SWAT Officers will stop, question, & ID pedestrians in Paragould, AR

[rambone]

This Police Chief says his officers will be out in force, carrying rifles, questioning where people are going and demanding their IDs. If they refuse, they will be arrested. Citizens will have to prove their innocence to walk around in public.

Stay tuned for follow up stories of officers obeying their oaths and not oppressing innocent citizens.


Paragould Daily Press: Serving Greene County, Arkansas > Top Story

"[Police are] going to be in SWAT gear and have AR-15s around their neck," Stovall said. "If you're out walking, we're going to stop you, ask why you're out walking, check for your ID."

"We're going to do it to everybody," he said. "Criminals don't like being talked to."

"They may not be doing anything but walking their dog," he said. "But they're going to have to prove it."

Should an individual not produce identification, Stovall said his officers would not back down. Individuals who do not produce identification when asked could be charged with obstructing a governmental operation, according to Stovall.

"I'm hoping we don't run across [any] of that," Stovall said. "Will there be people who buck us? There may be. But we have a right to be doing what we're doing. We have a zero-tolerance. We are prepared to throw your hind-end in jail, OK? We're not going to take a lot of flack."

 

[Colt556]

Ummmm... what is the Mayor and Prosecutor saying about these tactics?

I couldn't read the article b/c it kept flipping around.

 

[Bubbajms]

Boy, what a crappy assignment for those officers.. think I'd be calling in sick. If you're out harassing the guy walking his dog, how do you think you're going to be treated by the general public? As if LEOs didn't have enough reason for people to dislike them..

 

[Kirk Freeman]

IIRC Arkansas has a funky loitering statute which states that if you don't identify yourself that it is "Loitering".

So in essence the cops can create crimes by walking up and down Main Street asking for identification.

It is a vestiage of Jim Crow. Goofy Southern statutes.

 

[drillsgt]

Paragould, AR?? Sounds like the police want an excuse to play dress up and look cool in photos with their SWAT gear on.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Yeah, here it is. What a . . . unique statute.

§ 5-71-213 - Loitering. :: 2010 Arkansas Code :: US Codes and Statutes :: US Law :: Justia

 

[drillsgt]

Ummmm... what is the Mayor and Prosecutor saying about these tactics?

I couldn't read the article b/c it kept flipping around.

You have to click the pause button so the green arrow comes on in that window that has the pictures.

 

[ghuns]

Sounds reasonable I mean, if you got nothin to hide... Papers please...

 

[No2rdame]

Hey, didn't those nice Nazi fellers do this to the Jews? The only difference being is that they had to identify themselves with the Star of David. That turned out just fine, didn't it?

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Hey, didn't those nice Nazi fellers do this to the Jews?

Jim Crow predates them Nazi fellers. This statute likely has roots in the Slave Codes of the South.

Not saying it's right, just saying the South has its own home-grown oppression, no need to borrow.

 

[poptab]

papers please

 

[mrjarrell]

The citizens need to get together, arm themselves and drive these stasi wannabees from the city. Do whatever it takes. Drive out their supporting politicians, too. And don't let them back in. Ever.

 

[Zoub]

T

Stay tuned for follow up stories of officers obeying their oaths and not oppressing innocent citizens.

Or the sequel of say HELLO to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

No way they won't screw this up and not get tagged with profiling on many levels

"Stovall further elaborated on the stop-and-ID policy Friday morning, claiming the city's crime statistics alone met the threshold of reasonable suspicion required to lawfully accost a citizen."

 

[arthrimus]

Well this is depressing. I lived a few miles from Paragould for most of my life. I have never heard of this insanity, but it has got to stop.

 

[Project972]

save your confederate dollars, the south will rise again.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

Paragould, AR?? Sounds like the police want an excuse to play dress up and look cool in photos with their SWAT gear on.

If you were in the military you should know that stupid decisions are made at the top, not the bottom. It would be nice to hear about the coppers not blindly following (unlawful) orders.

 

[Jack Burton]

Yeah, here it is. What a . . . unique statute.

§ 5-71-213 - Loitering. :: 2010 Arkansas Code :: US Codes and Statutes :: US Law :: Justia

There is no way that passes Constitutional muster.

 

[IndyDave1776]

There is no way that passes Constitutional muster.

I was just about to address the same issue. You're right, but that doesn't apply until someone gets it in court, and unfortunately, that is just the attitude that is often taken with law enforcement. It's the law and even if it's dead wrong they are going to enforce it until they get an injunction.

I am with Frank on this one. Crap generally starts at the top and it would be great to see some officers do the right thing.

 

[Ted]

There is no way that passes Constitutional muster.

The U.S. Justice Department seems to want to be proactive to "rights" violations.

So where is our good Attorney General, Eric Holder?

 

[griffin]

I'm sure the street LEOs won't do any of that. I've been told that LEOs have complete discretion on things like that.