An unbelievable scene took place in Washington State when activist and former congressional candidate Gavin Seim turned the tables around a cop demanding his ID and giving him a warning for illegally patrolling in an unmarked car!
In a very polite and calm manner, Seim stopped the unmarked police cruiser and let his camera roll.
“Is this a registered unmarked vehicle for undercover work?” asks Seim, with the officer, who was later identified as Deputy Canfield of the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, replying yes.
“Okay, you’re not allowed to have patrol cars that are unmarked. Are you aware of that under Washington State RW?” asks Seim. “I have to look it up man,” replies the cop.
Then comes the icing on the cake: “Can I see some ID and maybe some license, registration and proof of insurance sir?” Seim asks the bewildered cop, who at the point, didn’t know if he should laugh or jump out the window…
And guess what? The officer complied and gave his ID!
“I appreciate the cooperation. Are you stopping people in this vehicle?” asks Seim, to which the officer replies yes.
“Okay, it’s completely in violation of Washington State law and you are culpable in that, in the way the law is written,” Seim tells him. “So you’ve admitted that you are in violation of Washington state law and that you were stopping people in this vehicle, so what I am going to encourage you to do, um, I’m not going to write you up today, what I am going to encourage you to do is, take this car back. I know you’re smiling but citizens do have the right to hold you accountable!”
After filming the video and sharing it online, Seim uploaded a lengthy post on his website Callmegav.
“In Washington we have unmarked police vehicles impersonating citizens. If you think it’s not a serious issue, try asking those that have been raped or lost loves ones because of unmarked cars. It’s already illegal in WA for public vehicles to be unmarked, unless designated for “special undercover or confidential investigative purposes,” he wrote.
“Ordinary looking unmarked police cars slink around and entrap, so they can write folks up (read tax) for petty faults. That’s not protecting. As my brother Blake says, “serve and protect, not harass and collect.” — But this is also a major safety issue. Unmarked vehicles are a ripe opportunity for confusion in a citizens reaction and for criminals to impersonate lawful authority to get people to stop,” he continued.
Seim goes on to recommend that citizens should check the law in their respective states and see if its legal for officers to patrol in unmarked vehicles.
“If it’s a local police unit and they refuse to comply, report the offense to your County sheriff who is responsible to make sure the law is followed. If there is no law in your State, call your legislator and demand that it be addressed for the safety of our roads,” he added.
According to Seim, citizens should “ALWAYS film the encounter” and shouldn’t be afraid to demand an ID from an undercover officer.