Dash Cam Footage Undermines Texas State Rep’s Claim He Was Treated ‘Like A Boy’ During Traffic Stop

A Texas state representative’s recent claim that he was mistreated by a sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop last month because of his race is coming under scrutiny after the release of dash cam video from the incident.

During a House committee hearing last week to discuss the recent arrest of Sandra Bland in Waller County, Texas, Democrat chairman Garnet Coleman shared a story about a recent encounter with police in which he said the officer treated him “like a boy.”

“He talked to me like I was a child,” Coleman said, describing the July 14 traffic stop on Interstate 10 in Austin County. “He was so rude and nasty. Even when he found out I was a legislator, he became more rude and nasty. And I didn’t understand why this guy was continuing to go on and on and treat me like a child. And basically like I’m saying is treat me like a boy. I want to be very clear about that.”

Coleman, who is black and represents a district in Houston, said he was stopped while speeding while driving from Austin, the state capital, to his hometown.

But what he did not say is that not only did the officer who pulled him over treat him cordially, but he even let the lawmaker off with a mere warning, even though he was driving 94 miles per hour in a 75 mph speed zone.

The Austin County sheriff’s department released video of the traffic stop Tuesday. Houston’s KHOU first reported the footage from the stop.

The nine-minute video shows a sheriff’s deputy pulling Coleman over on the highway and approaching the politician’s vehicle from the passenger side.

“How you doing?” the deputy asks.

“All right. How are you?” Coleman responds.

“Pretty good. What’s the rush?” the deputy asks.

“I’m just trying to go home,” Coleman says.

“You can’t do 94 miles an hour, though,” the deputy tells Coleman, who responds, saying he didn’t realize he was going that fast.

Coleman then informed the deputy that he is a state representative. The deputy politely said he already knew that because of the vehicle’s state representative license plates. The deputy also said that Coleman had a previous speeding violation in Wharton County.

“Mr. Coleman, I’ll let you go with a warning,” the deputy tells Coleman. “This is the same thing Wharton County did with you last year.”

“Yeah, like I said. They didn’t give me a ticket,” Coleman responds.

“If Wharton County had given you a ticket and I gave you a ticket today you’d lose your driver’s license on points,” the deputy says.

He added: “Stop speeding in a state car, OK? You got state plates on here, man. It’s a state official plate. You realize how bad that looks?”

Coleman said that he understood but that “the speed got away” from him.

According to KHOU, part of the exchange after that is inaudible, though Coleman can be heard telling the deputy, “but I’m not a child.”

“I didn’t say you were a child,” the deputy responds. “I’m just trying to make you understand.”

“I appreciate what you’re doing,” Coleman replies.

“OK, just slow down some, OK?” the deputy says.

“I just wasn’t paying attention,” Coleman responds.

“Well, pay attention,” the deputy says while chuckling.

Austin County sheriff Jack Brandes said that the video “shows exactly what happened.”

“I saw nothing that indicated that he put forth any disrespect whatsoever,” Brandes said of the sheriff’s deputy.

Austin County borders Waller County on the west. That’s where 28-year-old Sandra Bland was stopped last month by a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper. Bland was arrested on charges of assaulting an officer after a scuffle with the trooper. Dash cam video from that stop indicated that in that case, the trooper mistreated Bland. She died in Waller County jail three days later after she allegedly hanged herself in her jail cell.

Via: Daily Caller

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Sheriff’s Association Head Mocks Obama’s Call For ‘Soft Look’ Cop Uniforms

BALTIMORE — National Sheriffs’ Association President Danny Glick took offense to President Obama’s recommendation that American law enforcement wear “soft look” uniforms during large protests.

“The respect factor between law enforcement and this administration has eroded to the point that it has been recommended by them that we need to ‘soften our uniforms’ to be more acceptable to the public we serve,” Glick said during his speech to sheriffs attending the association’s annual summer conference Thursday night. He brought out a tan Kevlar vest with a fuzzy boa attached to the straps of the vest and a red target on the back.

“So here is the ‘softer uniform’ they’ve requested,” he said, displaying the modified vest. “This administration thinks this is what will work to solve the issues they have deemed important when in truth this is what they’ve done to us.”

Glick is the sheriff in Laramie, Wyo.

A White House panel released a report in March calling for officers to implement “a layered response to mass demonstrations that prioritize de-escalation and a guardian mindset.”

“These policies could include plans to minimize confrontation by using ‘soft look’ uniforms, having

officers remove riot gear as soon as practical, and maintaining open postures,” the task force wrote.

“I would present to you that this administration is looking through a glass rather than in a mirror when they are pointing a finger at sheriffs and law enforcement in general to blame for the issues confronting them today,” he said. The administration has “interjected a very dangerous addition into our profession — politics.”

Glick later told The Daily Caller, “If you want to have an important dialogue, invite us to the table, we’re willing to sit down, just like I said — anywhere have a discussion. If it’s an argument, fine, but we would prefer to come to a consensus where everybody benefits rather than just inflammatory statements being made.”

Via: Daily Caller

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Citizens take law into own hands after cash-strapped Ore. county guts sheriff's office

When budget woes reduced the sheriff's department in one rural Oregon county to a bare-bones force, residents decided to take matters into their own hands -- creating armed patrol groups in defiance of local officials. 

Their decision has raised safety concerns with the county government, which would prefer residents instead hike their own taxes to fund the hiring of trained deputies. But despite the risks, the move stands as a unique, some would say innovative, response to one of the country's most severe local budget crunches. 

The government in Josephine County, where nearly 70 percent of the land is owned by the U.S. government, had long relied on federal timber subsidies to pay the bills. When the feds terminated the funds, county officials scrambled to pass a May 2012 tax levy to make up a nearly $7.5 million budget shortfall.

However, the county's residents voted against the levy, and as a result the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office was gutted. The major crimes unit closed, dozens of prisoners were released from the county jail and the department reduced operations to Monday-Friday, eight hours a day.

The Sheriff’s Office then issued a press release announcing their deputies would only be responding to what they deemed “life-threatening situations.”

Ken Selig -- who was the longest-serving law enforcement officer in all three local agencies when he was forced to retire from the department due to cuts -- told FoxNews.com he found the sheriff’s declaration unacceptable. And he felt compelled to guard his community’s vulnerable members.

Vis Fox News Politics

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Joe Arpaio Restricts Unpatriotic Inmates To Diet Of Bread, Water

Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio has issued a bold threat to any unpatriotic inmates in his jails.

According to CBS5, Arpaio is threatening to put any inmates who deface or vandalize the American flag on a diet of only bread and water. Arpaio told CBS5 10 inmates are already on the bread-and-water diet.

CBS5 reports:

Each cell is getting a sticker of an American flag. Any inmate who vandalizes the flag will be punished with the restricted diet.

In keeping with the patriotic theme, Arpaio has ordered that the playing of God Bless America and the National Anthem be done daily in every jail facility over the public address system and for all the inmates, regardless of national origin, to hear and sing-a-long.

This isn't Arpaio's first questionable move regarding inmates' diets. In March 2013, Arpaio announced he would start charging inmates $1 per meal. In September, he announced plans to transition all inmates to a cost-saving vegetarian diet.

Arpaio has a history of stirring controversy with his treatment of Maricopa County inmates. He's been criticized for making prisoners wear pink underwear and ordering his deputies to stay armed at all times -- even while off duty.

Via: Huffington Post

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CO SHERIFF: 'SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIRE REPRESENTATIVES WHO IGNORE CONSTITUENTS'

When El Paso County, Colorado Sheriff Terry Maketa spoke to Breitbart News on September 4, he said "constituents should be able to fire representatives who ignore constituents."

Just hours before, Maketa attended a rally where he lent his voice "to citizens fighting for their constitutional rights through the recall process." 

Speaking to Breitbart News, Maketa made it clear that he understands Coloradans' frustration with the new gun control laws: "If you look at it from the macro-level, these laws did not deliver what was promised." 

"Number one--they were passed under the promise that they would prevent another Aurora or Sandy Hook but there is no validity to that statement," he explained. 

"Number two--these laws were not born in Colorado. Rather, they are just a copy of what NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others are trying to do all around the country," Maketa said. "Number three--the laws are unenforceable. They ban 'high capacity' magazines purchased after the laws went into effect on July 1, but provide no mechanism for knowing which magazines were in fact owned or transferred prior to that date."

"Also, the rules of possession at a length of 72 hours mean that if your firearm is out of your possession for more than 72 hours you have to do a background check to get it back," Maketa revealed. "I have a friend in Special Forces, and what this rule means for him is that each time he's deployed and leaves his gun with this fiance, she has to have an initial background check and then another background check every 30 until he returns in order to keep possession of the firearms."

"This is just one more burden on a man who is fighting for our country," Maketa said.

Via: Breitbart

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