Captain Shows Sheriff How Policing Is Done

[Music] welcome to audit the audit where we sort out the who and what and the right and wrong of police interactions today's episode features two videos from the news now South Carolina channel be sure to check out the description below and give them the credit that they deserve this episode we'll compare and contrast two interactions which take place under very similar circumstances but render vastly different results in regards to police etiquette and attitude let's dive right in and audit the audits in both videos out of their DJ green is filming various vehicles parked in police department parking lots in small South Carolina town at midday in video one mr. gear is in the town of Williamston which rests in the forested hills of western South Carolina and has a population of approximately 4200 the second video is shot about 70 miles in northeast of Williamston in the slightly more bustling town of Gaffney nestled along South Carolina's northern border and with a population of just under 13,000 residents Gaffney is a bit bigger than Williamston but still markets itself as a community oriented tight-knit city with a small-town atmosphere although these two towns have a lot in common the way that their respective law-enforcement officers interact with mr. gear is vastly different we will start with the video one in the town of Williamston where mr. gear is contacted by captain Marcie and officer moles alright and yousuf notice that captain Marcie asks mr. gear how he was doing and approached mr. gear politely and with the positive attitude let's compare that to the first contact made by deputy Dunn of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office in Gaffney what's up brother I'm all right how you doing I don't don't care with me don't care with me in case I'm gonna leave entertain y'all find out who I am Oh in case y'all even leave detain me and find out who I am but I just want to see ya howdy Kazumi you on our property although deputy done does ask mr. Gere how he was doing as well the deputies immediate follow-up to that inquiry was asking mr. Gere to identify himself when an officer asks a citizen to identify themselves it implies that the citizen is committing an illegal act and that the officer is legally obligated to identify them let's compare the deputies follow-up question to Captain Marcy's things they're also getting some good pictures I'm trying I'm trying to sound like really heaven but would you like us to get a picture of you with one of our cars Thank You captain Marcy offers to help mr. Gere take more pictures and does not immediately jump to the conclusion that what mr. Gere is doing is suspicious the captain's first instinct when approaching mr. Gere is to help him not to assume that mr. Gere is committing a crime or planning an attack unlike deputy done captain Marcy's initial objective is to serve a member of the public as you know look I'm a no but you you looking in windows of cars yeah cuz I can see him yeah I know you can see him but I mean you don't know if those are personal calls in that but a personal cause were they I mean even at the operation I can still look in you can't be going looking in the window like that I can it's public yeah there's no so what your idea I don't have it on me was yeah I do I don't have it on me I know - where was it where I left it I don't really get what you're asking me that for don't like there's no legal obligation if you're asking me where my ID is right there and you know I'm correct like I don't to be about it which no there's no legal obligation for it so I just don't have it on me the deputy then proceeds to tell mr. Gere what he can and cannot do while on public property and continues to press mr. Gere to surrender his identification so far this entire interaction has been based around the implication that mr. Gere is doing something wrong deputy Dunn's initial objective is to determine what criminal activity mr. Gere may be taking part in really close to me officer I'm not wanted do you suspect maybe I want it sheriff Mueller notes that the deputies do not know who mr. Gere is yet they find it safe to assume that whoever mr. Gere is he could be wanted for a crime the attitude of presuming that anyone on the street could be a criminal is prevalent among members of law enforcement and often creates a hostile environment for citizens and is generally responsible for the breakdown of communications between members of the community and their respective Police Department's this attitude facilitates the us-versus-them mentality that polarizes communities and creates a division between the officers duty to both protect and serve where sheriff Mueller chooses to assert his authority captain Marcy chooses to be friendly welcoming and helpful is that vehicle still in use over here yeah sure it is and all these cars are always doing use yes sir are you sure there's no pictures we can get for you from home you know souvenir but I'm fine I'm Tilly alright I appreciate this the purpose of the contact initiated by captain Marcy is to determine if mr. gear needs help with anything let's compare that to sheriff Mueller's reasoning for contact then just gonna stay that way on do you have a legal obligation to find out who I am we got a legal out no you don't you just want that's a personal up again you just wanted a personal I haven't committed a crime so I have to tell you I answer which is a First Amendment protect that TV I can film in public all this is Professor okay so then if you know that why are we having this conversation officer we have a lawful right to inquire what people say there's a suspicious person walking through the parking lot filming we have at least come and check you out sir tell my attorneys they tuned in please so so what we're not filming okay so with that being said with all due respect if you say I can film all day why is it everyone standing out here asking me what I'm doing because when someone comes in the office and says someone's going out there looking in their patrol cars we don't know sir if someone's gonna break into a patrol car I've know it was someone's gonna steal a patrol car it happens and so we have an awful awful obligation to come out and enquire and check and make sure that everything is okay sheriff Mueller's intention is to determine whether or not a crime is being committed the idea of helping mr. gear is nowhere on sheriff Mueller or any of the other deputies radar the sheriff's idea of making sure that everything is okay amounts to making sure that no one is committing a crime and not actually maintaining the well-being of the citizenry of his town compare the accusation approach of sheriff Mueller with the genuine candor of captain Marcy and note the difference in the tone and flow of the two interactions feel free to walk around our town went to great town here in Williamston there's great restaurants great shopping I'm absolutely great Police Department I've heard it's a nice area but you know I'm not from the area just came here to do a story on the first a good area now they say the the clock is this way I want to slice right up they're about to go place to eat absolutely it is yes sir they don't have a clock where I'm from so I'm gonna try to area and if you'd like us to take your picture with any of our statues monuments any of our buildings cars please are you chief of police here no I'm not captain yes sir you are and your name I'm Kevin Morrison nice to meet you good to meet you sliced images would and your name it's nice to meet you thank y'all for your service our if we cannot prove a thing for you oh stop I will thank you thank you notice that at no point during the interaction between mr. Gere and captain Marci did the captain ask mr. gear to identify himself instead captain Marci chose to welcome mr. gear into his town and offered to help mr. gear in any way that he could the captain had no qualms with mr. gear recording or taking photos of police vehicles on public property and even went as far as to offer to help him get better photos sheriff Mueller on the other hand it's not normal for people to walk through and film in this parking lot it's not normal to walk around and film around a nuclear station or around any high secure area this is a facility here we don't know if you're filming something to plan or prepare jailbreak for somebody but until we have that's what are you doing you have no right if I haven't broken a crime you have no legal right to check you make sure that you are not plotting and planning something against this force ever this facility which holds a court venue okay and so we have this inside this build and there's court room sir which are open to the public which are open to the public but you're not allowed to take a camera into embedding but I'm asking you so why'd you bring up the inside from outside I'm telling you there's reaching the office I've done nothing wrong game you know that I've done nothing wrong and everyone I heard knows I've done that the wrong you're reaching for so they're not reaching for anything you are reaching but it's not a crime but it's not a crime we we have told you have you been told that you committed a crime - your question the only important question that I want to ask you am I being detained absolutely talk to you later brother overall captain Marcie and the Williamston Police Department get an a-plus for demonstrating outstanding professionalism exceptional courtesy and acting as unassuming and welcoming ambassadors of their town the citizens of Williamston should be proud to have such competent representation and police departments everywhere could take a page from the book of the Williamston PD if all law enforcement officers engaged citizens with the amiable and good-natured approach employed by captain Marcie then the relationship between citizens and the police would be very different sheriff Muller and the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office get a c-minus for approaching mr. gear with an accusation or a critical assessment of mr. gears activities and attempting to coerce mr. gear into identifying himself even though he was doing nothing illegal although the sheriff's ultimately did not violate any of mr. gears rights their attitude and mannerisms were unprofessional unwarranted and absent of legal merit mr. gear was lucky to get away without being forced to identify himself or possibly even being illegally arrested the guilty until proven innocent mindset and the us-versus-them mentality are a plague upon the law-enforcement community and the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office played into every negative stereotype associated with modern policing mr. gear also gets an a-plus for being well informed and vigilant about his rights without being provocative vulgar or rude in any way mr. gear took an unwavering stance against the unprofessional behavior of sheriff Muller dominated the flow of the conversation and demanded the respect of the officers involved conversely mr. gear remained courteous and respectful to captain Marcy and did not make a senseless attempt to provoke a negative reaction many auditors make a concerted effort to extract a negative reaction from every public official they encounter instead of simply exercising their rights and allowing that to be the centerpiece of their audit mr. gears approach is very respectable and does not associate a negative connotation to the exercising of constitutionally protected rights many auditors and the movement as a whole could benefit from this style of auditing let us know if there's an interaction or legal topic you would like us to cover in the comments below and don't forget to Like and subscribe for more police interaction content [Music]

Channel: Audit the Audit

Views: 1,516,805

Keywords: amagansett press, first amendment audit, 1st amendment audit, auditing america, news now california, sgv news first, high desert community watch, anselmo morales, photography is not a crime, san joaquin valley transparency, first amendment audit fail, walk of shame, news now houston, police fail, 1st amendment audit fail, public photography, auditor arrested, highdesert community watch, pinac news, cops triggered, news now patrick, news now south carolina, good cop

Id: jxNjgskbO2Q

Length: 13min 3sec (783 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 29 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/Sleippnir]

That channel is great and pretty relevant. Also, I think all of us can take some solace in knowing that officers like Sergeant Kevin Marsee really DO exist and are out there looking out for us.