This is further confirmed by them colluding to **** over the insolent (read: guy who simply wanted his constitutional rights respected) homeowner while refusing to investigate the reason they were there.

I've met good cops. These two are not that, and the fact that this all seemed so comfortable to them.....I have zero doubt this isn't their first rodeo. A good cop having a bad day? I would give some deference and leeway there. These guys were very comfortable and used to doing what they did.....it was a matter of routine. Neither one of them said, "Is this really what we should be doing with our time now, vs. maybe looking for the suspect car?" If there was any possible crime here, it sounds like a possible DWI driver, that they totally blew off in favor of screwing over the homeowner due to a pissing contest that they started.

[ft laud mike]

Originally Posted by dvarapala

Isn't it the law that you must identify yourself to a peace officer when asked? In any event, what's the objection to doing so?

no evidence they committed a crime, they are in their house/property
they reported unusual behavior by others, cops should go fine suspicious people not harass homeowner

[ft laud mike]

Originally Posted by theandies

The only people that don't ID themselves when a LEO ask for it are people that have warrants or a criminal record. Why would anyone call the cops then refuse to ID themselves? This guy is a ****ing idiot.

I just retired from 29 1/2 years in le, I avoid all contact with the police, but "anonymous calls" are still investigated. If the guy doesn't want to talk more than what was previously said that is his right

[zeek]

While I agree that the cop seem to take offense to the guys attitude and probably went a little too far, this video does not in any way make either of the cops "bad cops" as the OP states. Yes, the cop was wrong in threatening him with charges for not giving ID. It is very suspicious of a person to not want to identify their self, even though it is their right. I would consider running the plates myself to check for possible warrants. Adding the note of being hostile to law enforcement also was uncalled for, but still a bad cop does not make.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by zeek

While I agree that the cop seem to take offense to the guys attitude and probably went a little too far, this video does not in any way make either of the cops "bad cops" as the OP states. Yes, the cop was wrong in threatening him with charges for not giving ID. It is very suspicious of a person to not want to identify their self, even though it is their right. I would consider running the plates myself to check for possible warrants. Adding the note of being hostile to law enforcement also was uncalled for, but still a bad cop does not make.

Threatening to arrest someone for no crime = bullying, AKA official oppression. And it WAS a threat, no other way to take it. Cop threatened the victim AND his wife. Hey, you like your wife and kids? Want me to take you away from them tonight, leaving them vulnerable to the people who came here earlier? That's the threat.

How is that not a hallmark of a bad cop, especially when even you agree the doubling down and putting a negative note in the guy's 'file' was inappropriate? What, exactly, would they have to have done for you to consider them bad cops? Did they have to actually make an arrest for no crime to be bad?

Threatening unfounded arrest OK, making unfounded arrest, well, maybe that's a bit much?



Edit: For perspective, let's say that was your own son and daughter in law, and the threat of arrest was made against your own son. How would you feel about the sheriff that issued the threat?

[Mike Mercury]

Originally Posted by theandies

The only people that don't ID themselves when a LEO ask for it are people that have warrants or a criminal record. Why would anyone call the cops then refuse to ID themselves?

[69camfrk]

Originally Posted by dvarapala

Isn't it the law that you must identify yourself to a peace officer when asked? In any event, what's the objection to doing so?

You don't have to show them any form of ID. While driving is another issue, but for them to try and snag your ID for the hell of it, is not a law.

[jw38]

Originally Posted by theandies

The only people that don't ID themselves when a LEO ask for it are people that have warrants or a criminal record. Why would anyone call the cops then refuse to ID themselves? This guy is a ****ing idiot.

Bullshit. I'm a retired cop and I would never provide my identification to a cop simply because they asked me for it. There is absolutely no reason or requirement to identify yourself unless the police have reasonable, articulable suspicion that a crime has been committed, is being committed, or is about to be committed.

The cop is a douche and itbmost certainly was not obstruction.

[zeek]

Originally Posted by bill_daniels

....Edit: For perspective, let's say that was your own son and daughter in law, and the threat of arrest was made against your own son. How would you feel about the sheriff that issued the threat?

If it were my son or daughter I would ask him/her, why were you being such an asshole? The cop only requested the info for his report.

[snide]

Originally Posted by dvarapala

The guy is an idiot. What negative result could possibly come from telling your name to the cop that you called to your home? I have occasionally had to call the cops because of sketchy behavior in the park across the street late at night; sometimes the dispatcher asks for my name and even my phone number. I have never refused to provide that information, and I have never suffered any negative consequences from doing so. You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.

In any event, the cop knows where he lives and could very easily discover the names of every resident of that home, so his attempt to hide his identity accomplished exactly nothing. And the original problem he called the police about wasn't solved either. Brilliant.

Was he required to identify himself? Apparently not.
Should the cop have been more professional and investigated the incident anyway? Absolutely. Clearly there was asinine behavior on both sides. But had this guy been reasonable instead of combative things undoubtedly would have turned out very differently (and we wouldn't be having this conversation).

Do you have any outstanding warrants, or priors? If the guy in the video does, he's not going to give the cops an ID. No idea if this guy has warrants or priors, but if he did, there's his justification. He would be going downtown and the cops would not investigate the complaint.

[zeek]

Originally Posted by 69camfrk

You don't have to show them any form of ID. While driving is another issue, but for them to try and snag your ID for the hell of it, is not a law.

He wasnt trying to "snag" his ID. It was needed for the officers report. Standard procedure. Only a person guilty of something acts the way that guy did. Maybe he wasnt a criminal, may have been cheating on his wife with that woman, who knows. But guilty of something none the less....