This may be the first recorded instance of a cop being a punk and a kid being a righteous authority figure: Video here.
The cop is a dick and should be reprimanded if not fired outright. I know I don’t want him walking around with a gun and a badge. The kid should be given a new HD camera and a scholarship to law school.
Google should give this kid a new pair of their Google Glasses!
I saw this on the local Las Vegas news today - and happy to see they are checking to find that officer.
The kid was very respectful and asking a valid question. Was this a heinous crime - parking on the sidewalk? No. But why did the officer feel he had the right to do so and he could have said, “I need to be able to move out quickly in an emergency.” or whatever. Instead, he immediately resorts to asking this kid for an ID? Why?
It does sort of show the attitude of entitlement that some police officers have - they can park and do things simply because they are wearing that uniform. After all - what are you going to do about it, call the police?
A simple little video that kind of speaks volumes.
I agree. The kid was simply asking a legitimate question. The cop was acting like an entitled, arrogant douche. Here’s hoping he’s reprimanded and learns a lesson here.
Unfortunately, I doubt that will happen. This attitude seems entrenched among a certain subset of officers. Here’s hoping that it’s an individual, rather than institutional attitude in this case.
I really appreciate the work done and sacrifices made by law enforcement. Unfortunately, the attitude displayed by this jerk of an officer is all too common and tarnishes the reputation of all law enforcement.
Looks like it might be an issue of culture in the department. A quick search immediately turned up this story about a cop who rear-ended a motorcyclist threatening and intimidating the rider. Thankfully the incident is under investigation and no one was hurt.
Because he was caught doing something stupid, and he was embarrassed. Instead of making something up or admitting he shouldn’t have done it, he went the bully route. Nice.
I hate to defend the guy, but I hardly think he was being a bully. He was being a bully about at much as the kid was. He was just asking the kid a question; no raised voice. Furthermore, not everyplace has a requirement that a policeman has to show his badge. No he shouldn’t have parked on the sidewalk, but the video doesn’t really show where he parked.
Then don’t defend the guy. There’s a world of difference between a citizen, no matter their age, asking a police officer for their name and badge number and a police officer asking a citizen for their ID. It gets ludicrous when a police officer isn’t just asking for a citizen to identify themselves, but is instead asking an obviously minor child for identification, which minor children do not, as a rule, have. There is almost no time that a police officer is “just asking a question”, and to pretend that this officer was doing so innocently is ridiculous.
I didn’t really see any bullying either, but he wasn’t doing his job well. And the kid sounds like a smartass too, I predict his attitude will change the hard way. In the mean time give the cop a slap on the wrist.
The officer is fishing for a reason to harass the kid: asks for ID, asks what he’s doing there, accuses him of loitering, etc.
What did the kid say or do that makes you say he “sounds like a smartass”?
In one township near where I live, it’s quite normal to see police driving at least 30 MPH over the speed limit on the highway.
I agree with all of the above. There’s a reason why the cop resorted to badgering the kid for ID and asking his “business,” even going so far as telling him he’s not conducting any business now. Overall, there’s really not that big a deal about them parking on the sidewalk, even to just get coffee, but don’t be a douche to little kids (No matter how ‘smart’ mouthed you think they are - besides, does this guy not realize that things are usually black and white to children? Especially if they look up to you and expect better behavior.) when they wonder why you don’t have to follow the se rules as everyone else.
What was the kid gonna do with the badge number, anyway? Issue a citizens arrest or something? Let’s waste more city time and taxes.
The kid was a *fucking Troll. *
The cop was just playing the kid’s game asking about his ID. And the kid’s a smartass because he opened by asking the cop is there was some sort of emergency that required him to park on the sidewalk. The kid isn’t a cop, he’s not a 60 Minutes reporter, and it’s stupid to confront someone with a gun over something unimportant. It may be perfectly legitimate for the cop to park on the sidewalk based on his own discretion. If some kid started talking to me that way I’d smartass him right back. I think the cop should have handled it differently, but this is no exposé of police corruption, and the kid should have been more polite.
:dubious:
What a completely silly thing to say or think. He’s a Law Enforcement Officer, not a thug.
I’m always polite when speaking to someone armed with a gun. I don’t find that silly. I’m also polite when speaking to police officers in general. They have a difficult job, and if they’re not harassing me I won’t do anything to make their job more difficult.
I think the idea of “he could’ve gotten himself shot” says something disturbing about the general opinion of police culture (meaning the culture OF police departments) in America, if nothing else.
I agree completely. One thing I’ve noticed while travelling to other countries is how different the attitude is of most police.
Actually, it’s a cop being a punk and a kid thinking he’s a righteous authority figure.
Police park ‘illegally’ when getting things like food because they’re always on duty. They have to respond to emergencies, and the person harmed when the cop has to run 2 blocks to his legally parked car is the person who needs help right away.
I suppose an accident victim won’t mind waiting an extra minute or two for the police to arrive, that’s the price of an orderly society.
It would have been nice if the cop decided not to be a douche and explain why he parked where he did, but that wouldn’t have made good YouTube fodder.
It just says that people with common sense are cautious around guns.
Agreed. The officer might have been vaguely wrong (and for all we know he might have/ had a legitimate reason to park there), and the boy was essentially a smartass.
Nothing really interesting, really wrong, or really worth either congratulations or blame on either side.