By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The streets are not a courtroom. Photos and a partial video from a traffic stop by the Barton County Sheriff's Office went viral on social media Monday. Given the amount of attention the video received, Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir released the full video of the incident just after noon Tuesday. He said the departure from normal policy is sometimes necessary.
"I do not release body cam footage on a regular basis," he said. We don't do that because it's time consuming to get it downloaded. You have to be careful what you put out. There are legal restrictions on what body cam footage we can put out. In this particular case, there was so much misinformation and disinformation."
Just after 2 a.m. Monday morning, a driver later identified as 18-year-old Daniel Zuniga of Hoisington was pulled over by a sheriff's office deputy for a traffic infraction at the intersection of 10th and Main Street in Great Bend. A brief struggle ensued after Zuniga refused to show the deputy his his driver's license. The deputy deployed an electronic control device when Zuniga tried to flee the scene. Bellendir reminded the public that, even if they disagree with law enforcement, they are still required to obey lawful commands.
"If you do not agree, if you think there's something wrong with that traffic stop, if you believe the officer's mistaken, or you believe it was an unconstitutional stop, there are remedies for that: it's the judicial system," he said.
Bellendir said the decision to release the video was further made because administrative staff at the sheriff's office had reviewed the tape and concluded any investigations regarding the deputy's behavior. Bellendir said the deputy acted in accordance with state statute and departmental policy.
"The majority of the time, these videos and footage exonerate officers that are being accused of something," said Bellendir. "It's been an excellent tool for law enforcement."