Texas police shake down drivers, lawsuit claims

[Bob Hubbard]

Texas police shake down drivers, lawsuit claims

• Story Highlights
• Police stop drivers, take their money and jewelry, alleged victims say
• Drivers threatened with arrest, loss of children if they don't pay up, plaintiffs say
• Most targeted drivers are minorities who won't fight back, lawyer says
• Town, county officials deny any wrongdoing, say officers follow the law

TENAHA, Texas (CNN) -- Roderick Daniels was traveling through East Texas in October 2007 when, he says, he was the victim of a highway robbery.
The Tennessee man says he was ordered to pull his car over and surrender his jewelry and $8,500 in cash that he had with him to buy a new car.
But Daniels couldn't go to the police to report the incident.

The men who stopped him were the police.

 

[arnisador]

Good time for an FBI sting operation.

 

[MJS]

This reminds me of the movies, where you see a small, hick town, with a sheriff, who is the judge, jury, town manager, etc. LOL. First off, the thought of getting pulled over for driving 2mph over the speed limit.....please...the cops in this town must be losers. If that happened anywhere else, they'd be writing tickets all day long.

As for this incident....thats pretty messed up, and an investigation needs to take place.

 

[Cryozombie]

This reminds me of the movies, where you see a small, hick town, with a sheriff, who is the judge, jury, town manager, etc.

Yeah, why do my thoughts immediately turn to Roscoe and Boss Hogg?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Yep. Texas. Color me not surprised. I hate that state.

 

[celtic_crippler]

Didn't I see this in a Chuck Norris movie?....Breaker, Breaker... wasn't that it? LOL

My first question was, "Where the hell is the FBI?"

If this story is proved to be true then it is inexcusable and the Fed needs to drop the hammer on these guys and lock them up for a long - long time.

 

[seasoned]

The hoops you have to jump through, and the time it takes to become a LEO, makes me sick to hear something like this. LEO risk their life's everyday for the betterment of humanity, and the few that try to buck the system, make it look bad for all.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Anyone know the scoop on the town?

 

[terryl965]

Yea it has been several complaints butno arrest there have never been any eye witness or for that matter any sherd of evidence to support these alligations. I wish if it wa shappening somebody would proof this andget them off the force, it is bad for all Leos when this happens.

 

[Twin Fist]

Tenaha is like 15 minutes from me, very small town, less than 1000 people, less than 10 cops and this story is ********.

Teneha sits on 259, THE major drug route up from mexico. Oddly, travelers from the south to the north end of the state DONT use 259, it is mostly small 2 lanes, lots of speed zones, etc. So most people dont use it. But the drug runners all do.

listen to the details

"they took my 6000 in cash i was carrying"

who the hell carries 6K in CASH???

 

[Twin Fist]

our feelings wont be hurt if you dont visit

Yep. Texas. Color me not surprised. I hate that state.

 

[Archangel M]

As a cop I have to say that the $6000 "to buy a car" (If I had a nickle every time Ive heard that one) would set my spidey senses tingeling...minus any sort of evidence or articulable suspicion I dont see me confiscating it..and I have never confiscated jewelry. Not that that is wrong per se..Ive just never had a situation where I could prove that it was purchased with illegal proceeds. If this is shown to be a systematic shakedown of motorists, the feds need to get involved. If its one person who managed to get a media story out if it then Id be interested in seeing some more facts.

As to the "they make all cops look bad" thing...Ive always taken issue with that blanket statement. I do agree that if this is PROVEN to be corruption, that it dishonors all that LE agencies stand for. But the actions of some LEO's in some podunk Texas town has nothing at all to do with how my department functions or how we look at our profession.

I look at it much like how when some pedophile martial arts intsructor gets arrested. Does it cast "Isshin Ryu", Shotokan" ,"Arnis" or any other style "In a bad light?"

What these situations in LE do is allow people who have a beef with law enforcement to reinforce their position by assuming that if those guys are doing this than they can assume that all cops are doing it...which is unfair and prejudicial.

 

[Twin Fist]

from Bob's link:


Maryland resident Amanee Busbee said she also was threatened with losing custody of her child after being stopped in Tenaha with her fiancé and his business partner. They were headed to Houston with $50,000 to complete the purchase of a restaurant, she said.

Now, who the hell carries 50K IN CASH?

thats right boys and girls DRUG RUNNERS

 

[Twin Fist]

oh, everyone has seen the famous video of the highway patrol officer that got killed after stopping a car and the bad guys jump him?

that happened just north on my town, between here and Tenaha. On 259.

 

[terryl965]

Like I said it has not been any arrest or anything so it figures to be ******** but who knows.

 

[Archangel M]

I have to wonder..did they have a dog sniff the cash? Where was the cash found? Was there any other evidence/criminal history/statements present that influenced the decision to seize? You can have a situation where you have reasonable suspicion that a crime has occurred, but not probable cause to make an arrest. We don't have to let evidence drive away just because we dont have PC...we do have to be able to articulate why holding property as evidence was reasonable however and it can open you up a bit to civil suits. News stories are notorious in their lack of the finer details..I have experienced that myself. To cook up some controversy, the media conveniently leaves out details that would make the police actions seem more reasonable.

But I have no proof that that is going on here...

 

[Twin Fist]

i dont believe that Tenaha has a canine unit, the town is too small to have one.

 

[Thesemindz]

So Twin Fist, are you now saying that the act of carrying the only legal tender recognized by the government is alone enough to confiscate that currency on suspicion of a crime?


-Rob

 

[Archangel M]

So Twin Fist, are you now saying that the act of carrying the only legal tender recognized by the government is alone enough to confiscate that currency on suspicion of a crime?


-Rob

My "professional opinion"...6K in your pocket minus my being able to dig up some evidence of criminal activity (PC for arrest not withstanding) or articulable reasonable suspicion..you will probably drive away.

25K shrink wrapped and stuffed in the spare tire ( to buy that restaurant..right )...probably not so likely.

 

[Carol]

So Twin Fist, are you now saying that the act of carrying the only legal tender recognized by the government is alone enough to confiscate that currency on suspicion of a crime?


-Rob

Absolutely. Try depositing that much cash in to a bank account and one can see the hoops one has to go through, for a legal deposit, of legal tender, on behalf of an established, reputable business.

Sorry...not buying in to the "corrupt cop" story that CNN desperately wants me to believe.