Ever-Vigilant Orlando Cops Use Surveillance Camera to Bust a Pot Smoker

[The Silver Bullet Special]

hxxp://reason.com/blog/2012/08/30/orlando-cops-use-surveillance-cameras-to

An Orlando TV station reports that police recently used one of the city's IRIS surveillance cameras to bust a pot smoker. After a sergeant monitoring South Terry Avenue and West South Street "spotted three men possibly smoking marijuana," officers approached the men, one of whom, 29-year-old Joe E. Haywood, "turned his back and appeared to put a blunt in his mouth." The cops swiftly took action:

Haywood was handcuffed and ordered to open his mouth but refused, so an officer tried for 30 seconds to use pressure points on his jaw to open his mouth, the affidavit said. Officers said Haywood swallowed the joint during the incident and marijuana could be smelled on him....
Officers said they then noticed a green leafy substance, which they described as a unburned cannabis leaf, on Haywood's teeth...
Haywood was arrested and taken to jail.
​

The charges: possessing 20 grams or less of cannabis, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, plus tampering with physical evidence, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
IRIS, by the way, stands for Innovative Response to Improve Safety. Orlandoans surely feel safer now that a notorious blunt swallower has been taken off the streets


(((Isnt Video surveillance unconstitutional?)))

 

[ziggyross]

Big Brother is watching.

 

[Roddy]

(((Isnt Video surveillance unconstitutional?)))

There's cameras on red lights, crosswalks, streetlights...you name it.

 

[The Silver Bullet Special]

Good point Roddy, completely forgot bout those redlight cameras... I've been lucky and haven't been stung by one yet haha. IMO since FL is soo strict on their MJ laws till it gets legalized I would just smoke in my house then go out in public to play it on the safe side.

 

[7greeneyes]

cost of operation: $10,000 dollars

 

[The Silver Bullet Special]

cost of operation: $10,000 dollars

And all for someone who possibly ate a blunt roach after smoking it on the police's candid camera.

 

[getnasty]

If you get a ticket in the mail from one of the redlight cameras, ignore it. If you do not contact them in regards to paying it, how do they know you ever received the ticket? It's not issued by a police officer, so there's no evidence indicating that you received the ticket. Subsequently, they drop the "charges." Just a little side-bar there.

 

[The Silver Bullet Special]

OH no kidding Nasty? Hmm Thanks for the advice!