One of the charges leveled against
police in recent years is that they seem to be slow to adjust to a
world in which their actions are often caught on camera. The good
result of that is the exposure of misconduct that has long been
common but went unrevealed in the past. The downside is that, even
with cameras trained on them, many cops still haven’t reined in
their behavior. Dallas County Deputy Sheriff James Westbrook splits
that difference. He is obviously becoming accustomed to the
proliferation of cameras around him — and he sees that as an
opportunity for more misconduct. Carlos Miller
has the exchange between Westbrook and motorcyclist Chris Moore
at Photography is Not a Crime:

MOORE: “Was I doing something wrong? What am I being pulled over
for?”

WESTBROOK: “The whole group of you guys.”

MOORE: “No. I was not, individually. How can you pull me
over?”

WESTBROOK: “The reason you’re being pulled over is because I’m
gonna take your camera and we’re gonna use it as evidence of the
crimes that have been committed by other bikers.”

MOORE: “I have not committed any crimes, and you cannot take my
personal property from me, sir.”

WESTBOOK: “That’s fine. Need to see your license and
registration.”

Ultimately, Westbrook decided to arrest Moore for driving with
an obstructed license plate — a charge pretty clearly fabricated on
the spot. The deputy also loses his cool, angrily slamming the door
on his own cruiser after shoving Moore into the car as the man is
questioning the bullshit charge and asking about the disposition of
his bike. Moore spent eight hours in jail.

WFAA
reports that the arrest is under review:

“We are looking into the conduct,” said department spokeswoman
Carmen Castro. “There has been no official investigation brought
forward, but we are looking to determine if his conduct was
appropriate for the situation at hand.”

Oh, and we know all about the interaction because it was
captured on that helmet camera the deputy was so hot to
confiscate.