Pastor Arrested for Watering Neighbor’s Flowers

An Alabama pastor who was helping a neighbor by watering her roses was confronted by police after another Karen neighbor reported a suspicious person. They demanded ID and that he respect their authority. He stood up for his rights and refused to be harassed. They arrested him for obstruction. Was he required to provide ID? What is reasonable suspicion? What to know….

[brickmason]

The cops let their egos control their actions. The cops involved should be fired

[jaehawn]

Remove qualified immunity. Arrest cops for committing crimes.

[chrisstengren]

He told the cop who he was what he was doing and where he lived….cop got buthut…..the courts need to reign these tyrants in….

[TexasAAttorney]

I just graduated law school because I'm fed up with this nonsense. I can't wait to sue cops for this type of BS.

[ConejoValleyA]

Most important is overturn the so called “Patriot Act”

[georgehart]

Police seem to have a special knack for causing escalation.

[Doing_Time]

Standing with a running watering hose and telling you to ask his wife across the street who he is...very suspicious...definitely meets the new standard of insurrection

[billtate]

Another clear example of why police need personal liability insurance policies and NOT qualified immunity. Nothing in the police playbook will change as long as they have that. People's rights get violated, cops get sued, get qualified immunity, tax payers pay the the beat goes on ad nauseum. Cops won't care until it affects THEM. Why don't Doctors have qualified immunity? Because they have personal liability insurance. If they are bad doctors...they lose their insurance after too many lawsuits and then lose their license.... should be the same for cops! Period. I mean the shear number of cases where cops think you need to ID upon request is mind blowing. And yet they STILL get qualified immunity when sued.

[peggyh]

Criminal plant watering? Despicable. We need better psych evals for hiring cops. It will be interesting to see if the judge is corrupt as well.

[Jimulacrum]

"You didn't respect my authority, so now I'm going to teach you a lesson!" should result in automatic firing from any official position, police or otherwise. This shouldn't even be a controversial thing. Abusing public authority—whether out of ego, ambition, or lack of control—is one of the worst crimes you can inflict on a society.

We ought to deal with this kind of thing using a civilian equivalent of dishonorable discharge from the military—essentially a black mark that follows you for the rest of your life. I think it would be very effective in both preventing abuse and protecting the public from abusers after they're identified.

[lisagrafton]

They always say they need ID to document they were on that call. However, as soon as they get the ID, they run it for warrants!
Just writing they responded to an address after receiving a call about a suspicious person and it was a neighbor, watering the roses, is all they need to document. No name or ID needed or required, by law!

[shawncook]

So the prosecutor or DA hasn't dropped or dismissed the charges? Smells like malicious prosecution to me.

[mrj]

Why do police refuse to learn that failure to ID is a secondary charge? I know this and I've NEVER been a cop or ever had ANY police training. How is it little ol' me knows more about their job than they do? ANY other job you'd be fired for not knowing how to do it. We don't have law enforcement, we have feelings enforcement and the police- nationwide- are a disgrace

[kgbinc.]

Amazing. If the cops didn’t show up, there never would have been a problem. They show up, create a crime, take a man to jail, and now half the neighbors flowers are in danger of dying.

[Dragonstalon]

This is why, if I am approached by a Cop on the Street, I always say "I do NOT Consent to Consensual Contact". State Legislatures need to add to ALL LAWS "If a Police Officer/Sheriff Deputy Detains/Arrests a person that does NOT fit the Criminal Elements of this Crime, the Officer himself MUST be charged with FELONY Malfeasance in Office, and if found Guilty is no longer eligible to work in the Field of Law Enforcement"

[ConejoValleyA]

First two things need to occur to fix the cop problem. Overturn Qualified Immunity and overturn Terry V Ohio! Easy initial fix!

[Steelhorsecowboy]

There really needs to be a crime committed before "obstruction" is charged. It seems to be a catch all to arrest someone for simply not submitting to a cop's ego.

[Johnny.f.face]

Until the punishment for these actions are sufficiently severe enough to curb the behavior, it will continue.

[kennethm]

This definitely sounds like a classic case of contempt of cop. Sadly most cops don't understand that they don't get respect because of their attitudes and how they treat people. I was always taught respect is earned not given. Well all cops aren't bad cops the ones that are bad are ruining it for the good ones.

[unsearchablethings]

No good deed goes unpunished. Never call cops. Ever.