Controversial footage has recently been released of a 2018 traffic stop made by a Vermont state trooper that led to the arrest of a driver for “disorderly conduct” after the trooper “mistakenly” believed he flipped him off.
The driver, Gregory Bombard, filed a lawsuit against trooper Jay Riggen with the help of civil rights groups in 2021, arguing that his right to free speech and expression was violated.
Bombard was driving through St. Albans, Vermont, in February 2018 when Riggen pulled him over after “mistakenly” believing that Bombard had given him the middle finger in passing, Fox News reports.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is representing Bombard in his lawsuit, and released the dashcam video from the incident on Monday.
LAWSUIT: A Vermont man was interrogated, arrested, and cited by a state trooper.
— FIRE (@TheFIREorg) December 18, 2023
The alleged crime?
Cursing at a cop and giving him the middle finger.
Now FIRE is asking the Superior Court of VT to recognize Greg Bombard’s First Amendment rights were violated. pic.twitter.com/HYZ5SjbW8Z
In the video, Bombard can be heard telling Riggen that pulling him over for flipping him the bird would have been constitutional, even if he had done so.
“If someone flipped you off, what is the citation? What’s the crime?” Bombard asked, later adding, “That would be considered freedom of expression, so I’m going to file a complaint against you.”
The cop responded that he was still required to intervene.
“And you’re more than welcome to [file a complaint]. So here’s the issue: Although it may be freedom of expression, it’s so unusual that it requires intervention to make sure you don’t need help of some kind.”
The trooper eventually allowed Bombard to leave, but then he got arrested after he actually showed his middle finger and said “asshole” and “fuck you” to Riggen as he pulled off.
“It looks like as he pulled away he called me an asshole and said, ‘Fuck you.’ Flipped the bird. I’m going to arrest him for disorderly conduct,” Riggen could be heard saying into his radio before pulling the driver over once again.
Bombard was handcuffed, searched, and taken to jail for the offense of sharing his thoughts with the trooper.
Riggen also told the civilian that his car would be towed because the zone he was pulled over into was designated as “no parking.”
While the charges against Bombard were later dropped — after nearly a year of legal expenses — he still decided to sue with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and FIRE.
“Police are charged with protecting the public, not their own bruised egos,” FIRE senior attorney Jay Diaz said in a statement. “It’s obvious from the footage that the officer wasn’t concerned about Greg’s safety. He just wanted to punish him for mouthing off.”
Both FIRE and the ACLU are requesting that the Superior Court of Vermont “recognize Bombard’s First Amendment rights were violated in February 2018 when he was interrogated, arrested, and cited by a state trooper.”
“Traffic stops are the most common way that people interact with law enforcement,” ACLU of Vermont staff attorney Hillary Rich said in a statement. “To protect the safety and personal liberties of all Vermonters, the state needs to do more to prevent unnecessary and unjustified police interactions like the one Mr. Bombard experienced.”
