It's funny how you can find fault with every action of the police officer, but defend Grisham completely.
Grisham is responsible for how this incident played out, pure and simple. He could have easily been cooperative and compliant with the officer and none of this would have transpired. No, he had to be hostile and combative from the onset, hence why he ended up in cuffs and was convicted on charges of interfering with a public official; which is the appropriate charge for his actions.
I have no sympathy for him, despite his intentions. There are smarter ways to prove a point, but deliberately getting into fights with the cops isn't going to do him or his "cause" any good. But I honestly don't think that's his goal, he's more intent to make a name for himself and doesn't care how he does it!
I wonder what his commanding officer and first sergeant think of his civil disturbances?!?
and he was well within his authority
Really, when the non emergency line call specifically stated that he was simply walking down the road and not doing anything threatening? Can you explain one ioata of reasonable suspicion that he was planning on committing, committing, or committed a crime? Since when can a police officer stop or detain simply to question without resonable suspicion? Is a man with a gun or an armed citizen an instant exigent circumstance? Nobody told me! That pesky part of the Constitution about no search or seizure without probable cause...irrelevant!
Say you have your rifle and you are sitting in a lawn chair in your yard. A officer on routine patrol drives by, sees you sitting in your chair, gets out and asks what it up, and then takes your rifle without saying another word. You belive that would be ok and within his power?
It's really simple, Grisham ass hat or not, was illegally detained, disarmed and searched then arrested had his case dismissed, then had a different charge brought against him.
The officer lied in a sworn statement.
Didn't know it was a crime to be an idiot to an officer.
Now I'm of the school that being polite goes a long way. But he did nothing illegal. He needs to pursue this in civil court.
After seeing how Sgt. Grisham conducts himself in person, I don't feel sorry for him. He got good publicity, a slap on the wrist, the whole Alamo event initiated, and now can claim martyr. I have a problem with the larger scope and influence of police in our society. Too many of them, and imho, not enough reasons for their presence other than to hassle and tax ordinary, hard working Americans.
The bottom line is that there is no legal requirement for the police officer to be "nice" in executing his duties, and he was well within his authority when disarming Grisham and Grisham resisted.
Attitude opinions aside, it all comes down to who acted legally and who broke the law; and the fact that one was convicted while the other remains on the force should be a clue as to who was who!
My point is that just because someone is looking for a fight doesn't mean you give them one. The cop handled the situation very poorly to the point I would characterize it as incompetence. Unfortunately the attitude he displayed in the video suggests that he's only employable in the public sector, because the way he acted doesn't fly in the real world.
How was he illegally detained?
You can not detain without RAS.