27-yr retired firefighter & elected LEO | Writer - true police & fire chronicles | Bodycam + 1A auditor videos | Heroism & accountability - showing good & bad
Joined April 2014
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How would you respond if a deputy ripped your door open over mud flaps?
On Feb. 16, 2024, a Tom Green County (TX) Sheriff’s deputy stopped a driver on narrow Moon Lane near San Angelo for mud flaps he said were too short.
The deputy turned his flashing lights on near the start of the tight road (fences close to the pavement). The driver continued a short distance to a wider spot so he could pull over safely without blocking traffic, then stopped.
The deputy called that “rolling,” said people who roll usually have warrants or drugs, and approached with his gun already drawn.
He then yanked the driver’s door open, ordered him out, and frisked him.
He claimed the driver had pot all over his pants/lap and on the edge of the seat. The driver said it was sawdust from a full day of cutting wood.
No drugs were found.
The driver stayed relatively calm, repeatedly asked for the reason and probable cause, and got the deputy’s name and badge info (Robertson).
Equipment violations can justify a stop. Drawing a gun, forcing a door open, and escalating to a drug search over sawdust on a delayed safe pull-over is a different story.
❓What do you make of this one?
❓Is “mud flaps too short” a reasonable reason to approach with a gun drawn?
👮♂️Officer: (screaming) "I'M NOT SEARCHING YOUR CAR" --- Then proceeds to search the car, and seize the driver's property.
Taylorsville, NC traffic stop: Oct. 16, 2026
Sgt. Carson Fleming (Taylorsville PD) stopped 17-year-old Stephen Allen Roosevelt Jr. downtown after a report of reckless driving through town.
Video shows Fleming telling Roosevelt he was “driving like a dumbass through town,” ordering him out, and responding “Shut the f*ck up” when the teen asked why he was being detained and stated he couldn’t be taken “for whatever reason.”
Fleming handcuffed him; the teen was ticketed for speeding and a loud/improper muffler.
Town of Taylorsville (Chief Michael Millsaps) suspended Fleming pending investigation, stating staff must meet the “highest level of professionalism.”
Petitions are calling for accountability; the teen’s family has retained counsel.
❓Should a police officer ever tell a detained driver to “shut the f*ck up” during a traffic stop?
❓Was the reported “reckless driving through downtown” enough justification for the level of confrontation shown?
❓What message will it send to the officer (and others) if he isn't disciplined harshly?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™ retweeted
🚨PLEASE HELP US BRING OUR ZEUS HOME! 🚨
Interstate-55 travelers in southwest Mississippi.
👨🚒Sharing this because some great people have worked really hard to find ZEUS and they need our help:
⠀
👉To the good people of Summit, Mississippi, and our neighbors throughout Pike County,
⠀
We are Shari and Charles Shackelford, and we're asking for your help finding our beloved Great Dane, Zeus.
⠀
On September 21, we were involved in a terrible vehicle accident on Interstate-55, just south of the Summit exit. During the accident, Zeus became frightened and ran from the scene.
⠀
Because of our injuries, we were being transported to the hospital and couldn't search for him. Leaving that scene without our boy was heartbreaking, and four weeks later, we're still praying for the day we can bring him home to South Carolina.
⠀
NEW POSSIBLE SIGHTINGS IN SUMMIT, MS!
⠀
We've received several possible sightings around Robb Street, Summit Exit 20A, and Robb Street Extension East.
⠀
Most recently, two possible sightings were reported on October 19 and October 21 in the Summit area. We've included a map showing those locations.
⠀
We want to emphasize that NEITHER SIGHTING HAS BEEN CONFIRMED TO BE ZEUS. However, these reports give us hope that someone in the area may have information that could help us find him.
⠀
WE NEED YOUR HELP, SUMMIT, MS!
⠀
If you live, work, or travel through these areas, please keep an eye out for Zeus. He's a large black Great Dane mix with a white chest and gray around his muzzle.
⠀
If you see a dog resembling Zeus, PLEASE take a photo or video from a safe distance and note the exact location, time, and direction of travel.
⠀
DO NOT CHASE, APPROACH, OR CALL OUT TO HIM. This could frighten him and push him farther away. We have experienced volunteers ready to help verify sightings and coordinate humane trapping efforts to bring him home safely.
⠀
REPORT POSSIBLE SIGHTINGS: 901-481-7313
⠀
Please continue sharing Zeus's picture and putting flyers throughout Summit, Pike County, and surrounding communities.
It's possible he's traveled farther away, or someone may have taken him in without realizing we're searching for him.
⠀
To everyone who has searched, shared, prayed, or offered to help, THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS.
⠀
We're still recovering from our injuries, but the hardest part has been not knowing where our boy is.
⠀
We know there are good people in your community, and we're asking you to help us bring our family back together.
⠀
With sincere gratitude,
⠀
Shari and Charles Shackelford
⠀
PLEASE SHARE — HELP US BRING ZEUS HOME!
Them: “Your phone tracks you also.”
Me: “Sure does, and cops need a warrant to get that data. I can also choose not to have a phone.”
Them: “But if you’re not doing anything wrong, why worry?”
Me: “Because freedom means the government needs a reason to track me. I don’t need a reason to want privacy.”
Officer Grabs Man’s Arm, Orders Him Where to Stand, and Demands ID — Claiming It’s a Lawful Order — While the Man Was Only Recording in Public
August 2019 - Two men filmed from public property at Market Square Park and the waterfront in Marcus Hook, PA, next to the Energy Transfer industrial refinery complex.
Security from the facility approached them while they were on a public street/sidewalk, questioning the filming of what was visible from public space.
Marcus Hook PD was then called.
Officer Kuryan arrived, ordered one of the men to “step over here,” aggressively grabbed his arm, and demanded identification, treating the public filming as requiring permission or suspicion of a crime.
The men repeatedly asked if they were being detained and asserted they were on public property exercising First Amendment rights.
A second officer later arrived, confirmed they were not detained, pulled Kuryan aside, and ended the contact.
No arrest. No citation.
The men filed a complaint against Officer Kuryan.
No Internal Affairs report or further public action on the complaint has been shared.
❓If no crime was being committed, what justified Kuryan’s confrontational posture and physical contact?
❓If the second officer could calmly end the stop, why couldn’t Kuryan de-escalate from the start?
🚨Why would a police captain behave this way in front of younger officers if he wasn't trying to show them how it's done?
First Amendment auditor Nicholas Freeman of the Big Nick South Florida Accountability channel was recording in a public area in Fort Lauderdale.
Capt. David Wheeler approached, engaged him, and demanded identification.
Then he began walking up on Freeman aggressively, getting only inches away as freeman objected and walked backward.
Freeman repeatedly asked for Wheeler’s name and badge number.
He questioned the legal basis for the stop:
“Have I broken the law?"
"Have I done anything wrong?
"Is that a misdemeanor or a felony?”
He stated he was not loitering but conducting protected activity (filming/journalism) on public property and had not entered private property.
Wheeler referenced Florida identification requirements.
Freeman countered that officers generally need reasonable suspicion of a crime to demand ID.
He described the approach as aggressive, asked the armed captain to back up, and said he feared for his safety.
No arrest occurred.
Since this was recorded Captain Wheeler retired after 38 years of service with the department.
❓When a captain approaches a citizen in this manner while other officers are present and watching, what message does that send to the junior officers about acceptable tactics?
❓As younger officers watched Capt. Wheeler refuse to clearly articulate a crime or detention while still pressing for ID, what takeaway might they form?
❓At what point did the captain's physical approach and body language cross from professional engagement into intimidation?
🚨Watch this to see someone who feels their authority but doesn't feel any accountability.
A corrections deputy in Ashville, Virginia approached a man filming outside a sheriff’s detention facility and ordered him off “my” property — then claimed the county’s property was private.
Public buildings and the sidewalks outside them are paid for by taxpayers. They are not a deputy’s personal estate. Calling them “my property” while refusing to identify yourself is not how public service works.
The First Amendment protects filming in publicly accessible spaces.
If the only response is “get off my property” and a refusal to give a name for a complaint, accountability is overdue.
❓What would you say to a deputy who calls taxpayer-owned land “my property”?
❓How often do officers confuse "public property" with “private property”?
❓Does “my property” language show a public servant mindset or a "I'm the boss and you're not" mindset?
👮♂️"Don't record me!"
"Act up again and I'm gonna pull you out this car."
Kentucky State Trooper M.A. Dennis (badge 449) pulled a driver over and claimed the stop was for “disrespect.”
When he angrily walked up to the window he didn't like seeing the camera recording him.
He demanded the man stop recording, saying he didn't give consent. The man wisely kept on.
He never asked for a license, registration, or insurance. Instead he ordered the driver to stop recording, stuck his hand in front of the camera, got aggressive, and threatened to drag him out of the car.
The 'disrespect' was not specified.
Recording police in public is legal.
❓What do you expect the trooper's higher-ups to say when they view this video?
❓How many times has badge 449 pulled people over for things that aren’t actually crimes and nobody recorded it?
❓What would Kentucky State Trooper M.A. Dennis (badge 449) have done if the driver had just shut the camera off when he demanded it?
🚨Deputy reaches into car, takes driver’s wallet during traffic stop — no consent, no warrant.
Walhalla, South Carolina - Oconee County Sheriff’s Office
Deputy Brody Pitts initiates a traffic stop for a left brake light out. While the driver is still seated and recording, the deputy reaches across the window plane, takes the driver’s wallet (calling it a “bag”), and begins looking through it.
The driver objects, references the Constitution, and tells the deputy he is “plundering.”
The deputy continues and later drops the wallet back into the vehicle.
No citation details, arrest, bodycam release from OCSO, or official agency statement have been publicly reported about this specific stop.
The available record is the driver’s footage and the narrator’s breakdown of the interaction.
Equipment violations can support a stop. Reaching into an occupied vehicle and taking a wallet to search for ID without consent or articulated authority is a separate issue under the Fourth Amendment.
❓How many times do officers treat a traffic stop as a fishing expedition once they have the lights on?
❓Is taking and searching a driver’s wallet for ID during a brake-light stop a lawful seizure or an unlawful search?
❓Does watching this make you more or less likely to keep your wallet in the glove box during a stop?
If you were on the grand jury, would you have indicted?
Columbus, GA traffic stop (Feb. 7, 2024):
Officers clock a driver at ~96–100 mph in a construction zone on Manchester Expressway and stop him.
As they approach, his BMW backfires while he reaches out with a blanket to wipe the window. Officers perceive the noise + sudden arm movement as gunfire and fire ~28 rounds into the car.
Driver hit once in the finger. No officers injured.
Grand jury indicts both officers (aggravated assault & battery) in 2025.
Aug. 2026: Judge grants them immunity and drops the charges. Officers cleared.
Car riddled with bullets, driver almost killed, over a backfire.
❓Does the fact that the officers were later granted immunity mean the system worked, or just that it protected them from accountability?
❓Should officers who fire nearly 30 rounds into a car over a backfire face any consequences, or is the immunity ruling the correct outcome?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™ retweeted
Social media has offered more proof of the lowest standard and quality we have of police officers on our streets. These men and women have authority over you if they can lawfully articulate it. You should be TERRIFIED.
What happens when a smalltown mayor stands up against what he sees as over-policing by confronting cops at a traffic stop? --- Handcuffs and a scandal
Then-Nisswa, Minnesota Mayor Fred Heidmann crossed a four-lane highway and confronted officers during an unrelated traffic stop on Aug. 29, 2020, near his business on Highway 371.
Officers told him he could film but needed to stay back for safety.
He refused, walked toward the stop, and launched a profanity-laced rant: “You guys are just as bad as the cops in Minneapolis,” “I’m the mayor of this [expletive] town,” and other insults.
He was arrested for:
🔹disorderly conduct and
🔹obstructing legal process.
Bodycam was released.
The obstruction charge was later dismissed.
A jury found him guilty of disorderly conduct in March 2023; he was fined $285. The Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld the conviction in 2024, ruling his aggressive, disruptive conduct—not his speech—supported the verdict.
Weeks later, after the council censured him and asked him to resign, Heidmann spoke from the public podium on Sept. 16, 2020, and demanded an investigation into the Nisswa Police Department.
The mayor alleged:
🔹Chief Craig Taylor had threatened him and others, 🔹that women cried describing encounters with Taylor,
🔹that police conduct “destroyed five marriages,” 🔹that an officer had sex with a mentally handicapped woman,
🔹that a husband found an officer with his wife and was arrested,
🔹and that officers may have been having sex with women at an undisclosed location.
Those were his public claims in the aftermath of his own arrest.
Contemporary reporting documented what he said; available accounts do not show the allegations were substantiated by formal findings or charges.
Chief Taylor later retired.
The incident, bodycam, conviction, and the mayor’s subsequent broad accusations against the department generated significant local coverage and community discussion.
Accountability applies to everyone.
❓Does it look like the mayor was right or wrong about 'over-policing'?
❓Does his arrest mean the mayor had no valid complaints about the department?
❓Should being the mayor change how police treat criticism during a stop—or does the law apply the same?
🚨PLEASE HELP US BRING OUR ZEUS HOME! 🚨
Interstate-55 travelers in southwest Mississippi.
👨🚒Sharing this because some great people have worked really hard to find ZEUS and they need our help:
⠀
👉To the good people of Summit, Mississippi, and our neighbors throughout Pike County,
⠀
We are Shari and Charles Shackelford, and we're asking for your help finding our beloved Great Dane, Zeus.
⠀
On September 21, we were involved in a terrible vehicle accident on Interstate-55, just south of the Summit exit. During the accident, Zeus became frightened and ran from the scene.
⠀
Because of our injuries, we were being transported to the hospital and couldn't search for him. Leaving that scene without our boy was heartbreaking, and four weeks later, we're still praying for the day we can bring him home to South Carolina.
⠀
NEW POSSIBLE SIGHTINGS IN SUMMIT, MS!
⠀
We've received several possible sightings around Robb Street, Summit Exit 20A, and Robb Street Extension East.
⠀
Most recently, two possible sightings were reported on October 19 and October 21 in the Summit area. We've included a map showing those locations.
⠀
We want to emphasize that NEITHER SIGHTING HAS BEEN CONFIRMED TO BE ZEUS. However, these reports give us hope that someone in the area may have information that could help us find him.
⠀
WE NEED YOUR HELP, SUMMIT, MS!
⠀
If you live, work, or travel through these areas, please keep an eye out for Zeus. He's a large black Great Dane mix with a white chest and gray around his muzzle.
⠀
If you see a dog resembling Zeus, PLEASE take a photo or video from a safe distance and note the exact location, time, and direction of travel.
⠀
DO NOT CHASE, APPROACH, OR CALL OUT TO HIM. This could frighten him and push him farther away. We have experienced volunteers ready to help verify sightings and coordinate humane trapping efforts to bring him home safely.
⠀
REPORT POSSIBLE SIGHTINGS: 901-481-7313
⠀
Please continue sharing Zeus's picture and putting flyers throughout Summit, Pike County, and surrounding communities.
It's possible he's traveled farther away, or someone may have taken him in without realizing we're searching for him.
⠀
To everyone who has searched, shared, prayed, or offered to help, THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS.
⠀
We're still recovering from our injuries, but the hardest part has been not knowing where our boy is.
⠀
We know there are good people in your community, and we're asking you to help us bring our family back together.
⠀
With sincere gratitude,
⠀
Shari and Charles Shackelford
⠀
PLEASE SHARE — HELP US BRING ZEUS HOME!
🚨The Random Patriot @RandomPatriot_ knocked it out of the park on this one!
Excellent audit of May 2026 incident.
Watch how a simple gas leak turns into something else when an officer gets his feelings hurt and whips out his handcuffs to try to scare someone into submission.
That single threat escalated the entire situation.
Rector, Arkansas PD bodycam release exposes Police Chief’s attempt to withhold footage.
A gas-line strike led to a 911 call and the disorderly-conduct arrest of members of the McCluskey family.
(Father Lloyd Jason McCluskey and son Zachary McCluskey)
Chief Kelly Baker later claimed the department only possessed roughly 3 minutes of relevant bodycam video.
The full recording that was ultimately released runs approximately 33 minutes and includes the full sequence of the stop and arrest the chief had downplayed.
When a police chief tells the public that only a few minutes of footage exist and a much longer recording later surfaces, it raises basic questions about what was withheld and why.
This is a straightforward transparency issue.
The contrast between the official claim of ~3 minutes and the actual ~33-minute recording is documented in the released material.
Credit to The Random Patriot for obtaining and releasing the bodycam footage and the update on the records battle.
❓How often do police tell citizens that no other bodycam footage exists, when — as in this case — there is actually substantially more?
❓Why does asking “why do you need my ID?” so often get treated as resistance?
❓What would the officer have done with Mr. McCluskey's ID besides running him for warrants?
❓Is it reasonable to ask someone to stop and provide their ID when they are in the middle of dealing with a gas leak on their property?
❓Who, if anybody, behaved disorderly in the video you watched?
⭐️Sheriff Defends Flock Cameras After Federal Judge Throws Out 91 Pounds of Meth:
“We’ll Keep Using Them”
"We’re Not Stopping Until the Supreme Court Says Otherwise"
Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado held a press conference addressing the federal ruling that suppressed evidence in a major meth case over the use of Flock/ALPR cameras.
On October 1, U.S. District Judge Sara Hill ruled in United States v. Kyle that a Tulsa County deputy’s warrantless query of historical vehicle location data through Flock and VehicleManager systems violated the Fourth Amendment.
She described the technology as “indiscriminate mass surveillance” and suppressed all evidence obtained afterward, including roughly 91 pounds of methamphetamine seized during a May traffic stop on I-44. The government is appealing to the 10th Circuit.
At the press conference, Sheriff Regalado stated that the deputy followed department policy and the legal standards understood at the time of the stop.
He said the office will continue using automated license plate readers until higher courts resolve the issue, calling it reckless to treat the action as unconstitutional based on one district court ruling.
He expressed hope that the case reaches the U.S. Supreme Court for a definitive decision on the constitutionality of the technology.
Regalado highlighted the system’s value for investigating crime, deterring criminal activity, and locating missing children.
He also noted internal safeguards, including requirements for an investigative purpose and case number, a roughly 30-day data limit, monitoring of searches, and the fact that no misuse by Tulsa County users has been identified.
The ruling is limited to this case and does not ban the technology, but it is among the first federal decisions to hold that a warrantless historical ALPR search can violate the Fourth Amendment.
Video of the sheriff’s full remarks below.
❓Should police be able to pull 30 days of your vehicle’s location history on a minor traffic stop without a warrant just because you have an out-of-state plate?
❓Are we heading toward a future where every highway drive is permanently logged?
❓Why should anyone have to justify where they’ve been for the past 30 days to a deputy on the side of the highway?
👮♂️ It's Hilarious When A Police Officer Thinks That Just Because They "Have Been Doing This For 22 Years" That They Must Be Doing It Right!👮♂️
On October 31, 2023, and again on November 20, 2023, a First Amendment auditor with the YouTube channel I.A.M. Free – Inland Auditing Media went to the Washington State Department of Corrections Work Release Office in Port Orchard, WA 98367.
He was there to film publicly accessible areas and submit a public records request after tips about issues at the facility.
DOC staff confronted him, claimed the state property was effectively private (comparing it to a library), refused full identification at points, and ordered him to leave, saying he needed permission or a pass.
Port Orchard Police responded. Officer R. Luke (Badge #720) and Sgt. T. Holden (Trey Holden, Badge #716) arrived.
Officers issued a verbal trespass warning, stating that remaining or returning could lead to arrest for criminal trespass under Washington law.
They treated the location as subject to exclusion after warning even though it is state/public property.
The auditor argued the site is public property, that he was in an accessible area without adequate restrictive signage, and that he was engaged in protected activity.
He maintained that arbitrary exclusion for viewpoint or press activity requires proper time/place/manner justification.
The DOC employees called higher ups and realized the mistake they were making then withdrew their trespass warning.
👮♂️The police sergeant who had bragged of knowing the law after having been on the job for 22 years was proven to be completely wrong about the law.
Outcome: No arrest.
No public court records or mainstream news reports indicate charges, a formal complaint outcome, or further legal action from this specific incident.
❓Is it appropriate for uncomfortable staff to call police simply because someone is filming and asking for records, with no other disruptive behavior?
❓How often are public areas unrestricted until an employee sees someone walking around filming and then suddenly they're a restricted or secured area?
Is it legal hemp or illegal marijuana? Can you tell the difference by smell?
Many police officers don't know the difference and most don't care.
If it smells like marijuana and looks like marijuana they'll make an arrest and there are judges who will sign off on it, hemp be damned.
Regardless of the actual law.
Officer Austin Wolfe of the Fletcher, North Carolina Police department responded April 2026 to neighbor complaints about a strong marijuana-like odor coming from an apartment.
At the door he told the resident he’d received multiple complaints and wanted a quick discussion about the smell, which he identified as marijuana.
The resident stayed inside, spoke through the doorway (camera running), and stated he does not smoke marijuana.
He explained the odor was from legal hemp / THCa flower purchased nearby—across from a police station—and that it is fully legal federally and in North Carolina under the Farm Bill standard (under 0.3% delta-9 THC).
Wolfe replied that marijuana is not legal in the state and that, without proof the product was compliant hemp, he had no reason to accept the explanation.
He noted the smell was detectable before he even reached the building and that it was entering neighboring units with open windows.
Wolfe didn't push the issue.
The resident agreed to be more mindful.
No warrant was presented, the resident never fully opened the door or stepped outside, and the encounter ended with the officer advising consideration for neighbors rather than an entry, search, or arrest.
This is a textbook example of the practical gray area created by legal hemp that is visually and aromatically identical to illegal marijuana.
Officers can knock and talk on a neighbor odor complaint; they generally cannot force entry into a private residence on smell alone.
North Carolina courts have continued to treat cannabis odor as a relevant factor in vehicle probable-cause analyses even after hemp legalization, but home-entry standards remain higher.
❓Do you know the difference between hemp and marijuana?
❓Was this person smart to keep the door to his apartment closed? What could have happened had he opened it?
❓Should a person have to prove to the police that a product they purchased legally is not illegal?
❓Why do so many police officers act like they’re there to back up the person who called them, instead of calmly checking what’s really going on with an open mind?
Lubbock PD responds to a USPS post office after an auditor films exterior/public areas.
Officer Simons and Officer Aarp arrive.
Aarp issues a criminal trespass warning at postal staff’s request and threatens arrest if the auditor doesn’t leave the property (including the parking lot).
Auditor cites the right to record in publicly accessible areas and leaves under the threat rather than test the arrest.
He requests a supervisor and Sergeant Mora arrives, only to be dismissive and flippant.
No charges were filed.
USPS Poster 7 generally permits news-purpose photography in lobbies, entrances, and public spaces absent actual disruption.
Full video shows the exchange.
❓Should simply existing with a camera at a post office be treated as a criminal disturbance?
❓Can a postal employee decide what is or isn't a disturbance based solely on his or her comfort?
❓Who sets the official rules of the post office? The United States Postal Service or the random uncomfortable employee?
What happens when a real police officer arrives and he's as wrong about the law as the hostile female security guard?
SeanPaul Reyes (@LongIslandAudit) filmed outside a New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission office in 2024.
Supervisor Brito first demanded he stop recording, then she called a female security officer named Gonzales.
Gonzales escalated the situation.
A sworn police officer later arrived and also claimed the state-owned facility was private property.
Reyes pushed back on camera, noting taxpayer-funded public buildings open to the public remain public for First Amendment purposes in accessible areas.
None of these officers seemed to grasp the concept of state owned property not being private property.
Reyes was not arrested or trespassed.
❓Was that the outcome you expected once the real police officer arrived?
❓If he doesn't know public from private, how well do you think the police officer at the end knows the laws he's sworn to enforce?