Another Rogue Cop Damaging The Profession.

‘F*ck the police’ on motorist’s radio gets him pulled over by angry cop

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Sam Rolley

A Hialeah, Florida, cop who has managed to rack up 16 internal affairs complaints over his 17-year career decided to try for another last month when he pulled over a motorist because he didn’t like the music coming from the young man’s car. The music playing at the time of the stop: “F*ck tha Police,” N.W.A.’s classic rap song, which has, unsurprisingly, experienced newfound popularity in recent years.

Cesar Baldelomar, a 26-year-old Harvard graduate, was heading to his parents’ house to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal when he passed police officer Harold Garzon, who was standing on the side of the street filling out paperwork related to a traffic accident.

Just as Baldelomar passed the officer, the song on his radio changed, kicking off with the verse to a song that anyone familiar with classic hip-hop has heard: “F*ck tha police / Comin’ straight from the underground. A young n**** got it bad cause I’m brown / And not the other color so police think / they have the authority to kill a minority.”

According to Baldelomar’s retelling of what followed to the Miami New Times, Garzon hollered, “Really? You’re really playing that song?”

After he pulled over, Garzon informed the motorist that it was illegal to play music loud enough to be heard by a person 25 feet away.

But Baldelomar, who reportedly holds two Harvard degrees and is currently studying law at Florida International University, disagreed, noting that the noise statute cited by the cop had been struck down.

“In 2012, the state supreme court struck down any law banning loud music,” he said. “I knew that because it was a case I had actually studied in law school.”

After other officers were called to the scene, Garzon demanded proof of insurance. Baldelomar provided an e-card on his phone.

“It’s got to be paper,” the officer claimed, refusing to take the electronic proof, despite Florida being one of 35 states where e-insurance cards are permitted.

In the end, Baldelomar received three tickets: one for not wearing his seat belt (he says he was), one for having an out-of-state license plate (he’s a legal resident of Massachusetts, where he attended school) and one for failure to provide insurance. He reportedly refused to sign them and plans to contest all three.

Notably absent was a ticket for the noise violation. Baldelomar asked where it was and was told not to get “smart.”

“I’m educated. I know my rights. And I speak English, so I can fight this,” Baldelomar told Miami New Times. “But what about when this happens to someone who’s not so lucky? Policing has to change in this country.”