Local police are now blurring the lines between their operations and those at the federal level. A recent video posted by @back2earthwithhayley shows a Hennepin County sheriff dressed in tactical gear, similar to that of ICE agents. During the exchange, the officer also covers his face. Those watching claim the interaction is shady at best, and illegal at worst.
The video shows the sheriff leaning into the driver’s side window. He comments that the driver failed to yield to his emergency lights, to which she explains that she didn’t see him. “I’m warning you for stopping in the turn lane,” he says. “Even though your lights were on, and you were behind me, I stopped in the right-hand lane to let you go past. But then you accused me of being in the middle of the road blocking traffic, because I pulled off to the right. To help you move around me. Interesting,” she replies.
The driver continues, saying, “And also, your mask is so uncool. I can’t wait to take this to court. You are such a traitor. You are not a patriot.” At this comparison to ICE agents, the sheriff says, “This is for you,” handing her the ticket. “You obviously don’t want me to explain it. You’re being cited for not having your driver’s license in posession,” he finishes explaining how to process the ticket before the video ends. However, at the very end, he says something that unnerves viewers. “Ma’am, before you leave, I am going to take a photograph of you.”
Picture Not-So-Perfect
Many Redditors watching the video are outaged at the sheriff taking a photograph of the driver. The ticket, which is seemingly routine for someone without their license, doesn’t seem to warrant the extreme outcome. “Since when do sheriffs take pictures of people now too? Isn’t that ICE exclusive?” One user says. “Since they saw the Feds do it to scare people. It’s called stochastic terrorism and your taxes are funding it,” another replies.
Others offered safety advice, encouraging Minnesota drivers to get the identification and badge number of local police. “Ask for nam, badge number, business card, incident report number. If the are legit, they give all these. If not, they might not be real law enforcement, or currupt,” one user shares. Others were simply disgusted, choosing to fight fire with fire. “I have that same face covering in my car. I’m gonna keep it right in the center console and put it on if they ever pull me over. It looks like a headband. If they’re covering their face, I’ll cover mine. Fair is fair.”
