An apartment complex security guard noticed suspicious activity in a vehicle and called the police. The police arrived and checked on the people in the vehicle, noticed nervous behavior, and red flags of illegal substance consumption. The incident happened on October 23, 2023. The security guard reported he saw a woman and a man in the car with aluminum foil. It was on surveillance camera footage, so they could not have a chance to deny it.
The bodycam video shows the police officer Lester saying, “We’re here to investigate the suspicious activity that you guys are smoking. Whatever. So, we just need some identification. Same with the one in the back.” Suspects immediately responded with, “I said I don’t want to give you that identification.”
However, when the officers asked if they were smoking, the woman proceeded to panic and lie. She gave the officer a fake name. She did not have an ID and was shaking in fear as the officer was questioning her. She told him her name was Briana. The officer detained the two and proceeded to search the vehicle to find the source of the smoke. He found foil in the vehicle with d– residue on it. Apart from this, he also found pills in a bag and some lighters. The officer confirmed there was M30 in the bag, which is a code word for fentanyl.
One of the most fatal substances that’s currently wreaking havoc in the U.S. The officer encouraged them to be honest to help with the investigation. He asked the woman how loud they had been in the parking spot, and she replied that they had been there for 30 minutes. She was constantly crying while the police officer was inspecting the items found in their vehicle. He asked her to take deep breaths to calm down. The officers took them to the Polk County Jail for further investigation. The woman was stressed and had anxiety, while the officer treated her kindly despite the situation.
The bodycam video showed the officer saying, “Someone’s coming out that way. Keep you warm. Okay. You want me to zip up the coat? Come here. Remember, deep breath in through your nose, out through your mouth.” He asked another officer to crack the window and turn up the heat. Officer Lester further told the suspect, “He’s going to crack the window so she has some fresh air, but get some heat rolling in there, too. Please. Yes. Sit all the way in there.”
The duo was charged with possession of fentanyl. This bodycam video was different from others as the officers understood the situation and asked the right questions. Even when the woman was not answering the questions, he made sure she was comfortable. He asked her general questions to avoid stressing her more.
Her visible anxiety was so intense that it alarmed the security guard, who called the police. Over 10,000 people have watched the bodycam video and appreciated how calm the officer was. Combined with quick responses and reacting to body language, he was able to handle the situation. Right from the beginning of the interrogation, the woman was scared. Lying about the pills did not help, as he recognized several signs of substance abuse.
