Tichaona Chitsinde

It's scary how ignorant this sergeant is on the law. If he does not know this, I can only imagine what else he does not know about his job. 🤦 an independent journalist was conducting routine investigative newsgathering outside on county property. Instead of recognizing constitutionally protected activity in a traditional public forum, facility management panicked over a camera, and deputies rolled up to enforce feelings over statutory law. ​What unfolded next should alarm every taxpayer who expects competence from the badge. ​A ranking sergeant arrived on scene and immediately attempted to threaten the journalist with criminal trespass, insisting that because the facility director "didn't want him there," his presence was unlawful. When the journalist pushed back and demanded to know how a citizen can be trespassed from open public grounds without committing any underlying crime, the sergeant doubled down, arguing that simply being asked to leave public property magically transforms ordinary presence into a criminal act. ​Let that sink in. This isn’t a recruit fresh out of the academy on day one of field training. This is a supervisor. A sergeant who wears stripes, oversees junior deputies, and possesses the authority to direct street arrests, yet he somehow lacks the fundamental training to understand that county property is public property. He genuinely believed that municipal employees can arbitrarily revoke public access from outdoor spaces based purely on discomfort. ​If a law enforcement supervisor doesn’t understand the basic legal threshold required to trespass someone from publicly owned grounds, what else doesn't he know about his job? What does his lack of training mean when he's handling warrantless searches, fourth amendment seizures, or use of force? Ignorance of constitutional law at a supervisory rank isn’t just embarrassing, it’s genuinely dangerous for the public under their jurisdiction. ​Rather than caving to the intimidation, the journalist held his ground, calmly stood on the law, and advised the sergeant to contact his lieutenant before walking into a civil rights violation on camera. While the supervisor stepped away to make that call, the journalist documented the scene, confirmed he was not detained, and called out waste over idling cruisers. ​When the sergeant finally returned after conferring with upper command, the outcome was inevitable, law enforcement realized they had zero legal grounds to trespass, detain, or identify him. Defeated and attempting to save face, one deputy remarked that they weren't going to let the journalist "bait" them. ​Refusing to let an untrained officer trample your rights isn't "bait." It’s a defining moment for the citizen journalist and a glaring reminder of why leadership training standards across law enforcement demand immediate scrutiny.