GoPro seizure

Update: An internal affairs investigation has been launched in response to the press this story is getting. The officer will now have to explain his actions. Also, his dash-cam has no video on it… funny how that happens.

Deputy James Westbrook of the Dallas County Police Department has some control issues. How does the department answer for themselves? By showing other people riding recklessly (NOT the guy who’s property was seized). The slam to the chest while cuffed and the slamming of the door certainly lead me to believe this guy has no business calling himself an officer of the law. The rider who shot the footage was arrested for having an obstructed license plate (which the officer came up with only after a trip to the squad car). Handcuffed and arrested for an obstructed license plate, seriously?

The very first thing the officer says is “I’m taking your camera”. That’s why he was singled out, pulled over and arrested. Not because he had committed a crime.

If it’s ok to seize this guy’s camera then it’s logical to assume that if you’re in a mall in Dallas and someone is robbed, the police have every right to confiscate your cell phone, after all there might be evidence of a crime on it. Oh, and if you argue and ask why you’re being singled out they apparently have the right to arrest you. I have issues with riders causing problems but I have bigger problems with someone who has committed no crime being singled out and having his personal property seized without justification. This is a clear violation of the rider’s 4th amendment rights.