A concerned resident reached out to a local news outlet with an odd concern. He said that he had lived in the neighborhood for over a decade and never seen a police patrol. But over the last 6 weeks, a sheriff's deputy had driven by his house every single Thursday evening between 12:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. often stopping in front of his house. The news agency told the homeowner that they're not interested and that he should just be grateful that police are finally patrolling the neighborhood and deterring crime. But after the behavior continued for another four weeks with the same cop driving by at the same time every Thursday, the owner of the news agency agreed to sit in the man's driveway on Thursday between midnight and 1:00 a.m. so that he could follow the cop and find out who he is and what he's doing. Now, as petty as this investigation may seem in the beginning, it's important to remember that at the other end of New York, just 6 months prior to this, a notorious serial killer linked to bodies that were found all the way back to 1993, was just caught. It's important to note that many of the pieces of that puzzle were put together not by police, but by concerned family members, neighbors, and local reporters that continued to follow leads that police refused to follow. So on week 11, Dan with auditing Erie County waits in the resident's driveway with his dash cam on. And sure enough, the patrol comes by again between midnight and 1:00 a.m. Dan pursues the suspicious individual to see if perhaps he does a drug deal or drops off a body. Chances are he's just patrolling the neighborhood to deter crime. But if he's got nothing to hide, he's got nothing to worry about. The deputy, believing that he's the only one who's allowed to conduct investigations on suspicious activity, flips around and conducts a traffic stop on Dan. Little did the deputy know, this is exactly what Dan needed so that he could get the deputy's identity and further his investigation later. While a cop can follow you around all day and all night, Dan knew that if he tried to do the same thing to a cop, the cop's ego would not allow it. This deputy actually thinks he has Dan detained when in reality, Dan just tricked this cop into a detention of his own. in order to further his investigation about exactly who has been snooping through the neighborhood. Hello. How are you? How you doing? I'm all right. Do you have a license for me, please? I do. What are you being pulled over for? You're being pulled over because in that neighborhood over there, I pulled over. You sat behind me. Then I drove away. Okay, then you pull that again. Yeah, man. You're following me around. I'm trying to understand why. That's not illegal, though. I'm trying to understand why you're filming. I'm filming you. I understand that I'm filming you as well. All right. Why Why are you It's not illegal. That's not a reason to pull me over it. Well, okay, then I'll go with your obstructed view right there. The stickers on your back window. I'm not trying to give you a hard time, but I'm trying to understand why you're following me through neighborhoods. I'm not. I was sitting there seen you. I've decided to film you. Okay. Why is that? Cuz that's what I do for a living. That's what you do for a living. Correct. Does that pay well? Pays good enough. Yeah. What's your first name, man? I'm not going to answer any questions. Well, you're operating a motor vehicle on New York State Highway. You have to identify yourself. No. And if I'm I'm suspected of a crime and riding a motor vehicle, you got an obstructed view right there, my friend. That's an obstruction. You talk about these dice my grandma made me. Unfortunately, that's a violation of the vehicle and traffic law. If you're trying to push it that way, that's the reality of it. So, just trying to get your identification. Seeing as you're now being pulled over by the police for a legal stop, you have to identify yourself. That is the law. If if I'm arrested for not identifying, I'll give you my license. No problem. You have to identify yourself. That is the law. If I don't give you my license, you'll arrest me. If you choose not to identify yourself, then that's going to make things a lot harder for you. I'm asking you. If I don't identify myself, am I going to get arrested? You can. I can or I'm going to cuz there's a difference. Well, it depends, right? I'm trying I'm trying to give you every opportunity here. Every opportunity to what? To cooperate and give me I told you why I'm filming you cuz I was filming you and it's not illegal cuz it's not illegal. It is suspicious. It's 1:00 in the morning. It's midnight. Whatever time it's actually 2:00 in the No, it's 12 12 midnight. 12 midnight, man. You can't be following people around like this. Anyone I can follow a police officer around and film him. Correct. Sure. But if a police officer is driving through a neighborhood and you pull up and sit behind them on the side of the road, then they drive into another neighborhood and you come up and you sit behind them again, that is suspicious and that's an officer safety concern. Suspicious is going to argue with you. You need to identify yourself. If I'm, like I said, if I'm going to get arrested for not identifying myself, I will produce you my license. But if I'm not, I do not wish to I do not wish to wave my fourth amendment rights. So, I'll make it real simple. I have a license. It's right here. I do not consent to any lawful searches seizures. It's right here. If you have the right to take it, go ahead. It's right there. You are obligated to identify yourself. It's right there. I'm not I'm not refusing it. You can hand me your license. Be an adult, please. And hand me your license. So, if I don't give it to you, I'm going to be arrested. Hand me your license. You are obligated by law to identify yourself. And what happens if I don't? Joe, don't don't go this way. Joe? Yes. Why are you calling me Joe? Because your name is Joe. Is it? Your Bluetooth connection says Joe. Your name is Joe. And I'm gonna guess that's Joe calling me. Correct. That's Joe calling me. Hand me your license, please. It's right here. I'm not refusing to give it to you. Hand me your license, please. I do not wish to give my Fourth Amendment right. Touch your wallet. I'm asking you to hand me your license. You have to identify yourself. You're driving a motor vehicle. It's as simple as this. I don't wish away my Fourth Amendment rights and I'm not giving you my license. But your Fourth Amendment rights. You're operating a vehicle in New York State. You're obligated to hand your license. If I am suspected of a traffic violation, you are obstructed view right there. Your stickers on the back. Sticker on the back. that those are all violations of vehicle and traffic law behind my seat. Those are all I'm just telling you the facts, man. I'm not trying to argue with you. I'm just telling you the facts. Those are the facts. You're being It's right here. It's right here. Take it if you can, but I'm not giving it up on my own. Is your license valid? Of course it is. Okay. This doesn't have to be as hard as you're making it. This is a very simple procedure here. You're being pulled over. There's a couple virus. Is there a reason you got to shine this light in my eyes? Yes. Because you're shining your phone right in my face. I'm shining a phone in your face. Correct. Is it bright? And I'm doing it for my officer safety so I can see inside officer safety to blind my camera and and argue with you. It's not worth my time. It's really not worth your time. Okay. But I am trying to understand why you're sitting behind police cars on the side of the road. It is an officer cuz I'm filming you. I told you. How would you feel if someone was doing that to you? If someone was sitting behind you the side of the road looking if I was a public servant. It's a constitutionally protected activity to do so. Okay. All right. Hang tight for a second, please. This is uh Daniel Warmis. [Applause] What's that? He's one of those auditors that they were warning us about. Ah, this guy's got a camera in my face auditing my whole stop. I went through Stone Ridge over there. That car was actually parked in a driveway. I'm swinging back out and he comes up behind me. So, I pull over for him to pass and then he sits behind me. Just sits behind me as I'm sitting on the side of the road. Like, what is this dude doing? So then I drive out, make a right on Shaunie, and I go to pull over at the end of this street. He again pulls over and sits behind me. So then I flip around. You can see he's got an obstructed view and all that. And I'm like, well, so he pulls in here. So obviously that's why I stopped him. He's he's trying to make it an an issue. He's trying to goat me into an argument. Let me saying he doesn't he doesn't uh consent to a fourth amendment. I'm like this is the vehicle and traffic law. Man, these are your these are your issues. [Applause] [Applause] All right, Daniel, I'm just going to explain this to you very quickly. Okay. Over in Stone Ridge, obviously we're checking neighborhoods, trying to make sure everyone's safe, everyone everyone's home is safe, nothing bad's going on. When you come up behind me like that, I pull over and then you sit behind me. Listen, I don't mind contacting, but if you don't, you want to act like a jerk and start telling about stickers. I'm just telling you, matter of fact, that's against the law. Matter of fact, anything hanging from your mirror like that, that obstruction of view, that's against the law. I'm not mad about it. I'm not writing you a ticket about it. These things, I get it. They're nice. My dad made these. They're beautiful, dude. I get it. And and I'm all for it. But I'm telling you that that's why you're being pulled over. It's a violation against the law. Okay? I'm not mad at you for having them. Reason you pull me over, though. I'm tell I'm going to tell you the whole This is what I was trying to tell you before you interrupted me. So, let me finish so I can explain it to you. Okay? It's very simple. All right? So, when I'm checking the neighborhoods, you pull up behind me and you sit behind me on midnight. At midnight, right? And then I leave. Then I go down Shauny Road. I again pull over. You again sit behind me. Okay? Do my U-turn. I see you. I see your car. I see your issues with your car, your violations. It is what it is. Then you pull into another neighborhood. My concern is this. People pay a lot of money to live in this nice area of Wheatfield. Want to make sure their houses are safe. Everything is good. So, if you're going through neighborhoods, but then you won't pass the police or you won't see me or you won't get near me, but you can sit behind me. Right. That's kind of suspicious. So, that's what alerted me to your car. You have violations in whether you like it or not. Those are beautiful dice. I'm very sorry about your grandma. That's that's great that you have those there to, you know, sentimental value for her, but it is a violation of the vehicle and traffic law. I'm not going to write you a ticket for it because I don't think I need to, but I'm explaining to you why you're legally lawfully pulled over and why you legally and lawfully have to identify being pulled over like this. Okay? So, it is what it is. Then why wouldn't you commit to saying, "Yeah, if you don't give me your ID, you can be arrested." because I was trying to deescalate with you and not get into an argument with you because I don't listen I I obviously you know who I am now because you ran that and I'm sure there's a bolo out about who I am and what I do. You follow by my YouTube channel and I invest police and I didn't lie to you. I do follow police and I do do film police. And let me tell you like between me and you, I don't hate police. All right, for you to tell me you got to shine your flashlight in my phone because I'm shining in your face. Like there's no light emitting from my phone except for the reflection coming off your flashlight. Right. The reason that I followed you today is cuz somebody from this neighborhood told me that for some reason a patrol comes through there on the same night every night around the same time and sometimes they drive through the neighborhood without even lights on. That to me is suspicious. Right. You came through there, you patrolled. It looked like you patrolled looked perfectly fine to me. When I hear that a police is rolling around a neighborhood with no lights on, doesn't that sound suspicious? So So let me ask you a question. Why is it I mean I appreciate what you're doing looking out for your friend right in the neighborhood, but police officers are always going through these neighborhoods because I don't know if you know this or not, but there is a lot of car breakins in the town of Wheatfield. A lot of I respect and I I appreciate that. Maybe. But I'm telling you, I would never have been waiting. I would never have waited to see what the cop's doing if I didn't hear and have video proof foot video proof evidence of a cop rolling through the neighborhood with the lights off. Why would a cop roll through the neighborhood with lights? Maybe there's a suspicious person in the neighborhood. They're trying to sneak up on him. You're patrolling and trying to show presence. Maybe someone stealing a car with the lights on. I mean, that's why I'm I'm concerned. Daniel, but it doesn't always because if someone is in that neighborhood stealing from cars, going through people's cars, and you come in with your headlights, what do you think that person's going to do? They're going to duck behind the car. They're going to duck in between the houses. So, do you want to catch the bad guy or I can appreciate that. I appreciate No worries. And I'm I'm explaining it to you, right? That's why we're checking neighborhoods. We check neighborhoods every single night. So, tell your buddy that lives in that neighborhood that he'll probably see a lot of sheriff's cars in the neighborhood and they'll be checking the neighborhood because we're trying to make sure everybody's safe. That's a very nice neighborhood. This is a very nice neighborhood. We don't want anybody to be a subject to crime if we can prevent it. That's our job. That's what we do. Especially on midnight shift. So, when you come out behind me, like I just explained to you, and then I pull over to get out of your way and then you stop behind me and just sit there, that to me is a red flag. That's suspicious to me, right? Let me ask you this. If I had no dice in my windshield or no stickers on my back window, you wouldn't have been able to pull me over. Actually, by law, I still could because to to me, your activity right now is suspicious at this time of night. Suspicious of what? I just explained it to you, right? You're in a neighborhood. You're stop. Can I finish? You're in a neighborhood. You're You won't let you won't pass me, right? That that is a a type of um suspicious activity because if you were just leaving the neighborhood, wouldn't you have just gone around me and left? Or why are you then pulling into the next neighborhood over? How do I know that you're not going through cars? And I'm not saying that you are, but how do I know? So, it is my job and my duty as a police officer to check and make sure that the neighborhoods are safe, the community is safe. Okay. So, I appreciate what you're trying to do for your friend, but also I hope you appreciate what I'm trying to do for your friend also and everyone that lives in that neighborhood and all of the neighborhoods. That's all it is. It's very simple. I told my friend he's crazy. They're just patrolling. But when he tells me and shows me a video of a cop rolling through with no lights on, sitting in front of the houses there, it makes me suspicious. And you can understand that, right? Yeah. Well, maybe they're working on an investigation. Maybe your friend's neighborhood or neighbor is doing criminal activity and they're trying to survey it. You don't know. It's possible. But I can tell you what I'm doing is I'm checking the neighborhood, making sure that everyone in that neighborhood is not getting their cars broken into. Next, I'm going to go up to Trails End. I'm going to check that neighborhood because they get a lot of car larsenies up there, too. So, you don't have to follow me. Please feel free not to. But that's my plan for the night. And that's what we do when we aren't working on calls. Is it normal to be on the same night every week? This is like your patrol every Thursday. I work I work Monday through Friday and I check that neighborhood almost every night. and I check this neighborhood and I check the other ones. So, you let your friend know that it's really not a big deal. Listen, I was just happen to be sitting there on that time because over the last month and a half at that time, every day on Thursday, there's a patrol rolling through there and sometimes with the lights off. Sounds suspicious. I don't know. Well, and you know what? And you know what's as much as much as I appreciate police and I do, there's enough police out there that aren't the most upright police officers that you know what, it's worth checking out sometimes. And you ought to appreciate what I do because you know sometimes say an officer on your line of duty does something dirty and you say something, you might end up on death duty cuz you cross the blue line and there is this blue line gang activity that happens. All right? So if I investigate and I find no wrongdoing, it's all good. But if I find something that you can't report on, but I can because I I can't be put on death duty. I can't be You know what I'm saying? And you you laugh about it, but it's the facts. It's the facts in life that not all police are upright and unjust. And you know what? The ones that aren't shouldn't have a job, right? We all know that. But how can you can you just come across the line and and and blow them in? Is it that easy? Or are you all a sudden a target of them? You know what I mean? Like and I'm not going to ask you to say that cuz you're on camera. I'm I'm just going to tell you, look, I'm out here for that reason. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I hope you can now see this the situation here because you know what? I noticed this truck actually when I went around that neighborhood and I saw your friend's garage door was open and I made a note of that because if some break-in happens, they left their garage door open, right? I could have actually gone up and knocked on his door and told him to close his garage. Maybe I'll do that next time, but maybe that'll freak him out even more. I don't know. But, you know, half the time we stop and we close people's garages for them to make sure that stuff doesn't get stolen. Is that bad behavior? Because we do that a lot, too. So, I don't know. But here's your license, dude. You're all set. I'm not writing any tickets. You have a good night. Okay. Can I get your name? Officer. Officer. and you'll get back in your car. Yo, can I ask you a question? I got a question for you. Traffic stops over. You have to get back in your car. Traffic stop's over. You have to get back in your car. Can you come back to my car? I got a question for you. Get back in your car, please. Can you please come back to my car? Back in your car. I'm not going to tell you again. What? Why? The traffic stop's over. Daniel, please get back. Will you come back to the car and ask so I can ask you a question? Will you come back here so I can ask you a question? Please. This is not This is not a debate. Please sit back and talk. Will you come to the car so I can ask you a question? Will you please come back to the car so I can ask you a question? I'm getting back in the car. Will you please come talk to me? Based on this interaction, auditing Erie County was able to find the identity of the deputy, Matthew Graange. Based on the way Deputy Grange blinds Dan's cameras with bright lights throughout this entire interaction, it seems that maybe he does have something to hide.