Man CopBlocks Virginia Police: Am I Being Detained! (VIDEO)

*The following post and video was submitted to CopBlock.org via the submission tab.*

My family and I were travelling by van from Massachusetts to Tennessee. After many hours on the road, I became drowsy and started looking for somewhere to stop and rest. By the time we found a twenty-four hour truck stop, I was falling asleep at the wheel. So we pulled in to use the restrooms and get some sleep.

We pulled into the back of the parking area where it was darkest, but stayed in a designated parking spot, took out all the car seats, and laid the van seats themselves down so that the little ones could lie on the floor instead of sleeping while sitting up for any longer. After I finally dozed off (not very easy getting much-needed rest in a van) my wife woke me up and said, “That cop is coming to mess with us.”

Woken from a dead sleep I was extremely discombobulated, but managed in this zombie-like state to close the sliding door before he could reach it, then lock the rest of the doors, as well. At this point, the officer asked me to step out of the vehicle so he could speak to me. My reply was simply, “No thank you, I’d like to get back to sleep. Have a good night, officer.” This is where he says, “I am not asking you, I am telling you.”

From here, the video picks up with me asking if his “telling me” to step out is a lawful order. As is clear by the video, he was not inclined to answer. After going back and forth for a few minutes about why it was exactly that he even decided to come bother us, he asked why we parked in the back instead of the front. Now, it was clear to anyone with any common sense that we were sleeping and that this was the darkest, most secluded space, obviously best for sleeping. But it was also clear to anyone who has dealt with oppressive tyrants with badges that he was on a fishing expedition. So I told him I didn’t have to answer his questions.

He returned to his cruiser, and I told my wife to unfold the van seats, then put the kids’ car seats in so that we could leave. Even though in my sleep-induced stupor I accidentally focused my camera on myself instead of the officer for the first few minutes of the video, you can’t tell from the angle that my wife spent most of the duration making sure the kids were all properly secured in their child safety seats.

After a couple minutes, the officer’s sergeant approached my vehicle. As I have stated, I was pretty out of it and by no means a seasoned “cop blocker,” so I didn’t do well in securing their names and badges. The original officer did state his name, but I can’t understand it even after replaying the audio multiple times. His badge number was nineteen. The second officer was Sgt. McKlausky. Again, the spelling is probably wrong, and I failed to get his badge number. I couldn’t even gather the name of the police department, although it sounds like he may have said Nash. I even tried getting a look at the cruisers in my video, but they were too far away. We were passing through randomly, so we were wholly unfamiliar with the area.

So in that respect, I really dropped the ball. I also learned a valuable lesson, which is to have the presence of mind to collect all pertinent information relating to the incident, including the names and badge numbers of all the officers involved, even back-up personnel who don’t interact with you. Note the location of the incident and especially the department involved, which is usually not such a mystery. It was a lesson I took to heart though, as within two weeks of this happening a separate incident occurred which I also filmed, and this time I remembered to get all information I would need to later file a FOIA, which I did two days later. And also recorded. I may submit those videos as well, because they clearly show how easy it is for these oath-breakers to coerce you into relinquishing your rights. They actually threatened my five innocent children!

Back to the video at hand, though, the rest is pretty much self-explanatory. The officer basically refused to answer whether or not I was being detained. At one point, he did say I was detained without articulating what crime he suspected me of committing or preparing to commit, which is, as far as I know, illegal. The second cop said I wasn’t being detained and raised his hands in innocence, but then said it was up to his deputy. I suppose I could have left right when the supervisor said I was free to go, but I made a personal decision to hear under no uncertain terms that I was indeed no longer being detained before I drove off with my wife and children.

After a couple more minutes of him asking why I was “back there” over and over like a robot, and me repeatedly asking if I was being detained, he finally said, “You’re free to go,” in the same tone as a three year-old who has been told he can’t have cookies before dinner. So we drove off and got the hell out of town before anything else could go wrong.

In hindsight, what I regret most is not flipping him the bird, then lying back down to get some more sleep once he finally gave up and let me be on my way.

– Steven Gray

Editor’s Note: I think Steven is being a little harsh on himself over this video. I believe you handled the situation as best you could. Had you entertained the officers by answering their questions you probably would have found yourself subject to a vehicle search. Once that starts who knows what could happen considering everything is illegal these days. Add the fact that you’re from another state and I think locking the doors, rolling up the windows and asking if you’re being detained was the best way to go about it. Although the next time a pig tells you that “you’re free to go” make sure you go… I was really hoping that didn’t backfire on you in this video.

Man CopBlocks Virginia Police: Am I Being Detained! (VIDEO) is a post from Cop Block – Badges Don’t Grant Extra Rights