An interesting exchange between a truck driver and an Illinois State Trooper was uploaded to YouTube after the trucker was pulled over for an “unlawful use of horn.” Quickly flipping on his phone’s video camera, the trucker captured what happened next as he gave the cop an earful that the officer never saw coming.
Brian Miner is a truck driver who likes to look out for his fellow man when he’s traveling down the all too often dangerous highway. So, when the roadway was rain-slick and he saw a police officer using his cell phone and speeding, he decided to do something about it before someone got hurt.
Unfortunately for Miner, the cop in question didn’t like his interference and decided to pull him over. Luckily for us, the quick thinking trucker decided to capture the exchange on his cell phone’s camera, flipping on the camera before taking the officer to task and leaving viewers shocked to see how things played out for a variety of reasons.
The encounter between the Illinois State Police trooper and Brian Miner starts contentiously but ends much differently — without Miner being issued a citation he was threatened with, and for good reason. As the trooper opens the door to the cab, he tells Miner that he’s been pulled over for unlawful use of a horn. He probably expected the trucker to cower and apologize, but Miner had other plans.
Miner rebuffs the law enforcement officer, saying he was honking at the trooper because he was on a cell phone while speeding, he accuses. At first, the cop isn’t about to cave to being called out, and the two continue a frosty exchange to the point where the trooper tells Miner that he’s going to be ticketed, and Miner drops the hammer, telling the trooper that he’s being recorded.
After the revelation that he’s on video sinks in, the trooper’s behavior seemingly changed dramatically to the point that, by the end of the traffic stop, the trooper thanked the trucker for his concern, admitting that he wasn’t paying attention. Furthermore, he didn’t write Miner a ticket, saying he didn’t want to hurt his record, Fox 4 Kansas City reported.
Many have applauded the trucker, saying the gentleman was completely in the right to do what he did for the safety of his fellow drivers on the same highway. Police officers should be required to abide by the laws they are tasked with enforcing. However, this cop is getting some surprising kudos as well for showing compromise, even if it was only after he was informed that he was being recorded that he seemingly had a change of heart.
“While it can be difficult to assert your rights, I must commend your tact and ability in the circumstances presented in this video. We live in a time when it is finally possible to regulate as citizens what we expect from a governing force,” one YouTube commenter wrote, addressing the truck driver.
He continued, “Your steadfast nature, along with the officer’s legally mandated compliance, shows me that our system of law has promise beyond any arrows flung from fools quick to dismiss why we stand up for ourselves in the first place. Please never let that fire of yours fade, as it promises us all a brighter future.”
We, too, applaud Brian Miner for holding this officer accountable for his reckless actions while sharing the highway with civilians. We also applaud the cop for showing some humility, admitting that he was in the wrong, and apologizing for it. Those aren’t easy tasks for anyone, let alone a person of authority who’s been put in their place in a humiliating way. Both gentlemen kept calm, and this proves, “Cooler heads prevail,” as they say.
We really do need to look out for one another, and we need to be willing to accept rightful criticism, regardless of our position, when we deserve it. This is how we make progress. In this day and age, technology will definitely help keep people honest if they can’t manage that for themselves. You never know when you’re being recorded, so always be on your best behavior before you find yourself enduring your own 15-minutes of internet fame.
