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The video above was submitted to CopBlock.org via the submission tab, with the text blockquoted below, from a man who didn’t want his name shared publicly. The video recorded in August 2014 and shows a Mississippi State Trooper speeding. That in itself is nothing new, cops break the law all the time (probably more than most), but what happens when the Trooper realizes his illegal acts were being recorded is. The submitter had this to say with his submission:

In 2014, I video recorded Brodrick Nettles speeding 97 on Interstate I-10 with no lights or sirens. Once he saw I was recording him, he pulled me over. When the stop was initiated he refused to identify himself or which agency he worked for. He reached through my window, opened the door, and pulled me through the seat belt to arrest me. Once in handcuffs, he took my lawfully-carried CCW firearm and searched my vehicle. Other officers arrived after I was secure in the patrol vehicle, but none of them witnessed the “incident.” My charges were speeding, following too closely, careless driving, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and driving without a license. I was booked on those charges. My rental car was towed to a storage lot. The officers later returned to the vehicle to steal my cell phone. There was no chain of custody performed for the firearm! After posting bond, I contacted nearly 2 dozen lawyers and was told “this is just how things are done around here; it’s Mississippi Justice.” One day before court, the officer informed my lawyer that he couldn’t make it to court and that the dashcam was unrecoverable. With my cellphone in his custody, I had no evidence for my case. He didn’t show up to court, but sent two other officers in his place to testify that I was “out of control” despite not being at the stop until I was already secured in the vehicle. I was not convicted of any charges, but was forced to spend over $4000 on this incident. The cell phone was finally returned to me 16 months after the incident. To date, MHP refuses to pursue any disciplinary action against an officer who was willing to destroy a man’s reputation to avoid answering for his speeding infraction. Please contact:

Jackson Co Sheriff Mike Ezell

Mike_Ezell@co.jackson.ms.us

(228) 769-3024 Rep. Steven Palazzo, 4th Dist

@CongPalazzo

(202) 225-5772 Troop K

Captain Pat Green

(228) 396-7400

CPGreen@dps.ms.gov

Mississippi cops are really bad at deleting video evidence it seems. Back in 2009 Pete (co-founder of CopBlock.org) and I (along with Jason Tally) were arrested in Mississippi too and, like this submitter, had our footage deleted as well. Our charges didn’t stick either but those officers never faced any repercussions for their actions either. There’s a seven year difference in our stop to this one but little difference in the results. That says alot about how well police adapt to the times.

Seven years later and the cops are still acting a fool when people question their authority. All you have to do is watch the first few minutes of our stop and you can see that once you question Mississippi cops (ok, any cops) they start bringing out the cuffs while putting trumped up charges on you.

While we (the submitter, Pete and myself) were lucky to have our charges dropped many others are not so fortunate. On any given day a person can simply upset any random police employee and end up with a lifetime of headaches or consequences to pay for. The police employee in the submitter’s video was breaking the law. When you’re caught speeding the police break that same law to speed up to you, pull you over (sometimes on the side of busy roadways) and ticket (or extort money from) you. Yet, when you attempt to hold them to the same standard, they aggress upon you, lie, delete evidence and get their associates to back their claims.

This isn’t a rare case of a ‘cop having a bad day.’ This is business as usual for police and why even those who feel they have limited to no police interactions must always film the police. As the saying goes, “Badges Do NOT Grant Extra Rights.” If the police have to be told that everyday than by all means let’s tell them! But do so with a video camera rolling!