New York Sheriff's Deputy Caught Slapping and Asking Man: "Wanna F*cking Resist?"
In case any police officers needed a handy reminder of how not to treat a member of the public, this video should help.
The clip, shot by someone at the scene and later published at the blog Photography Is Not A Crime, shows Saratoga County deputy Shawn Glans unleashing an expletive-filled tirade at someone for refusing to let his car be searched without a warrant before slapping him in the back of the head.
Take a look:
According to Photography Is Not A Crime, Adam Roberts and Colin Fitch had a legally purchased rifle in the backseat of a car they had parked near a party they were attending. They returned to find Glans, who wanted to search the car upon seeing the rifle.
Fitch denied Glans permission to check inside the car, which did not make the deputy happy. "We'll get a fucking search warrant, alright?" Glans says in the video. "Wanna do that? Let me see your fucking keys."
Later in the video, you can hear Glans slap Fitch in the head. "Wanna fucking resist?" he says, even though Fitch is very clearly standing still and not threatening the officer in the least.
The reaction: The Saratoga County Sheriff's Office put Glans on unpaid suspension today while it investigates the incident.
"The Sheriff's Office takes matters such as this very seriously and we do not in any way condone anything less than professional behavior from our members," Chief Richard L. castle said in a statement. "We wish to thank the members of the community who brought this to light and cooperated fully with the investigation."
It's the latest in a long line of videos, mostly taken by ordinary citizens, that show police acting inappropriately. While Fitch escaped with a slap, 17-year-old Marcel Hamer was knocked out while laying on the ground and 35-year-old Lamar Joye allegedly had $1,000 stolen from him. And they are among many other victims who have come forward with stories or clips in the past few months.
h/t Raw Story