Cops Plant Drugs On Suspect – Watch more Funny Videos

As Ferrell’s attorney, Blair Durham notes, when the cops have the hand signals already worked out, it suggests that this isn’t exactly the first time they’ve planted pot on a perp.  Indeed, having a bag of weed in his right breast pocket suggests that Melton was a believing in the boy scout creed, to be prepared.  Or maybe the Nike creed, just do it.

It seems somewhat obvious that cops with dash cams would behave themselves just a bit better than would otherwise be the case, given that they may well find their behavior on the internet.  No matter how many police chiefs respond to embarrassing videos with the hackneyed “consistent with police policy,” the fact remains that videos have proven remarkably effective in disclosing police misconduct and abuse, and cutting short a fine career in law enforcement.  Or at least forcing the offending officer to lose three days pay while on suspension.

A well-intended person might believe that videos would be embraced by cops nationwide.  After all, they would provide evidence of crimes and serve to corroborate police testimony in court, where (in the minds of our well-intended citizenry) activist judges give criminals a free ride with laws that favor the wrong-doers at the expense of the law-abiding.  But no, the police despise the idea of dash cams.  Hate it.  How could that be, you wonder?

In the absence of video, we’re left with only the cops word on what happened.  Typical testimony is that an officer from the 34 Precinct stopped a car because the driver changed lanes without signaling.  Sure, it’s uptown, where nobody has ever signaled to change lanes in the history of man, but it’s still a traffic infraction and the cops said he saw it.  That’s it.  End of story. Nothing more needed, and nothing to do to counter it. There’s no evidence to support it, and the worst one can do is put a defendant on the stand to deny it.  You will never find an independent witness who happened to be watching the car at that moment and can testify that it either didn’t change lanes or did signal.

Without a dash cam, it is impossible to contradict an officer’s relatively innocuous allegation.  Of course, it becomes critical when he finds the 27 kilos of marijuana in the trunk of the car, which he smelled with his hypersensitive nose.  But that’s a story for another day.

There’s no upside to cops in having a dash cam.  But as Chris Melton found out, it can have a definite downside.  And without the video, no judge would ever believe that stuff like this happens.  Unfortunately, even with this video, they still don’t believe it happens in Manhattan.  After all, it’s just an isolated incident.

Update:   Thanks to  Karl Mansoor, we have an answer to the burning question of what became of P.O. Melton. 

Whoa, Carlos, weed? Now you got you another freaking charge, how about that?” Melton told Ferrell in the video.

But a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation concluded that Melton was reaching into his pocket to hit a button to make sure the camera in his car was recording the arrest.

Acting District Attorney Tony Craighead also pointed out some audio later in the tape where Ferrell can be heard saying to the arresting officers, “Yeah, you found the weed in my pocket.”

“The TBI’s finding is there is no wrongdoing by Officer Melton. The DA’s office is not picking sides here,” Craighead said.

Ferrell’s lawyers state that it was a total plant and they are pressing forward with the case.  Melton appears likely to have a commendation in his very bright law enforcement future.  Justice is served.  Eat it while it’s hot.