Texas 'cop blocker' helps law enforcement stay off YouTube







Screenshot from Now law enforcement is asking to use his videos to teach officers how not to become YouTube famous.Screenshot from YouTube less In this video, Sanders was subdued and handcuffed, attracting unwanted attention to the Addison Police Department.

Now law enforcement is asking to use his videos to teach officers how not to become YouTube ... more In this video, Sanders was subdued and handcuffed, attracting unwanted attention to the Addison Police Department. Photo: Brett Sanders Photo: Brett Sanders Image 1 of / 47 Caption Close Texas 'cop blocker' helps law enforcement stay off YouTube 1 / 47 Back to Gallery

In the past year, Brett Sanders has made a name for himself by fixing his camera on Texas law enforcement and posting the videos online. He usually feeds content to activist groups, but recently he's gotten surprising attention: multiple requests from law enforcement asking to use his videos for officer training.

Citizens with smart phones have rattled policing, especially in the last year, as filming the police became standard activist practice. Videos of testy law enforcement encounters have incited national reactions and uncomfortable attention for local agencies.

RELATED: For law enforcement, citizen videos make a national impact

"Some of the videos you see on YouTube are kind of embarrassing for law enforcement," said Sgt. Clive Milligan, an instructor with the Vancouver Police Department who emailed Sanders in September, asking to use his videos for training. "Sometimes officer lose their cool."

Video of an officer unhinged spreads quickly, but not footage of a peaceful encounter, because, Milligan notes, "good news doesn't sell."

It's no surprise then that Sanders' biggest hits have captured conflict; he was featured on TV news when his video showed officials with the Dallas-area Drug Enforcement Agency reacting aggressively to his filming their facility, and he got headlines across the state for a video that showed a police officer in Addison handcuffing him for filming the police department and legally refusing to present identification.

RELATED: Video shows activist handcuffed as police question if he had a bomb

"More times than not I would get an abrasive reaction from either security or police when I film," said Sanders, who lives in Frisco, Texas.

But it wasn't the tense viral videos that sparked Milligan idea to train officers for camera-armed citizens—it was Sanders' video of police in White Settlement, Texas, politely inquiring about his filming, making small talk and leaving without ever escalating the situation.

"It just ends up being a complete nothing," Milligan said. "We're using that video as an example of how to do it right when there is no reason to get ID or detain someone."

His one-time training for new Vancouver officers begins with a morning PowerPoint show called "cops on camera," then moves to scenario training in the afternoon. Officers attempt a simulated arrest while role-players come in as the "iPhone paparazzi." The goal, Milligan said, is to remain relaxed, recognize citizens' right to film, de-escalate the situation and save energy for important issues like crime.

Milligan wasn't the only to ask for Sanders' videos; also in September, a retired Texas police officer who teaches law enforcement for the Frisco Independent School District emailed Sanders.

"My goal is to help [students] get into law enforcement careers and survive those careers without becoming YouTube stars," Officer C. Turner wrote in an email posted on Sanders' blog. "I'm looking for videos where the officers were rude and/or very abrasive so I can teach these kids how to do it more professionally."

RELATED: Sanders sues police after confrontation caught on camera

For Sanders, filming the police became satisfying activism after his experience volunteering on political campaigns left him disappointed and disillusioned. He felt he was making an impact when his videos went viral, but he never imagined police themselves would use his work for training.

Citizen videographers are here to stay, he said, and he hopes he can help law enforcement learn to adapt.