Brett Darrow decided to mount a video camera inside his car a few years ago after receiving what he believed to be an unjust speeding ticket.
It turned out to be the best decision he ever made.
The St. Louis resident has been continually harassed for not brown-nosing police officers – aka contempt-of-cop – when he gets pulled over. One of his videos even got one cop fired in 2007, as you can see in the above news segment.
On Saturday, the 23-year-old man was [__pulled over again__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/3161.asp) at a DUI checkpoint. But because he was not driving his Nissan Maxima, he did not have his video cameras rolling.
However, he decided to [__record the stop__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/darrow1005.mp3) with his cell phone.
St. Louis County Police Officer Kevin Lane then seized his phone and ordered him out of his car. He then stepped into the car with Darrow’s girlfriend in the passenger seat and drove it down the street.
Darrow did not have any alcohol on his breath and was eventually released, but not before officers searched his car.
Now he intends to ask for the dash cam videos of the cops on the scene that night.
Fat chance he’ll get it. Last time he asked for a dash cam video, the footage was “inexplicably … nowhere to be found,” according to a [__St. Louis Post-Dispatch__](http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/special/srlinks.nsf/story/58DCD550F5762E05862573540075A253?OpenDocument) article.
The drama started in 2006 when Darrow pulled up to a DUI checkpoint with his camera rolling.
He was [__detained and threatened__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/1522.asp) with arrest when he refused to answer personal questions from the officer.
He was finally released when he informed the officers that he was recording the exchange.
A few months later, he was stopped after pulling into an empty parking lot at night.
His video camera shows him driving normal and using his turn signals.
St. George Police Sergeant James Kuehnlein accused him of swerving and failing to use his turn signals.
Kuehnlein also threatened to make up charges against him, including resisting arrest. Click [__here__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/1961.asp) to see the entire video and read the full transcript.
The video ended up online and Kuehnlein ended up fired, which prompted other police officers to post Darrow’s address on a police forum.
Cops even began [__staking out__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/1988.asp) his home.
Fortunately, Darrow hasn’t allowed their intimidation tactics to keep him from recording his interactions with police.