Court: Middle Finger To Cops OK

TYT Network

However, more insults to police probably will not help the national situation.

According to a federal appeals court on Thursday, a police officer can’t pull you over and arrest you just because you gave him the finger.

In a 14-page opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit ruled that the “ancient gesture of insult is not the basis for a reasonable suspicion of a traffic violation or impending criminal activity.”

According to the Huffington Post, John Swartz and his wife Judy Mayton-Swartz had sued two police officers who arrested Swartz in May 2006 after he flipped off an officer who was using a radar device at an intersection in St. Johnsville, N.Y.

Swartz was later charged with a violation of New York’s disorderly conduct statute, but the charges were dismissed on speedy trial grounds.

NYC Fashion Photographer Tired Of Being Profiled

A Brooklyn photographer has a video of a New York City Police officer arresting him and claiming that a two-finger ring he was wearing was actually brass knuckles.

According to Andre Perry, two undercover officers approached him at Union Station in November, and told him that his ring was considered a deadly weapon.

In a post on Facebook, Perry explained that he was handcuffed, and detained overnight.

“It made me very upset when I was being held in jail. I was sitting next to people who actually committed crimes. I bought this ring with the intent of wearing it as jewelry. I’ve been wearing it for over a year, and never had a problem, Perry told DNA info in New York.

Perry said that he had bought the ring at a Williamsburg flea market. It is marketed by Dallas & Dynasty as a $30 fashion accessory.

The photographer, who shot ads for Reebok, Brooklyn Circus and Nordstrom, is now facing charges for two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.