By Police1 Staff
COLLINSVILLE, Ill. – A federal judge has refused to remove a video from YouTube in which an officer says police sometimes put drugs on vehicles to test K-9s’ drug-sniffing skills.
Officer Michael Reichert is facing a lawsuit from Terrence Huff, who is seeking damages for what he calls an unlawful detention during a traffic stop, according to SLT Today.
The video, which Huff titled “Lodging in Collinsville,” contains portions of Reichert’s deposition in a civil rights case.
Reichert is seen in the clip saying that he has planted drugs on vehicles, and that the drivers may leave unknowingly with the scent of drugs still on their vehicle which can be detected by K-9s hours later.
Reichert’s lawyer argues that the video is not public record, and could sway the jury against the defendant.
The judge, Magistrate Judge Philip M. Frazier, argued that the request to have the video removed should have come sooner, according to the article.