Copwatchers

[MisterK]

Anyone have any experience with "copwatchers". These are the folks who like to "educate" themselves on every technicality possible in an effort to impede law enforcement.

Here's a handy dandy pamphlet they pass out (PDF). Fun stuff.

PDF

Anyways, has anyone run into these jackoffs and did they cause you any problems?

[Lazy Fed]

what a bunch of tools

[MisterK]

Yeah, but their forums are a hoot.

[lesta311]

It's groups like that that make policing difficult. When organizations like that gain momentum, It effectively ties our hands and undermines what goals the community has for us. It creates something I termed as a "broken officer". Every department has them. The one's who may have been critically injured and it affects how they deal with subject control and arrest. Or, the one's who have been through several investigations or has received so many complaints that they have just given up. I don't neccesarily have any issues with groups who want to educate themselves about policing and everyone wants thier rights and civil liberties protected. But, radical groups that hide behind the guise of upholding thier civil rights while attempting to break down their police force are blind to the fact that they are tearing their community apart. The more of an impact they make on our policy makers will directly affect how our jobs can be performed. It goes back to the old adage "They hate you until they have to call 911".

[Garda]

Theres a world of difference between knowing your rights and knowing the law so I cannot see hjow these guys can actually keep a straight face when they hand out their leaflets.
We dont have a group called copwatch but we have anarchist groups, etc that try to do it.
I see in the letter it says to have a point person to talk to the police and tell them they are being watched/recorded etc. Over here if someone approaches while Im dealing with something thats obstruction or interfering with an investigation.
With new laws introduced if someone was to tell me "too be careful your being watched" that could be a terrorist act as I am a state official however more than likely its a public order offence and arrestable.

[FishTail]

Hmm...I'm an anal retentive bastard and I know all the "annoying" little laws off by heart. Always useful when some jackoffs like that try to get in my way.

I just "correct" their "interpretation" of the law until they swear at me (arrest for public disorder) or touch me (arrest for assault on a peace officer). If I'm doing something else and they distract me it's obstructing a peace officer. If someone's likely to get hurt as a result then I'll arrest them for it.

Obstruction of the highway, breach of the peace, public disorder...all arrestable.

If they film me whilst I'm dealing with a crime I'll take their camera off them because it contains evidence relating to an offence. If they resist then it's resisting a peace officer and I'll (you guessed it) arrest them.

I'm a shit...

[Indy]

I'm a shit...

lol and all this time you seemed so sweet! I can't tell you how many times I've heard w1z say "that longtail/manxman, he just cracks me up. Such a nice guy."

[FishTail]

Mmm...that'll be never then...