A story from ABC News says that police in Aurora, CO were looking for a bank robbery suspect. It says they had a “reliable” tip that the thief was stopped at a red light. They descended on the intersection and stopped all traffic.
Not having a description of the bank robber, not even gender, they went car to car, made everyone get out and handcuffed all adults. They asked permission to search their cars.
Wasn’t that nice of them?
In such a position, surrounded by police with your hands cuffed behind you, perhaps young children in the back seat, would you say no? Would you be just a little bit intimidated?
They got their man. “It’s hard to say what normal is in a situation like this when you haven’t dealt with a situation like this,” (Police Officer Frank) Fania said. “The result of the whole ordeal is that it paid off. We have arrested and charged a suspect.”
Really Officer Fania? As a police officer you can’t say what’s “normal?” You were comfortable with handcuffing dozens of people whose crime was sitting at a red light? You never had a class in the police academy about the rights of citizens and what constitutes a legal search?
Folks, if we don’t protect our rights, the government will take them away. It’s the nature of the beast. And our beast is devouring ours at record speed (think TSA.) It’s time to wake up and pay attention.
Before it’s too late.
June 5th, 2012 at 5:38 am
Government always sees how far they can go and when they get there, it then becomes “precedent”.
Like Kathy, I am horrified that any police force could ever believe it is proper to restrain everyone at a stop light “just in case” one of them might be a robber. Every time we turn around, the fourth amendment is being ignored due to some war: the war on terror, the war on poverty, the war on drugs, or the war on bank robbers.
The next thing you know the government will be using drones to surveil us. Oh wait….
June 5th, 2012 at 8:55 am
I just saw a report on FNC that said the EPA is already using drones to spy on farmers and ranchers in order to enforce the clean water act.
Since I live in a farm community I guess on my way to work I’ll pull over on a gravel road, drop my drawers, and raise my pale, white a$$ skyward in a show of freedom of expression.
June 5th, 2012 at 9:24 am
FM-
Good idea
Maybe when I get my truck back,I’ll paint FU-EPA on the top of the cab.
The gun rack in my BMW is already drawing looks.
June 5th, 2012 at 1:28 pm
This sort of thing started back with these highway alcohol stops back in the 1970s. That old slippery slope strikes again. Soon even more so when some 18,000 drone UAVs are sold to local police departments.
June 5th, 2012 at 1:57 pm
It’s a good point, Andy. Alcohol check points are the baby version of this story. The only difference is they don’t put handcuffs on you.
Strange how liberties are always stripped by liberal governments.
June 5th, 2012 at 3:02 pm
These really sucks but stands well in positions dealing with crowds or hostage situations.
After the target has been negotiated all the hostages are checked similarly as they may be an inside source.
With what info the cops had what would the other choice be ?
Still, its a judgement call that any cop with an agenda could employ.
I doubt anyone wants a shootout at an intersection, and then theres the chase that more likely always ends bad for the bad guys
June 5th, 2012 at 3:41 pm
Now, if the police in this incident were fired, or at least disciplined, this might serve as a wake-up call. That will not happen until citizens take their rights seriously.
June 5th, 2012 at 4:31 pm
People in general take their rights and freedom for granted.
The whole idea behind the institution of this nation was to free of government and religion but with as much transparency and access to each as possible.
Instead we are slowly being taken over by moral authorities with nothing but ulterior motives attached.
When you have a system as ours where a republic must share power with a democracy(that democracy being only the electorate)there will be constant bickering until theres revolt or collapse.
And everyones gettin a little tired of everyones bullsht renditions of our constitution.
When all your communications can be monitored.
Are forced to buy government vested programs.
The press is not free but run by one party.
Our schools re-write history.
The Fed decides what products so called “free enterprise” should manufacture.
When the Fed dictates to the banks under threat of regulation, who buys the house and who doesnt.
When the states are no longer sovereign in their borders.
When progressives disguised as environmentalist create foundations for government regulation on corporate America and the POTUS says…
…at some point you’ve made enough money”
You will see revolt or collapde
June 5th, 2012 at 4:34 pm
collapse..sorry, S&D are fartin around again
June 6th, 2012 at 11:06 am
re: #4 Andy Z
I agree. It’s sad we take for granted that those sobriety checkpoints are legal or justifiable. It has spread now to license checks, seat belt checks, anything they want to make up to harass people. It’s all about submit & obey. The “serve & protect” nonsense is propaganda.
Thanks to the thread author Ms. Holthausen it is obvious she respects people’s right to be left alone.
Try to NEVER cooperate or collaborate with the police. You won’t gain anything from it.