26 SHARES Facebook Twitter Google Reddit Tumblr Digg Linkedin Stumbleupon Mail Print

This story was submitted via CopBlock.org’s submission tab, Adam writes:

Just a citizen (Myself) walking in plain daylight, sober, and just heading home. I was stopped by Bozeman Montana Police. They were looking for a “Nathan” but I dismissed it as a fishing to get more information out of me. My name is not Nathan. Supposedly they were looking for an emotionally distressed person, but I didn’t buy what was being handed to me. I also got the impression that they did not like me recording them, so they expedited the interview. I feel that if I was not recording my rights would be further pressured, if not ignored. This video [below] I think is what you guys prescribe as a good way to deal with an encounter. I was assertive, direct, even though I was shaking on the inside. I was not allowing my rights to be stripped away. Bozeman, Montana is a smaller community. Since I was extremely assertive, I do have a small wondering in my mind if there will be future encounters because I was recording. So there is a small concern there. If anything I am wishful that you will have this note archived.

What a great example of knowing your rights – in this case, Adam vaguely answering questions to avoid police entrapment – and using a video camera to end a potentially dangerous interaction with police. As seen in the video, Adam doesn’t give the officers exact answers to their questions. I use this tactic myself because if you answer with certainty you might put yourself at the mercy of further questioning or find yourself detained. Like in Adam’s case, these officers were looking for someone, from somewhere, for some reason. Had Adam said he was “there” exactly he probably would have been detained even though he wasn’t who they were looking for.

Here are some videos from CopBlock’s YouTube channel to further your knowledge so you can be prepared like Adam was:

5 Must Do’s for Every Police Encounter

What Badges Don’t Grant Extra Rights Really Means

CopBlocking 101