Video shows California officer pointing gun at passenger

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Updated 4:34 am, Monday, August 7, 2017

CAMPBELL, Calif. (AP) — A video showing a Northern California police officer pointing his gun for more than nine minutes at the passenger in a car stop has drawn attention on social media.

The Campbell Police Department says the officer pulled over the car for speeding on July 28 on Highway 101.

Campbell police Capt. Gary Berg tells the Mercury News the officer asked for the license of the woman driving, the car's registration and proof of insurance. While the occupants were looking for those documents, Berg says the passenger started to reach under his seat.

The phone video shows the unidentified officer pointing his pistol at the passenger. The passenger holds up his hands and explains that he was looking for the requested documents, noting the papers on the floor and asks why the officer is pointing the weapon at him.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Video-shows-California-officer-pointing-gun-at-11738725.php

[Cold War Spook]

1. LEO Holding Weapon on occupant of vehicle.

This article does not include the video of the LEO. The LEO is holding the weapon correctly with his trigger finger pointing down the barrel, not on the trigger. He held his weapon on the passenger for 9 minutes until backup came. The incident ended peacefully, it wasn't until later that the occupants of the vehicle decided to make more out of it than what happened.

[LanternWaste]

2. Much as you've decided to make much less out of it than what happened.

"occupants of the vehicle decided to make more out of it than what happened..."

Much as you've decided to make much less out of it than what happened.

[Nitram]

3. Spook, you might personally be cool with a police officer pointing a gun at you for that long,

but you are an exception. All the cop had to do was tell the passenger to put their hands where he could see them.

[Demonaut]

4. lol, the cop was right, if you reach down to the floor then expect to be targeted

what if he had a gun? a cop was recently shot during a traffic stop

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/missouri-police-officer-fatally-shot-during-traffic-stop-n790226

did he make a mistake?

[Nitram]

5. "Targeted?" You apparently have no idea what an officer of the peace is supposed to do.

When he reached down, the cop had every right to pull a gun. It was then his duty to ascertain if there was a weapon under the seat, and holster his weapon when he found out there was no weapon. This attitude is exactly what is wrong with cops today.

[madokie]

6. All I know for sure is

I'd rather live in a world with Cops than in a world without Cops.

I'm an old long haired non religious Vietnam Vet hippie living in the bastion of christianity and republiCON rule and my experience with the Cops has always been a positive one

[Nitram]

7. It is not the binary choice you present, of having cops or not having cops.

It is a matter of changing police culture. It took LA more than 10 years, but they successfully did it starting after the Rodney King beating. When the police and the people they are policing begin to trust each other, everything gets better, but that takes a lot of work and time.

[Demonaut]

8. he waited for backup as he should have

how long to ascertain when the threat is over?

and I asked a question about the policeman being shot, did he make a mistake?

[Nitram]

9. The officer should have instructed him to place both hands on the top of seat in front of him

until backup arrived. No need to point a loaded weapon at the passenger for nine minutes. Too many "accidents" have happened to make that a reasonable choice. To place a passenger at gunpoint when there was no evidence of a crime and no evidence of intended violence is the action of an authoritarian police state. The fact that you think otherwise is strong evidence that too many of our citizens have been brainwashed into believing that this is normal behavior for an officer of the peace. It is the same as the stand your ground defense, which would have us believe that just because we are frightened of our own shadow, we have the right to threaten another person's life. Shades of Trayvon Martin.

[Demonaut]

10. we need cops like you, Nitram

[Cold War Spook]

11. LEO was alone

He did what he was supposed to do. He called for backup. If a LEO is alone when a man reaches under the seat, he can't just start searching the car.