Stolen Vehicle Recovered from a Bengals Home(wanna guess which one?)

[Chip R]

I guess I don't understand why this is a big deal. A beat cop notices a car that is out of place in the driveway of a citizen who's had plenty of interactions with the police. It's reasonable to assume the officer actually had an idea of which cars were "regulars" and which wern't. There's no issue with running the plates as they are issued by the state and are available for the entire world to see (not saying this is an exact legal explination, but rather just my opinion).

As is often the case there's likely more to this case that what has been reported. But I take no issue with the police based on the details presented thus far.

Yep. No one's been arrested or indicted or gone to jail over this so let the investigation go on and see what happens.

[Ltlabner]

I'll say this much, I'd love to find the rental car counter that let's you zoom off with one of their cars with no form of payment and no identification.

[MaineRed]

If they didn't do anything wrong, the cops I mean, fine. I was just asking. If a car was in a garage they couldn't go peek in the windows for no reason to see if they recognized it and then run the plates if they didn't. I would think a driveway would be same thing, the car was on Henry's property and even though he has past crimes none of them really warrant running plates of cars the cop doesn't recognize. But that perhaps was a false assumption on my part.

But again, if the cop had it within his rights, I have no real problem with it.

I would just say that from afar the cop seems to be looking to score Chris Henry, not score average joe criminal.

[Chip R]

I would just say that from afar the cop seems to be looking to score Chris Henry, not score average joe criminal.

They're pretty much one and the same, aren't they?

[Ltlabner]

If a car was in a garage they couldn't go peek in the windows for no reason to see if they recognized it and then run the plates if they didn't. I would think a driveway would be same thing, the car was on Henry's property and even though he has past crimes none of them really warrant running plates of cars the cop doesn't recognize.

I'm no lawyer, however, I would *think* there's a difference between a car in the garage and one on the drive way. The one on the drive way is in plain sight while the one in the garage requires some extraordinary effort to discover.

It would be akin to saying a bag of weed in a shoe box in the back of the closet reqires a warrent while an officer observing a bag of weed on the driveway durring a normal drive-by can be acted upon right away. You have to go out of your way to find the weed in the closet. The driveway hooka can be seen by all. Because it is on private property does not mean an officer can't act if a crime is being committed right out in the open.

Again, this is my esteemed legal judgement based on years of watching Law & Order, Law & Order Criminal Intent and Colombo re-runs.

[MaineRed]

They're pretty much one and the same, aren't they?

Nope.

Average Joe doesn't have his dirty laundry aired on Sportscenter.

[TeamSelig]

I love it when criminals and/or those who support them get mad at the police for "catching" them.

There is nothing wrong with what the officer did. If he has yet to be arrested, then I would say it all worked out. Still though, nothing illegal or immoral with what he did.

[cincinnati chili]

Is it legal for cops to drive to someone's house for no reason and start running plates?

He had no business being there and he had no reason to run the plates. No one reported a crime, he wasn't on the lookout for the car. What was he doing?

I'm not one who believes people should get off when cops do something wrong, a crime was either commited or it wasn't. But the "I didn't recognize the car" reasoning doesn't make any sense. Is it really the job of law enforcement to keep tabs on the cars parked in the drveways of NFL players who smoke pot?

Sounds like Henry has become a prize grab for the police in Florence. I just wonder what is being overlooked in Florence while the cops keep an eye on Henry and make sure he isn't providing more wine coolers to minors.

It's perfectly constitutional to do this. If police are in a place where they're legally entitled to be, they can (and do) do this. There's plenty of 4th amendment jurisprudence to back this up.

Moral of story: if the cops don't like you, and you steal a car, keep the car out of plain sight

[GoReds33]

It's perfectly constitutional to do this. If police are in a place where they're legally entitled to be, they can (and do) do this. There's plenty of 4th amendment jurisprudence to back this up.

Moral of story: if the cops don't like you, and you steal a car, keep the car out of plain sight

Real moral: If you are a Cincinnati Bengal don't steal a car.

[MaineRed]

I love it when people make tons of wrong assumptions and start convicting folks who have yet to be arrested.

Police spokesman Tom Scheben said that it appeared that a miscommunication between Henry, Hertz and the insurance company is to blame for the incident

Moral of the story, Henry did nothing wrong.

[mth123]

I guess I don't understand why this is a big deal. A beat cop notices a car that is out of place in the driveway of a citizen who's had plenty of interactions with the police. It's reasonable to assume the officer actually had an idea of which cars were "regulars" and which wern't. There's no issue with running the plates as they are issued by the state and are available for the entire world to see (not saying this is an exact legal explination, but rather just my opinion).

As is often the case there's likely more to this case that what has been reported. But I take no issue with the police based on the details presented thus far.

Agree completely.

Henry seems to be a thug and its the job of the police to keep track of known or suspected thugs.

[MaineRed]

Yeah, I have no problem with it if the cop was within his rights. I just wasn't sure so I asked.

I'm just not sure that Henry has been involved in crimes that warrant the cops knowing whether a car is out of place or not in his driveway. I don't see that as being "reasonable". If Henry had been busted for past grand theft autos or something to that affect, maybe. But DWI? A pot charge? Buying some beer for minors? He is practically a minor himself. Lots of people his age do the same things. The fact that he is a Bengal makes it a bigger deal. A pro football player shouldn't be buying alcohol for kids. But you know how many 23 year olds I knew when I was younger who bought my friends and I beer? Its not an uncommon thing. And as bad as driving drunk is, its not uncommon either. People in all walks of life get busted for that. I know of cops who have been busted for multiple DWIs, I bet I live in a smaller town than the one Chris Henry lives in and I can promise you the other cops don't know a car that is out of place in this fellows driveway. If someone rolled in in a van with tinted windows with out of state plates I bet the cops wouldn't run the plates.

Of course Henry also has a gun charge. I still don't see that has being enough to run the plates of cars in his driveway. I'm not saying the cop doesn't have it within his right. I just question how much the cops are checking on the other folks in town, the regular people who have similar rap sheets. I'd just never heard of cops using such practices but I accept the fact that it is legal.

No doubt Henry is a thug.

[Ltlabner]

I love it when people make tons of wrong assumptions and start convicting folks who have yet to be arrested. Moral of the story, Henry did nothing wrong.

Yea, how dare people make a logical conclusion about a known thug. What a bunch of dorks they are. Especially when most of them had a caveat of "if this is right" or "there is more to this story".

That's a hell of a "miscommunication". Everytime I rent a car it's about 15 minutes of Q&A and providing documents to prove identity, ablity to pay, insurance, etc.

Somehow he drove off with a car and the rental company had no idea who was paying for it, and who really had it.

Isn't it odd how those with a track reccord of crime and run ins with the law work themselves into "misscommunications", "missunderstandings" and "mistaken identities".

[SunDeck]

Leave Chris Alone!

[Chip R]

I love it when people make tons of wrong assumptions and start convicting folks who have yet to be arrested.



Moral of the story, Henry did nothing wrong.

Nobody was convicted or even arrested. If this had happened to Carson Palmer or Chad Johnson, people would give them the benefit of the doubt since they have never been in trouble. Chris Henry doesn't get that benefit of the doubt and he has no one to blame but himself.