A Miami Beach cop is being “investigated” for threatening to arrest a man who sarcastically told him “God bless you” during a traffic stop after he received a $1,000 ticket, an incident captured on video that is now going viral on Youtube.
Miami Beach police officer Kenneth MacLeod had pulled over the man identified as Albert Valdes on his Youtube channel because the license plate on his motorcycle had flipped upwards, making it impossible to read.
The video is just over a minute long, but it’s clear that MacLeod, as promised, is a bigger bitch than Valdes.
> “Have a good day. Get out of my face before I decide that this may not be the best judgement that I’ve made,” MacLeod says.
> “You have a great day, too, sir,” Valdes responds.
> “Trust me, I will,” the cop responds.
> “God bless you,” Valdes says.
> “You know what?” MacLeod responds, clearly annoyed. “I’ll throw your ass in jail. You want to be a sarcastic bitch, I’ll be even a bigger bitch.”
> They stare each down for a couple of seconds with Macleod holding his handcuffs before he continues laying into him.
> “You’re fucking with the wrong dude, bro, I’ve been here longer than you fucking been alive. I’ve put up with more shit than you can ever think of. You want to test me again, you’ll be finding Dade County Jail real hunky dory tonight.”
> Valdes nods and whispers “ok.”
> “Which part do you want to play? Which part do you want to play, sir?”
> “I would like to go to work, sir.” Valdes answers.
> “Then don’t be a little wise-ass 20-year-old punk,” he continues.
> “Ok,” Valdes responds.
> “MacLeod is the name. M-A-C-L-E-O-D. Scottish spelling. It’s also on the bottom of your ticket if you don’t like it.”
The [__Miami New Times__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/heres_video_of_a_miami_beach_cop_going_on_a_profanity-laced_tirade_against.php) reached out to a Miami Beach police spokesperson who assured that the officer was under investigation, but also added that Valdes had not filed a complaint, insinuating that they could only do so much until he does.
But that is an old police tactic cops use to thwart an investigation if no complaint is filed as well as an opportunity to intimidate citizens if and when they do file a complaint.
MacLeod, who makes $115,000-a-year, was [__shot three times in 1992__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/9201010521_1_teller-police-officer-detective-steven-bauer) by a man who had killed another cop, so perhaps that destroyed whatever professional demeanor he may have had.
But it was only until a citizen decided to record his demeanor that it came to light.
Valdes [__states on Youtube__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/watch?v=dbWEtGV3xvg&google_comment_id=z134ft2qkqrztj5cx23pxpbg5xuyixndy) that he has extended footage of MacLeod acting unprofessionally, which will be posted here if he decides to post it online.
It’s no telling how this would have turned out if MacLeod would have realized he was being recorded.
**UPDATE:** We obtained [__MacLeod’s internal affairs summary__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Macleod-IA-profile.pdf), which indicates he had been investigated several times over the years for “discourtesy” – as shocking as that may seem – but has never been disciplined for that allegation, either “exonerated” or the allegations against him found to be “unsubstantiated.”
The only time any allegation against him was substantiated was in a 2005 incident involving some type of improper firearm procedure during an officer-involved shooting. It doesn’t go into details, but it states he was never disciplined for that offense either, which goes to show you internal affairs investigations are usually a complete waste of time.
The only benefit they serve is that they create a track record for problem cops, which may come in handy in future lawsuits.
