Current Events > Cops caught on cam plotting fake charges against guy who flipped them off

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https://themessenger.com/news/new-footage-shows-cops-plotting-to-make-up-charges-against-driver-who-flipped-them-off

Delaware State Police officers were allegedly caught on dash camera footage, appearing to brainstorm a traffic charge against a man who had flipped them off.

This footage emerged after 54-year-old Jonathan Guessford lodged a lawsuit against these officers, alleging they wrongfully charged him with a traffic violation after he gave them the middle finger.

According to the Delaware News Journal, the conflict between Guessford and the police started in March 2022 when he held up a radar ahead sign to warn drivers of an upcoming speed trap. While he was doing this, Cpl. Stephen Douglas and Officer Nicholas Gallo approached Guessford and told him he wasn't allowed to display his sign near the road.

This verbal altercation, also recorded by Guessford, culminated with Gallo seizing the sign from him and tearing it apart.

As he was departing, Guessford extended the middle finger to the officers. This provoked Douglas and Gallo to allegedly tail him and eventually halt his vehicle. They were soon joined by Master Cpl. Raiford Box, who claimed to be their overseeing officer.

Dashcam footage given to the Delaware News Journal by Guessfords attorney depicts one of the officers driving at 90 mph and another surpassing 100 mph in a bid to overtake Guessford.
In this video, the trio can be seen conferring about a possible charge against Guessford. Douglas is captured saying, He stuck his middle finger out of the car and Im like game on, to Gallo. Douglas then ponders charging Guessford for the hand gesture.

However, Box interjects, telling him, We can lock him up for disorderly conduct, and adds, It might not go anywhere, but we can definitely lock him up for disorderly conduct.

Speaking with the publication, Guessford described the situation as a "contempt of cop charge because I didn't show them the deference they think they deserve."

After the incident, Box is overheard cautioning the other officers of potential repercussions, "We can lock him up, take his kid, put his dog in the impound for now it is what it is."

The recording continues with Box contacting Officer Christopher Popps, whom he assumes will be the recipient of Guessford's complaint.

During this call, Box admits their mistake in confiscating Guessford's sign, expressing hopes for a future scenario where they could legitimately arrest him. Popps suggests, "We need to look at something more that applies, like maybe, something stupid, like parked in the roadway, something that will fly." Guessfords attorney has indicated that Popps is slated for deposition in the lawsuit. Within the same conversation, Popps acknowledges that they cannot issue tickets for individuals simply gesturing offensively but assures Box he'll delve deeper into Guessford's background.

Expressing his concerns over the entire ordeal, Guessford questioned the credibility of the officers: "How are you going to let people like that testify against people in court?"

Denying any improprieties, the legal representatives for the officers provided an official statement. It was also noted by the Delaware State Police that one officer faced disciplinary actions, and the event triggered an internal review. Nevertheless, they opted not to comment on the ongoing lawsuit.

Well, at least they're dumb enough to say all this while being recorded. Still, sickening.

This is exactly the sort of thing for why I think things like this should make it legal to dock their pay or remove money from their pensions. If that were to start happening, I'm sure people would at least consider their actions more.

All the cats, they are beautiful

Cops are wrong, but that dude must be a special kind of privileged to think he can get away with antagonizing the cops like that

Squall28 posted...

Cops are wrong, but that dude must be a special kind of privileged to think he can get away with antagonizing the cops like that

No. He legally should be allowed. And the fact that this has to be said is literally everything wrong with them in a nutshell.

Squall28 posted...

Cops are wrong, but that dude must be a special kind of privileged to think he can get away with antagonizing the cops like that

i flip off cops all the time, mate. haven't had a problem yet

Squall28 posted...

Cops are wrong, but that dude must be a special kind of privileged to think he can get away with antagonizing the cops like that

This man took time out of his life to sit along the roadway and warn drivers of speed traps, then sued when the cops fucked with him. Sounds like a man who is well off and gives no fucks.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/1/7/AACE4xAAEQEx.jpg

Squall28 posted...

Cops are wrong, but that dude must be a special kind of privileged to think he can get away with antagonizing the cops like that

Ah yes, the privilege of... *checks notes*.... not being arrested for things that aren't illegal. Who the fuck does this guy think he is!

ArtiRock posted...

No. He legally should be allowed. And the fact that this has to be said is literally everything wrong with them in a nutshell.

I'm not saying it shouldn't be allowed. I'm saying you have had to to live a life free from consequences to think you can get away with fucking around with cops like that

Squall28 posted...

I'm not saying it shouldn't be allowed. I'm saying you have had to to live a life free from consequences to think you can get away with fucking around with cops like that

No. They have to be a person that simply feels very strongly about what they do. Furthermore because they aren't doing anything illegal, they should be fine. It's not on them if the police act stupid.

Squall28 posted...

Cops are wrong, but that dude must be a special kind of privileged to think he can get away with antagonizing the cops like that

Privilege for doing something that's legal?

The real special kind of privilege is snowflake cops that know the justice system doesn't hardly hold cops accountable for abusing their power to fabricate and escalate manufactured crimes.

Squall28 posted...

Cops are wrong, but that dude must be a special kind of privileged to think he can get away with antagonizing the cops like that

The First Amendment?

Squall28 posted...

I'm not saying it shouldn't be allowed

Then that's where your post should end. It really feels like you're trying hard to slip some police-shilling ("there's a bit of blame on both sides...") past us while hoping no one notices. Whether or not that's what you're doing, that's how it looks.

Vokrent posted...

i flip off cops all the time, mate. haven't had a problem yet

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/5/5/AAfOu0AAEwQv.jpg

DKBananaSlamma posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/5/5/AAfOu0AAEwQv.jpg

well the ones around here are actual dicks.

It was also noted by the Delaware State Police that one officer faced disciplinary actions, and the event triggered an internal review. Nevertheless, they opted not to comment on the ongoing lawsuit.

Proper disciplinary action in this case would be 25 to life. They tried to completely destroy this guy's life when the only thing he did wrong was hurt their feefees.

There's no telling how many times they've pulled this shit and every single arrest and citation they have made needs to be put under review. This is clearly an abuse of power that they have likely committed multiple times.

Caught in 4K. Fucking malicious shit stains.

Thank fuck I went a better direction with my criminal justice major.

It isn't all cops tho!
wank

Dock and cut pensions of police found fucking up.

Cut entire force pensions if needed. Once their ego and bigotry starts meaning they lose money, things might then change.

Squall28 posted...

I'm not saying it shouldn't be allowed. I'm saying you have had to to live a life free from consequences to think you can get away with fucking around with cops like that

I love how you're blaming the victim

I think it's cops who are used to never suffering consequences

i've heard of guys doing that. Like holding up a big sign warning of a radar trap up ahead. Most of you think doing this should be illegal?

GranTurismo posted...

i've heard of guys doing that. Like holding up a big sign warning of a radar trap up ahead. Most of you think doing this should be illegal?

Where would you get that idea that people think it should be illegal?

maybe not illegal, but will any cops that see you do that, not stop you from doing it?

Squall28 posted...

Cops are wrong, but that dude must be a special kind of privileged to think he can get away with antagonizing the cops like that

You haven't had the pleasure of surfing "Am I being detained?" Tube, have you?

The actual root issue, is that fines shouldn't exist. This situation never would have happened if the cops weren't actively employing predatory behavior in the name of local revenue.

GranTurismo posted...

i've heard of guys doing that. Like holding up a big sign warning of a radar trap up ahead. Most of you think doing this should be illegal?

If its legal for a cop to sit there and fire a radar gun at you without a sign it should be legal for him to do the opposite.

When we say all cops, we mean all cops.

Questionmarktarius posted...

The actual root issue, is that fines shouldn't exist. This situation never would have happened if the cops weren't actively employing predatory behavior in the name of local revenue.

idk, how are you going to get people to slow down? there's enough maniac drivers out there

GranTurismo posted...

idk, how are you going to get people to slow down? there's enough maniac drivers out there

You could stop with the fines and just use the points system a little differently

Use that to not only increase insurance fees but also some punishments involving taking a person's license for a bit after a few times with a couple years.

GranTurismo posted...

idk, how are you going to get people to slow down? there's enough maniac drivers out there

If you have to report to county lockup for a weekend for running a red light, maybe you won't do that next time.

divot1338 posted...

If its legal for a cop to sit there and fire a radar gun at you without a sign it should be legal for him to do the opposite.

If they have time to do that then presumably they have nothing more important to do.

GranTurismo posted...

idk, how are you going to get people to slow down? there's enough maniac drivers out there

Deterrence is a fallacy. Speed traps are there for revenue raising and nothing more. If they wanted you to slow down theyd be out in the open.

DKBananaSlamma posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/5/5/AAfOu0AAEwQv.jpg

Agreed, that's the vibe that post gives off.

Squall28 posted...

Cops are wrong, but that dude must be a special kind of privileged to think he can get away with antagonizing the cops like that

We need a world where it is easy to get away with it.

These cops should be in prison for life like any corrupt cop.

Dark_Arbron posted...

Deterrence is a fallacy. Speed traps are there for revenue raising and nothing more. If they wanted you to slow down theyd be out in the open.

Do you guys agree with this? that cops ticketing people for speeding does not slow down very many drivers?

Dark_Arbron posted...

Deterrence is a fallacy. Speed traps are there for revenue raising and nothing more. If they wanted you to slow down theyd be out in the open.

Agreed.

Besides if they really were about detrerence tickets would scale with income.

Tickets are the equivalent of dropping a penny for the wealthy.

UT1999 posted...

Do you guys agree with this? that cops ticketing people for speeding does not slow down very many drivers?

You've misunderstood.

A cop car, out in the open, on the side of the road, doing radar checks and giving tickets is a deterrent.

A cop car, in hiding, doing radar checks and giving out tickets is revenue generating bullshit that helps no one, and especially doesn't help road safety.

Unsuprised_Pika posted...

Besides if they really were about detrerence tickets would scale with income.

Also this.

Imagine lacking empathy to the point where you consider the consequences of your actions on someone else's life(taking kid, dog in impound) and not using that moment to go "Maybe what he did isn't worth putting him through"

These degenerate fucks aren't fucking human and should be treated as such

Tagged @Squall28 as bootlicker.

this kind of stuff wouldnt happen if people would just slow down and obey the speed limit.

blacklabelice posted...

this kind of stuff wouldnt happen if people would just slow down and obey the speed limit.

This kind of stuff wouldn't happen if cops were human and had even the slightest iota of empathy

wackyteen posted...

This kind of stuff wouldn't happen if cops were human and had even the slightest iota of empathy

as a former deputy, i beg to differ. people need to slow down. even if they are late for bible study, there's no excuse for not obeying the law.

blacklabelice posted...

as a former deputy, i beg to differ. people need to slow down. even if they are late for bible study, there's no excuse for not obeying the law.

I'm talking more specifically about these cops trying to level trumped up charges because their feefees got hurt

I know the guy was just reacting to knowing to people speeding (not obeying the law), but even so I've been in many areas where the speed limit is legitimately lower than it should be. I cannot speak for the specific area of where homes was warning other drivers

wackyteen posted...

I'm talking more specifically about these cops trying to level trumped up charges because their feefees got hurt

there will be a reckoning for those cops. what they did was not very righteous. our Lord will not take too kindly to him.

blacklabelice posted...

this kind of stuff wouldnt happen if people would just slow down and obey the speed limit.

How far would you take this logic before punishment became disproportionate?

wackyteen posted...

I know the guy was just reacting to knowing to people speeding (not obeying the law), but even so I've been in many areas where the speed limit is legitimately lower than it should be. I cannot speak for the specific area of where homes was warning other drivers

we've got a pig watch group on facebook where people in the community post location of police checkpoints in the area so others know what routes to avoid when they are driving drunk. classy stuff.

blacklabelice posted...

there will be a reckoning for those cops. what they did was not very righteous. our Lord will not take too kindly to him.

That sort of logic has been used to justify terrible things before. I wouldnt go there.

UT1999 posted...

Do you guys agree with this? that cops ticketing people for speeding does not slow down very many drivers?

It's 100% factual.

That and speed cameras are designed to make money, not actually get people to not speed.