👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™
@ScottEnlow • 76,788 subscribers
27-yr retired firefighter & elected LEO | Writer - true police & fire chronicles | Bodycam + 1A auditor videos | Heroism & accountability - showing good & bad
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🚨I Have Zero Doubt - This Officer Regrets Making This Stop 👉NSFW audio.👈 Combat veteran Aaron Booker was pulled over on I-15 near Centerville, Utah by American Fork policeman Bronson Kitchen — a school resource officer about an hour outside his jurisdiction. Kitchen said Booker was solo in the HOV/carpool lane. Booker said the restriction had already ended and he was legally using the break for a left exit. Dashcam backed Booker. The stop escalated: Kitchen demanded the window fully down and threatened to have it broken. Booker refused a full roll-down, asserted his rights, and demanded a ticket or to leave. No citation was issued. After the video was posted online, the chief and Kitchen called Booker and apologized for the out-of-jurisdiction traffic stop and the way it was handled. Kitchen admitted he was wrong about the carpool lane and should not have threatened to break the window. ❓Why is a school resource officer making traffic stops outside his agency’s jurisdiction… for a carpool-lane violation, no less? ❓Was this about the carpool lane — or about getting passed?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™2,276,140 views • 7 days ago
👨🚒Firefighter Gives One Finger Wave to Cop🖕 Oct. 14, 2022 — Southampton Town, NY Southampton Town Police Officer Ryan McHale pulled over a driver after the motorist waved and flipped him the middle finger. McHale then checked the window tint, lectured the driver on New York hand-signal law, spotted a firefighter sticker on the vehicle, and remarked that the fire chief “wouldn’t like” the driver’s behavior. He issued two tickets. Both were later dismissed. ❓Is lecturing someone on “hand signal law” after they flip you off a real traffic stop? ❓Is “the fire chief wouldn’t like that” a threat or just a comment?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™900,215 views • 5 days ago
🚨Riverhead NY police officer hops the sidewalk, drives over landscaping, and blocks a biker he thinks is with a reckless pack. Except the biker is 100% street legal. While he’s yelling, the rest of the group rolls by popping wheelies. When he realizes he stopped the wrong guy, he calls him a decoy… then gets in his truck and leaves. ❓Does this look like traffic enforcement or a temper tantrum? ❓Is driving over curbs and landscaping in a $50k patrol vehicle now considered normal operations? ❓What should be done to stop illegal and dangerous 'street takeovers' by ATV riders?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™1,103,601 views • 10 days ago
🚨When the police chief meets his match. James Freeman walked into the public lobby of the Logan Police Department in Utah and filmed what was plainly visible — memorials, the space itself, officers coming and going. No restricted area. No disruption. Just a camera. Logan Police Chief Gary Jensen comes out and spots him, demands ID, and treats the filming as inherently suspicious. “If you’re gonna come into my lobby and videotape in today’s day and age, I have the right to ask you to identify yourself.” The recorder points out that photography is not a crime, that the lobby is public, and that Utah’s stop-and-ID law still requires reasonable suspicion of a crime. Jensen calls for backup, tells him he is detained, then later asks him to leave the public lobby. This is the clip. ❓What was more suspicious — the camera, or the reaction to it? ❓If press credentials aren’t required by law, why demand them? ❓Do you think police nowadays learning anything from watching older audit videos like this one from 2018? Why not?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™573,062 views • 7 days ago
🤠⭐️"You're trespassed from there forever." May 19, 2013 — after the Jordan Valley Big Loop Rodeo in Jordan Valley, Malheur County, Oregon. Steve Hindi, president of animal-rights group SHARK, was asked to leave the rodeo over filming. He paid admission, then left. Malheur County Sheriff’s Deputies Brian Belnap and Brian Beck followed him about 10 miles and found him parked on the side of the road. On Belnap’s body cam, the stated reason: Hindi “failed to provide ID” after being “trespassed from the sporting event,” and they needed ID because the car didn’t come back to him. Belnap then told Hindi he was permanently trespassed from Jordan Valley Rodeo Club property and would be arrested if he returned. Hindi said he was never formally trespassed at the grounds and left when asked. Later FOIA audio captured the deputies discussing that the rodeo had asked him to leave rather than trespass him while they were there, and worry about a lawsuit. Then-Sheriff Brian Wolfe said there was no probable cause for a crime or traffic violation and that the deputies were following a supervisor’s direction. SHARK said a lawsuit against the county later settled for about $25,000. The lesson for cops and civilians is the same: finish the contact at the property, or don’t restart it on the highway without a new, independent reason. ❓What’s the difference between “asked to leave” and “trespassed”? ❓When does protecting a rodeo become using the badge as private security?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™314,294 views • 4 days ago
🤬In Illinois, a single mom spent days leveling the ground and setting up a swimming pool for her two kids. Her neighbor, bothered by the noise of the children playing, snuck over one night and took it away in an instant. What's a good punishment the person who did this?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™5,629,638 views • 1 month ago
👮♂️"You're Being Detained Not Arrested" 🚔Clay County Missouri LE looking for a yellow box packing a $40k laser tool (with Air tag). They roll up to a house, detain the owner on warrants, and all but accuse him of having it. Then they find out the box is already rolling through Claycomo, miles away. Wrong house. Wrong guy. Box still in the wind. 👮♀️"We’re not worried about the warrants or anything else, we want the yellow box." Proceeds to arrest him for warrants ❓Is an Air tag ping as good as a search warrant? ❓How do you explain “I don’t have it” when they already decided you do?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™287,048 views • 5 days ago
😡"He pulls a gun and says I must sit like he is speaking to his dog. Oklahoma - Tulsa PD responded to a residential burglary alarm. An officer went to the wrong address —Philbrook Museum of Art in midtown Tulsa — a historic Italian Renaissance villa turned museum and gardens — and found a man on the grounds. The officer ordered him to sit down the curb, shone a pistol-mounted flashlight in his eyes, and held him at gunpoint. The man said he worked there and was closing the gate for the night. The officer kept issuing commands to 'SIT'. More officers arrived and confirmed he was an employee. He asked for a supervisor. The officer who stopped him argued he had done nothing wrong and it was the man who was at fault. The man went back to his security post and the police left before a supervisor showed. The employee said he'll contact a supervisor and file a complaint. ❓If someone surprised you in the dark, suddenly shined a flashlight in your eyes and ordered you to sit on the curb what you say back to them? ❓What will the conversation the supervisor has with the cop sound like?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™251,633 views • 5 days ago
👮♀️This officer goes searching for an offended party - just because she can.😠 On 1/23/2020 in Rockwall, TX, Rockwall PD FTO Britney Lane finished a traffic stop at a Racetrack gas station. First Amendment auditor Otto the Watchdog was filming. As Lane drove off she allegedly took both hands off the wheel and made a shaking “E”-like gesture at him. Otto flipped her off. Lane stopped, asked a bystander if he’d seen the gesture and if it offended him, then detained and arrested Otto for disorderly conduct over the “obscene/inappropriate” gesture. She cited a dictionary definition of obscene and Texas law on offensive public gestures. The charge was dismissed by the prosecutor the next morning. Otto later sued Lane under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for 1st, 4th, and 14th Amendment violations. The arrest also caused him to miss a court date in an unrelated case, which led to loss of contact/visitation with his children for a period. The case was settled out of court. Lane was promoted to sergeant about two months later. ❓Is this law enforcement or an an angry female cop making a point? ❓As an FTO will she be teaching new cops that hurt feelings equal probable cause? ❓Is this how others learn it, from FTO's like her?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™640,427 views • 11 days ago
🚨Watch the deputy’s deposition answers. They’re humiliating. The question is whether he’s being straightforward. Cook County Sheriff’s Lt. Donald Milazzo detained First Amendment auditor Amanda Bergquist on March 28, 2018 outside Bridgeview Courthouse in Illinois after she filmed the building’s exterior from a public sidewalk. Security had blocked her camera at the door. She stepped outside and recorded. Officers called her activity “suspicious,” demanded ID, took her camera, handcuffed her, searched her purse and footage, deleted video, and brought her before a judge. Bergquist sued for First and Fourth Amendment violations. A federal judge granted summary judgment to the officers in 2021. The case settled in 2022 for $15,000 before an appeals ruling. This video shows how that encounter unfolded and portions of Lt. Donald Milazzo's deposition. Which is it: ❓Do you see an officer under oath who is trying to be truthful? or ❓Do you seen an officer under oath who is trying to avoid being truthful?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™37,028 views • 1 day ago
👮♂️St. Louis Park, MN — May 2020 First Amendment auditor “Rowdy” (Rowdy Podcast) filmed the exterior of the St. Louis Park Police Department from public sidewalks. After ~15 minutes, Officer Todd Hines (badge #200) and another officer approached, detained him, and demanded ID. Hines said recording the building and officers leaving created a “security issue,” told him he should ID himself “if you have nothing to hide,” and claimed refusal was obstructing. The auditor asked what crime he was suspected of, noted public recording is protected, and requested a supervisor. A sergeant arrived, the stop ended, and the auditor was released without providing ID. No arrest or citation. Hines, a longtime SLP officer, retired about a year later. ❓What makes police think someone recording in public is a security risk? ❓What occurs outside their station that they don't want to have recorded? ❓If the officer had gotten the auditor's name and DOB, would he have done anything other than check for warrants then un-detain him? ❓ How would that have eased his security concern?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™309,293 views • 8 days ago
Warning: This Video Will Make You Angry On October 31, 2022, in Lake City, Florida, legally blind Navy veteran James Hodges, then 61, was walking home after jury duty was canceled. He was stopped by a female deputy (Jayme Gohde) who mistook his folded mobility cane for a handgun in his back pocket. After Hodges requested the bodycam footage and filed a complaint, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office investigated. Sheriff Mark Hunter publicly apologized, calling the deputies’ conduct “unacceptable”. Deputy Gohde received a two-day suspension without pay; Her supervisor Sgt. Harrison (seen in video) was demoted, received a seven-day suspension without pay, and was barred from favorable actions (raises/promotions) for two years. Both underwent remedial civil-rights training. A later lawsuit by Hodges was settled out of court.
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™2,509,341 views • 1 month ago
🚨Homeowner handcuffed for potential arson -- it was a fog machine not a felony. Halloween 2024, Monongalia County, WV. Homeowner Will Arthur ran a fog machine at his house as a Halloween prop. Neighbors thought the house was on fire and called 911. Firefighters and a sheriff’s deputy showed up. Arthur told them it was just a fog machine and refused entry — there was no fire. Certain he was faced with either arson, insurance fraud or even a deceased person inside, the deputy stopped seeing a homeowner and started seeing a criminal. He wouldn't let it go. The deputy handcuffed Arthur, took him off his property, and they went inside anyway. They found the fog machine. No fire. No emergency. Just a fog machine. ❓Is this “exigent circumstances” or just not taking no for an answer? ❓Do you lose control of your home to firefighters and police once a neighbor calls 911 and tells them they see smoke at your house?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™45,619 views • 2 days ago
👮♀️This Female Officer Never Takes Her Hand Off Her Gun🔫 Eldora, Iowa (Hardin County) — March 14, 2021. First Amendment auditor Floyd Wallace was filming in public outside Eldora City Hall / Police Department. Eldora PD Officer Brandi Valverde saw him on the sidewalk and approached cautiously. Then drew her handgun and ordered him to show his hands. Civilian Troy McDonald, whose business was across the street saw her with her gun drawn and giving orders, so he pulled an AR-15 from his vehicle and pointed it at Wallace. Wallace said he was unarmed and filming, identified McDonald as a civilian, and asked officers to press charges. A Hardin County deputy arrived on scene but offered little to assist Wallace. Hardin County Attorney Darrell Meyer later declined to charge McDonald, saying he saw an officer with her weapon drawn and a larger person in dark clothing/mask who was not immediately complying, then lowered the rifle. No charges were filed. Wallace posted video of the encounter. No word on if the female officer is still an officer. After watching the video: ❓Does this female officer seemed trained or prepared for encountering a man with a camera? ❓What would have happened if McDonald had fired?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™115,658 views • 5 days ago
🚨Warning - Emotionally Triggering 🤬911 Call from man who murdered his wife & 5 yr. old son - “Forgive me for my sins” was how it ended. Can these sins ever be forgiven? It feels like standing in the doorway of a house that is already burning. January 21, 2013. 1313 Esther Drive. Boulder City, Nevada An off duty Las Vegas Metro police lieutenant calls 911 after taking the lives of his wife Michelle and their five-year-old son Max. His voice is quiet. Measured. Almost polite. He explains her pain. He asks for forgiveness. Then he tells them he is going to finish what he started. There is no screaming. That is what stays with you. Three people gone. A child who never got to grow up. A marriage that ended in fire and a gunshot. A man who decided the only way out was to take everyone with him. The voice on the other end of the line is calm. That is the part that never leaves you. Rest in peace, Michelle and Max. ❓How do you live with being the one who answered that call? ❓What kind of pain makes a husband believe this is mercy?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™172,667 views • 7 days ago
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🚨Warning Graphic Video - Very Disturbing January 12, 1998. Laurens County, Georgia. Deputy Kyle Dinkheller, 22, unit 37, clocks a white Toyota pickup doing 98 mph on I-16. He follows it onto Whipple Crossing Road and makes the stop. Dashcam rolling. The driver, Andrew Brannan, gets out. At first it looks routine. Then Dinkheller tells him to keep his hands out of his pockets. Brannan snaps. He dances in the middle of the road, waving his arms, singing “Here I am… shoot me.” He tells the deputy he’s a Vietnam combat veteran. The inexperienced Dinkheller calls for backup and tries to keep distance with his baton. Brannan walks back to the truck, pulls an M1 carbine from under the seat, and opens fire. He empties a magazine, reloads, and keeps shooting. Dinkheller returns fire and hits him once in the abdomen. Brannan closes in and finishes it. Dinkheller is 22. He leaves behind a wife who is pregnant and a 22-month-old daughter. Their son is born months later. Brannan is captured the next day, convicted of murder, and executed in 2015. The video has been shown in police academies for nearly 30 years. Not because of the dancing. Because a traffic stop can turn in seconds, and hesitation can cost a life. Rest easy, Deputy Dinkheller. ❓If you were the deputy in this video what would you have done differently? ❓At what point would you have opened fire? Sooner than Dinkheller?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™206,618 views • 10 days ago
4:30
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🚨NSFW LANGUAGE - This Trooper Curses a LOT Connecticut State Trooper Matthew Spina, May 18, 2020, I-95 Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge in New Haven. Driver Kevin Jette passed an unmarked car he thought was driving aggressively and flipped it off. It was Spina, who then pulled him over. What followed was a several-minute profanity-laced rant. Spina ordered Jette out, briefly handcuffed him after seeing marijuana (Jette said he had a medical card), searched a bag, stomped an ashtray, and unloaded: “Who the fuck do you think you are worrying about what I’m doing?” “You came to the right guy.” “How the fuck am I gonna catch a speeder if I’m not speeding?” “I’ve got 14 months. I can’t fucking wait to be done.” “Don’t you ever fuck with me again.” No license, registration, or ticket. State police called it “disturbing,” pulled Spina off the road pending IA, and sent him to Employee Assistance Program for mental health counseling. He was already close to retirement. Full context in the video. ❓How much untreated job rage can you carry and still be safe around the public? ❓Why do we only discuss officer mental health after the public already paid the price? ❓How many last-year troopers are one bad stop away from a viral rant?
👮♂️🚒 Tales of Badge & Blaze™133,033 views • 9 days ago