New 'hostile vehicle' police term for recording or talking back will bring DHS and K9's
The Rhode Island resident was in Philadelphia for the International Society for Technology in Education conference, waiting for a friend in her vehicle. A police officer noticed that she was parked in the wrong direction at the Amtrak 30th St. drop off.
Not satisfied with simply writing a ticket, the cop became verbally abusive. Perhaps he was agitated at being filmed, or enraged at the audacity of a person who dared to say the street signage was poor.
The cop had enough and radioed in a “hostile vehicle” call, which prompted eight other officers, a K-9 unit and Homeland Security to arrive.
What the Philly cop really broadcast is he encountered terrorists and possible explosives inside a car!
There are numerous 'Hostile Vehicle Mitigation' references on the web but it's mostly a European term [UK], there doesn't seem to be any official American police definition as of now. Keep in mind EVERYTHING that happens in the UK eventually makes it's way into US policing.
Below are two examples of 'Hostile Vehicle Mitigation'
"Vehicle-borne threats range from vandalism to sophisticated or aggressive attacks by determined criminals or terrorists. The mobility and payload capacity of a vehicle offers a convenient delivery mechanism for a large explosive device. The Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) section contains policy and good practice guidance that will help practitioners to determine the vehicle-borne threat, assess site strengths and vulnerabilities, and provide options for HVM."
"HVM is safety protocols and procedures used to reduce the opportunity for vehicle based criminal activities. These are specifically focused on preventing terrorist activities such as the use of vehicles carrying improvised explosive devices. It is essential for operators of public buildings, transport links and businesses to implement full HVM measures to protect their properties and members of the public from these kinds of events."
Have you ever seen the static terra bollards (poles) in front of airports and govt. buildings? They're to stop "hostile vehicles" not a person that films or questions a cop!
image credit: Frontier Pitts
It's not illegal to film or question police in America, YET!