More cops lying: Police "in a jam after cell tape contradicts arrest report"

[villager]

Cops in a jam after cell tape contradicts arrest report


By Douglas Stanglin, USA TODAY

Felony charges have been dropped against a Florida woman after a cellphone tape of her arrest sharply contradicted two police officers' version of events, The Miami Herald reports.
The incident unfolded in October when the two Coral Springs officers came upon an SUV stopped in the left lane of a roadway, apparently with two blown tires. The newspaper says prosecutors are now investigating whether the officers filed false documents relating to the encounter.

None of this would be questioned, The Herald says, if the 60-year-old driver, Susan Mait, hadn't dropped her phone on the floor of her SUV when cops yanked her from the vehicle. She was on the phone at the time with a Geico service rep who, per company policy, was recording the conversation.

The audiotape depicts a starkly different scene from what officers Nicole Stasnek and Derek Fernandes declared in their official reports and told the court under oath.

Here's how The Herald describes the two versions:

The recording catches Stasnek cursing out Mait (although the officer later denied it), giving no advance warning that Mait was about to be cuffed for resisting arrest (although the officer testified that she had done so three times), and later hashing out a plan with her fellow officer to make sure their stories jibed (they did).

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http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/03/cops-in-a-jam-after-cell-tape-contradicts-arrest-report--/1?csp=34news&utm_source=feedburn

[duhneece]

1. I love when this happens

I love when liars, especially those in power, are revealed.

[zipplewrath]

2. I've toyed with this

Installing a system in MY car with cameras and audio recording. Put some stickers on the window that say "you're being video and audio recorded". Heck, if it just made them stick to the rules it'd be worth it.

[calimary]

3. That's actually a really great idea!

You might not even have to get the equipment. Just the sticker on the window might be enough of a deterrent. Just make sure it's parked safely as often as possible, though...

[uponit7771]

4. +1

[lonestarnot]

9. They would probably just beat up your car and say it was pre-existing hail damage.

Good luck with that.

[msongs]

5. the real terrorist threats come from within our own "law" mis-enforcement departments nt

[backscatter712]

6. This is why I've got OpenWatch Recorder on my smartphone.

http://openwatch.net/

Any time I have an encounter with a cop, even for something like a traffic ticket, the phone will be recording and live-streaming.

Because cops lie. That's what they're trained to do, and that's what they do every day on the job.

[chalky]

8. That is FANTASTIC. Thank you for that link.

n/t

[Citizen Worker]

7. Over the years I have grudingly learned that the police lie all the time. Operate on the assumption

that the police are lying until proven otherwise.

[lonestarnot]

10. Liars are always going to lie.

Fucking disgusting fucks.