Watch Cops Seize Combat Vet's Life Savings [RARE FOOTAGE]
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 พ.ย. 2021
- Stephen Lara did everything right. But, as subscribers of our TH-cam channel know well, even innocent people aren’t safe from civil forfeiture.
Stephen is a 39-year-old retired Marine from Lubbock, Texas. He is a devoted father of two teenage daughters and, once a month, he drives from Texas to see them in California, where they live with their mother. Eager to be closer after spending the pandemic in Texas caring for his elderly parents, he has been shopping for a home near the California-Nevada border.
ij.org/case/nevada-civil-forf...
In February 2021, Stephen was making his usual trip west through Reno when he was pulled over by the Nevada Highway Patrol for supposedly following a tractor-trailer too closely.
The officer complimented Stephen’s driving, thanked him for observing the speed limit, and explained that NHP was “conducting a public information campaign” to help drivers avoid danger. Confident that the officer was only there to help, Stephen cooperated with his escalating investigation, even volunteering that he was carrying a large amount of cash.
Ninety minutes later, Stephen had been robbed of his life savings-$86,900-which he carried with him after a spate of robberies in his parents’ neighborhood. The officer who pulled Stephen over wanted to let him go; he was overruled by NHP Sergeant Glenn Rigdon, who ordered the money seized specifically so that it could be “adopted” by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
“Adoption” is a process by which federal law enforcement agencies can take over a seizure by state and local law enforcement. If the federal government is successful in forfeiting the property, its “equitable sharing” program guarantees the state or local agency that seized the property up to 80% of the proceeds for use in the agency’s budget.
In Stephen’s case, the DEA sat on his life savings for months, ignoring the legal deadlines requiring it to charge Stephen with a crime, begin a civil forfeiture case against his property, or return the money within six months of seizure. The DEA did none of those things. So, on August 30, IJ sued it in federal court on Stephen’s behalf.
Early the morning of September 1, the agency announced it would return all of Stephen’s money. In less than 24 hours, it had learned of our lawsuit, answered hard questions from The Washington Post, and committed to reviewing its policies for federal adoptions.
When we learned he would be getting his money back (filled with joy), he told us, “This isn’t over.”
And it isn’t. At the same time we filed in federal court, we also filed a major constitutional challenge in state court. Our state case aims to make federal adoptions impossible in Nevada as violations of the state constitution’s guarantees of reasonable seizures supported by probable cause and due process of law-not based on mere suspicion or for the financial benefit of the seizing agency. If we are successful, it will be the first time a state court has struck down federal adoptions. And a victory will take the profit motive out of roadside seizures.
Filmed with a Canon C70 with a 50mm 1.2 lens. Aputure 300d, 120d, and amaran.
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Check out our latest video in our Policing for Profit series. This one is about local police terrorizing a small town. They even got a tank. th-cam.com/video/-cil2gdCa-k/w-d-xo.html
Did you guys get an update on this?
GD. I need to watch Ronald Reagan speeches. SOMETHING, to make me believe in America, again.
th-cam.com/video/JDVT-8tUfiE/w-d-xo.html
Reagan is one of my faceprez but this ain't exactly his subject of strength. Fear mongering politicians of the Reagan and Clinton administrations pushed,passed, illegal laws that gave police unconstitutional power and protection. Targeted blacks for.mass imprisonment for profit within a system.that saw waccenhut and other human rights criminals receive billions in tax revenue to build prisons . They would then "contribute" tens of millions back into the hands of politicians of bothparties. Included in this group are curret civil rights heros Joe Biden, these politicians then used the media to instill fear of blacks within even the black community, while writing laws tha did things like make Crack punishment several times worse than cocaine because it was wrong assumed Crack was a black drug and powder a white. This despite a simple fact that Crack could never exist without the powder,laws that illegaly mandated from the legislative and executive branches that judges hand mandatory sentences to certain offenders. An unconstitutional violation of law and of a sacred founding principal of out nation that the three branches must and will operate separately of each other's influence. The consequence of these laws that even police who were there acknowledge represented a change from a doctrine of protect and serve to a federally funded pushed and protected system that I have seek cops who were also soldiers ssay was the same system the army used in occupied countries. These laws gave white supremacists and civil rights opponents validation and today are the source of much of the rightful distrust and fear of the law that leads to the wrongful killings of many officers even today. Millions of blacks Hispanics Asians were systematically targeted, evidence exists that at least tens of thousands were framed or wrongfully arrested and imprisoned at least once. In high corruption zones like California that had also passed illegal three strikes laws, that meant for many who were framed once, and some were more than once, could see 25 to life for a small rock. Or being accused of some crime they didn't commit because they were black and in the wrong place. Many don't realize the tipping point for the wealthy politicians was the Boston tea party but the biggest injustice in the minds of many revutionaries who actually fought was the interning of Americans into Britain's military and the lack of protection for the accused. Many founding fathers considered these the most sacred protections of the constitution and that failure to protect them would be the greatest threat to democracy by making the law a tool of oppression. My name is Ben and I support this message
Only in America
Citizens shouldn’t have to prove their money was acquired legally. Law enforcement should have to prove it wasn’t.
Burden of proof us what its supposed to be
U say that untill somebody lining their pockets w ur bread😂
@@kg-hk5zuPipe down you mug. Figure out how to make your money and stop being dumb 😂
@@kg-hk5zuu want concentration camps? Because that’s what a philosophy of, “guilty until proven innocent leads to.”
You say that as though America isn't a corrupt nation.
“He was driving under the speed limit which is odd” “he has his bank receipts which is odd”.. you can’t even do the right legal thing without it being odd
those cops were scum bags. Gov't is fulla scum bags.
Yes ,so true . These thugs in uniforms have turds for brains .this is my favorite ,it happened to me many times . Officer says "why are you so nervous" .. my thoughts... " because I'm in the presence of a heavily armed person that could decide to abuse his power at any time " . Such tards . And discusting
Overly following the law must be guilty.
@@antoniojmonetti trusting a bank with 86k dollars doesn't sound too sweet for some people, people would prefer the money to be with them, regardless, it was legal for him to carry that amount of money.
@@antoniojmonetti its called freedom, banks aren't freedom
The wrong guy was wearing the badge. The man who has real integrity is the Marine.
What ya expect he a Marine!!!
Literally highway robbery.
Notice when the police officer heard about large sum of money in the car he started rubbing his hands in anticipation 😄
@@jsmith6599... jackazz Jerry-
Never ever allow law enforcement to search your property, car, or home, without a search warrant! Never!
Easier said than done. Specifically when it comes to traffic stops. Cops use all kinds of tricks and excuses to do as they please. Refusing to comply to a search is a great way to hear that they suspect you of something or that your car smells like weed and could you go ahead and step out of the vehicle for me please.
He would just get a dog and do a false flag to search it anyways
@@bestieswithtesties While you may have a point there, refusing a search gives you a really good point of defense in court when it comes to that. If you refuse a search and the cops come up with some BS way around it, you've given your lawyer a golden opportunity to tear them to shreds on the witness stand. However, if you consent then the search was 100% legal and you can't argue otherwise.
why do they pick decent and polite ones to harass.. its almost like they dont want to do this to bad guys coz they are scared but still have to fill a quota so they pick on ppl who comply.
Bingo
This guy literally was an open book, cooperated, gave his trust...
They took advantage of that, this is as sickening as it gets.
And thats what where he fucked up.
You NEVER trust these fucking scum humans.
@@jeffersonsteeleflex8178 💯 even when you comply you’re still gonna get fucked over! Only in America?! It’s really fucken sick!
Bet the next encounter goes differently.
This idea of cops as your friends where did that come from? Some time during Jim crow,. Keep so after the white flight? There is a pattern here many of you refuse to accept. Even ignoring this truth the idea that eventually the sheriff of Nottingham will be knocking on your door next is how you should behave
@@E33ENTIAL it's a dumb law that allows Robin hood story esque villains to exist.
The man is a marine and this is what they do to him . He has all the receipts and still unbelievable
There you go. Don't join or support the largest terrorist gangs in America known as Police, and US armed forces.
Yeah man, reality is the government itself just sees everyone as cogs, which include the marines, whether they are on duty or retired. Pretty sad
lots of gangs send their members through the military, its not only free training, its training they get paid for, then they leave the army and have high profile job in the criminal organisation
Edit: Such as smuggling large quantities of clean cash after laundering
@@user-rf2qe4gi4k 50 cents have been deposited into your account
Being a marine is irrelevant they are just workers
“I stopped him because he was driving under the speed limit”
As a former Marine, I can tell what just happened. You took an honorable man who loves his country, his family, and believes in the Constitution, and state laws, and now has informed him, his service has no value and that the state & Feds are his enemy.
Bingo
Yeah. Pretty much.
Well his service has great value whether police recognize that or not many people still do. But sadly any faith or trust in the laws and those that enforce them is a lie we grow up believing until we realize its a fantasy. Cops are dangerous. They have too much power and their training and reinforced behavior and morality makes it really difficult for the good cops to stay good rather than fall in line. It need way more oversight and transparency. And making arrests and putting people in jail is way too incentivised. Not only the guilty need be worried obviously.
With all respect: you don't have to be a (former-)marine to make the statement but, yeah, I am in full agreement with you. This man gave his life for the country twice and this is your reward.
why do you love that country tho? generational stockholm syndrome?
I spent 33 years in law enforcement I can tell you this is corrupt no matter what the pretense is. If police can't understand why they are hated by the public look no further then these actions.
My dad is a retired New York City cop and he never behaved like this. No wonder people are distrustful of police. Can you imagine if this victim was a black man. He would have been arrested. This needs to be addressed ASAP and robo cops need to get rid of their ego's and clean up their image.
@@lorraineakers8147 Ive long said there is no such thing as a good cop because the 'good ones' will see this happen on a daily basis and never do anything against the 'bad apples'. Police are a joke.
@@josiahkepley how is that? Please explain your logic
@@josiahkepley bro im a cop hater too i fuckin hate em but we have to realize there ARE good cops out there and we have to praise them for being good. as much as i hate the police we also do just kinda need them, unfortunately.
There's wicked people in every walk of life. Law enforcement is no different. They just get judged harshly because they are held to a higher standard by the public, and when people see bad cops get caught on video, they figure that all cops are bad. Who are we to make such a judgement?
This isn’t innocent until proven guilty. This is assumed guilty and having your possessions taken until you can prove the absence of crime. Pretty hard to do that.
I'm glad that I saw the follow-up and I'm glad that the Institute for Justice was able to get his money back and is suing the Nevada Highway Patrol. I hope that you also sue for damages.
He went from not trusting banks, to not trusting cops.
Yup he was way too trusting.. Never ever trust a cop
I trust no one but very select people I've known long time, even then I don't 100%.fully trust anyone ever, maybe 99%, gotta leave that 1%.open .. I trust no one and it has served me greatly in my life.. Saved me from a lot of pain I see people go through so much
Bro I tell you don't even not trust 99% make it 100% trust no one but yourself even your wife children you can't trust that's the reality of the world we live in and guess what the people you trust the most are the one's who will make you suffer be careful there's a jungle out there trust me talking from experience
In this case, the banks are more trustworthy, if a bank suddenly stole $100,000, It would either be sued or shut down
Yes neither of them can be trusted
The fact they don't need any evidence to do this is straight up criminal.
Yeah now imagine living in Nevada where I do where all this money taking originated. Cops literally show up to your house if they think you’re even a little bit suspicious and will pull you over for doing the speed limit and accuse you of suspicious driving or say they believe you’re driving a stolen vehicle just because they think someone like you shouldn’t be driving it. They’ll pull up behind your parked car and run your plates to keep an eye on you for later to try catching you doing something wrong.
@@n3wbzero2014 I put a motorcycle for sale ad in the paper, I didn't know the true value of it 1.200 miles Yamaha 650 maxim black and chrome like new so I just put it for 1.200$ which was dumb 1st motorcycle but i traded an old car for it I paid 1.200$
I didn't need it and almost got hit trying to drive it and my wife hated it the 1st one at the door was a cop in uniform offering me 800$ he had ran my tag 1st and admitted I'm " All aces" = 0 criminal record not even a ticket. I was upset that he even did that before coming to my door offering me the 800$ I politely said no thanks the phone was still ringing with buyers. He said I know you have a clean record and probably want to keep it that way ( like suggesting a frame ) and support your local police, and pulled out exactly 800$ so go ahead and sell me the bike, I did, but felt more like being robbed it was worth more like 8000, than 800. It was really sad watching this guy be robbed by the cops. I used to play cops and robbers as a kid, wtf is it now Robbers and Robbers?
@@suomi5454 sounds about right I had a cop follow me home while off duty in an undercover car and light me of in my driveway to say I was speeding and he would leave me alone to buy my car. It was a 2000 Pontiac firebird I told him no and he couldn’t do anything because he wasn’t currently actually on duty.
@@n3wbzero2014 Ive noticed they like to play down a "cops salary," but it seems they have a lot of expensive gun and watch collections, motorcycles, boats, and classic sports cars - they know where and when police auctions are held, I think a lot they just plain steal or intimidate to have the most toys so I don't doubt you, he was probably more into Firebirds than what speed you were going ... Glad you didn't get burned like I did. ( I only asked later what that bike was worth from a dealer ) And like the guy in the video and probably many other guys keep cash cuz they don't want their wives, ex-wives and girlfriends knowing every penny I'm your bank account
@@suomi5454 they really do downplay how much money they have. One lives up the street from me in a 3 story house with 2 brand new trucks and a boat.
Stephan thankfully you won your case and got your money back
He already did. Didn't you watch the end of video. God will be confused
Shouldn’t have been taken in the first place. FJB, F the ATF, FBI, CIA, and most importantly F ALL law enforcement agencies.
If he had robbed a bank or done anything wrong he certainly wouldn't have been telling that officer he had over $10000 in the car.
Shakedown...let's just call it what it is.
Ex vet robbed by armed robbers. Swift justice…..
It’s armed robbery under the color of law
Fucking crooked cops.
Every city, county and state law enforcement agencies are nothing more than road pirates. The government has made it legal for them to take everything you have. Our government is nothing more than organized mafia. It is time we take action and use our constitutional right to abolish our current government and create a new one.
😂😂😂😂
The fact that they returned the money as soon as legal pressure was applied to them demonstrates the flimsy legal footing on which they base these seizures.
Absolutely as a victim of this it hurts seeing it happen again
That's not typical. Usually people end up spending half or more of the seized money on attorneys and other expenses. This happens A LOT. Like all the time in the US.
@Ian Battles did actually get all his money back though? I thought he had $100k seized? Only $80-something thousand was returned to him. He deserved to get at least double the amount for having to go through this crap in my opinion.
This is crazy he had bank receipt
@@saraohara2504 and he has to pay legal/court fees
Who got the money? It took a lot of balls to do this to a honest American vet.
The people who took the money got it, it goes mainly to the department who seized it as a finders fee while the federal government gets some percent for letting them do it
It took psychopathy. It takes a certain type to be a cop. You’re essentially joining a cohort well known for corruption and violence - and they join to “make a difference”. Right.
No, it took balls to make the money, honestly. Cowards steal shit.
No balls just a impersonating limp dick.
No it takes cowardice to do this. Cowards blindly follow orders.
I feel physically sick over this !!!!
The fact that he said “Nice” when the dog picked up the cash pretty much tells you all you need to know.
You know every dollar bill has traces of cocaine in it. Why take out the drug dog chemist already proved this years ago.
It doesn’t tell me all I need to know… I don’t doubt he COULD be excited for seizing money to fund his department, although I’m not sure what that gets him personally.. I’m more inclined to believe he actually thought it could be drug money, and he’s excited to get illegally obtained money off the street.
Yes he had the withdrawal receipts.. but what’s stopping him from spending the money he withdraws and then only getting paid/carrying just a few thousand under the total of the withdrawals as to not arise suspicion?
He could drive a certain route all the time and carry 87k every day and it could be a different 87k every single day..
@@SMgaming619😂 silly silly sheep
@@tessaelto1472 you're calling me a sheep, yet I'm the one with the unpopular opinion. think about that for a second
@SMgaming619 Nah he's just stoked on job security and bonus checks
The police had ZERO intention of getting that money back to him unless they were sued AND given bad PR. Thank you for representing him!
Everyone loves money
Often times the court fees amount to more than the money taken so the police can just steal it and use it for department funds
@@stuwest5862 so they can take it if they “think” its drug money not if they prove it? Right. Say that again to yourself 50 times and tell me if it makes sense…
@@stuwest5862 isn’t all money drug money? 👀 jk
@@stuwest5862 but the whole up to 65% of currency has traces of drugs had me shook.
It's a disgusting abuse of authority
🐷
Never, NEVER, let the cops search your car without a warrant! 😡🤬
This constitutes theft…they should be jailed.
ha! by whom
Qualified Immunity protects police that's why they don't worry about breaking the law. They'll tie you up in court hold your freedom and money tied up in the court system for years. Takes the fight out of the everyday citizen. If it wasn't for the IJ we probably wouldn't of even heard of this case. This isn't a freak incident either this happens daily in the United States
@@JKnksrsly are you... defending them?
@@ThePerson-dg6bq Yeah but he'll change his mind once he gets beaten by a police officer for not "obeying" them
Armed robbery
Absolutely disgraceful
certainly
Can you tell me how to run XBOX ONE games on a PS4?
F#€k you for your service Mr Lara says the Utah State Patrol. Dispicable!
ALONG. WITH. DOJ. !!!!!!
That cop got his nudes leaked he was sending to some chick who exposed him. It was far below average an she ended up getting fined and then the marine got with her and they have a great life with 3 kids now
Never divulge information to these tyrants, and never give the the right to search your vehicle.
At least he learned that cooperating with the police is stupid and can only hurt you.
"I do not answer questions." and "I do not consent to a search of my vehicle/home/person." The two best things to say when confronted by law 'enforcement'.
This blows away the saying, "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear."
Sounds like something a policeman would say!
@@americanjoe5486 that is what policeman say. And this guy just said that this video blows it out of the water.....thanks for pointing out the obvious 😕
That is a quote of Joseph goebbels. A Nazi propagandist….
Yeah man sad but true
@@hunterblankenship9346 You are so ignorant it hurts me physically. Please, PLEASE for the love of god. Pick up a book Hunter. Educate yourself on the history of that sort of rhetoric and the ways the nazis dehumanized and stripped entire ethnicities of their rights and livelihoods. THROUGH PROPOGANDA LIKE THAT. Its a double positive statement that is also a lie at the same time. An intimidation tactic that is essentially designed to force you to assume the ass up face down position.
Its telling the law abiding that they shouldnt worry about their rights being discarded and they should let the cops do whatever they want. OR you do have something to hide and youre already guilty/dead to them. Either way that statement is intended to decacto remove your inalienable rights that we have as humans.
one of the worst parts about these cops is that their actions create a distrust of all law enforcement. The amount of damage a bad cop can do will always drastically outweigh the benefits of cooperating with police
This was a perfect example of that. This guy clearly had a ton of respect for law enforcement and trusted them (too much). I doubt he is ever going to trust a cop again.
this is why i hate and do not and will never trust a cop on any lever for any reason. they are power tripping, above the law and need sooooo much missing oversight it is disgusting. Who watches the watchers? no one! this man is owed tons of interest. the DEA is federal overreach, as is Homeland Security and the IRS. Our govt is OUT OF CONTROL. We are but steps away from Tyranny. The problem is... it is not one man. It is a system of extreme brokenness.
Can you own land in Nevada without being DoD?
You should always distrust law enforcement, even the good ones. There is an inherent power imbalance between citizens and authority. The DA, the courts, and the jury start at the point of fully trusting the officer's judgement and honesty, and reserve skepticism for the citizen. If you do not start at the point of skepticism for the officer then there is no counterbalance to law enforcement's authority
Yeah if they did this to the tune of 344M just in 2019, this seems like a systemic strategy within numerous police forces.
Just can't imagine fighting in a war(s) for your country then have this happen. That had to hurt. Thank you to all veterans.
This is how much our government cares about its citizens. Why would you ever want to fight for them.
He, the thief in uniform, literally rubbed his palms together when he answered yes to the cash question... He should be in jail.
Well said
Beat the hell out of first!
There has to be consequences for police making bad decisions. No other job in the world can you do so poorly at your job and still have a job!
Under the jail.
We need names..of crooked ba...rds
This makes me so angry. Don't trust a friendly cop.
Don't trust "any" cop! They are not your friend!
@@OLDSKOOLNYC1 Amen! 👍
There's no such thing as a friendly cop they're just good bullshitters!
Cops are losers.
Never answer questions, they are not your friends, they are indoctrinated and morally bankrupt. never consent to searches. Stealing from law abiding citazens is not just doing their job, they are disgusting despicable human beings. .
A Texan having a copious amount of cash because they don’t trust the banks seems pretty normal to me. That sounds like a very “Texas” thing to do
Those dirty cops need to be named in the lawsuit, the admitted to breaking the law and didn’t care.
These cops are evil for doing what they know is absolutely WRONG!!!
They know its wrong.
But the institution they work for applauds it.
The Policing institution is a mess.
NOBODY should be this sure there isn't a hell. wow
@@thelaughingman79 Yet there ARE many who would deny that very thing, best wishes to you and yours and happy holidays !
They will stand before god one day . Judgement day is coming.😳
So,
They're law enforcement, then.
This just shows you should never give the cops permission to search anything. They can’t be trusted.
That's why he deserves it taken should have never talked from the start.
And it's legal for cops to LIE
He didn't trust the banks, now he doesn't trusts the law
Definitely never consent to a search. You surrender your rights by giving them permission. They wouldn't need your permission if they had actual, legal, and demonstrable cause.
Absent cause, they have to resort to asking you if they can.
You never have anything to gain. They won't buy you a beer after because you were so cooperative. Even at the best case scenario you are flipping a coin on being arrested for something at that point.
And if they want to search your car so badly despite having zero legal justification, they basically don't like you and are looking for any excuse to arrest you.
They would have just used the fake ass "the dog alerted" line they ALWAYS use. You WILL get searched.
Those cops are lucky this marine has good mental health, unarmed and great respect for authorities... Things like this could end up in a bad situation for everybody involved
7:24
So he's already telling the agent he will be sending the money count before he has any evidence it's drug money
That’s probably what they was bettin on. The way they was gaslighting em
This is sickening. Highway robbery.
Please sue them all!
He had his receipts with him!!! Outrageous!
doesn't matter and Trump supported and reinforced it
@@OzienPlays
So did all the other presidents for a long time.
Wile the police was waiting he should of been adding up the deposit receipts n totaled up to the amount he had deposited
That dog "alert" was ridiculous.
Obviously alerting on the cops sent, not to mention there are drug residue on most currency.
Tyrants
I keep mine just in case this happen to me.
Got bank, market & toll booths.
I'm 57 years old and was raised to be pro police as my father worked as an LEO for a few years. I've always supported law enforcement, even with financial donations. That ends today. This is a fucking disgrace to a man who risked his life for my freedoms. The cops confiscation motives are driven by a Service Award Commendation related to theft in office. Until things change I have to distance myself from further law enforcement support.
Amen.
I have added their annual Support drive to my spam list.
Wish more that support the cops took our view, this was blatant robbery however they try to gloss it, disgusting practice being able to take legit hard earned money just like that.... Not law enforcement I want
ending support for all law endorment because of one one instance between a couple bad cops?? and the feds always have and always will be corrupt in some ways but this is no reason at all to believe that all cops or bad or even that all civil asset forfeiture is bad. we can acknowledge that is is bad that this happened and makes changes so that it won’t happen again but this is absolutely no reason to believe that it represent all law enforcement and all civil asset forfeitures
@@eck754 why can’t we acknowledge this instance as bad without assuming it represents all law enforcement or all civil asset forfeiture?? because it doesn’t. all this shows is that the feds are the corrupt ones and provided incentives for a cop to make a bad decision
This cop is really comfortable in setting up this man as he moves thru each step of his strategy to gain confidence & slip in as Mr. Friendly to take his cash. He’s a great con man. Good luck. It happened to my husband & I in our home town in ‘85. Long story but so happy to see ur were able to help at least one & hope u have others u were able to help. There are still going to be cops that pocket cash. It’s standard that some will short the drugs & cash found.
NEVER, EVER, EVER talk to police conducting an investigation without an attorney or give permission to search ANYTHING!!! No matter what!!!
That guy got a 87k fine for driving very well.
Unbelievable injustice.
They shouldn’t have even pulled him over driving close to a semi when turning is not illegal driving under the speed limit while keeping up with traffic because he’s behind a semi is also not illegal
No wonder people don't trust the police
@@vineenergyvideos5640 It's all BS. Nobody can drive perfectly like they want.
You can tell something is coming when they compliment him so much. That is to calm them down and get them to cooperate.
@@vineenergyvideos5640 his logic made no sense. He’s simultaneously being criticized for driving too close and too slow. If he speeds up he crashes. If he slows down even more will he get automatically pulled for being drunk? Once he realized the semi wasn’t going any faster he gets into the passing lane, but this moron already decided to pull him.
Never allow any officer to search your vehicle and always consider that police officer's are liars and never on your side. .
Agree cops are liars and thifs.police stole a competition rifle from my brother.
facts. And never answer questions
There is no such thing as a "Good Cop" either, they literally assume everyone who isn't a cop is armed and wants to kill them.
There was a saying back in the day that went like this... The man in blue is a friend to you.. Now it's, the man in blue is after you... Smh, These thugs are a danger to society
Yup got 11k room from me two months ago trying to get it back you try to “make their job easier” and they make you feel like your a criminal for knowing your rights I’ll never answer a question for them im not required to again you work hard and try to contribute to society to get robbed by the people who are there to “protect you” i have zero faith in law enforcement i used to think they were just trying to do the best they could with the laws they have but now Ik majority are just looking to abuse their power take as much money from the pockets of the community so they can get nicer equipment banquets and raises/bonuses It doesn’t matter if theirs a few good cops when the majority are not theirs a reason people are scared of em even if they’ve done nothing and it’s because they get to violate you with no evidence and it’s allowed/ encouraged from what I’ve seen and experienced everyone wish me well if i don’t get this money back which I’ve been saving to pay off my student loans for when i graduate in a year I’m really gonna be in a dark place i go to school from 8-12 work 2-10 everyday pay 1300 to my school monthly plus my bills I’ve been saving this money since i started college and it wasn’t easy if you can tell i pretty much live paycheck to paycheck and I’m lucky if i can save an extra $350 a month i avoided spending money going out with friends buying new clothes eating well ect to hopefully be able to graduate debt free well it’s not looking like it’s gonna happen so that’s awesome fuck all law enforcement
I’m a Criminal Justice and law enforcement Major, NEVER GIVE POLICE PERMISSION TO SEARCH especially if you are innocent!! Be calm, comply, never agree to anything!
your biggest mistake is believing your entitled to justice.
This veteran has the patience of a saint.
If there’s one thing the military teaches you, it’s patience. The amount of standing around and waiting they make you do, is baffling 😂
but bro at the same time, the police don't know what could be with that money, at the same time, he carried like 80,000 in a bad in stacks which is very unusual.
@@m0so_o745 maybe unusual but not Illegal! That’s the point
Patience really is the key to life.
@@m0so_o745 It's unusual, but not illegal. Just because something looks weird it doesn't give them the right to take someones life saving. It was all legitimate and showed the cops completely corruption and lack of care for the citizens that they are meant to protect.
“You’re driving under the speed limit that’s odd.”. “You’re 3 miles over the speed limit that’s illegal.” . “You’re driving the exact speed limit you must be up to something.” Over glorified meter maid.with a gun.
I hope the not cool cops get fucking shot in the head.
Hahahahaha
Cops are horrible people
The money blew the cops mind and his greed gland started throbbing so hard he just had to 'legally' steal Steve's money.
Absolute pos. I'm surprised just how cool and calm the victim was. Maybe, he knew, if he argued, they would've just shot him dead and kept his money. Dead men can't tell tales.
It must be bloody worrying when you see those lights come on behind you. Ist question, will I survive this or is it my last stop
My deepest respects and salutes to that combat veteran, his family and friends. That officer, and I use that term loosely, turns my stomach to no end, especially as a retired combat veteran myself. You know, we had a small funeral here for one of my friends and a fellow soldier I served along side with in Iraq. There was a group of people heckling while we were trying to respectfully say goodbye to our friend, his wife to grieve and say bye to her husband. We called the police who said there was nothing they could do unless they became violent. A few of us soldiers offered to go clear them away, but the wife asked us to stand down, she didn't want us getting in trouble. Someone just happen to know someone in a motorcycle club, and before you know it, those hecklers were surrounded, silenced, politely schooled about what they were doing wrong and escorted out of the cemetery peacefully. The police wouldn't lift a finger, spare a patrol to even come out and observe the situation, not even for a deceased veteran and his family. I think they even said it might escalate an already tense situation as an excuse. From all these body cam videos, my own personal experiences, seeing the down right ignorant and disrespectful actions of officers directed at my friends and actual stories I've heard from Federal, state and local police, because I worked along side them for many years, I can safely say I have zero tolerance, zero respect and zero empathy for the entire institution. Although state police in my state have some real winners working for them, they haven't been corrupted as badly and still have many outstanding, honorable and respectful officers in there regiments, many of them prior-military. But at this point and time, god help any officer who steps out of line with me, my family or friends, and I mean a blatant loss of respect or lawfulness, because I will nip that right in the bud with equal or greater use of force. Police like to play there belligerent cowboy bully games by escalating situations, I have just as much right and I will legally and gladly escalate with all my Military Police training to a proper use of force that I deem necessary at that time to protect myself and others. I supported and defended the U.S.A. for 25 honorable years and will continue to defend my little part of it that I and my family have more than earned. I swear I can empathize and understand how officers these days get tossed out of 3rd story windows, why there getting shot at, but lawsuits totaling millions upon millions of taxpayers dollars is not going to fix the problem at all, especially when there not directed at the root of the problem. In fact the very root of the problem is never brought up or mentioned in a courtroom. Then the officers get off lightly and are still being paid during the investigations! Of course god bless the people who suffered, there families and friends, they deserve every penny and more for the endless pain and anguish caused by a defective officer of that town or state, it will never be enough.
Very well said. I agree 💯.
@@user-hu1um2xk5h Thank you. Until the system for hiring and training these K-mart rent-a-cops is looked at and upgraded, they'll be no trust or respect returned, at least not from me personally.
Don't they say most money has drug residue on it? That k9 followed his handlers scent for a treat. That's entirely unreal.
Returning his money does nothing to compensate him for the inconvenience and time spent in the process of getting it back. Thank you for your service, Stephen, and thank you for pursuing change.
Unfortunately any further litigation will be paid out via taxpayer dollars. Until the chief and his officers are held personally responsible for any financial damages, this will continue. Qualified immunity needs to end, civil forfeiture needs to end, the police need to be held accountable for their crimes, "following orders" or not.
hopefully he can sue for more
You're absolutely right Mike. What are the 2 most important lessons here? Don't talk to cops aka revenue agents for the state as in don't answer any questions EVER and NEVER consent to a search. Those are YOUR rights. Choose wisely.
He should also receive "earned interest" on his money held by the crooked DEA.
I would want interest.
That cop acted like he was his friend. How do you be so nice and cordial while stabbing this good citizen in the heart? How much lawyer money did it cost this guy to get his money back? This is sickening.
They are lying sacks of garbage.
He was very suspicious from the get go, complimenting him on his driving skills (wtf?) and asking a series of ridiculous questions about his life. Yet another example that proves that citizens should not be talking to cops, just ask them "Am I being detained?" if not, "Am I free to go?" if they do detain you, don't agree to any searched and say "I plead the Fifth Amendment" which allows you to remain silent. Let them get a warrant. Any minor stop can result in the cop ruining your life, we must be very careful.
It’s sociopathy.
@@mesofius That only works on paper, if you say those things you will appear very suspicious and probably be arrested shortly after. It may be in your right, but might get you unnecessarily in trouble for obstruction.
@@Franco1395 Yup! I reckon there will be another five decades before people get smart, and another five decades before anything is done about it at all.
That is ridiculous.
He answered all questions.
There should be no reason for that at all.
God bless your law firm.
We need more organizations like Institute for Justice!
And this is why you never EVER EVER give police the right to search your vehicle under any circumstances
Wouldn’t they find a way to search it anyway as in a dog search, like this even if you didn’t consent. They lie so much the citizen doesn’t know what to believe is their rights.
@@jerritatum5544while that’s true that if you want to search it they ultimately will you are still 1000x better off refusing any searches.
If u refuse a search, that just gives them probable cause to detain u & impound ur car then they can do whatever they want & they'll purposely destroy ur car when searching. We have no power against these jerks & they get off on that. Police are cockroaches.
I will add never Ever Ever carry large amount of Cash with you.
Ever buy a car?
this is why people say "don't trust cops, don't talk to police." these aren't civil servants, they're highwaymen
Fax, “why did you really pull me over officer” is all I say and when they ask Dan I search your car I ask “do you have a permit?” Cause they will literally take every thing from you just like that
@@christianmorrow807 Do you have a warrant?
@@lanreayo4608 shit that’s a good point. They be having warrants on every body for every little thing. They had a warrant for my older brother while he was in prison
They thugs
Take that man's life savings like that wen he clearly has the receipts ,he doesn't trust banks but the money was still in the bank ,which he took the money out on different occasions and stashed it for that trip which he said he was looking to buy a house in Texas and he goin to visit his daughters etc. Lol
This is the most clear cut case ever.
It’s DOD money deposited into his account, pulled out with receipts.
There is no questionable source of the funds. That’s so messed up.
It took 7 months to get that back. Even ignoring that some people never get back what was seized, it’s messed up that our departments take so long to correct a huge mistake
They don't even have to apologize for wasting his time
My brother is a retired MP and my brother in law was a police officer for 10 yrs. Both of them told me to never ever ever ever trust a cop, and never talk with them.
that is such a sad state.... the police should be the most trusted people to talk to
@Timmy Little
It's true. Never trust them. 👍
We have a 5th Amendment Right to remain silent.
Cops know this. (Miranda)
Always invoke your right to remain silent. NEVER answer any questions until you have an attorney to represent you.
As much as I agree with you, we both know some cops will use any loopholes in the law to get their way. Sure you can refuse a search, but all they'd need to do is hold you there until they come up with an excuse or straight out lie to find "probable cause".
"So we smell weed in your car man, gotta take a look just as a precaution."
What then? The answer isn't "exercise your rights to refuse a search." It's for lawmakers to get rid of these shitty laws that allow for this kind of legal robbery.
Cops are now making people so afraid that they don't even want to even mention they are carrying their own money on them. If he told him he cant search it after mentioning the money, he would have applied for a warrant and towed his vehicle with his cash inside, just because this man is carrying his own money. Out of control.
@@drewskeez1156 Good thing there are other ways to carry your life savings around without prying eyes than cash nowadays.
Ending civil asset forfeiture. Legalizing weed. Right-to-repair. There are SO MANY nonpartisan, home run issues that [a political party] could use to excite a support base and win elections. But it’s just crickets.
They are only partisan issues if the politicians aren't in on it, getting campaign donations from the companies that benefit benefit from these laws.
Add in "qualified immunity"
@Animus Invictus Not just farmers - try every Ford or Chevy owner who is now locked out of the purchase of a factory/dealer shop manual and is now at the mercy of some very unscrupulous dealers.
They prefer to keep banging the race drum and dividing their country.
@@nerdlingeeksly5192 In this case they actually bypass the companies are are doing a direct cash grab from private citizens with zero due process.
Never Never ever consent to a search of your car.They stole this man's belongings and.money all because he let them search his car..Government thieves. They have to be DISBARRED and stopped.
They just stole his money.
The Police still have the nerve the act like they don’t understand why people won’t cooperate with them.
Police see uncooperating as Hiding something. Which to be fair, does apply the majority of the time.
Police is a CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION that's why a lot of honest people don't want to coOperate with a SATAN!!!!
Police are the biggest gang out there. Call them for help and they arrive 1hr later.
@DJYC21215 the idea is -"why not consent to a search if you got nothing to hide?"
-"OK what time is good for you?"
"Huh?"
"What time can I come and search your home? You got nothing to hide so I was just asking what time is good for you?"
@@DJYC21215 how do you know it's the majority of the time?!
Thieves with badges. Disgusting. I commend him for keeping his cool in the situation. Semper Fi Marine!
Your dear president Trump and his Attorney general, Jeff Sessions, EXPANDED this practice to steal cash from citizens. You should be ashamed of yourself
@@KevinRodriguez-ww5oq I should be ashamed of myself because I don't like what happened to this man, or the way the officers treated him? You don't make any sense.
@James Bond Not sure how any of that is relevant to my comment.
Those cops were pathetic trash
Keeping cool is why they keep doing it. You make these cowards afraid to do it and they WILL stop.
Driving under the speed limit is odd? What do they expect people to do? Drive over the speed limit?
THANK YOU ALL GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES 🙏❤️
i think police should be personally fined a percentage of money they seize that is returned. I have a feeling all of a sudden they will be a little more fair with these "forfeitures" aka robberies
not a bad idea actually.
YES!!! if cops were held personally accountable for their fuckups they wouldn't be so quick to say "ehh they can figure it out in court" and the victims life goes on, screwed, while 'asshole cop' goes about his merry way to F up some other victim's life. After a few of these 'badges' were stripped of their financials and lost their pensions in lawsuit winnings MAYBE they'd give a damn.. probably not... we arent that lucky.
Smart countryman you are -good one! I'm in agreement.
By being a tax paying citizen, you pay his wage. So you're paying whatever he is fined. Just go the best route and put an end to these thugs in uniform. Stop giving them breaks
@@frankmaddalena8570 Yeah but these courts are "corrupt" -DA's-Prosecutors & Judges......that's who's fueling the corruption.
This is absolutely insane. This officer should be charged with armed robbery
no he shouldnt. He never pulled a weapon on him, And The officer obviously has a license for the weapon. The officer did what the Officials tell him to do, its not the officers fault, but the higher ups may need to institute more rules for this job. hope u understand me
@@pudgster9000 congratulations you are incorrect
@@pudgster9000 That excuse didn't work for the Nazis at Nuremburg, it didn't work for the soldiers at My Lai, and it won't work now.
@@pudgster9000 If you get a order thats illegal you must not do it.
@@pudgster9000 Clearly that money is just as guilty of spending itself on illigal drugs just as much as that gun is guilty of potential manslaughter. By these items simply existing we have suspicion of a crime.
Now to clarify, just as the officer was not charging the man who owned the $ of a crime, I'm not claiming the officer killed anyone. I'm only claiming his gun may be guilty of manslaughter & should be taken as evidence. The officer should have to sue to get his gun back.
That punk had no right or reason to ask to search, and the questions were none of his business
Man, they are lucky he was such a chill guy. I can't imagine what I would have done in that situation.
Never consent to a search even if you're an upstanding citizen like this guy
And don't answer questions!!
That won't do anything. They will say your refusal to cooperate is suspicious and they will bring a dog that will magically signal that you have "something" in the car which gives them probable cause to search it. If they find money they will take it.
Or you can be smart and do exactly what he does and in court you can win everyone's favor.
@@josephs3973 they've already ruled in Supreme Court that using the 5th amendment cannot be used as evidence of suspicion. So let them do what they want then sue the shit out of them in court.
Yeah...he should've just said, "I've got to get to my children by X o'clock so I'd rather not go through the hassle." Non-combative and still a denial. Shouldn't be an issue.
This poor man fought for the country and this is how he is treated. Heart braking
How do you know the fight he had for his country is not another robbery under so called “justice”.
Fuck the police when they got shot I hope more died
Man, it really is tragic. He must look back at his service, then look back at this and think _"This country owes me a national apology."_
@@tylerdurden6969 cops especially lol
@@tylerdurden6969 as you can see in the video lmao
The world needs more people like you.
🐖
Thank you Institute for Justice in standing up for people on the right side of the government ! The government has a whole has become too big, and too corrupt for the people they are suppose to serve .
This man started out not trusting the banks. He ended this encounter not trusting the police.
The banks are much more trustworthy than the police. The banks are responsible to their customers, to their shareholders, and to the laws. These cops can violate the laws and get away with it because they are corrupt, their colleges are corrupt, the departments and courts wont find them guilty, and in many cases (like here) the laws actually allow them to outright steel from you with no consequences. The police can lie all they want. The CEO of a bank cant lie or else he will either break SEC laws or get fired for violating company policies and tanking stock values. So, yeah, he should have had his money in the bank and had a credit card to get by with, and not trusted the cops and allowed them to search his car. I hope this guy the best, but he makes bad life choices.
@@DeusExAstra banks violate laws too they can just up and take your money
@@DeusExAstra also I can't remember correctly but during the great depression the banks kept running out of money so the people who had placed their money in it were left completely broke and all the banks went closed and crap. Unless I'm remembering wrong but I think I'm about 50% right.
@@breewashere Banks cant just take your money, there are a lot of SEC laws that govern them. And yes, there are laws that govern cops, but since they are the law enforcement, it's much easier for them to violate it and get away. And like I said, banks also have investors and customers to answer to. If they do that shit and get found out, they're out of business and their leadership will be in big trouble.
@@breewashere During the start of the Great Depression banks ran out of money because people withdrew it. It's called a "run on the bank". Also, back then bank deposits were not insured by the government.
This is still absolutely mind boggling to me. 100% wrong on every level.
The worst part is he pays his taxes for this abuse... its happening more and more.. i hope society wakes up soon
Nah man you Havnt heard? The police can’t do anything wrong! Qualified immunity 😤
Cop following,
"I thought it was odd he was driving just under the speed limit. Strange......."
They do it all the time.
cop was definitely a conservatard
Thank you very much for this video
Thanks for doing what you do guys!
A former Marine should not only know his rights, he should have invoked his rights. Never talk to cops without a lawyer present, and never consent to a search...ever!
He should get every penny back along with damages. My father a world war 2 vet had this happen to him. He did not believe in banks growing up in the Great Depression. I had to threaten getting the media involved and let them know as a veteran I would defend my father to hell and back. It took several days but ny fathers money was returned. The money taken from a veteran that had suffered a stroke and was treated like a piece of trash by those sworn to protect and serve.
He thought his military service included him into the blue line club. It didn't.
Just another example of why you don't answer questions and don't consent to searches.
When confronted by police STFU. If this Marine did that this might have never gone so far as it did.
@@ALCRAN2010 No he didn't, if you were listening? He said he was trying to be respectful. It's people like you who start trouble when you assume what someone was thinking.
@@kman2783 are you a blue liner? Cause when the cop said they are all vets, that to me would imply that I'm part of something in that circle and have nothing to fear among friends. Cops never "say" what they are "thinking". Get it? Good.
The amount of restraint this man showed in this situation is unfathomable. To be so calm and composed while watching your life savings being taken is just next level.
That’s what I was thinking! So calm & respectful! Total gentleman while they try to rob him of everything! Thank goodness he had guardian angels helping him sue! Keep on suing anyone & everyone involved! Shame on them!
@@merrymaya that’s what military does to you creates a human unlike others
it was straight up armed robbery!
That’s why you never tell the complete truth!
"Taken"? I would say "robbed" is a more fitting word.
So sad what has happened to Steve, after sacrifices made to his nation. Steve, karibu Kenya..here, you will live like a governor
ALWAYS ASK FOR A SEARCH WARRANT AND DON'T CARE IF THEY THINK YOU ARE UNCOOPERATIVE.
For anyone who wants an update
The officers did not arrest Stephen or charge him with any crime. They just took his life savings and left him on the side of the road without enough money to even afford gas to drive home.
After that, months passed, and the DEA missed the deadlines set by federal law for it to either return the money or file a case explaining what the government believes Stephen did wrong.
So Stephen teamed up with the Institute for Justice to get his money back. It was only after IJ brought a lawsuit against the DEA to return Stephen’s money, and his story garnered national press attention, that the federal government agreed to return his money. In fact, they did so just a day after he filed his lawsuit, showing that they had no basis to hold it.
u can read it in the article the posted under the Video
What about these cops who arrested him? Did they get the 20%?
No criminal charges against those corrupt policemen? They stil rob people?
Thank you!
In this case they should have been required to pay him interest on his money.
@@mellusse can u explain the 20%?
Never give permission. Always call a lawyer. Never assume cops are good, just or decent.
they will just get the dog to "alert" on whatever you deny them access to. nothing but a bunch of thugs.
Most of them aren't.
@@WarriorPaxo Thank you. I've seen dozens of videos where people did not give consent to search, and the LEOs just pulled a dog, and it amazingly always alerts. Then you not only get your vehicle searched, but then they really F with you for not cooperating in the first place.
right dont forget the popo is your enemy
They would of detained him and he resisted they would beat he crap of him.
I have always supported law enforcement but this changes my mind completely.
Support law enforcement not civil forfeitures based on manipulation. He had receipts and they didn't have probable cause. He got robbed, this was wrong. At least he got his money back.
Sad , Thanks for sharing .
This is what being transparent,complying and being respectful will get you when the system is corrupt to its core
@OLGA KOGAN would that have kept them from taking his money?
It's unreal how they had already decided they would take his money. It's like that's all they were out for. He had all his receipts. Are you gonna tell me those cops didn't know that all cash had cocaine on because of money counting machines? Those two cops should be thrown in jail and fired.
I agree to a point, it kinda makes ya a easy mark.
@OLGA KOGAN no, but it would take cops with horrible judgment off the streets.
Sad but true.
This is one of the strangest things I've ever witnessed. They pull him over for going UNDER the speed limit, immediately assume he's a drug dealer, and despite seeing the receipts, STILL take the money. At best, this is the most inept group of policemen ever. At worst, they're glorified criminals.
See how Race has nothing to do with America's growing Tyranny
There are criminals hiding behind the pretense of being law enforcement officers.
They are giving him financial advice
They're greedy pig's and they going to run in to someone that don't care they are police and give them a dirt nap.
@@FWPrecords I didn't know "Give us all your money!" was good financial advice. Lol.
The moral of the story, don't answer questions ever
don't ever cooperate perfect example why
This is actually insane, legitimate highway robbery. He had receipts and everything
It’s so horrible and it’s the cops doing it
He shouldn't even need receipts.
@@Bangy Banks don't want us to have our property.
@D Legionnaire Foreals. Fuck pigs. The real world's biggest gangster's of the world.
@D Legionnaire Legio patria nostra
If this doesn’t count as unreasonable search and seizure, nothing does.
He consented to it. It was perfectly reasonable. His 4th amendment rights were not violated.
@@chbrules "It was perfectly reasonable" do you have a brain
@@chbrules what the fuck goes through ur head ? Jesus u have to be so dumb
I think you two don't understand the legal definition here. His search was perfectly reasonable under the law - he literally consented to it. Was the seizure just? No, it was a ridiculous abuse of law.
@@chbrules it's unreasonable search and seizure. If his money was seized, it's unreasonable. He didn't consent to his money being taken.
1 DO NOT ANSWER QUESTIONS
2 DO NOT ALLOW SEARCHES
3 DO NOT TRUST POLICE
And THIS right here is what trust in law enforcement has become less and less and less. Just think how much legitimate money this sargeant and his highway patrol officers have stolen from good citizens who don't have the means or intellect to pursue legal representation?? In this case 100 grand is a 100 grand, so there was no chance they were going to get away this particular theft.
It is both terrible and sad... but body cams have been such a beneficial item for everyday citizens to defend their rights when shady cops try to power trip and/ or otherwise harm decent people. Good on the Marine for his sound judgement and character in this situation, he handles it a LOT better than I would have.
What a goddamn shame 😡
This guy only said one thing wrong, "I know you're just doing your job"
They weren't doing their job at all.
Yeah, no. Virtually everything he said after exiting the car was "wrong."
Am I the only one who noticed the green toy in the dog mouth the split second after the dog grabbed the bag? The green thing was placed under the bag of money. The dog tracked the green thing. Not the money.
Oh no, they were indeed doing their job. It's just their job is that of highway robbermen.
I'm sure they are trained to seize as much money as possible because it directly benefits their department financially. So they WERE doing their job, it's just that their job is to be criminals. He also should never have agreed to a search. Never agree to anything with the cops. If you agree to what they ask of you, you're giving up your rights and the cops dont give a shit about you. They are not your friends, they are not trying to help you.
The most wrong thing he said was "yeah" when the pig asked if could search his car
I'd say he deserves 7 times that amount back.
Had he taken the govts money compounding interest would likely apply not to mention PRISON
Take it outta their pensions as well. Hit 'em where it hurts - their wallets and their livelihoods.
7 times is right....unjust what was done to him
You know your Bible, Comrade.
Cops should go to jail for this robbery
This “PERSONAL FORFEITURE” S**T is the most blood BOILING crock I’ve ever SEEN!