The driver was pulled over for not wearing a seat belt. That was the only reason, and an arbitrary one at that. In this context the only individual they had cause to have any interaction with was the driver. There have been multiple precedents set establishing that unless an individual is suspected of a crime, theyre not required to provide an ID. In this case the man was well within his rights not to comply as they didnt have a sound basis to question or demand anything of him, specifically in the context of this traffic stop. Now, perhaps things would have been easier had he complied but what good are our rights and liberties as Americans if we do not assert them? It is my opinion they were using the drivers seat belt violation as a pretense to go fishing hoping to find evidence of another crime. This is not right. This is America, were suppose to have a presumption of innocence and constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. We shouldnt have to justify ourselves to anyone and unless an individual is directly suspected of a crime, the police should mind their own business instead of going on power trips, using excessive force, and in this case risking injury to the children in the back seat.
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 03:12:35 +0000