Hidden Cam Shows It’s Nearly Impossible To File A Complaint Against A Police Officer In Florida And It’s Terrifying
Receiving a complaint about your service is always awkward, people rarely like to admit when they’ve done wrong. However, it seems that for some South Florida police departments filing a complaint is next to impossible. As this series of undercover videos show, you better have a damn good reason for your complaint because entering a police station without one can be scary, risky and even downright dangerous.
Several investigators, over a period of some years, went to visit several police departments around the state with the simple task of obtaining a complaint form. Nothing more than that. They were met with intimidation, threats and even arrest by these insecure cops, who abused their positions in quite a shocking way. All this despite having a policy of not only allowing citizens to legally obtain a form, but fill it out and return it anonymously.
Suspicion among police officers was high. The right to anonymity usually went straight out of the window as they went on the defensive and wanted to know the investigator’s identity, and reason for complaint.
From anti-social behavior to threats and downright aggressiveness, you begin to wonder exactly why these cops are so self-conscious. What’s going on down there in south Florida? A polite request was often met with flat out refusal to cooperate, followed by a line of questioning that casts suspicion on the complainant. It turns out that police officers in the United States often share a “blue code of silence“, which means that they do not turn each other in for misconduct. While some officers have called this code a myth, a 2005 survey found evidence that it does indeed exist. Perhaps this goes some way to explain the hostility.
This case went even further and descended into violence, as the officer realized that he was being filmed. The complainant here asked to see the policy about filming in the police station before he was violently grabbed in an armlock and slammed against a wall.
When evasive cops wouldn’t cooperate with a request for a complaint form, some investigators were persistent in demanding that their rights be recognized. In response, this officer threatened to make up a fictional scenario so he could throw the investigator in jail.
You can find the video with all of these cases and more below
Here’s how people reacted to the shocking video
Bored Panda contacted police departments across South Florida for clarification about their complaints policy. Boynton Beach Police Department assured us that “anyone can come into our substation, call us, email us, use our app…and provide feedback on a member of our agency. They do not have to provide their contact information however we do ask for a way to get in touch with them so we can further discuss the complaint.”
South Miami Police Department explained that “forms are always available whether they walk into the station or request a form be mailed should they not wish to speak directly with a supervisor,” whilst Pembroke Pines Police Department “understand that our agency cannot be successful in the administration of justice without the support of the community, and thus we take all criticisms & complaints seriously.”
Ultimately, police are there to serve the community and risk their lives daily to keep the public safe. 99% of cops are certainly ‘good cops’ and have nothing at all to hide, and we can only hope that these departments have learned from this experience and will be more transparent in the future. Citizens have a right to make a complaint without fear of harassment! What do you think about the video and this issue? Have you ever made a complaint against a police officer? Let us know in the comments!
Because they are brainwashed from an early age to think they are more free than everybody else, which, of course, is not the case. "US Freedom" is chanted like a prayer often without understanding of what that even means, never mind the numerous restrictive laws and policies the US has that are antithetical to freedom. They have housing associations, for example, that dictate what plants you can have in your front yard and what colour your front door can be. Just one tiny example. No thanks. (And before Americans get hysterical and say I don't know what I'm talking about, I am a US citizen)
Load More Replies...American cops have shot and killed people for absolutely no reason at all and this has been filmed, and yet hardly ever face any form of accountability. Not being able to file a complaint is the least of all the many, many problems.
I don't think it's the least of all those problems, I'm inclined to think it's the very root. It always starts from "small things" like these, that go ignored, causing serious harm.
Load More Replies...This is why community oversight is a must. Paramilitary structures with no accountability are dangerous. Goid cops don’t mind oversight, they welcome it.
Cops get a lot of bad rap when only 10-20% of them are "bad cops." But the problem is, the other 80-90% will protect them.
Load More Replies...It is scary that bad police officers can do as they please with no accountability.
And that good police officers leave the force because they get bullied when they don't adhere to the "blue code of silence" which also includes: planting fake evidence, getting rid of incriminating evidence, covering up and plain out lieing, even under oath if need be.
Load More Replies...You don’t go to their boss to complain, you go to a lawyer who knows how and who to bring the complaint to.
Man. Seeing how cops are in the US, I always think of a news article I read years ago about Icelandic police expressing remorse over having to use lethal force with a man holding someone hostage. It was just... Such a stark difference between our countries. Police who actually care and hate resorting to violence, to police that won't bat an eye to using excessive force. The US truly needs a reform to the justice system.
I had a terrible experience with a cop as a kid. He tried to take me in for being a runaway, in my front yard with my mom right there. He got so aggressive that I passed out. The next day some other cops decided to search my house. Years later that cop was on the news for sexually abusing little girls like I was(13) . I am convinced that had I gotten into his car, I wouldn't have been seen again. We were never able to file a complaint. I wonder if we could have, if those other girls would have been saved.
The video indicates the recording is from 2007. It's presented here as though it's current, not from 12 years ago. Very misleading.
Ok? Fail to see how that matters? Do you think things have drastically changed or something?
Load More Replies...You file a complaint, and then? Who is going to take care of that? By the look of it, it seems to me that complaints are going nowhere.
Which is kind of the point of the whole video
Load More Replies...In Canada I complained about a cop to his staff sergeant once and from then on that cop wouldn't go anywhere near me. My report was clearly not the first one and I was treated with the utmost seriousness and respect even though I was a teen at the time. Maybe it's a Canada thing.
Seriously, the US are in the dark ages still/ why not have a police complaint commission.. Oh , they don’t want one do they, it’s all I’ll pat you back if you pat mine, said the new senator
Serpico was published in 1973, that was a watered down version of reality, not much changed except it got much worse. They're not even ashamed of it. Giving the good cops a bad rep. Of course there are good cops, patrolling the Hamptons and Beverly Hills, probably, but as long as they cover for these criminals they are just as guilty. Police Union is the first to blame, unapologetic bullying to cover incompetent and violent cops. They have the excuse that they're fighting dangerous criminals, but somehow the ones they murder are anything but dangerous, they p**s their pants when they see an african american 12 year old and start to rabidly shoot shoot shoot. They don't know the law, make it up as they go along and think they have to be revered like Jesus. They're the definition of a fascist. It's a cult, it's a mafia, it's a cancer, no way to get rid of it. Number one reason not to visit America. Number 2 is the institutionalised slavery. Land of the free and home of the brave my a*s.
The problem is that if good cops turn in bad ones, they get harassed & are in danger of bad cops not backing them up in a dangerous situation or actually being targeted by the bad cops. They can quit, but that only leaves bad cops working the streets. There needs to be a separate entity for each jurisdiction where good cops feel safe reporting bad cops with fear of retribution.
Load More Replies...The summary said, "Ultimately, police are there to serve the community and risk their lives daily to keep the public safe." That is part of the problem: The police do NOT think they are there to risk their lives. Hence when a woman called to report a possible assault in an alley in MN, the police never even left their vehicles to search the area. (You know, the assailant would have hidden OF COURSE.) And then when they were going to leave, woman who had called banged on the car and came up to the window. And because they were not there to protect and serve but solely to protect themselves, the passenger-seat office shot her dead. Because he was startled and they got scared. Shoot first, ask questions later. That is how they are TRAINED. It's a training issue.
“99% of cops are certainly ‘good cops’ and have nothing at all to hide” ... Really? From which orifice did you pull that stat? Looks like systemic abuse to anyone seeing this article. “and we can only hope that these departments have learned from this experience and will be more transparent in the future.“ Have they? Since this is old content, can you not find out if anything has changed?
As a retired/disabled (on duty) former LEO, I have observed members of the professional radically change. Where once individuals (most) actuallu became Cops to help and provide public service. Now individuals become Cops because straight out of HS they joined the military, spent 4, 5, 6 years in a combat zone where everyone/thing was an "enemy". Since they have no marketable skills after this upon release from the military they become Cops and the combat zone attitude is all they know. This practice must stop and the current LEO's must be deprogramed if we wish actual public service and problem solving to return to Law Enforcement. Coptalez.com
@Cj N: Do you think that the police being supplied with military equipment also helps advance that trend? (The lines being police and military seem to be getting blurred, which is one sign of a decaying society, if history is any lesson.)
Load More Replies...The title is misleading. It should have gone like that: "Hidden cam footage shows that officers at a police station in Florida, bully and threaten with jail time a person who wants to file a complain against an abusive police officer".
First, I wish the article elaborated more on these "investigators". Like are they criminal investigators, private investigators, etc. Second, I hope something will come out this. There should be an inquiry done on these officers including mental health assessments because this is all just not right.
It's a Tv news show. use your noggin.... Investigative Journalist probably mate, calm down.
Load More Replies...Anyone find it weird that the video is unavailable because of a copyright claim?
In the Uk I was accused and arrested for an horrendous allegation, which I was found unanimously not guilty, but the allegation ended my career, lost me $2m and I had a cycling accident nearly fatal , due to my distress just before court attendance. Put in a complaint but police don’t answer my queries about nearly causing my death , but merely disapply it. So effectively if there is any valid complaint that makes Uk police look bad, they will disapply it unless they have a suitable junior pc that they want to blame and get rid of. They are investigating themselves for nearly killing me , they find they have no answer and suggest I take them to court which takes years and will bankrupt me while they have limitless public funding. Never trust a police person. They can be really brutal and lie
I filed a complaint against a cop once. He pulled his gun on me, after pulling me over for supposedly weaving. He kept his gun pointed at me, screaming the whole time until backup arrived. When the second officer arrived, and assessed the situation, he told the first officer to put his gun away and get in his patrol car. He then apologized to me and let me go. I was totally freaked out, and drove straight home. The next day, I drove back to that town and asked to file a complaint. They told me it had been taken care of. I told them that wasn't good enough; that guy could have killed me. They allowed me to file a complaint, but told me that was only a formality because the second officer had already filed a complaint against the first officer. Apparently, cops do tell on each other.
I think we've sen this enough times, always same result, always the same butt-hurt.
Yeah, didn't read the r******d comments, but I bet half of them blame Trump. Leftist, whiny dipshits.
Clearly lots of you have never been informed about how law enforcement works in this country. You have ABSOLUTELY ZERO authority to challenge a police officer, for ANY reason. Their word is the law. If you want to challenge a police officer, you do it through the judicial system. You can't tell a cop he's a stupid sack of s**t (even if you are 100% right), but a judge definitely can, and that judge can demand that an individual officer be reprimanded by his commanders. Been there, done that.
This video show John Lang called out the Fresno police who began tackling police harassment; specifically a license plate scam done in low income neighborhoods. After Lang's posts began making headlines,(He's a reporter) he started to notice unsettling people outside his home ranging from a van allegedly using a heat sensor camera to record him to multiple policemen across his street in the middle of the night. As Lang began to become more paranoid, he posted a cryptic Facebook post where he, more or less, predicted his death. A few days after, his house was burned and he was dead. Watch these video: https://youtu.be/_LKztisC52w and https://youtu.be/8ppxjMRSi9w
Them muthafuka police been doing this since you were in the early age, they used the same technique so thats how they got you.
Load More Replies...There was a similar investigation with similar results in the Dallas area a few years ago. Didn’t make any difference.
I’m inclined to attempt this in my local township. I’d be interested in seeing some BPers attempting this in their local locations too. Has anyone ever tried to submit a complaint at their Police station before?
We reported a threat of workplace violence we received from an old friend. He had been fired from his job and expressed anger over it. When we tried to report it, authorities didn't ask for any details at all and just said it wasn't a credible threat (how would you know without any details?) and essentially made us feel like we were wasting their time. I sure hope this guy doesn't prove them wrong. I'm really upset and feel powerless about it.
Florida is a whole different breed of people. Something very strange goes on down there. If you want the police caught secretly film post to social media and news outlets :-)
My friend was raped in the Uk. The police told her she was lying. Apparently there wasn't enough evidence for a case. When she complained formally, her complaint was rejected. How does that work?!!! The police she dealt with were cold-hearted and negligent.
Perhaps the police were cold-hearted and negligent, or perhaps there wasn't enough evidence. Your friend SAID she had been raped, but sometimes it is not possible to PROVE it, and you need proofs to arrest a person.
Load More Replies...I think it's always like that .. every people I know , said that it's almost impossible running against law.. plus My brother has a friend that went one night at jail because we was with some weed.. and when I came back home , he was completely strange , having non sense talks , almost like a zombie.. After a few months he is back to normal ... we still don't know what happens.. but it's our world ..we can't trust on the law..
I find that cops become more abusive the closer you get to the big cities. Most of the small town cops I've run into are really really nice people and very respectful. I think there should be personality screenings for cops to weed out the a$$hats..and there should be a separate office at city hall to lodge complaints against cops..one that is no where near a police station.
No. I’m in a small town. The cops act like they’re your friends, until they’re not. They’re ignorant, arrogant, pushy, and conservatively judgmental against people who are not like themselves. I’ve had my home invaded by them while I slept, under the claim of “help”. I had a cop lie to a room of people and to my face about something I said in an email to my parents, and then he had to walk it back when I said “read it to me” and the thing he claimed wasn’t there. I had indicated my fear of mistreatment by them in that message and they went and fulfilled that fear. Small towns are more apt to have ignorant, uninformed, and bullying officers. Or maybe it’s just police in general, because police forces are not employing wise, educated, reasonable people; they’re employing bullies, former military people with “us vs them” mentalities. Not only do they select the worst people for the job, they pay s**t and bully good people out of the system; only the sociopaths remain.
Load More Replies...Because they are brainwashed from an early age to think they are more free than everybody else, which, of course, is not the case. "US Freedom" is chanted like a prayer often without understanding of what that even means, never mind the numerous restrictive laws and policies the US has that are antithetical to freedom. They have housing associations, for example, that dictate what plants you can have in your front yard and what colour your front door can be. Just one tiny example. No thanks. (And before Americans get hysterical and say I don't know what I'm talking about, I am a US citizen)
Load More Replies...American cops have shot and killed people for absolutely no reason at all and this has been filmed, and yet hardly ever face any form of accountability. Not being able to file a complaint is the least of all the many, many problems.
I don't think it's the least of all those problems, I'm inclined to think it's the very root. It always starts from "small things" like these, that go ignored, causing serious harm.
Load More Replies...This is why community oversight is a must. Paramilitary structures with no accountability are dangerous. Goid cops don’t mind oversight, they welcome it.
Cops get a lot of bad rap when only 10-20% of them are "bad cops." But the problem is, the other 80-90% will protect them.
Load More Replies...It is scary that bad police officers can do as they please with no accountability.
And that good police officers leave the force because they get bullied when they don't adhere to the "blue code of silence" which also includes: planting fake evidence, getting rid of incriminating evidence, covering up and plain out lieing, even under oath if need be.
Load More Replies...You don’t go to their boss to complain, you go to a lawyer who knows how and who to bring the complaint to.
Man. Seeing how cops are in the US, I always think of a news article I read years ago about Icelandic police expressing remorse over having to use lethal force with a man holding someone hostage. It was just... Such a stark difference between our countries. Police who actually care and hate resorting to violence, to police that won't bat an eye to using excessive force. The US truly needs a reform to the justice system.
I had a terrible experience with a cop as a kid. He tried to take me in for being a runaway, in my front yard with my mom right there. He got so aggressive that I passed out. The next day some other cops decided to search my house. Years later that cop was on the news for sexually abusing little girls like I was(13) . I am convinced that had I gotten into his car, I wouldn't have been seen again. We were never able to file a complaint. I wonder if we could have, if those other girls would have been saved.
The video indicates the recording is from 2007. It's presented here as though it's current, not from 12 years ago. Very misleading.
Ok? Fail to see how that matters? Do you think things have drastically changed or something?
Load More Replies...You file a complaint, and then? Who is going to take care of that? By the look of it, it seems to me that complaints are going nowhere.
Which is kind of the point of the whole video
Load More Replies...In Canada I complained about a cop to his staff sergeant once and from then on that cop wouldn't go anywhere near me. My report was clearly not the first one and I was treated with the utmost seriousness and respect even though I was a teen at the time. Maybe it's a Canada thing.
Seriously, the US are in the dark ages still/ why not have a police complaint commission.. Oh , they don’t want one do they, it’s all I’ll pat you back if you pat mine, said the new senator
Serpico was published in 1973, that was a watered down version of reality, not much changed except it got much worse. They're not even ashamed of it. Giving the good cops a bad rep. Of course there are good cops, patrolling the Hamptons and Beverly Hills, probably, but as long as they cover for these criminals they are just as guilty. Police Union is the first to blame, unapologetic bullying to cover incompetent and violent cops. They have the excuse that they're fighting dangerous criminals, but somehow the ones they murder are anything but dangerous, they p**s their pants when they see an african american 12 year old and start to rabidly shoot shoot shoot. They don't know the law, make it up as they go along and think they have to be revered like Jesus. They're the definition of a fascist. It's a cult, it's a mafia, it's a cancer, no way to get rid of it. Number one reason not to visit America. Number 2 is the institutionalised slavery. Land of the free and home of the brave my a*s.
The problem is that if good cops turn in bad ones, they get harassed & are in danger of bad cops not backing them up in a dangerous situation or actually being targeted by the bad cops. They can quit, but that only leaves bad cops working the streets. There needs to be a separate entity for each jurisdiction where good cops feel safe reporting bad cops with fear of retribution.
Load More Replies...The summary said, "Ultimately, police are there to serve the community and risk their lives daily to keep the public safe." That is part of the problem: The police do NOT think they are there to risk their lives. Hence when a woman called to report a possible assault in an alley in MN, the police never even left their vehicles to search the area. (You know, the assailant would have hidden OF COURSE.) And then when they were going to leave, woman who had called banged on the car and came up to the window. And because they were not there to protect and serve but solely to protect themselves, the passenger-seat office shot her dead. Because he was startled and they got scared. Shoot first, ask questions later. That is how they are TRAINED. It's a training issue.
“99% of cops are certainly ‘good cops’ and have nothing at all to hide” ... Really? From which orifice did you pull that stat? Looks like systemic abuse to anyone seeing this article. “and we can only hope that these departments have learned from this experience and will be more transparent in the future.“ Have they? Since this is old content, can you not find out if anything has changed?
As a retired/disabled (on duty) former LEO, I have observed members of the professional radically change. Where once individuals (most) actuallu became Cops to help and provide public service. Now individuals become Cops because straight out of HS they joined the military, spent 4, 5, 6 years in a combat zone where everyone/thing was an "enemy". Since they have no marketable skills after this upon release from the military they become Cops and the combat zone attitude is all they know. This practice must stop and the current LEO's must be deprogramed if we wish actual public service and problem solving to return to Law Enforcement. Coptalez.com
@Cj N: Do you think that the police being supplied with military equipment also helps advance that trend? (The lines being police and military seem to be getting blurred, which is one sign of a decaying society, if history is any lesson.)
Load More Replies...The title is misleading. It should have gone like that: "Hidden cam footage shows that officers at a police station in Florida, bully and threaten with jail time a person who wants to file a complain against an abusive police officer".
First, I wish the article elaborated more on these "investigators". Like are they criminal investigators, private investigators, etc. Second, I hope something will come out this. There should be an inquiry done on these officers including mental health assessments because this is all just not right.
It's a Tv news show. use your noggin.... Investigative Journalist probably mate, calm down.
Load More Replies...Anyone find it weird that the video is unavailable because of a copyright claim?
In the Uk I was accused and arrested for an horrendous allegation, which I was found unanimously not guilty, but the allegation ended my career, lost me $2m and I had a cycling accident nearly fatal , due to my distress just before court attendance. Put in a complaint but police don’t answer my queries about nearly causing my death , but merely disapply it. So effectively if there is any valid complaint that makes Uk police look bad, they will disapply it unless they have a suitable junior pc that they want to blame and get rid of. They are investigating themselves for nearly killing me , they find they have no answer and suggest I take them to court which takes years and will bankrupt me while they have limitless public funding. Never trust a police person. They can be really brutal and lie
I filed a complaint against a cop once. He pulled his gun on me, after pulling me over for supposedly weaving. He kept his gun pointed at me, screaming the whole time until backup arrived. When the second officer arrived, and assessed the situation, he told the first officer to put his gun away and get in his patrol car. He then apologized to me and let me go. I was totally freaked out, and drove straight home. The next day, I drove back to that town and asked to file a complaint. They told me it had been taken care of. I told them that wasn't good enough; that guy could have killed me. They allowed me to file a complaint, but told me that was only a formality because the second officer had already filed a complaint against the first officer. Apparently, cops do tell on each other.
I think we've sen this enough times, always same result, always the same butt-hurt.
Yeah, didn't read the r******d comments, but I bet half of them blame Trump. Leftist, whiny dipshits.
Clearly lots of you have never been informed about how law enforcement works in this country. You have ABSOLUTELY ZERO authority to challenge a police officer, for ANY reason. Their word is the law. If you want to challenge a police officer, you do it through the judicial system. You can't tell a cop he's a stupid sack of s**t (even if you are 100% right), but a judge definitely can, and that judge can demand that an individual officer be reprimanded by his commanders. Been there, done that.
This video show John Lang called out the Fresno police who began tackling police harassment; specifically a license plate scam done in low income neighborhoods. After Lang's posts began making headlines,(He's a reporter) he started to notice unsettling people outside his home ranging from a van allegedly using a heat sensor camera to record him to multiple policemen across his street in the middle of the night. As Lang began to become more paranoid, he posted a cryptic Facebook post where he, more or less, predicted his death. A few days after, his house was burned and he was dead. Watch these video: https://youtu.be/_LKztisC52w and https://youtu.be/8ppxjMRSi9w
Them muthafuka police been doing this since you were in the early age, they used the same technique so thats how they got you.
Load More Replies...There was a similar investigation with similar results in the Dallas area a few years ago. Didn’t make any difference.
I’m inclined to attempt this in my local township. I’d be interested in seeing some BPers attempting this in their local locations too. Has anyone ever tried to submit a complaint at their Police station before?
We reported a threat of workplace violence we received from an old friend. He had been fired from his job and expressed anger over it. When we tried to report it, authorities didn't ask for any details at all and just said it wasn't a credible threat (how would you know without any details?) and essentially made us feel like we were wasting their time. I sure hope this guy doesn't prove them wrong. I'm really upset and feel powerless about it.
Florida is a whole different breed of people. Something very strange goes on down there. If you want the police caught secretly film post to social media and news outlets :-)
My friend was raped in the Uk. The police told her she was lying. Apparently there wasn't enough evidence for a case. When she complained formally, her complaint was rejected. How does that work?!!! The police she dealt with were cold-hearted and negligent.
Perhaps the police were cold-hearted and negligent, or perhaps there wasn't enough evidence. Your friend SAID she had been raped, but sometimes it is not possible to PROVE it, and you need proofs to arrest a person.
Load More Replies...I think it's always like that .. every people I know , said that it's almost impossible running against law.. plus My brother has a friend that went one night at jail because we was with some weed.. and when I came back home , he was completely strange , having non sense talks , almost like a zombie.. After a few months he is back to normal ... we still don't know what happens.. but it's our world ..we can't trust on the law..
I find that cops become more abusive the closer you get to the big cities. Most of the small town cops I've run into are really really nice people and very respectful. I think there should be personality screenings for cops to weed out the a$$hats..and there should be a separate office at city hall to lodge complaints against cops..one that is no where near a police station.
No. I’m in a small town. The cops act like they’re your friends, until they’re not. They’re ignorant, arrogant, pushy, and conservatively judgmental against people who are not like themselves. I’ve had my home invaded by them while I slept, under the claim of “help”. I had a cop lie to a room of people and to my face about something I said in an email to my parents, and then he had to walk it back when I said “read it to me” and the thing he claimed wasn’t there. I had indicated my fear of mistreatment by them in that message and they went and fulfilled that fear. Small towns are more apt to have ignorant, uninformed, and bullying officers. Or maybe it’s just police in general, because police forces are not employing wise, educated, reasonable people; they’re employing bullies, former military people with “us vs them” mentalities. Not only do they select the worst people for the job, they pay s**t and bully good people out of the system; only the sociopaths remain.
Load More Replies...
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