Apparently the fat bald officer (Officer Tobler) with the Sidney, Nebraska PD hasn’t gotten the memo. First he threatens the citizen, Steven Bell, with arrest, then he throws Bell’s license and registration at him, and then he really flips out. He cursed Bell and looked like he was going to get physical. A second officer immediately grabbed him (the officer) and moved him over to the side, and then took Bell’s complaint to forward to the Interim Chief. The local paper said as of June 25th, the Chief would only say that the matter was under investigation. It has also made PoliceOne. Some of the posters there are advocating retaliating against the citizen.
The Chief can be reached at this website or at (308) 254-5515.
Related articles
- Police Officer Tobler Blows His Top Because Citizen Knows His Rights (secretsofthefed.com)
ExCop-Lawyer 
Jun 26, 2013 @ 21:55:28
There’s a simple rule here: goad the police officer and you face an arrest and/or a beat down. Another simple rule: if the police officer goads you, whether you respond or not, you face an arrest and/or a beat down. I read some of the comments on Police.one. I got a smile from the first comment that goading an officer into a confrontation is likely to get an officer killed, total loss of perspective (yeah, it may, but chances are so much greater the goader will die or face major reconstructive surgery).
The problem with any cop using “he goaded me” is that it falls into contempt of cop. On the non-police side “he goaded me” falls into assault/battery, or worse (pool sticks are bad even if he goaded you). The arrest for obstruction (or disorderly, or loitering, or interfering, or even assault on a police officer) has it’s own humor if the goading was just maintaining one’s rights.
I am both cynical and jaundiced on this. I wasn’t until I saw so many cases of police not knowing the laws and asserting their authority in the vacuum of their ignorance. My own encounters with cops has always involved one cop protecting me from another (twice), or really professional one-on-one.
Jun 28, 2013 @ 15:14:14
You put it well. The doubly-standard is obvious.
That cop needs time on the bench and retraining.
Jun 28, 2013 @ 15:20:33
The officer was suspended for 30 days and must attend anger management classes
Jun 29, 2013 @ 22:39:19
Did that info go public?
I sincerely hope the classes help him.
Jun 27, 2013 @ 04:07:33
Wowwwy!! That’s quite the angry mob of officers congregating over on Policeone. It’s alarming how badly some officers begin to behave when they don’t get their way.
Also, I get a big kick out of it whenever I see an officer pull out the “Oh, so now you are a lawyer??” card. It has to be one of the lamest(and most ignorant) things an officer could ever say to a civilian. It’s such old material…as if to imply only attorneys and police are qualified to understand law. It’s so pathetic.
Jun 29, 2013 @ 22:45:21
There are some angry folks over there. There’s a sort of mob mentality, which is frightening. A very ‘us and them’ outlook by some individuals. Do cops need more support and training? Perhaps that’s too general a question; the US is very large.
Jun 27, 2013 @ 06:42:22
I like calling them regcits instead of citizens because active duty military and LEO’s are citizens, too. But they aren’t regcits. They are more like super-cits.
Jun 27, 2013 @ 21:08:55
These leos just don’t get it. You are the story, they are gathering news and the videographer has the freedom of the press on his side. They are gathering news about you. They’re not following you (don’t take it personally), they aren’t harassing you, they are gathering the news.
Jun 28, 2013 @ 11:44:07
The guy that recorded this was arrested for beating his wife’s kids and the children were removed from the home at least once. The guy has had multiple run ins with the police. The guy was stalking the local police who have had more than average spike in crime lately. I find it understandable that the officer would be a little on edge with people being murdered over drugs and what not lately, then being harassed by a known bad element.
Jun 28, 2013 @ 15:10:30
Oldest trick in the book – cast doubt over an individual you wish to discredit, understate the actions of the aggressor and use menacing terms like ‘stalking’ and ‘harassing’ to try and convince others of your point. The problem with your argument is that (a) following the police and recording their duties is not ‘stalking’ (b) the videographer was not breaking any law nor was he harassing the officer, unless you know something of the incident that we don’t (c) the cop approached the videographer, not the other way round (d) murders or any sort of crime (ie what happens in every society on earth) does not give licence to cops to behave badly.
Jun 28, 2013 @ 15:26:23
So the actions of a citizen to set a cop up are ok? The cop got angry. The “videographer” had the camera because that was his intent. Dude doesn’t like that he can’t beat up his wife’s kids and he went after the local police. If it was anybody else that got angry on video like this other than a cop you wouldn’t care. The cop was punished and is now having his name drug through the dirt because he got angry and some dude has access to the internet. Crazy
Jun 29, 2013 @ 22:22:47
Bevo, I’m not defending the videographer’s character or past; I know nothing about him and frankly, his past is not relevant to the incident. Let’s call him Citizen A instead. Citizen A was doing something lawful (there’s no reason for me to assume otherwise) and he has the same rights as any other citizen. The problem with only affording rights to people that you like or approve of is that it wouldn’t be fair (not to mention unlawful under the Constitution). Someone’s attitude or look or background (whatever) doesn’t limit their right to exist as an equal. I understand cops are human too and they have bad days like everyone else but what makes them different is that they are public officials, they have powers to use legal force/detain/arrest and they have special responsibilities. If they stuff up, they are to blame. If they don’t, they deserve promotion and praise (in theory!).
Peace
Jun 29, 2013 @ 00:39:59
Perhaps, but there is no excuse for the officer’s actions.
Jun 29, 2013 @ 00:50:48
Bevo, those charges against the photographer were dropped. The children were returned. None of that has any bearing on the actions by Officer Topler, but it does point out several things about this incident that need to be pointed out.
First, assuming for the sake of argument that everything you say is true and Bell is a scumbag, scumbags have the same rights as every other citizen.
Second, what appears to happen is that Officer Topler, like many officers, take it personally when someone has their charges dropped or beats the charge. It is not personal, even if many officers take it that way. The officer’s job is to determine if there is probable cause to make an arrest, to report it, to file the charges, and to testify. That’s it. It is not his job to insure that the arrestee is punished.
Third, I don’t care what buttons that Bell pushed, throwing stuff back at him is inappropriate, as was cursing him.
Fourth, after the blow up, when Bell wanted to file a complaint, Topler says that he’s going to go ahead and arrest him for obstruction. That is clearly and plainly retaliation, and that is definitely not appropriate. What would have happened if there wasn’t a cool headed officer present?
Jun 29, 2013 @ 01:10:41
Interesting that Bell told his wife she didn’t have to produce ID because she had done nothing wrong. Kinda like he knew he had. But whatever. Tobler shouldn’t have lost his temper. He is being punished and having his name sullied by sites like this that tell one side of the story.
Jun 29, 2013 @ 08:57:54
She doesn’t have to produce ID unless the officer has reasonable suspicion that she has committed a crime.
What’s the other side of the story? That Bell had been arrested in the past? Bell himself stated that in his Youtube post, along with the allegation that the police don’t like the fact that the DA refused to prosecute. Whether that was because the wife signed an affidavit of non-prosecution or the DA thought that the charges were bogus is immaterial to the incident at hand.
Tobler’s name is also not being “sullied” by this site – he is a public figure and his actions are of interest to the public. The public has a right to know about the type of officers that are working, and Tobler’s actions speak to that. According to press reports, the Chief of the Sydney Police agree that his actions were not appropriate.
I would like to ask how you know Tobler received a 30-day suspension and anger management classes. It has not been published that I can determine.
Jun 29, 2013 @ 22:32:06
You said it better than me.
Jun 29, 2013 @ 21:06:02
How cool. Just follow cops around as they wage war on society
and document it with a camera. When they explode like
this Big Fat Idiot make em famous.
Jun 29, 2013 @ 22:31:30
I don’t understand your point?
Jul 22, 2013 @ 23:19:54
after reading some of the comments there is some slight miss conception the officer only got 40 hours suspension and the police dept nor the city said anything about any anger management.
Jul 22, 2013 @ 23:28:49
Second is I did not beat up my kids they are mine. I adopted them thru the same judge that dismissed my wifes adjudication case and yep I Got arrested a lot of people get arrested I was charged and went to my preliminary hearing and the next day charges were dropped by the Damn for lack of evidence. So regardless of the arrest I am and was innocent until proven guilty by a jury of my peers which the DA obviously did not see was going to make him look very good with absolutely no evidence. There for the “law enforcers” not law makers should even take into any circumstances to arrest me for any other crime because they “think” I was guilty.
Jul 23, 2013 @ 06:34:06
Steve, thank you for clearing that up.
Have you thought about looking into getting the arrest expunged (removed) from your record?