Ex-Constable Brisco, a former football player from Bullhead City, Arizona, shared an incident from his early 20s, living in Anaheim, California, posted on Facebook about his experiences with police that affected his life.
From being held at gunpoint and slammed onto a scorching police car hood to being wrongfully arrested, Brisco’s experiences are a mix of frustration, compliance, and resilience.
Instead of letting these moments define him with anger, he turned them into lessons that guided his work as a constable and his role as a father.
One Ordinary day, Brisco was driving to Work in Anaheim after stopping at a Bank to Grab Some Cash
He hopped back into his one-of-a-kind white pickup truck, lowered it, decked it out with glowing black lights, custom rims, and unique window stickers.
Suddenly, police cars swarmed around him. Officers shouted for him to roll down his window, stick his hands out, get out of the truck with his hands up, and walk toward their voices.
He followed every command, but the police slammed him onto the hood of a squad car. The hood was so hot it burned his chest.
When he shifted to ease the pain, they forced him back down, ignoring his pleas about the heat. With guns pointed at him, Brisco froze, afraid to make a wrong move.
The officers searched his truck and grilled him about where he was going, where he’d been, and what he was doing.
They claimed his truck matched the description of a vehicle involved in a drive-by shooting. Brisco knew that his truck’s distinctive look was unlikely to set it apart.
After a tense interrogation, they let him go, realizing he wasn’t their suspect. But the ordeal didn’t end there.
He got a ticket for his tinted windows, and as he backed up to leave, another officer pulled him over and cited him for blue reverse lights.
Frustrated but relieved to be free, Brisco drove off, chalking it up to a bad day.
Another time, Brisco was at a bar in Anaheim watching Monday Night Football, staying completely sober because he had to work later.
After the game, he got in his truck and headed to his job. A police officer pulled him over and asked if he’d been drinking.
Brisco calmly said no, but the officer wouldn’t let it go, asking the same question over ten times and searching his truck.
Each time, Brisco answered. Finally, fed up, he lost his cool and snapped. That outburst got him arrested.
The officer found workout supplements in his shirt pocket and assumed they were drugs.
Brisco was hauled to jail, where he passed two breathalyzer tests, and the pills tested negative for drugs. Still, they held him for over five hours.
In a humiliating twist, Brisco used his one phone call to reach his workplace, where he worked with his mother.
When she picked up, she yelled at him to get to work, not knowing he was in jail. He explained the situation, and a nearby officer laughed at the exchange.
After his release, Brisco waited for his mom to pick him up. The next day, he had to pay to get his truck out of the tow yard.
The whole experience was a financial and emotional hassle, but Brisco stayed level-headed.
Brisco’s Post Led to Mike McGonnell Expressing Frustration Over Police Assumptions About His Drinking
Brisco replied with another story about the same officer who arrested him. Years later, after buying a couple of cases of beer, Brisco jokingly told his friend he’d probably get pulled over.
Sure enough, that same officer stopped him and asked if he’d been drinking. Brisco laughed and said,
“You’re the same cop who thought I was drunk before. I’ll be drunk later, though. You got to catch me.”
Via Facebook
The officer warned him not to drive, and later that night, showed up at a loud party Brisco was at, issuing another warning. Brisco just laughed it off.
In another reply, Brisco shared a story from his time as a constable in Bullhead City. One night, he pulled out of a gas station and forgot to turn on his headlights.
As he crossed a street and realized it was dark, he flipped them on, but police lights flashed behind him.
Five Bullhead City officers pulled him over, ran his information, and let him go without a ticket after recognizing him as a constable.
In yet another incident in Needles, California, Brisco got stopped for a rolling stop at a stop sign. Aware of recent tensions involving police shootings, he joked to the officer,
“You pulled me over because I’m white and you know I wouldn’t run.”
Via Facebook
The officer, caught off guard, told him to drive safely and let him go.
Despite these repeated run-ins, Brisco insists he doesn’t hold a grudge against the police. “I don’t go around saying ‘F the cops’ or ‘F the law,’” he wrote.
During every stop, he complied, rolling down his windows and keeping his hands on the steering wheel to avoid trouble.
He believes these experiences made him who he is today.
As a constable, he treated people with fairness, listened to their stories, and didn’t assume they were guilty. “I didn’t come at people like a di*k,” he said, reflecting on how his encounters shaped his approach to law enforcement.
Brisco’s ability to laugh off these moments shines through in his exchanges with McGonnell, who mentioned that his sheriff’s department license plate probably saved him from similar hassles.
Brisco agreed, noting that while these stops were annoying, getting angry only made things worse.
His humor is evident in how he shares these stories, turning frustrating moments into tales he tells his kids and friends without bitterness. “I’m alive, and it’s stories I tell people,” he wrote.
Back in Bullhead City, Brisco was a Standout Football Player, Known for Catching Passes and Shining on the Field
Moving to Anaheim brought new challenges, including navigating a city with a strong police presence.
The Anaheim Police Department, with over 400 officers serving a population of about 350,000 across 50 square miles, is known for its focus on traffic enforcement and crime prevention, according to their 2024 annual report.
Brisco’s distinctive truck may have drawn extra attention, especially in a city where profiling has been a topic of debate.
A 2023 Orange County Register article highlighted community calls for police reform in Anaheim to address issues like mistaken identity, which Brisco experienced firsthand.
Brisco’s journey from football fields to facing guns in Anaheim shows his strength and perspective.
He didn’t let these encounters fuel hatred or defiance. Instead, he used them to grow, approaching his role as a constable with empathy and passing on lessons in resilience to his children.
His Facebook post, full of honesty and humor, connects with others like McGonnell, who see their own stories in his.
Ex-Constable Brisco’s story in Anaheim shows the value of staying calm and finding humor amid challenges in football.
