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Chris was wondering why they gave him this specific footage, since they didn't need to. The answer is: They're proud of it. They also edited this footage into a clip reel to be shared with local press. This is what they think makes helicopter use look *good*. www.facebook.com/watch/?v=276...

facebook.comMassachusetts State Police On May 19, 2026, the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing assisted cruisers in Brockton on a saturation patrol. During the surveillance, Air 4 was able to locate and contribute to the seizure of three dirtbikes, two of which failed to stop for cruisers attempting to conduct a traffic stop. The operators face numerous charges including unlicensed operation, failure to stop for police, negligent operation, and marked lanes violation. | WFPN Radio ConnecticutMassachusetts State Police On May 19, 2026, the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing assisted cruisers in Brockton on a saturation patrol. During the surveillance, Air 4 was able to locate and...

Chris Dwan (he/him)@somershade.bsky.social

That first Brockton file? It's copaganda, plain and simple. Titled: "May 19, 2026: Air 4 assists in Brockton Patrol." TL;DR: There was a young brown man joyriding on some kind of e-bike, and they brought in a state fucking helicopter to track him down. 4/?

Christopher Schmidt

@crschmidt.net

So they spent thousands of dollars on air wing time; involved at least a half dozen different cruisers; drove recklessly on the streets from at least Milton to Brockton for 1hr+, in order to tackle and arrest one guy on a moped, who they initially saw... riding a moped through a park with a friend.

11/10/26, 2:40 pm1 repost6 likes

Christopher Schmidt

@crschmidt.net

Ah, the clip I found is a reposted screenshot from the MSP Facebook page, the original is here: www.facebook.com/reel/9537747... This whole enforcement activity is just wild, conflating chasing after some people with genuinely dangerous behavior with... a guy riding a bike through a stop sign.

facebook.comfacebook.com

Chris Dwan (he/him)

@somershade.bsky.social

I mean, racist cops chasing noisy black people out of mostly white neighborhoods isn’t -new- per se … but the use of the state helicopter to do it? Wow.

Christopher Schmidt

@crschmidt.net

The "Failure to stop" e-biker seems to have (from what we see) run the stop sign from the dead end on Wilson Street through Menlo Street, and been stopped by two cruisers 60 seconds later at Hillburg. One block, in a majority-Black neighborhood. For failing to stop at a stop sign.

Christopher Schmidt

@crschmidt.net

And from the footage, we don't see him do anything dangerous: he's riding at about 20mph, slows (but does not stop) for a stop sign at an intersection with a crossing two lane road, then proceeds through. Maybe there's more to it, but *the behavior* of this bike rider is something I'd do every day.

Christopher Schmidt

@crschmidt.net

Literally, the reason they glommed onto one guy is because he rolled through a stop sign, at a 4-way stop *with no cars, pedestrians, or other vehicles present*. That's the reason they started following him: for doing something that many bikers would safely do routinely. (He even slowed to check!)