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Citrus County Deputy Abuses Man For Legally Carrying A Weapon

February 6, 2013 by  

Three years after a Citrus County sheriff’s deputy threatened to shoot a compliant concealed carry license holder in the back for legally carrying a weapon, the deputy is now on administrative leave — which means a paid vacation — while his actions are reviewed. The review came only after a video of the arrest went viral on YouTube in January.

 

 

The incident happened after Joel Smith was pulled over for having an expired tag in 2009. Citrus County Deputy Alan Cox is an LEO, which stands for legally entitled to oppress. Cox caught a glimpse of Smith’s concealed weapon as he put his wallet back in his pocket and, obeying the officer’s commands, reached into his van for registration and proof of insurance.

Smith told Cox he had a permit, but Cox ordered him to the ground, handcuffed him and arrested him for “displaying his weapon.” The LEO’s dash-cam video clearly shows Smith was in no way threatening to Cox.

Florida courts have ruled that brief and inadvertent glimpses of concealed weapons are legal. But that didn’t matter to the LEO, who cursed Smith and told another deputy offscreen that Smith didn’t say he had a CCL and that by “displaying” the weapon Smith had violated his CCL.

Cox clearly demonstrated the tendencies of a cowardly badge-wielding thug and should be dismissed posthaste, lest he follow through with his threats and shoot in the back the next lawful gun carrier he comes across.

Filed Under: Conservative Politics, Liberty News, Power Of The State, Staff Reports
Bob Livingston

is an ultra-conservative American who has been writing a newsletter since 1969. Bob has devoted much of his life to research and the quest for truth on a variety of subjects. Bob specializes in health issues such as nutritional supplements and alternatives to drugs, as well as issues of privacy (both personal and financial), asset protection and the preservation of freedom.

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  • tom

    so sad the cops work for us but they treat us like criminals,go to the proicuters office,file a complaint,i did they even droped the ticket for expired plates,i had to pay the tow bill which next time its coming out of the cops paycheck.

  • Bilbo

    I like the comments about Barney Fife and Deputy Dog. The reason those were funny (and stuck in our collective minds) is that they have a ring of truth. Each of us, at some time or another, have had a run-in with a “Bully-with-a-Badge”. Unfortunately, when that happens it is usually not too funny. This loser (and lots of others – a few in my community) should be released to do some other job that doesn’t have the weight of authority behind it.

  • FreedomFighter

    I have been in similar situation, the cops never acted this stupid, in fact they complimented the piece after checking CC. They were very nice and never acted like this guy.

  • Fedup

    The deputy is a $#*@#&^% prick!

  • GRAMPA

    I want to know why it took so long for this to be addressed? I think the investigation should go even higher . we have a direct evidence to protect the officer only. He is there to enforce the laws which includes himself. This action is putting the law enforcement above the law. The people making the judgement should be held accountable as well. Don’t misinterpret what I am saying, an officers job is hard. Because it is hard we have rules for both sides of a situation. If ether violates them they must pay the penalty. We should have an independent jury look at these situations just like a grand jury this would make the decisions impartial. If an officer has this type of repeated behavior, how could his testimony hold up in court? His actions would prove him untrustworthy and the state could loose a criminal case because of it. delayed justice is justice denied.
    God bless America
    Grampa

  • Corkey

    Fire him…… then sue him so the taxpayers don’t have to pay to defend him.

  • TEX

    Guess the cop got upset that Smiths gun was bigger than his, what an A–!!!!!

  • Eric Smith

    If I were a fellow police officer I would want him off the force. The police that I know are not like this, they welcome citizens having guns because in a high conceal and carry permit area the crime is always lower. I don’t know what this officer was thinking, pitiful. I’m embarrassed for him.

  • DP

    So rather complain from the sidelines, how many of you contacted the Citrus County Sheriff Department, the County Commissioners and the States Attorneys office? If they don’t hear enough complaints nothing will happen.

    • Bruce

      it will take more than that to fix this problem. This group of people (officers) are responsible for more deaths than all the mass killers combined. They should have their guns removed, in mass, then the citizens will feel more safe and won’t feel the need so bad to pack when they go out on the “mean streets”. The more automatic weapons, and military equipment the police get the more the criminals get. Time to disarm the police, stop this arms race, and to deputize every natural born citizen citizen who has never been a felon, to protect the constitution, and encourage them to carry and to protect and serve those around themselves, as their “CIVIC DUTY”, since the police have failed miserably to keep us feeling safe, by doing things like knocking down the wrong door during swat drug raids and shooting Grandma to DEATH and also VETS who served with a gun in their hands. And fear in their hearts.

      • Mixture V ranks

        I don’t believe that removing guns from the police, as you are suggesting here, will help anything. However, removing jerks like Alan Cox is imperative. It is not a question of stopping someone on the road at random, someone who is, naturally, an unknown quantity. It is rather a question here of stopping someone who is otherwise perfectly legal in every way except in this case an expired registration. Hardly a violation suitable for handcuffs. If the man who was stopped had a CCL and was responding to the officer in a normal way, Cox had no real reason to handcuff the man on the ground or anything of that kind. He was not threatened and no threat was made against him and the police video shows all of this. So call Cox a disgrace to law enforcement and muster him out immediately before another innocent citizen is victimized by this jerkface.

      • Bruce

        So call Cox a disgrace to law enforcement and muster him out immediately before another innocent citizen is victimized by this jerkface.

        like an ordinary citizen can muster him out immediately. A officer, OR ANY PUBLIC SERVANT, should be serving the public like they were hired to do. Now if there was a way citizens could remove unfit public workers we might have a solution. So we need a way citizens unconnected to government in any other way can have bad public employees removed. Fix that and you have actually made the US a better place. To ACTUALLY be able to remove your public servants (DMV for example) would put the power back in the hands of the people where it belongs in this country. WE THE PEOPLE needs to mean a lot more than it does today….. Public servants who will not serve need to be subject to a public review of their actions. Then they would act differently towards those who employ them. And then the US would be a better place.

      • ibcamn

        do you think maybe a reason for their actions may be frustration?maybe they know they are starting to lose control over us(more people are reading the law) and they are clinging onto any thread of dignity they have left and are failing at that?…

      • Bruce

        how much dignity is there in a cop who is going thru your ash tray, and on your floor, looking for a roach or a seed so he can lock you in a concrete and iron punishment chamber, for violating a moral law of the dominate religion? THINK?

  • Tom Cook

    Not only do criminals with badges like Cox murder innocent citizens, they are protected by fat stupid bureaucratic Sheriffs and district attorneys and judges. I can personally attest to this as I was a victim of a big fat stupid negro cop and a da and judge who used me to further their illicit career ambitions in the depraved little stinkhole chattanooga, tennessee.. I avoid police by sedulously observing the law. Copthugs are everywhere these days, just like the criminal thug democats in Congress and the criminal thug in our White House.

  • Jim B

    A few days ago the POTUS was in Missouri (or somewhere like that) on a podium with police officers lined up behind him. This was too scary to watch, as it was to reminiscent of a scene out of Nazi Germany several decades ago. What is scary is to think that all of those officers of the law were in line with the POTUS in his crusade to demolish the US second amendment. To suggest that they would approve of or enforce any such distortion of our US constitution is a travesty. Every one of the officers should resign or be replaced for the being a part of such an attempt. After all, didn’t they pledge an oath to uphold the US Constitution. Have they taken sides against the US Constitution… this is what scares me, the site of it was horrific!

    • s mart pants

      That photo opp was in Minneapolis , Minnesota . The brown shirts didn’t look pleased to be there . Coincidentally this show of force comes soon after several sheriffs announced they will not enforce any of obama’s gun plans .

      • Jim B

        It would have been nice to see at least a few of them leave during the POTUS campaign speech!

  • SSMcDonald

    Let’s watch to see if the Citrus County Sheriff makes the correct decision in this matter. If this Sheriff is just another politically correct hack in uniform, you need not hold your breath any longer for his decision.

  • http://personallibertydigest Takidez

    Never get out of the car when stopped by a LEO unless instructed to do so. Pull off the road, stop the engine, put the keys on the dash,turn on the inside lights,hands on the wheel,and wait for instructions. All of this would probably make no difference to a goon like this badge wielding thug, but it may save you some grief with a legitimate officer.

  • LT

    Yes we have a few Law enforcement personnel that are as dangerous as some of the bad guys that are carrying a gun They are paranoid when they encounter any one that have a gun and you had better be on your guard at all time’s they will blow you away in heart beat !!!!!!! Try to Identify your self lay gun down Etc If you want to live !!!!!! use common sense they are trained to put you down and ask question’s later !!!!!!

    • Bruce

      you make the cops sound more dangerous than the criminals.
      Could it actually be true?
      Which group is more dangerous?
      Who in America still thinks for themselves?
      Who decided that it is the cops who are more dangerous to our freedoms?
      Why?

  • Darryl OBrien

    This is a abuse of the law he was not showing the weapon on purpose This officer has a anger management problem There was no reason to go over board He simply should have asked the driver if he had a licence to carry He should not be in the posion hes in with that angry of a attitude The officer is a danger to the public

    • Bruce

      He should not be in the posion hes in with that angry of a attitude The officer is a danger to the public
      actually he is a danger to the very fabric of America.
      We the public (where the power begins) should be able to have our own internal affairs agency run by Joe public a group the police will now have to answer to when they violate our constitutional rights. Not an arm of our existing government either. They look out for each other. Its time the public had a branch of government they actually control. This would be a good place to begin. Everyone is assigned a video recorder on your phone, see the police at work? stop and begin filming. They never do wrong so they will welcome the “coverage”. And they won’t be able to edit for TV either. ?Those throw them tot he ground and put a knee in their back COP shows, promote the wrong things. When they remove the guns from the gangs we will be a lot safer. But are they even trying to do this? no, they want to take them from people who follow the laws, and they release the violent ones because of over crowding because too many pot smokers were incarcerated and it broke the state. Costs a lot to TRY to moralize the people with laws.

  • Jim

    Unbelievable! This officer has violated this mans rights and should not only be fired but prosecuted for his crimes. There is enough evidence here for the local states attorney to file charges. Our system is broken when actions like this are allowed to happen without consequence. At the very least I hope the victim here files a lawsuit.

    • Darryl OBrien

      I agree Law enforcement is there to protect our rights not abuse them

  • gumby

    Oink,oink,oik

  • http://personallibertydigest Krizma99

    Sounds like the the mental disorder of “Rampant Liberalism Unhinged” is causing the gestapo to run Amok!

    Beware law-abiding citizens!

    • mark

      How do you know that this cop isn’t a conservative Republican? You can just tell by watchign the video. All the white males I know of in uniform are very conservative. They sure as hell aren’t minority-loving liberals. Not the white ones, anyway.

  • Gary

    Create an instant thug and bully- give a coward a government pay check, a badge and a gun.

    • Bill

      You mean like the TSA

      • Bruce

        exactly like the TSA.
        Let me ask, this country was built on a system of checks and balances. Could someone explain to me how in this situation there is a system of checks and balances? if this video had NOT gone viral, where would the investigation of the gross wrong doings of this cop be right now? It’s been 3 years, what has internal affairs done in the last 3 years? my guess, NOTHING!. So we need to stop and video ANY police actions you see. From sleeping on duty to cracking the heads of non-violent citizens stopped for questioning. You should not be ordered “to the ground” unless certain things happen first, and one should be a clear show of violence from the citizen. If you are not violent drunk or combative you should never be “SENT TO THE GROUND”, ever!. But it is standard operating procedure, when it should be saved for the violent, drunk or non-cooperative. This man was cooperating, not yelling, not drunk, probably willing to help out in a emergency, not being aggressive, but was verbally defending himself. This should be an instant “time out” for the cop, and I am not talking about paid leave, i’m talking about time behind bars… If we don’t stop this now. You WILL find yourself face down in the mud with a boot on your neck, for J walking.

  • Terry

    Florida is not a ‘must advise’ state. Shows what happens when you hire a half-wit, hand him a badge and send him out to push people around. Luckily, this breed of moron is not too plentiful yet – though the Obama Admin is busy trying to create more.

  • robert

    people wonder why americans want guns, duh .. to protect us from the communist government and law enforcement.

  • Bruce

    disgusting!!!! arrested? its not my problem, disgusting! with a permit. this is just so wrong. this guy was in no way violent. this is wrong! we need to be able to quickly remove these people from their positions of POWER! power drunk people with badges, gota love America!!! Ac Tong let me see your papers!

    • Darryl OBrien

      To often this goes unchecked because of the Good buddy program .We can not defend these actions it will lead to worst actions he may take it a step further if he gets away with this Next time he may hurt or kill someone

      • Bruce

        this man is more dangerous than that idiot who walked into the school and killed those kids. Way more dangerous, he can kill and retain his ability to kill again, by lying (lying the mark of evil in you). And he can kill the free spirit in you, you know what America was formed for, the preservation of GOD given freedoms, the free spirit in you. Picking the gravel off of his face after getting up from the ground, do you think this guy feels FREE? or feels like he lives in WHAT WAS the FREEEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD? This man the cop is part of the “force” that is taking your GOD given rights from all of us. IS THAT FORCE PART OF GOOD OR EVIL? ASK YOURSELF THIS OFTEN, and about other things. is this of good or evil?????.

      • mark

        Bruce, more dangerous than someone who walked in a school and massacred twenty-six little children and unarmed woman teachers?!! Because he wrongly arrested a gun owner?! Great logic at work there. You should write articles for this blog.

      • Bruce

        Bruce, more dangerous than someone who walked in a school and massacred twenty-six little children and unarmed woman teachers?!! Because he wrongly arrested a gun owner?! Great logic at work there. You should write articles for this blog.

        yes more dangerous. that killer is done, this cop is still spreading EVIL. he is not done doing the evil assigned to him. To continue to affect innocent citizens and change them for the worse. He is doing the opposite of spreading love. that is worse than an isolated incident. He is a avalanche of evil that steals the feeling of being free from people who have done no wrong!. He is the type of person who encourages others to buy and carry guns for their protection, BY HIS ACTIONS. YES HE IS MORE DANGEROUS.

        And that was 20 children supposedly, and 6 teachers and one very disturbed man,

        ALL of who God loved,

        and wanted to be close to.

        Think for yourself or someone will try to do it for you.

    • eddie47d

      Officer Cox overreacted in every way imaginable and was unstable. There was no aggressive behavior by Mr Smith at any time. To threatened to shot someone in the back should be an automatic firing or suspension without pay.

      • ibcamn

        Way to go Eddie,all those people were wrong,you do have a heart!you took the right side,your leaning man… your leaning…..to the right side…….ha ha ha ha(that’s my evil laugh)

      • James Smith

        This reminds me of a articie on yahoo a few months ago about a state trooper giving advice on how to lessen your chance of getting a ticket, #1 was be humble.

      • Bruce

        This reminds me of a articie on yahoo a few months ago about a state trooper giving advice on how to lessen your chance of getting a ticket, #1 was be humble.

        how wrong!
        always be humble.
        #1 should be, don’t break the law.
        Be humble to your God, not your cop!. Yikes!!!!
        If Humble becomes something you fake in front of a cop, then that humble is a lie.
        Be courteous, and expect the same.
        Lack of courtesy by the cop should be illegal, until you actually do something real to change that.

  • RDS

    This is exactly why civilians should carry weapons.

    • http://google gary gerke

      The police do not care about the Constitution or the bill of rights, they believe they are the only ones that should carry a weapon. One day very soon, there will be police officers being shot for abusing the very people they took an oath to protect.

      • mark

        One day?! It’s already happening, hundred of cops are shot and killed every year at simple traffic stops most by criminals, a few by jumpy gunowners. This is why cops are so paranoid and trigger-happy. THEY KNOW how dangerous their joib is in the most heavily armed nation on earth.

  • Wayne

    This deputy was violating his own sacred oath! He should be jailed for TREASON and possibly hung. Least case he should lose his job and any pension accrued. Since he has committed the felony of Treason he should not be permitted to own a firearm. The simple solution is to apply the Constitution. It’s all in there. Read it!

    • http://yahoo.com Bob Burmeister

      The officer acted like a despotic, beatle-browed thug. He demonstrated gross unprofessionalism and a lack of training. If this is the amateur crappola our “Amateur” (NY Times best seller) POTUS wants us unarmed peons to depend upon for protection we’re all headed back to the crop fields sing’n spirituals under the lash. You could put badges on umemployed Hells angels and hire them as deputies and get better results. Way to go liberals!

    • mark

      Yeah, Wayne, but the cops have an old saying: “Better to be tried by twelve, than carried by six.” Their attitude is pretty simple, if anyone has a gun in their immediate vicinity, knock his ass down and cuff him – or even plug him before he gets the chance to take you out. These days with hundreds of cops shot dead every year at simple traffic stops, their attitude is simple: why take any chances? Screw the Constitution. My life, and my wife and kids mean a hell of a lot more to me than your bleepin’ Constitution.

      I know lots of cops. A couple of them are my relatives. And believe me, that’s their MO. Especially, especially if the guy they pull over is black or hispanic. Then, forget about it. They come on like gangbusters, Constitution be damned! And if you don’t think so, then you ain’t livin in the real world. Screw your Constitution, this is my life! And they’ll tell you that right to your face with the eyes bulging out of their sockets and the veins sticking out of their necks, ready to pop you in the jaw if you say otherwise.

      • Tony

        I work with a sheriff office & I assure you this deputy is an ass. Control freaks like this deserve to be booted off the force.

      • Bruce

        And they’ll tell you that right to your face with the eyes bulging out of their sockets and the veins sticking out of their necks, ready to pop you in the jaw if you say otherwise.

        now that sounds like how a PUBLIC SERVANT should act when he interacts with the general public. Good good now how can we get the rest of the PUBLIC SERVANTS to act the same way. O gonna love this…..

      • James Smith

        I agree that this man should have stayed in his vehicle untill ask to step out, actually he was pretty dumb but anyone that thinks this officer didn’t over react is a idot.

      • http://www.facebook.com/robbie.borot Robbie Borot

        Big deal you have friends that are in the force, I have relatives that are police officers, you express yourself as a left winged socialist thug when you say screw the constitution. The stupid power hungry cop abused his authority in several different ways,no one that has any integrity or half a brain support your comments.

  • Harold Olsen

    This thug with a badge will most likely get away with it. They’ll decide that the video doesn’t really show the whole story and therefore can’t be used against the thug with a badge, or else they’ll decide that three years is too long a time to take action against him.

    • waynedoudney

      The Video showed enough to convince a jury that this IGMO should depart law enforcement of any kind.

      • Bruce

        in all 50 states he should lose his ability to wear a badge. He was not protecting and serving the public.
        Displays of power, lay on the ground. do what I tell you, I am your GOD!. I can kill you! I have the god badge, and my orders must be followed, even if I am wrong.
        Checks and balances on the power of the state OVER THE CITIZEN (WHERE ALL THE POWER OF THE STATE COMES FROM) seem to be missing,? NO?
        TIME TO FIX THIS?
        UNITE YOU UNWASHED MASSES, while you still can.
        Where are your papers? we must see your papers!!!
        O you got the right papers? too bad, lie on the ground or I kill you!.

      • rlsumpjr

        The officer should not only lose his job but be charged with communicating a death threat, false arrest and violation of the victims 2nd amendment rights. He should also be sued.
        Penalties for those who make or enforce laws should be doubled when they violate them. They should never be exempt under any circumstance.

      • Brian

        First off, I am a gun owner and I have a handgun carry permit and if I am outside my home I have a handgun on me all times. In my state you do not have to carry concealed. It is a carry permit not concealed carry. But only idiots “open carry.” If you open carry you are asking for problems from good guys and bad. I try to conceal as much as humanly possible. I don’t want anyone to know I have a gun.
        Now to the idiot in the video, and I’m not talking about the officer!
        1. He shouldn’t have gotten out of his car. Why get out?!
        2. This idiot WANTS people to see his gun. Carry in inside-the-waistband holster.
        3. Not sure what he said when the officer asked why he had a gun, but it was later he was saying “I have a permit.”
        4. If I was a law enforcement officer my #1 goal would be to go home to my family every night!!!!! Watch some of the videos where an officer walks up to a car on immediately gets fired on and killed or where someone suddenly jumps out of the car and begins firing or where someone is out of the car talking to the officer and then draws a gun and kills him. These guys have to be on alert all the time at every traffic stop. When they are not they get killed. You can’t be soft and be a police officer. They have a tough job!
        Neutralize the situation and then figure out whats going on. I don’t blame that cop for one second for doing what he did.
        I don’t think you should immediately tell an officer that you have a permit and a gun, but if I am asked to get out of my car I am going to tell him before I get out.

        Seriously watch some videos of officers getting killed at traffic stops and then out yourself in their position.
        Joel Smith is not a responsible permit holder or even a wise handgun carrier. He’s an idiot!

      • http://www.facebook.com/roberttwillis Robert Willis

        Brian says:
        February 6, 2013 at 9:39 pm……As a former Law Enforcement officer with over 16 years on the street I have to say that Brian is a complete pompous! You have no idea what the hell you are talking about! The video shows a cop who thinks he is god and over reacted! If I was his Chief, he would no longer have a job and I would do all I could to help the victim sue my former officer!

    • Les

      Threatening to shoot some one in the back if they move is reason enough to terminate this worthless individual. The sorry part is they will go into self preservation mode and swear that their internal investigation found not wrong doing.

      • http://HRChildsInsuranceAgency.com Harold Childs

        That’s exactly right. in addition to the “stand by your man” attitude from his police buddy liar system, they will create evidence to exonerate their lying police buddy, just as they did to me when I caught a deputy having sex with my estranged wife in my home after she had me evicted from my home to make room for her lovers. He assisted her in completing a warrant, accusing me of “stalking” her. The term they like to use is “CYA”, or “cover your a__s”, you fill in the blank. They don’t have a concience about lying. It’s a part of their job credentials.

    • Anne

      Barney Fife is alive and well in Citrus County, FL. This deputy dog is a disgrace to the badge. What a shameful embarrassment to Florida’s law enforcement agencies.

      • Bruce

        Quote
        This deputy dog is a disgrace to the badge. What a shameful embarrassment to Florida’s law enforcement agencies.
        Actually he is a disgrace to every American, the idea of freedom, and every government worker who carries a tool for personal protection. EPA got assault rifles for what?

      • charlie

        With my experience in Florida, this seems to be an exception.
        Let’s hope this one is relieved of his throne.

    • Ron

      I have a permit to carry and agree with everyone that the cop is an idiot and way out of line but in my state if you get stopped for whatever you must declare to the police that you have a firearm before any exchange of papers etc. If you don’t he can confiscate your weapon, and it could be a trip to the station to retrieve it. But most police are usually pretty good about it, because people forget especially if the firearm is in the console or just out of sight.

      • ibcamn

        Not all states say,in the law of permit holder,to declare he/she is carrying a weapon at a traffic stop.only if officer asks if they have any weapons.in Wisconsin where i live,you have to only tell the officer you have a ccl,that’s it!you do not have to tell them you are carrying a gun,only if the officer asks you if you are carrying a gun on your person at this time,do you answer,yes i am officer,then it is up to the officer to decide if they wish to hold said gun during the stop(depends on reason they pulled you over for that step)for the most part,the police in my area know who i am and pretty much gave up on harrassing me anymore,i took the fight out of them on that!…but,now the new one is letting them know i know i can open carry legally in this state also,which most officers don’t know!and the same with knives!most police officers have no clue to those laws either!

      • Jimmy the Greek

        In Texas we only need a permit if the gun is on our person , if we have a pistol in the car you do not have to tell them , and you should not because telling them would be almost the same as it being in plain sight witch is not legal it has to be somewhere that it can not be seen by looking in the windows of the car .

      • Steve E

        In Virginia you do not have to tell anyone you are carrying, concealed or not, unless the cops ask you if you have one.

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