Former Texas cop plans how-to video on fooling drug officers (Updated 2/4/07)

This video seems awesome. Not that I'm going to be stashing pounds of pot in my car anytime soon, but it's nice to see an ex-police helping us "criminals" out a bit.
 
Yeah that's not a lot of money, but it did say that it was probably more than that (or his captain/boss whatever said that).
 
Beenhead said:
He has 800 arrests and only 500,000 dollars in seizures? Sounds like he was just busting little guys to me. 500 grand can be pretty easy to comeby in the drug world.
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He was busting people on the road. Most of them were just returning from purchasing drugs, so most of them will have had little money on them (just lots of drugs).
 
I bet its a decietful law enforcement move. Everyone who buys the video will have their IP address monitored and databased. Then you're going to get aressted under the context that you implicitly were going to break laws.

BE PARANOID!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Beenhead said:
He has 800 arrests and only 500,000 dollars in seizures? Sounds like he was just busting little guys to me. 500 grand can be pretty easy to comeby in the drug world.
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I've heard it's not unusual for the police to steal cash they find on site either if no one is watching, ie if there's only 3 officers at the bust and it's not videotaped, they might turn $50,000 into $44,000 and take home a nice bonus for the day.
 
Psychedelics_r_best said:
I bet its a decietful law enforcement move. Everyone who buys the video will have their IP address monitored and databased. Then you're going to get aressted under the context that you implicitly were going to break laws.

BE PARANOID!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

http://nevergetbusted.com/sneakpreview.php

"It's our policy that our customer information is not stored and it will not be ever be given to a 3rd party"

Woah:

"I feel so bad about looking into the eyes of the children as I was taking their parents to jail.. and the fear in the parents' eyes... If anyone I've arrested for marijuana will contact me, I will personally give them a public apology for what I did, and I will give an undetermined portion of the proceeds from this video to them."

Has anyone seen this video yet? It's supposedly out now.

Check out one of his certificates:

2lg.jpg


10 hours of drugs? Daaayum
 
Wow, if a 10 hour course on illicit drugs gets you a certificate, I should have a doctorate by now...


It would be funny if he was deliberately disseminating bad advice that was practically guaranteed to get you arrested.
 
i'd imagine people would largely use it as a tool to understand more of the cops' mindsets, rather than strictly 'how-to' style (tho i imagine some people still will, but i'd have to imagine most people wouldn't be dumb enough to stash stuff in a specific manner that was recommended by a cop lol. If he says stash in your spare tire, you'd be dumb to, as if this video is popular, it's likely the key points will be memo'd all over the place to law enforcement folk. Rather, general points on what a cop's mindset is, adn what kinds of things he looks for, are the valuable points you'd get from this vid, i'd have to guess)
 
I knew some customs officers in the UK. They admitted that there were ways of hiding stuff that short of accident, they would never find. Most UK heroin, for example, is imported from Afganastan by Turks. They do things like import 5 tons of dried fish some of which have heroin in them. The fish are marked in a way that only the smuggler knows. Since its fish, you cant use dogs.
A friend had an excellent trick when he was selling E. He had a series of holes drilled into the top of an internal door. He placed the pills into plastic bags, rolled them up & shoved them down the holes. A dog can't sniff 6 foot away. The cops searched his home several times and they found nada.
 
A Review of "Never Get Busted"
NORML
February 3, 2007

Texas
-------
Lawmen who viewed former "Top Cop" Barry Cooper's "Never Get Busted Again" DVD Friday at the Tyler Courier-Times-Telegraph office likened Cooper to a charlatan peddling old information.

Smith County Deputy Constable and Drug Interdiction Officer Mark Waters said Cooper's DVD provided no new information and most could be seen on shows pertaining to law enforcement like Fox's COPS.

"I would compare Barry Cooper to a snake-oil salesman and the majority of his information is outdated," Waters said. "A lot of laws have changed since the early 1990s when he was serving the public."

But Cooper, who was once hailed as the best drug interdiction officer in the state by his superiors, counters that his DVD is meant for civilians, not cops, and he believes the information will help "innocent casualties" in the War on Drugs.

"This information has never been published and it will benefit the lay person," Cooper said. "The 25 plus people we screened the DVD, who were not in law enforcement, loved it. I'm not selling snake oil; I'm selling a DVD to help American people stay out of jail."

"They reviewed the DVD and just went through the roof and they had never heard some of that stuff before. They couldn't believe someone was giving the information to the public and that was the goal to teach civilians what cops know," he said.

Rex Waters, a computer technician in Mabank, said he saw the DVD during the viewing and was happy to see the information.

"Look there's stuff on here that I and many others in the public didn't know," he said. It's really going to help keep those who use marijuana out of jail."

Never Get Busted Again

Cooper came into the spotlight in late December when the Tyler paper learned about the DVD and Cooper's plans to share secrets of law enforcement to those who may carry marijuana while on the highways of America.

Cooper told the newspaper in December that he believes marijuana should be legalized, and that the imprisonment of those caught with the drug destroys their families and fills up jails and prisons across the country with non-violent offenders.

He added that methamphetamines, cocaine and crack should be "eradicated from the earth" because they are dangerous drugs. But he says marijuana is not.

"I know I won't be accepted by my peers here in East Texas, but in other areas of the country I will be celebrated," he told the newspaper then. "When I was raiding houses and destroying families, my conscience was telling me it was wrong, but my need for power, fame and peer acceptance overshadowed my good conscience."

Waters told the newspaper he was appalled by a former cop telling drug users how to beat the system.

"It's an embarrassment to all law enforcement officers across the United States, who put their life on the line every day," he said in an earlier interview. "This is a slap in the face to all that we do to uphold the laws and keep the public safe."

Cooper counters that he's upholding the highest law of the land - the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Rights And Responsibilities

His attitudes changed, Cooper said, when he left law enforcement and eventually faced arrest himself.

"I was the subject of unreasonable arrests and unreasonable searches and the courts were doing nothing to protect my Fourth Amendment rights," he said. "I know how it feels; I reaped what I sowed."

Much of the DVD discusses the issue of probable cause for searches; Cooper talks about what constitutes probable cause and how drivers carrying their "stash" can minimize their risks.

He also discusses canine search tactics and procedures - and what he claims are some ways that unscrupulous dog handlers make their canine partners "false hit" to indicate the presence of drugs where none exist.

Waters and other law men said that false hits indicated a "bad dog" and are not commonly used by officers looking for drugs.

"That's a bad dog that does that and we train our canines to only hit when there are narcotics present," Waters said.

However, Cooper claims any dog can be trained to indicate the presence of drugs. That can provide police with the probable cause they're looking for. Richard Dickson, an investigator Yoakum County District Attorneys Office, said the credibility of the dog depends on the credibility of the handler.

"Any dog can be trained to do anything, but it is not a common practice," he said.

Dickson said a good canine works independently from his human counterpart.

"The dog should be allowed to work without any influence from the handler and to make the dog false hit is criminal and the officer should go to jail," he said.

Dickson said he wasn't surprised at the DVD and Cooper's plans, "Barry Cooper is a businessman and out to make money and I am disappointed that he did it," he said. "If he is teaching people to hide criminal activity and putting the lives of those who uphold our laws in jeopardy then I am very upset."

Cooper tells those watching the video to hide their stash, but if pulled over and asked by the officers for permission to search to allow the search.

He explained that consent would result in the officer usually doing a quick check and not a full scale dismantlement of the vehicle.

"If they have stashed their stuff really well then let the officer search or they are going to have a lot of officers and several canines looking for a way into the vehicle," he said. "And they would find a way into the vehicle."

Mark Waters said he would tell people to not waste their money on the DVD.

"I believe he is nothing but an opportunist and just trying to make a buck," he said. "Save your money, most of this stuff is on COPS every night."

Cooper said he is trying to teach citizens their rights and hoping to help change the opinion and laws on marijuana and those imprisoned on minor drug charges.

"I hope the DVD is the gasoline that gets thrown on the fire that helps release these prisoners of war," he said.

http://www.mapinc.org/norml/v07/n135/a09.htm
 
hahaha, the law enforcement reaction is classic

"Don't buy it, its outdated, don't buy it, pleaseeeee don't buy this DVD"

I bet the guy that made this DVD is going to get harassed by cops in Texas for the rest of his natural life.
 
I'm sure the profiling hasn't changed much. I heard that a grateful dead sticker was the best indicator. If we ALL put GD stickers on our cars, then they will waste a lot of time searching people...Like a DDOS attack.
 
^^ I thought the war ribbons and american flags with "united we stand", or the classic local law enforcement support membership from 1997 was the best way :p

Too bad everyone on Bluelight is too poor to purchase this video.. ;)
 
After watching his preview clip about profiling he should've said:
"Do not talk, act or look like me"

Dude definitely looks and talks like a stoner.

Anyway, I'm sure all of his tips and insight are just "common sense". Regardless, I'm sure some would benefit from it. Considering that a lot of users and dealers aren't the brightest...
 
Barry Cooper's Video Could Get You Busted
Flex Your Rights
February 9, 2007

Flex Your Rights has eagerly anticipated Barry Cooper's new video Never Get Busted Again: Traffic Stops Vol.1, which finally arrived yesterday. After reviewing Cooper's DVD, we're disappointed to report that Never Get Busted badly misses the mark regarding consent searches.

We hope the following will not be interpreted as a rebuke of Cooper or his video, much of which we enjoyed. Still, we find it necessary to comment at length on his surprising advice.

Unfortunately, Cooper recommends consenting to searches, which is the worst imaginable strategy for handling a police encounter. His message flatly contradicts the consensus judgment of civil libertarians, and encourages the very behavior Flex Your Rights and many others have been struggling to abate. Hopefully Barry Cooper can be persuaded to reconsider his recommendation that citizens waive their constitutional rights. He should be excited to learn that refusing consent is a viable and prudent option for his audience.

Here is a transcript of Cooper's section on consent searches, interrupted by our detailed reactions:

You've heard your entire life: Refuse consent. Refuse consent. Refuse consent. I don't recommend that. You're free to do whatever you want, but I recommend quite the opposite.

If you've hidden your stash in a hard to find location -- like taught earlier in this DVD -- give the officer permission to search if he asks. Here's why: One hundred times out of one hundred, when somebody refused consent to search to me, they always had something in their vehicle they did not want me to find. It was usually drugs. Sometimes it might be a Playboy magazine or something of that nature. But there was always something they did not want me to see. Law enforcement officers know this.

There's no doubt that refusing consent will often heighten an officer's suspicions. But the officer was suspicious before asking for consent to search. (That’s precisely why he asked!) The argument that consenting will deflect suspicion cannot be sustained. Any officer, including Cooper elsewhere in the video, will confirm that almost everyone consents whether or not they're hiding something.

Cooper's claim that he searched everyone who refused suggests that he repeatedly violated constitutional prohibitions against unreasonable detentions and searches without probable cause. Such misconduct remains common, but it’s not exactly the norm.

Since Cooper's retirement, lawsuits over racial profiling have resulted in settlements limiting suspicionless consent searches in some states and increasing documentation and accountability when such searches occur. Much work remains to be done in this area, but many police departments are more respectful of constitutional rights than Cooper’s notorious Permian Basin Drug Task Force was.

Even though you have the constitutional right to refuse consent -- when you refuse it raises a huge red flag. You could almost call it a huge reasonable suspicion.

Refusing a search can never be called reasonable suspicion. A responsible discussion of a citizen's constitutional rights during police encounters must emphasize that exercising your rights can never be held against you as evidence of wrong-doing.

Though it's not his intention, we fear that Cooper's use of the term "reasonable suspicion" in this context could give many viewers the false impression that their refusal of consent can be used against them in court.

Upon refusing consent, that officer automatically knows now you have something to hide. If you simply say "Go ahead and search my car," he's probably going to make a quick cursory search, and then you'll be on your way.

Again, consent is given so routinely that it cannot contribute to a presumption of innocence. Cooper's terrific traffic stop footage is itself a perfect demonstration of this. It's risky to assume that a consent search will be brief or that officers will overlook Cooper's recommended hiding places, which are now an open secret.

If you refuse consent, he can do a weapons pat-down search of your vehicle without your permission, and upon patting the interior of the vehicle down for weapons, if he finds a marijuana seed or a marijuana pipe or something of that nature or if he smells marijuana, then he's going to search your car without your permission.

Refusing consent does not, by itself, give police the authority to do anything. If police have reasonable suspicion to believe you're armed (e.g. furtive movements, high crime area, etc.) they may perform a Terry frisk of your person. This pat-down does not include your vehicle, nor are police authorized to do this based on your refusal to consent. A weapons search of your vehicle's passenger compartment is only authorized in the course of a probable cause arrest.

If you refuse consent to search, he's liable to get a narcotics detector dog to walk around the outside of your vehicle. If that dog fails to alert -- as you learned in the K-9 section -- he could quite possibly cause that dog to false alert. Then you have no choice.

Drug sniffing dogs are frequently used in this situation, but police cannot detain you in order to bring a dog to the scene unless they have reasonable suspicion (which again cannot be triggered by your refusal to consent). If police threaten to bring in a dog, simply ask if you're free to go. If you're denied permission to leave, everything else that happens is subject to 4th Amendment analysis in court.

Barry Cooper offers some interesting discussion of the misuse of drug dogs elsewhere in the video. Unfortunately, he misses the vital point that refusing a search and dismissing yourself from the encounter is the best strategy. His advice to consent is merely a shorter path to the undesirable outcome his audience is trying to avoid in the first place.

He will also invite numerous other police officers at the scene. The call goes out on the radio, I've heard it a hundred times: "I have a refusal. I have a refusal." And police come from everywhere to figure out how to get in that car, and then they begin a real detailed search.

But any evidence they discover during this "real detailed search" will be inadmissible unless they have reasonable suspicion for the detention and probable cause for the search. If you consent, officers will also come to the scene to assist with the search. The only difference is that by consenting, you've volunteered to be investigated, thereby eliminating any chance you have of challenging it later in court.

That's the most important point of all: Consenting to a search automatically makes the search legal. And if any contraband is found, you can’t suppress the evidence. Waiving your 4th Amendment rights places you at the mercy of the criminal justice system and everything it has to offer. Ironically, Cooper encourages defendants to hire an attorney with trial experience and refuse plea bargains, yet anyone who consented to the search will have no choice but plead out or become an informant.

The failure to explain that consent automatically legalizes the search is a confounding omission given his target audience of marijuana users. Cooper praises 4th Amendment rights in the introduction, but later encourages citizens to voluntarily waive these rights when they matter most.

Civil libertarians have a vital interest in combating the harmful myth that police can do whatever they want. Such perceptions stifle discussion of police accountability and foster a reluctant tolerance of coercive police practices. Fortunately, lawsuits from people who know their rights have been a potent catalyst for reform. A citizenry that is vigilant and unyielding in its defense of constitutional protections is more likely to achieve justice than one which buries its secrets beneath the dashboard while waiving the right to privacy.

With this in mind, we encourage Barry Cooper to promptly revisit the issue of consent searches. It's a brief portion of the video, though it will become longer upon correction. In the meantime, he should consult defense attorneys and report his findings to those who've already purchased the DVD.

With minimal effort, Cooper can dramatically increase the value of his efforts and redeem this otherwise fascinating video.

Link
 
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