Predatory Policing - July 18, 2023

A rare recording of Caldwell Parish Sheriff's Office deputies talking about harassing random motorists, on the night of July 18th, 2023. A deputy was about to catch up to and stop a motorist solely for driving at night, until he realized it was the same one that another deputy had just stopped solely for driving at night, so he stopped in at the other deputy's stop (also solely for driving at night). Another deputy - the supervisor - went on ahead to "check on" another random vehicle. He didn't find any reason to stop them before they reached the parish line.

Meanwhile, two more deputies spotted a vehicle at a gas pump and posted up out of sight to watch for it. The vehicle belonged to someone that the deputies had a personal vendetta against and had previously pledged to stop and search every time they saw him driving.

This took place amid a night full of illegal traffic stops. It was the middle of the month and many people (those whose paychecks come every two weeks) had just gotten paid, so the deputies were preying upon people in an effort to increase their budget.