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Seeing as how the recent break ins here in Barrington have happened while the victims were home and asleep, I think it's safe to say they have been happening in the middle of the night. Wait.... Let me check my TV. I mean my NEWS PAPER... Oh yes. The crimes are happening in the middle of the night. JUST LIKE ON TV!!! Imagine that.

So! I'm reading the article and I see a whole lot of people only read the headline and filled in the blanks on their own. The guy hasn't been charged for recording anything.

And since we are filling spaces here, I'll give you my own assumption: The driver acted like a typical jerk who has a grudge against the police. He antagonized (see "the east providence man allegedly refused") the officer until he got himself arrested.

Anywho... Since we weren't standing there watching, we don't really know if the guy stuck his weapon (haha cell phone) in the air... Waved it at him... Swung it toward him... Or twirled it in his fingers. Whatever the reason the officer reacted by swatting it. We also don't know anything about the drivers demeanor during the stop. All we know is he wanted to put a camera in the officers face (disclaimer: not literally) and then refused to cooperate because of that "I know my rights!" attitude. Honestly I imagine the driver went all batspit over the officer having the audacity to react to his ..uh.. Weapon. Officers don't usually react to a traffic stop this way unless they have a reason. I realize we see plenty of Facebook videos highlighting the ones who suck. But they hardly represent the majority of men and women in uniform.

Seriously people. Just let the cops do their jobs. You won't end up freaking out a person who is usually on the receiving end of the wrath of panty bunched criminals who would do anything to get away.

A simple "I'm gonna record this encounter, mkay!" Would have sufficed. Then he could have pulled out the phone along with his license and registration.

And as far as patrolling the neighborhoods for the break ins... Since this isn't a police state, I'm not exactly sure how anyone expects to do that. People are leaving their homes open, criminals are walking right in, and taking some valuables. I don't expect the police to stake out all of the homes in Barrington. But they could be caught with stolen goods in their car during a routine traffic stop.

AND! Holy crap... We have more than one officer on duty at a time! Seriously... As a victim of a drunk driver (more than once) I'm appreciative that the police are doing routine traffic stops around town and on the trail. Lives depend on that.