SN: actually, I don't think the debate is about discretion either. I think everybody recognizes that the cop exercised appropriate discretion as far as issuing the ticket. He could have cited both the driver and the passenger, or neither, and cited only the passenger. Fair call. Maybe not where you would have drawn the line, but no rational court is going to say he abused his discretion on it. The issue as I see it is whether that gives him the right to be abusive in other ways: being generally rude and making threats. I don't think it does. And the fact that he may put up with a lot of crap from other people doesn't excuse it either.
I don't see anyone arguing that his rudeness is a defense to the ticket he did issue: just that its cause for a complaint about his general approach and the making of threats on things that had nothing to do with the traffic stop or the ticket. THAT is what was CS about this encounter, and just cause for a complaint.
