New definition of sheriffnado!!!

[Jason Boggs]

I wasn't going to talk about this but I have to get it off my chest. As you know most sheriffnadoes are reports of tornadoes by sheriffs or law enforcement that aren't really tornadoes. I have a new definition of a sheriffnado.

Last Wednesday when everyone and their dog was near Brice, I had a sheriff in a dark gray colored chevy pickup pass me in the left lane with lights and sirens on and he stayed in the left lane for at least a half mile and then slowed way down. Well, there was a tour van in front of me that passed him in the right lane and I also passed the sheriff in the right lane. After I passed the sheriff he got behind me and with lights and siren still going. He then got in the left lane and pulled up beside me and pointed at me to pull over. At this point, I thought he was just stopping traffic from going any further down the road because of the tornado. As he walked up I said I was with the media and he said " I don't care! Get out of that truck, and then proceeded to grab my door and slam it shut. I was like wow! He then stated that he was going to arrest me and impound my vehicle. I was absolutely shocked at this point. He said that I could have killed him back there and he also stated that I ignored him when he tried to pull me over. I told him that I had no idea that he wanted to pull me over because he had his lights and siren running the whole time. I told him that I knew he wanted me to pull over when he pulled up beside me and pointed at me to pull over. He threatened me a couple of more times that he should arrest me and I just kept my mouth shut. I knew I was not in the wrong but I didn't want to escalate the situation even further. I apologized (even though there was nothing to apologize for.) He got the number to the station I work for and called the assignments editor that night. Here is what makes me mad. He told the guy at the station that I came up behind him at a high rate of speed and ran him off the road into the ditch! That ticked me off. A law enforcement official telling a bald faced lie like that really made me upset. I have it on tape and yea I admit that I should have let him get back in the right hand lane but I thought he was going to keep driving in the left hand lane. I sure didn't run him off the road. After filming the best tornado of my life, I get pulled over and threatened to be arrested by a sheriff....now that's a new and improved version of a sherrifnado!!!

I respect law enforcement officials as much as I do anybody. Most of them do their job very well and are very helpful to the community. I did not post this to bash any law enforcement officials at all. PERIOD! I know there are current and ex law enforcement officials on this board, and I have to ask this question. Did I do anything that could have gotten me arrested, or was this guy just having a bad day? And, did anybody else have any problems with this particular sheriff on Wed?

[Joey Ketcham]

That sucks. You said you have it on tape, have you taken that tape to that deputy’s supervisor and let them see/listen to it? If not, you need to do so. Being in law enforcement doesn’t give them the right to bully people around, and when it happens – like in your case – you need to take it up with the supervisor.

I’ve always heard about all these horror stories of media personnel being harassed by law enforcers. I guess I got lucky, during my almost 5 year stint as a news photographer we had a wonderful relationship with each department in our DMA and I can honestly say I never had any bad experiences with any law enforcement officers during that time - and even to this day I haven't ever had any bad experiences with any officers in this area.

Almost every day during my career at the TV station I worked alongside of the crime reporter so I was around law enforcement officers everyday and got to know them by first name basis – but then again the TV station is a Pittsburg KS/Joplin MO (144) market so the departments aren’t that big to begin with – but still the relationship was awesome and common courtesy went both ways between us and local PD’s.

[Jason Boggs]

I haven't taken the tape for anybody to see. I didn't get arrested, so I think at this point, I will leave it alone. It almost seems like he had it out for me for some reason. Anyway, I hope I never run across that loser again.

[Mikey Gribble]

I haven't had too many problems with cops while on a storm, but I am aware of several instances where they tried to play god with other chasers. I get extremely irritated by the cops that act like chasers aren't qualified to safely be in close on a tornado, but they think that they themselves are qualified. The ironic thing is that I have heard of several cops driving into tornadoes, but I haven't ever heard of a chaser doing it.

If I were you Jason, I would do everything I could to pull that guys pants down. You can't argue with cops on the side of the road. You are never going to win that argument, but if he was in the wrong you ought to do what you can to make things right after the fact. I would be more than a little pissed off if a cop called the station and was bad mouthing me.

[Tarmo Tanilsoo]

Originally Posted by Jason Boggs

I didn't get arrested, so I think at this point, I will leave it alone.

Don't. If you leave it alone, then the officer might do something like this to another chaser and maybe even ruin his/her reputation(remember: he already lied about you!).

I agree with Michael.

[Joey Ketcham]

Originally Posted by Jason Boggs

I haven't taken the tape for anybody to see. I didn't get arrested, so I think at this point, I will leave it alone. It almost seems like he had it out for me for some reason. Anyway, I hope I never run across that loser again.

Screw that, arrested or not that deputy had no right to do to you what he did - and if it were me I'll be damn if I let that guy get away with that. If not you, it's hard telling who all will be harassed next and to what extent. That guy has no right to be in law enforcement.

[John Diel]

On principle, I tend to agree that the Deputy was a bit overboard and then flat wrong in his comments during the station call. All that aside, I think that this far into it, I would let it alone as well. Nothing really came of it other than some bruised feelings.

My take on some of the more rural counties in Texas (and other Midwest states!) is that the Sheriff's Department is the law. Period. If you manage to get into a testosterone contest with them, you will eventually lose. Even if you don't "lose" they will remember you. The next time you're in that county, well, watch out for calibrated eyeballs.

That being said, Did you do anything to warrant an arrest? Not that I can figure. A minor traffic violation at best for passing on the right and possibly a failure to yield for emergency vehicles.

I would say, take the whole thing as a learning experience and don't pass "moving" emergency vehicles on the right.

[Jay McCoy]

Jason,

You know I work directly with law enforcement on a daily basis and what this "deputy" did was not only wrong. it borders on illegal. he made a false statement to your employer which could have had financial consequences. I seriously doubt the sheriff of that county or its citizens would tolerate such character from one of its cops. he passed you running code3 and you yielded as you should have. he then proceeeded to stay in the wrong lane for some time never trying to pull back over and then also allowed a tour van to pass him with no consequences. For him to single you out tells me he was looking for a target. maybe he has something against you station. If he would have let it go out in the field then I think dropping it would have been best BUT he called your boss and tried to get you either in hot water or fired.. that is inexcusable!!!

whether you were arrested or not your reputation and that of your station is being subjected to wrongfull persecution. The best thing to do is send an email to the sheriff explaining exactly what happened including him calling your boss and lying and also explain you have a tape of the incident. If he cares anything about his department and their reputation he will look into it. If not then there isnt much you can do short of a civil suit or better yet an expose of the whole thing on the news

I can tell you now every dept has some "Barney Fife" just looking to throw his weight around. Especially in the small town circles. But most of the guys I work with are honest and hard working cops as are most cops in general.

If you dont stand up to this jerk he will do it to somebody else again. Most likely another chaser. I can promise if it had happened to me not only would I have asked for his supervisor right then and there I would have gotten on my radio and asked for him myself on that guys own frequency..

Also a good word of advice. if anybody has a dispute with a local deputy it is better to call for a state trooper instead of another one of his buddies.

[Van DeWald]

I know in one north central Kansas county, the LE officials have indicated that if they see a storm chaser doing "anything" wrong, they are going to ticket and possibly arrest them. This is a result of some bad incidents with storm chasers previously in the last couple of years, and I guess they've had it. Can't remember the county for sure, but there definitely certain LE officials that don't like chasers, period.

[David Drummond]

Dude, I saw that guy. I saw when he had you pulled over. Several others and myself passed by. Right after I passed by he got in his truck and started coming up real fast, lights and siren going. I pulled over and he passed me, the I went on. He kept going IN THE ONCOMING LANE and passed a few other chasers. Then he pulled over on a pullout and was blowing his siren at each of us as we passed.

I don't know if he was having some sort of breakdown from the shear number of "visitors" that suddenly appeared on his normally calm road, or if the sight of that long lived tornado was just too much for him, but he was definitely loosing it.