He should either be permanently stripped of his firearm or fired as a cop.

white baby boomer cop act's like a privileged asshole, well color me pink.

I don't have any reason to think that police didn't act like this all the time before cell phone cameras and GoPro cameras. If anything, it would have been worse, since you'd think at least some cops are more careful now that they know cameras are everywhere.

Right? If you think this kind of abuse suddenly started when everyone got a cell phone camera, why? I'd love to know the reason.

So if it's always been like this, and the only ones who really knew the extent of it were the cops who witnessed it, but they always kept their mouths shut, then why should I believe the refrain that 99% of cops are good guys?

I always hear this from people who say they "know" cops. They have a cop neighbor. They hang out. They have a cop friend they drink with. Their brother in law is a cop. They totally know each other. But you're not there during these police encounters. I don't dispute that your cop buddy has always been a super nice guy. But when you say 99% of cops are good cops, you're not basing that on experience with the thing that matters: what do those 99% do when they see fuckheads like the maniac in this video? They seem to have always covered up for them. You were not there for that. You only saw your cop buddy at your barbecue and he was cool then, so?

Why? Why are basically cool guys covering up for systemic abuse and systemic criminality? Cops have it drilled into their heads in all of their training that their lives are in constant danger. The same training that teaches them to shoot first and ask questions later tells them that they are at terrible risk all the time. Even though it has never been safer to be a cop. They are trained to live in fear, and they have it drilled into their heads that the only thing keeping them safe is each other. They won't rat out other cops. Ever. If they ever did, they will die in the line of duty. Probably the very next day. Because that is how dangerous they are trained to think their job is.

It seems like it would only take a handful of good cops to blow the whistle on this kind of shit. But we don't even have that handful. We have these incidents where they're caught red handed on video. That's the only window we have into what's really going on out there every day.

This is why police culture is dysfunctional, and cannot be reformed. No matter how qualified and how high the moral character of your recruits are, the culture turns them into this. And training. "More training" is the other refrain. If only we could give them more training. Cop training is at the heart of the problem. Training is where they become so paranoid, so defensive, and where they learn that they can't trust the public, they can't trust the legal process, they can't trust the civilian leadership. They can only trust each other.

How are you going to fix that? You can't.

The police can do as they want. They are not accountable to the public they serve. Most politicians are afraid to speak up because they will be called anti-cop, or weak on crime. With Trump in the white house, and the recent pardoning of Sheriff Joe, things will only get worse.

A dude pulls a gun on you with out showing you his LEO identification? So, if I was armed how would I know he wasn't a bad guy and what reason do I have for not blowing his ass away? His "word" he's a cop?

Where are the gun nuts when you need them? Other than becoming cops, I guess.

Cops view the videos as the problem, not the fact that they're drawing weapons on unarmed people, shooting them in the back, etc. These are the tactics of a brutally violent occupation army, not a police force.

I weep for the future, and am thanking the heavens I never had children who would otherwise live through the consequential aftermath of the criminally insane Era of Trumpzilla.
This is beyond sick.

@7 Original Andrew: When will enough be enough?

Any relationship between this August 16 stop and the big motorcycle mob action that happened here over the weekend? Was Randall involved in the big ride in any way?

Then again, maybe he's just sick of scraping reckless motorcyclists off the asphalt, and thought he'd try to scare one straight. Not approving his tactics or anything, but I can understand how watching yet another bike rider behaving like they have a death wish (or at least, the cop perceiving it that way) might push him over the edge.

@12

Yes, but why have a gun drawn for that?

Did the cop do anything there that is criminal?

@12 that's not a totally unreasonable perspective for a citizen, but if this guy's actually a cop, he's got a professional and legal responsibility to not do that. This wasn't the heat of the moment, the officer wasn't surprised or unsure of the scenario.

Anyways, shit like this is 1) obviously illegal and 2) undermines the very institution of law enforcement. It's an open question on if you should simply shoot guys like this on sight. Is that the future he's hoping for? Or his wife and kids are hoping for?

Cop Explains How It Feels To Live Every Day In Fear Someone Might Record You Brutalizing A Civilian
http://www.theonion.com/video/cop-explai…

Washington law has no problem with anything here. The deputy could have shot the man dead and in this state that is 100% OK, if the cop says he was afraid. It makes no difference whether there was the slightest reason to fear for his life. He only has to say he felt that way and that's good enough. Law enforcement in Washington has an unrestricted license to kill.

I got pulled over by this guy, wearing the same clothing; he said I was tailgating him, and he gave me the same kind of lecture, minus the gun. It was scary.

What year was Rodney King? Cops still haven't figured out they might be recorded while doing dumb shit?

A detective conducting a traffic stop? Well that's stupid especially a guy on a motorcycle. If a guy's going 100 miles plus on that road hit something and kills himself well one less squid. Be smart detective and radio it in and then go back to your donut. And you wonder why crimes don't get solved in this town but it's cool the taxpayer just paid for a new Ducati for that guy and his lawyer.

I have an idea, lets give them military-grade weapons.

Too bad its basically impossible to fire or jail a cop in this "democracy".

@4 The only way fix it is what's happening now. Film cops. Make them wear body cameras at all times. Post that shit to the internet. The culture of silence among the police will only stop when it becomes impossible.

This is what road rage looks like when a cop does it.

@24 that's part of what the police want you to believe, yes. You have learned your lesson well. No more questions or discussion necessary.

This is reprehensible behavior by the dick, he should be canned, Although he could probably get a job in another jurisdiction with little problem; that's how it works. BUT, given that, as a fantasy, haven't you ever wanted to be a cop when you see some asshole on I-5 and ,,,,,,

@12, I have friends at Harborview, the dark nickname for motorcycle riders coming in as emergencies is "organ donors."

Holy shit. Fire that mother-fucker. Don't even not fire that mother-fucker.

@12 Yes, you are approving of his tactics by being his apologist. @29 There is also the term "donorcycles". But how about we don't paint all motorcyclists (including this one) with that broad brush. I'm guessing this cop realized the guy was wearing a camera just before he suddenly put his gun away and started trying to put an official slant on what he was doing.

WTF that woke me up. This cop is a nut job. I like the theory he suddenly realized there was a camera and started trying to act all reasonable. Too late. Fire the motherfucker and in such a way (is there a way?) that he cannot ever get another job in law enforcement. Is it a felony to pull a gun without identifying yourself as police? Get a conviction so that he's never allowed to legally own a firearm.

@12: So to protect the motorcycle driver from hurting himself, the cop theatens to shoot him?

@14: Did the cop do anything criminal? We don't know... yet. However the rep for the Sheriffs' department said that he was in violation of policy on when they may draw their weapon.

@16: You do know that The Onion is a humor site, right? You say that was your point? Good. Next time please include a winking emoji.

@24: You have no proof that the biker is an a**hole, just an assumption. But even if he is, that isn't a capltal crime.

One way to determine if they're lying about being afraid would be to monitor and transmit their vitals in real-time.
There exist heart monitors that will do that; surely there is, or will be soon, some way to collect data on their cortisol, adrenaline, etc levels.

Also - America seriously needs to get over its strange hatred of motorcyclists. So many of you seem to be seething with resentment that a motorcycle perhaps can do things you can't in your massive truck or SUV. In Europe, we have motorcycles and scooters PRECISELY to get through traffic. Yes, that means going between cars and around them. And we do it on roads half the size or yours. And strangely, despite that, we have WAY WAY WAY fewer motorcycle fatalities than America.
Anyone apologising for this sheriff, or whatever the hell he is, needs their heads checked. You do understand that officers of any force are supposed to be held to a HIGHER standard of conduct - right? Why does that seem to be lost on so many today?

@34, stc asked, "Fire the motherfucker and in such a way (is there a way?) that he cannot ever get another job in law enforcement."

Sort of--at least not another in Washington. Sheriff Urquhart could request that the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission decertify the officer, and they could choose to do so. Don't get your hopes up.

I tried to find out if Ian Birk, the cop who murdered John. T. Williams, was decertified by WSJTC via Public Records Act request, but came up dry:

We do have a Personnel Action Report from Seattle Police Department about the Officer Birk’s resignation. (State law requires police and sheriff’s departments to inform us of every officer separation, voluntary or involuntary.) We have other correspondence with SPD about that separation. We compiled all of those documents into an investigative file our Certification Office retains. RCW 43.101.400 exempts from public disclosure the entirety of WSCJTC investigative files used in certification and decertification.

[...]

The material you requested will lose its exemption only if we convene a decertification hearing in Officer Birk’s case and some or all of the material is presented as evidence in that public hearing.

Greg Baxter
Records Officer
WSCJTC

Drawing your weapon on someone when investigating a misdemeanor traffic offense is not routine.

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Does he mean for White suspects only?

About a year ago I was badly groped by a drunk creep on the bus commute home, all caught on bus video and my manager was a witness. The King County Sheriff polices Metro. Their detectives mixed up the evidence and gave me conflicting info. I feel like they were upset I was unafraid to go forward with pressing charges on the obvious creep, therefore making them do their jobs. So they tried to discourage me by saying that nobody would ever believe me in court, they had bigger fish to fry and I'm wasting their time and keeping them from solving real crime, etc. After a few weeks of that I felt like I had no choice but to drop the case.

That creep still rides the bus without impunity and I've had unfortunate encounters since but would rather die in a fire than be "helped" like that again by KCSO.

What I meant by above post is: I thought it was just me dealing with this kind of crap but now I wonder how often do these really weird encounters with reps of our sheriffs office happen, and what do people do if they don't have video or their manager around?

Holy sh#t! That Rosco Sherriff has got to go!!! Thank god that biker wasn't black....

If you knew what pricks ninja motorcyclist were you would understand.

Just showed this video to some coworkers and we're all convinced that this yahoo is gonna kill somebody. Several of us are calling the King County OLEO (206.296.0100).

Personally, I believe that this sheriff deserves a chance to redeem himself and stay employed in some respectful capacity but for now we need to look out for each other (especially our minority brothers and sisters) and get this guy off the streets!

I wish I could say I am shocked to see this. I also wish I had a camera rolling in Sept. 2005 when I was pulled over in King County on my motorcycle and the officer approached me with his gun drawn (for an alleged traffic infraction which I was not ticketed). I was threatened, kicked to the ground, and detained. Without video evidence, my attorney told me nothing good would come from a complaint (I regret following his advice). So disturbing that this behavior continues. Putting one officer on desk duty will not change this behavior.