This cop’s power trip cost taxpayers $175K 💰
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- Опубликовано: 25 июн 2024
- Justice has a long arm, and the Vermont State Police just got the finger.
In February 2018, Gregory Bombard was illegally pulled over, arrested, and locked up for nothing more than swearing and giving a state trooper the bird. With the help of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and the ACLU of Vermont, Bombard sued the Vermont State Police and Trooper Jay Riggen for violating his First Amendment rights.
On June 26, 2024, the defendants have agreed to a settlement that awards Bombard $100,000 in damages and another $75,000 in attorneys’ fees.
“With this settlement, I hope the Vermont State Police will train its troopers to avoid silencing criticism or making baseless car stops,” said Bombard. “And at least now I can pay my criminal attorney for defending me from the bogus charges and take my 88-year-old mother out for a nice dinner.”
Bombard was stopped by Riggen after the trooper thought that he had given him the middle finger. Riggen was mistaken, but it would have been an illegal stop anyway. The First Amendment protects the right to engage in offensive speech directed at government officials, including profanity and - yes - the middle finger.
The police dashcam video shows that Bombard even reminded Riggen of his constitutional obligations. “If someone flipped you off, what is the citation? What’s the crime?” he asked, later adding: “That would be considered freedom of expression.”
As Riggen pulled away, Bombard really did give him the finger and cursed at him. A visibly angry Riggen immediately pulled Bombard over a second time, handcuffed him, and arrested him for “disorderly conduct.” Bombard was taken down to the station, locked in a cell, had his fingerprints and mugshot taken, and then the photos of him were distributed to local media outlets.
“Cursing at cops isn’t a crime,” said FIRE senior attorney Jay Diaz. “Calling it ‘disorderly conduct’ isn’t a get-out-the-Constitution-free card that allows police to silence speech they don’t like.”
Adding salt to the wound, Riggen had Bombard’s car towed for being in front of a “no parking” sign - even though Bombard had only pulled over at Riggen’s command.
In 2021, Bombard filed a lawsuit against Riggen and the state of Vermont for violating his First Amendment rights. During the lawsuit, FIRE and the ACLU of Vermont learned that the Vermont State Police did not have a general First Amendment policy or training for its officers.
“Ignorance of the law is no excuse for arresting citizens for nothing more than exercising their rights,” said Diaz. “We wouldn’t tolerate police officers who don’t understand traffic laws or parking laws. Well, the Constitution is the highest law in the land and it doesn’t allow cops to punish speech they don’t like.”
In December 2023, FIRE released for the first time the video of the arrest, which received widespread media attention in Vermont and nationwide. Then, on Christmas evening in 2023, the state police retaliated against Bombard again. The newly released video of his 2018 arrest caused numerous people to call the Vermont State Police to complain about the violation of Bombard’s rights.
Instead of addressing those concerns, the Vermont State Police issued Bombard another citation for disorderly conduct. They blamed him for the phone calls and sent a local sheriff to his home on Christmas day to drop off the criminal citation - making sure Bombard knew they were happy to come after him again. The following day, they dropped the charges.
As part of the settlement, Bombard agreed not to sue in the future over these additional free-speech violations.
“While our client is pleased with this outcome, this incident should never have happened in the first place,” said ACLU of Vermont Staff Attorney Hillary Rich. “Police need to respect everyone’s First Amendment rights-even for things they consider offensive or insulting. State legislators need to do more to prevent unnecessary and unjustified police interactions like the one Mr. Bombard experienced-by downsizing the footprint and broad authority of police in our communities.”
Money awarded should ALWAYS be paid out of the officers' PENSION
FUNDS !!!!!!
This ish would stop IMMEDIATLY !!!
Great news ! But next time let the department and the officer pay! Not the taxpayers.
The state pays their wages with tax payer money so it's the same
@@codyfagan5409 But the actual criminal here, the cop, gets no repercussions.
If I grabbed someone off the street and said I was conducting a citizens arrest and hauled them away, I'd be put in prison for kidnapping and assault.
The cop here gets what, a weeks paid vacation?
“Jay Riggen retired from VSP effective May 31, 2024”
Good
Congratulations to you and Greg on the win! I recall watching that video with horror so it's a relief to hear that behavior was addressed.
He is owed even more than that! How much taxpayer money was wasted on this frivolous crap! 4 years?!?
We live in a police state. That's all it is. It's nationwide. Cops are out of control. Both parties let them be out of control.
A federal law needs to be passed that makes LEO's know the laws they are enforcing.
Lol
FIRE is worthy of your support.
Congratulations, but six years have passed, and they haven’t learned a thing and will now double down.
With all the snow on the ground I'm surprised you can even see Officer Snowflake...he's almost camouflaged.
End qualified immunity and gov unions
Was there a judgement in this case, or was there a settlement?
Have to dig a little deeper to see if anyone can find some sort of relationship between Mr. Bombard and the officer. What a great way to split 175 thousand dollars and no one but the taxpayer and community gets hurt. After all, desperate times call for desperate measures, and an act like this is certainly not beyond the scope of possibilities.
You would think the thousands of dollars paid in lawsuits, you would think that they would learn by NOW but they continue their crap with there qualified immunity and they will continue to be SUED
This is a very worthy case to take. Thank you for this
The cop should have paid the lawsuit himself not the taxpayers
Officer should pay not the taxpayer.
The only ad I looked up the url.
And what punishments or requirements are placed on Riggen? Any?
“Jay Riggen retired from VSP effective May 31, 2024”
@@MikeyMikeHq Thanks. That's good to know.
He was promoted.
@@donpettway7284 retirement probably is a promotion i guess. Lol
Lawyers know how long it takes to get it right!
175k seems low for 4 years of horseshit -
It shouldn't have taken 4 years all he had to do was Due to 241 and 242 civil suit. He could have did that on his own.
Great job by the Vermont ACLU. I'm a supporter of law enforcement but don't F@@k with my rights, I take that very seriously.
Did you get the cop fired?
“Jay Riggen retired from VSP effective May 31, 2024”
The feelings police. Theirs, mostly.
There was no accountability for this trooper.
Taxpayers paid all the damages, and he was actually promoted.
No judge should even entertain a judge of disorderly conduct.
It's just a cya charge when cops don't have anything legal to charge someone with. And until the charges are either dismissed or the person is found not guilty, the law usually permits filing suit.
BRAVO BRAVO🫡🇺🇸
Routine things just like James Livinggood Kannapolis North Carolina police department
FTP
It's nationwide the stupidity of law enforcement and their lack of knowledge of the Constitution. The number of these goons going in someone's home without a warrant is crazy. Also the departments covering up for these nazi goons is unimaginable!!
Who was it that indicated to the positive that cops had the intelligence to deficate between two heels???
Tyrants, psychopaths, ego maniacs, visions, and aspirations of greatness in their own minds!!! This video is a demonstration of everything I posted!!!
This brings a big smile.
Decades ago, I used to ride the 1100 miles to Vermont to enjoy a beautiful Yankee redoubt with some of the most wonderful Americans you'd hope to meet in one of the most beautiful places in the country.
But by the turn of this century, the whole place seemingly turned into some kind of insane asylum, the kind of which would repeatedly send the commie grifter Bernie Sanders to the US Senate.
It got so that you had to ride the backest of back roads and go deep into the hills to even find any decent Yankees any more.
I finally, after nine motorcycle trips to the Green Mountain State over twenty-five years, gave up on the place after 2003.
You did your best and did well for your client, but the trooper is completely unharmed and won't change his ways.
“Jay Riggen retired from VSP effective May 31, 2024”
He did resign, but unfortunately the loser will likely get hired as a cop somewhere else. Cops love wanna be tyrants.
I only watched part of it. The "subtitles" are really annoying. They distract from what's being shown. Good luck with whatever this is about, not reading your video.
with old-age hearing, the closed captions are essential for me to understand what is being said
It's bullying , not freedom of speech.
Walk into a gym of Body builders and flip 1 off ya want to bully someone.
Tell them ya hate bodybuilders because they intimidate people with their muscles. And that's why you're flipping them off.
Go ahead exercise your 1st amendment right. Just as ya did flipping the cop off .
You've obviously have forgotten everything you were taught in senior year govt class, assuming that you made it that far in high school.
The first amendment right of free speech is in regard to protects one's right in addressing or redressing your govt and govt officials.
You're idiotic example is one big fail. The only bullying was the cop, and the settlement that the state of Vermont ended up paying is crystal clear proof of that!
If you are so enamored with living in a police state, there are many countries for you to choose from, the rest of us will be exercising our rights on a daily basis, deal with it.
What's missed in all the legal mumbo jumbo here is that you're not a good human being if you go around flipping off cops in your free time. Sure, it's legally protected, but so is a lot of shameful behavior.
He pulled the guy over the first time because he mistakenly thought the guy flipped him off. After lecturing him for minutes despite it being his own fuck-up, THEN the guy actually did flip him off.
@@Reviresco Do you honestly believe he didn't flip him off the first time?
@@michaelw.2657 You typed that with your middle fingers didn't you?
All of this was still not worth $175,000. Even if the cop was legally wrong, Greg is still a lowlife and his name is plastered all over the internet for this.
Cry about it womp womp. Settlement should have been higher.
Should take it out of the officers pay