Cop Warns Other Cops About Citizens With Cameras: “Don’t Get Baited”

A website called LEO Affairs that includes forums for every law enforcement agency in the country allowing officers to “talk candidly about law enforcement related topics without the fear of repercussions,” can sometimes be a fascinating glimpse into the police psyche, even though it’s usually just filled with mundane anonymous gripes about commanding officers.

But every once in a while, they discuss the issue of citizens recording them in public, including earlier today when a well-meaning officer advised other officers, “don’t get baited” by citizens with cameras, on a thread titled [__“How to Jam Up an Officer 101”__](http://forums.leoaffairs.com/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=156182&sid=343ec7c790523fc982eae9342b7bd22e) on the Miami Police Department’s forum, linking to [*__PINAC’s__*__story and video__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2013/11/05/brevard-deputies-claim-photography-crime-arresting-pinac-editor/) on Jeff Gray’s last arrest in Brevard County.

> IF YOU GUYS ARE STILL LIVING IN LALA LAND THERE ARE ACTUAL PEOPLE WHO DO THIS FOR A LIVING HOPING TO GET YOU ON A BAD DAY AND GET YOU TO ARREST THEM SO THEY CAN FILE A LAWSUIT. OFFICER SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT BUT DONT GET BAITED INTO THIS SITUATION.
> Look at the video and learn a valuable lesson in law enforcement DONT GET BAITED. This guy will never go to a neighborhood and video tape crime to help law enforcement its far more profitable to bait a cop.

Another cop chimes saying it could easily happen to a cop who is “pressured for stats with no training.”

> These so called “cop watchers” teach each other tricks on how to jam you up, be smart! WHile you are pressured for stats with no training and you will be handed up by the same people who want more out of you .

And then another cop provided the following wisdom:

> “How to jam up an asshole citizen 101: You take any phone or recording device and erase or drop in the bay Opps.”

And that’s exactly the kind of cop who will later whine about us baiting him.

A cop so dumb, he can’t even spell “oops” correctly.

It is not just cops who believe we are “baiting” them by standing on public property openly recording them.

On Friday, we had a long [__discussion on Facebook__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/10152193369584636) with a former co-worker who accused the citizen from North Carolina into baiting the delusional cop who embarrassed himself and his department by declaring he owned the sidewalk in front of the county jail.

And over the last week, citizens of Topeka in local news forums took the same stance against [__17-year-old Addison Mikkelson__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2014/01/03/kansas-cops-continue-harass-kid-camera/) who has been arrested and had his camera swiped from him by cops for recording them.

It just goes to show there is a lot more work to be done in educating the public and the police about our basic rights to record cops.

If so many cops didn’t have an issue with it, we wouldn’t feel the need to record them just to prove a point.

They call it baiting. We call it testing. And we’re very open about it.

And it’s really nothing personal against them but all about protecting and establishing our Constitutional rights.

So if they take the bait, they fail the test. And deserve all the consequences that come with that.

Be sure to check out [__the thread__](http://forums.leoaffairs.com/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=156183) on the Miami Police Department’s thread about trespassing, where one cop warns others about the proper way to arrest somebody for trespassing, informing them that the person must have first been given a warning – going as far as to advise them to disobey a direct order from a superior.

> How many of you know, you can’t make a trespassing after warning 39 unless you verbally warn the 39. I seen it many times that because the trespassing sign is posted, a Sgt. Or Commander orders you to make an arrest in order to get RID of a homeless. If you write on the A form sign posted, the STATE throws your arrest in the garbage. If you write I ask the person to leave and refused, and point it to the sign to read it out loud. That stands a better change. Dont get caught on video doing the wrong thing. Years ago I had a Commander, back then he was a newly promoted Sgt., he ask for a unit at PEACOCK park. Once I arrived he showed me a homeless and a beer can. He asked me to arrest the homeless for 35. I look at him and said negative, bad 39 for me. A 35 is not one of the misdemeanor exception , county( ordinance )you write the A form I will gladly transport. He looked at me in disbelief. He tells me I will write you up for not following a direct order. I said to him write it I will laugh at you while you are writing it, then laugh at you a CiVIL SerVice. By the way I will be calling the herald, channel 7, CNN, Help me Howard. He was pissed and told me to leave. He called for a rookie , and the rookie did not know any better and made the 39. 15 years have gone by , to this date I am here waiting on the reprimand. **Don’t be afraid to say NO. Make sure you know your LAW. This country separates all others, it was built on Constitution and Rights. Don’t do to others what you don’t want to be done to you or a family member.**

Solid advice that every cop should heed. But solid advice that got pissed on by other cops.

> Hey big guy! You are such a little pussy! I would had writing you up for insubordination.
> Apparently after 15 years you still dont know how to write a fucking A Form.Step #1 If someone orders you to do a drinking in public arrest or any arrest that you did not witness the violation you simply put on the a form it was observed by so and so and place their IBM and information on the pink state attorneys copy.A trespass after warning arrest is usally done because you have seen the same individual over and over committing the infraction. Follow step #1 and you wouldn’t have a problem.

As well as the following:

> You sound like a lazy piece of shit who doesn’t want to make any arrest. You make the arrest and write it up. The scumbag is just going to get time served anyway. Someone gives you an order to do something you fucking better do it. Crying pussy!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the exact reason why we need to record every interaction with police officers, even going as far as to “bait” them, if that is what it takes to separate the cops who honor their oath from the ones that don’t.

If they ask why are you recording them, respond by asking, “why do you think I’m recording you?”

The smart ones will figure it out. The dumb ones won’t.

And those are the ones we want to highlight.

A website called LEO Affairs that includes forums for every law enforcement agency in the country allowing officers to “talk candidly about law enforcement related topics without the fear of repercussions,” can sometimes be a fascinating glimpse into the police psyche, even though it’s usually just filled with mundane anonymous gripes about commanding officers.

But every once in a while, they discuss the issue of citizens recording them in public, including earlier today when a well-meaning officer advised other officers, “don’t get baited” by citizens with cameras, on a thread titled [__“How to Jam Up an Officer 101”__](http://forums.leoaffairs.com/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=156182&sid=343ec7c790523fc982eae9342b7bd22e) on the Miami Police Department’s forum, linking to [*__PINAC’s__*__story and video__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2013/11/05/brevard-deputies-claim-photography-crime-arresting-pinac-editor/) on Jeff Gray’s last arrest in Brevard County.

> IF YOU GUYS ARE STILL LIVING IN LALA LAND THERE ARE ACTUAL PEOPLE WHO DO THIS FOR A LIVING HOPING TO GET YOU ON A BAD DAY AND GET YOU TO ARREST THEM SO THEY CAN FILE A LAWSUIT. OFFICER SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT BUT DONT GET BAITED INTO THIS SITUATION.
> Look at the video and learn a valuable lesson in law enforcement DONT GET BAITED. This guy will never go to a neighborhood and video tape crime to help law enforcement its far more profitable to bait a cop.

Another cop chimes saying it could easily happen to a cop who is “pressured for stats with no training.”

> These so called “cop watchers” teach each other tricks on how to jam you up, be smart! WHile you are pressured for stats with no training and you will be handed up by the same people who want more out of you .

And then another cop provided the following wisdom:

> “How to jam up an asshole citizen 101: You take any phone or recording device and erase or drop in the bay Opps.”

And that’s exactly the kind of cop who will later whine about us baiting him.

A cop so dumb, he can’t even spell “oops” correctly.

It is not just cops who believe we are “baiting” them by standing on public property openly recording them.

On Friday, we had a long [__discussion on Facebook__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/10152193369584636) with a former co-worker who accused the citizen from North Carolina into baiting the delusional cop who embarrassed himself and his department by declaring he owned the sidewalk in front of the county jail.

And over the last week, citizens of Topeka in local news forums took the same stance against [__17-year-old Addison Mikkelson__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2014/01/03/kansas-cops-continue-harass-kid-camera/) who has been arrested and had his camera swiped from him by cops for recording them.

It just goes to show there is a lot more work to be done in educating the public and the police about our basic rights to record cops.

If so many cops didn’t have an issue with it, we wouldn’t feel the need to record them just to prove a point.

They call it baiting. We call it testing. And we’re very open about it.

And it’s really nothing personal against them but all about protecting and establishing our Constitutional rights.

So if they take the bait, they fail the test. And deserve all the consequences that come with that.

Be sure to check out [__the thread__](http://forums.leoaffairs.com/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=156183) on the Miami Police Department’s thread about trespassing, where one cop warns others about the proper way to arrest somebody for trespassing, informing them that the person must have first been given a warning – going as far as to advise them to disobey a direct order from a superior.

> How many of you know, you can’t make a trespassing after warning 39 unless you verbally warn the 39. I seen it many times that because the trespassing sign is posted, a Sgt. Or Commander orders you to make an arrest in order to get RID of a homeless. If you write on the A form sign posted, the STATE throws your arrest in the garbage. If you write I ask the person to leave and refused, and point it to the sign to read it out loud. That stands a better change. Dont get caught on video doing the wrong thing. Years ago I had a Commander, back then he was a newly promoted Sgt., he ask for a unit at PEACOCK park. Once I arrived he showed me a homeless and a beer can. He asked me to arrest the homeless for 35. I look at him and said negative, bad 39 for me. A 35 is not one of the misdemeanor exception , county( ordinance )you write the A form I will gladly transport. He looked at me in disbelief. He tells me I will write you up for not following a direct order. I said to him write it I will laugh at you while you are writing it, then laugh at you a CiVIL SerVice. By the way I will be calling the herald, channel 7, CNN, Help me Howard. He was pissed and told me to leave. He called for a rookie , and the rookie did not know any better and made the 39. 15 years have gone by , to this date I am here waiting on the reprimand. **Don’t be afraid to say NO. Make sure you know your LAW. This country separates all others, it was built on Constitution and Rights. Don’t do to others what you don’t want to be done to you or a family member.**

Solid advice that every cop should heed. But solid advice that got pissed on by other cops.

> Hey big guy! You are such a little pussy! I would had writing you up for insubordination.
> Apparently after 15 years you still dont know how to write a fucking A Form.Step #1 If someone orders you to do a drinking in public arrest or any arrest that you did not witness the violation you simply put on the a form it was observed by so and so and place their IBM and information on the pink state attorneys copy.A trespass after warning arrest is usally done because you have seen the same individual over and over committing the infraction. Follow step #1 and you wouldn’t have a problem.

As well as the following:

> You sound like a lazy piece of shit who doesn’t want to make any arrest. You make the arrest and write it up. The scumbag is just going to get time served anyway. Someone gives you an order to do something you fucking better do it. Crying pussy!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the exact reason why we need to record every interaction with police officers, even going as far as to “bait” them, if that is what it takes to separate the cops who honor their oath from the ones that don’t.

If they ask why are you recording them, respond by asking, “why do you think I’m recording you?”

The smart ones will figure it out. The dumb ones won’t.

And those are the ones we want to highlight.

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Carlos Miller
Carlos Millerhttps://pinacnews.com
Editor-in-Chief Carlos Miller spent a decade covering the cop beat for various newspapers in the Southwest before returning to his hometown Miami and launching Photography is Not a Crime aka PINAC News in 2007. He also published a book, The Citizen Journalist's Photography Handbook, which is available on Amazon.

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