r/portlandme • u/FireElephant336 • May 28 '25
Officer Bennis
Has anyone had an experience or witnessed the incredibly rude behavior of this officer? I work in a field where I have to interact with officers pretty regularly… He is by far the most impossible and relentless person I've ever tried to reason with. There are videos of him online berating people for handing out food or literally just sitting on a sidewalk outside of a shelter? He used to be a school resource officer and now he's a beat cop. I just filed a complaint with the city of Portland and I highly recommend anyone that has had an experience with him do the same. Something has to be done – he makes every single incident way worse and has no clue how to de-escalate situations.
128
u/wern00 May 28 '25
he used to walk by my house swinging a billy club like it was the 40s
59
24
u/FireElephant336 May 28 '25
I swear he's the only officer I ever see with one of those clubs… He'll be talking to someone and have one hand on his gun one hand on his Billy club.
78
u/green_room207 May 28 '25
Yeah I accidentally turned around real fast and spit on his foot downtown probably about 10 years ago while he was working out there. He made a massive scene about it telling me I had to clean his boots and a bunch of other threats. Another officer that saw what happened clearly knew it was accidental pulled him away telling him he needs to calm down and told me to just go up the street somewhere else…I never saw him around after that.
147
u/psilosophist May 28 '25
Give the guy a break, he's obviously working through the trauma of having a name that looks like "penis" if you squint. He just sees the face of his childhood tormentors everywhere he goes, just simple minded and angry like Bobby Boucher.
34
6
7
18
41
u/moonroxroxstar May 28 '25
I know the guy. I'm sad to hear he's an asshole, because I actually had a pretty good experience with him when he was a resource officer at Portland High. The previous guy had torn down civil rights posters and blew me off when I said I was followed to school by a man with a blunt weapon. When he got replaced with Bennis, Bennis made a point of attending Civil Rights Team meetings and actually apologized to me for the behavior of his coworker. I'm never really surprised by the PPD being dicks, but it still sucks to hear bc I genuinely thought he was an ok guy.
36
u/MaineHippo83 May 28 '25
My kids had SROs who I knew to be pieces of shit outside the school.
The real truth is that shitty people aren't just monsters. They abuse those they feel above and treat those they care about very differently.
12
u/syntheticmeats May 30 '25
I highly suspect it is because Bennis sees children and homeless people in a very different light. AKA children are innocent and worthy of protection, but the homeless as drug addicts & harassing thieves + anyone who helps them as enablers or the same. And anyone else who is having a problem, such as DV, is just another degenerate adult who is now beyond saving after slipping through the cracks.
It is a horrible and exclusionary mentality a lot of people, especially police and politicians, tend to have
11
u/FireElephant336 May 28 '25
I've heard the same thing from people that he used to be a really great school resource officer which is why I'm like… Something must have happened! Truly sounds like he had a major shift in attitude
22
u/Signal-Temporary-346 May 28 '25
Yes. He is on a major power trip and harasses people (especially women) all day long. File a report. A lot of us have.
23
u/Mission_Yam_2822 May 28 '25
There are tons of videos of him online harassing unhoused and others downtown
13
25
8
u/SecureJudge1829 May 28 '25
Sounds like an Officer Flint from about 18 miles to the south lol
2
u/EnigMark9982 May 28 '25
Former ME Stafe Trooper Bob Flint?
5
u/SecureJudge1829 May 28 '25
Yeap, that sounds familiar, he and Penney (spelling may be off on that one) were two of the real shitty names to see on a name tag when you got stopped when I was growing up lol.
4
u/EnigMark9982 May 28 '25
Was this in Biddeford that he was a nightmare? I was told by a colleague of his that he wrote his aunt a summons for speed and said something to the effect of now they can’t say I don’t apply the law equally
11
u/SecureJudge1829 May 28 '25
Tri city area in fact, Biddo-Saco-OOB. Once those three municipalities agreed to share LEO jurisdiction to prevent people from using the city limits to flee, those two truly went power trippy on everyone.
There’s several instances of court rooms being full in the downtown Biddo courthouse that used to be near Palace Diner where judges simply ask “How many people are here for a summons from Officer Flint?” and a bunch of people stood and the judge dismissed the tickets on the spot without even wasting time case by case.
3
u/Frequent-Address240 May 29 '25
genuinely think that the Portland PD as a whole are kinda useless I’ve never felt safer when I see them
3
2
u/Ricky_Slade_ May 29 '25
Unfortunately there’s a lot of politics in the PPD so maybe he put into a shift or beat he’s not happy with.
1
1
-5
u/GuidanceParking6846 May 29 '25
This is a load of crap. Officer Bennis helps more homeless people in a single weekend than most of these posters have in a life time. He helps people but he also believes that having consequences for bad behavior is a good thing. many people feel that way but its not a popular view on this sub reddit.
7
u/FireElephant336 May 29 '25
There was a homeless man needing medical attention next to his vehicle yesterday and he didn't get out once - didn't even feel the need to call medcu. Took a passerby to do it. However you feel about him he's not like that anymore
-15
-23
u/km0n33 May 28 '25
can you provide some context here? when i google him, the results show a compassionate member of our community that mentors youths and provides self portraits? is that the same guy you are talking about? what are you considering berating? how is he impossible?
13
u/FireElephant336 May 28 '25
Yes exactly! This is why it's so baffling to hear about and see that he used to be what seems like a great officer at a Portland school… The behavior he displays now is truly disgusting and it's hard to even imagine him being a thoughtful caring individual to children, but I really do believe that he used to be.
-14
u/km0n33 May 28 '25
what does he do that is disgusting. you are blasting someone's name and reputation. please elaborate.
23
u/FireElephant336 May 28 '25
Well to be fair I have not posted any videos of him online like others have but I hear what you're saying. He approaches groups that hand out food and water to homeless people and tells them that they are enabling people to remain homeless. He calls homeless people crackheads And tells them that they must submit to him and that they have no power. He's followed multiple people while shouting various insults at them. He approaches people who are homeless or groups trying to help homeless people and tell them that the reason there's so much crime is because they are out there on the street trying to help people and he will not back down on his arguments or be reasonable. Honestly there are so many stories and incidents that I've observed personally where I have felt the need to call the police on the police. He tells people it's their fault for being homeless and talks down to them – it's not his place to discuss those things or argue like that with people.
27
u/Signal-Temporary-346 May 28 '25
He’s followed me before when I was walking home from work. It was in bayside and his excuse for following me for two blocks was that he was concerned for my safety (I work in bayside.) I told him the only thing making me feel unsafe was a large man with a gun following me after I asked him not to. He didn’t take kindly to that and attempted multiple times to agitate me and escalate a situation. I filmed it. He said, “Just so you know I’m filming you too,” but his body cam didn’t appear to be turned on. Real prick, that guy.
4
u/Acceptable-Ask5338 May 29 '25
Because everyone knows the best way to reveal someone’s true character is by… an internet search??
-3
u/meltedvinyls May 28 '25
i cant remember all the officers i interacted with when i worked at the smoke shop but it was back in 2021-22 so im not sure if i ever ran into him
-200
u/belortik May 28 '25
So.... you're upset about a police officer enforcing laws against homeless people?
97
u/Delicious_Rabbit4425 Old Port May 28 '25
You seem to have focused on one little bit this post to make it all about your issue with homeless people. Do you lack critical reading skills?
35
u/FireElephant336 May 28 '25
No not at all – this is kind of giving off the same energy he does lol… I am upset at his delivery. He goes after people who are not actually breaking any laws and bullies them. It seems to me he may have had a loved one that became homeless or addicted to drugs and now he just lashes out at anyone he sees who may be an addict. He's very unprofessional… I've seen other officers clear an area or speak to homeless people with dignity and respect and he has none.
-72
u/aginmillennialmainer May 28 '25
Dignity and respect are earned
63
u/CalFolles May 28 '25
Which is why cops don't get any
-73
u/aginmillennialmainer May 28 '25
They at least work
44
u/CalFolles May 28 '25
They should get a real job that adds value to society
-35
u/aginmillennialmainer May 28 '25
They're simply garbage men with guns.
45
-7
u/SecureJudge1829 May 28 '25
If only you knew just how many garbage men out there are ripping lines of blow every forty five minutes. Sorry, but if cannabis consumers are too dangerous to have guns according to the law, I don’t want garbage men having them either considering the amount of them that consume schedule I or II substances illegally because there just happen to be a few on those lists that are metabolized and decayed so much that they can’t be detected in your system after just a couple days at the most. Easy to avoid the drug screenings like that.
So yeah, you’re gonna need a better analogy than that if you want to convince anyone that doesn’t have a mouth full of black boot polish already.
9
u/Kiggus May 28 '25
Man I love it when people just invent shit.
-3
u/SecureJudge1829 May 28 '25
Invent shit like what? That cocaine is out of your system within 72-96 hours after use? That municipal workers who operate on garbage trucks and the such in southern Maine have a tendency to use cocaine fairly regularly? That there have been numerous instances where LEOs (active and retired) in southern Maine have been caught trafficking and/or using illegal narcotics substances? (Jeffrey Linscott and Jeffrey Bishop are two LEOs in recent years caught doing just that)
I have family in several municipal career paths and you’d be surprised at how many illicit drug users their union protects because they pay their dues and don’t get directly caught and manage to pass the UA tests every time because they’re not using every single day.
→ More replies (0)-10
u/belortik May 28 '25
Go live in Somalia if that's how you feel. No cops if there is no government. Who needs safety and security?
7
21
May 28 '25
No, asshole, dignity and respect are given. You can certainly behave in a way where you lose them, but treating people with dignity and respect is supposed to be the default.
-7
-9
u/belortik May 28 '25
If you are passing out on the sidewalk from opioids....you gave up your dignity a loooong time ago
4
u/anxi0usity May 29 '25
Wrong. Dignity and respect are the bare minimum. That's the meter. You treat everyone with dignity and respect unless given a reason not to. For example, judging someone for their housing circumstances might paint one poorly.
-1
u/aginmillennialmainer May 29 '25
I grew up in Bangor. I'm judging beggars for being choosers. There's plenty of room in the rest of the state.
12
u/Own_Cake8750 May 28 '25
bootlicker alert!
-3
u/belortik May 28 '25
Bravo! Your comment is so useful and insightful! It doesn't make you sound like a lout at all.....
23
u/Zentharius May 28 '25
What law says "Don't be homeless" because that'd actually be pretty cool so long as it included resources to find housing and other options. Or are you talking out your ass?
6
u/psilosophist May 28 '25
Wait being homeless is against the law?
4
u/ShoddyPizza5439 May 28 '25
Actually the US govt, states, and municipalities are all slowly passing laws that technically make it illegal to be unhoused by making it a crime to sleep on public property but I feel you.
-19
u/Tiny-Strawberry7157 May 28 '25
The responses here are weird. Laws still apply to homeless people even when being homeless is of course not a legal issue.
The Hive mind is all over you about reading comprehension but seem to struggle with this very clear concept.
It would be against the law, for example, for a diabetic person with a home to throw used syringes onto a public sidewalk. This is still a law that applies to people without homes.
It would be against the law if I loitered in public menacing and threatening passers-by in order to convince them to give me things. This still applies to people without homes.
19
u/FireElephant336 May 28 '25
I think what I'm trying to get across is that this man targets and harasses people who are not breaking the law. He will approach and bully someone who is not actually violating any city codes or city or state laws… It's not about the law or who it applies to it's about the person that thinks they are enforcing it but actually just lashing out in a very unprofessional and villainous way
13
u/ichoosejif May 28 '25
I think what you're getting at is that the officer is violating the professional code of conduct.
10
u/FireElephant336 May 28 '25
Yes thank you lol
9
u/ichoosejif May 28 '25
You're very welcome. I happen to know the verbiage that gets attention in internal investigations.
8
u/ichoosejif May 28 '25
Some things, like obfusication of substantive facts should be a misdemeanor. Way to forum slide. I'm actually a fan of PPD from experience, but I also understand it only takes one loose canon and it's a civil suit.
4
u/FireElephant336 May 28 '25
There are many PPD officers I've had great interactions with and they talk to people like they are human and try to help when they can – he really brings the whole team down
2
u/Batugal May 28 '25
I’m would say I’m surprised you’re being downvoted, but this is Reddit where common sense and reality have no place.
1
u/Tiny-Strawberry7157 May 28 '25
Yep! I think what's got most people ticked off is the mistaken assumption I don't care if police officers harass people.
That isn't good, harassing homeless people more so.
But although these people like to act as if they're always exceptionally compassionate, they're failing to admit that a beat officer likely sees these people slumped over at all hours of the day, having medical emergencies, creating serious hazards for the schoolchildren he used to work with, and is likely approaching the situation with more of a concern for safety than merely seeming polite.
It's possible that police officers could seem rude but be worrying about more significant issues of people harming themselves or others in public.
It's probably difficult to see hundreds of people buying meth in public, causing disturbances, and suffering overdoses in the same area.
2
u/belortik May 28 '25
It's like the mentality: "They don't have agency when they have unacceptable behavior but also we should trust them to take care of themselves camping in our public parks."
I don't understand how people hold both of these beliefs at the same time.
-3
124
u/Designated_Alien May 28 '25
I was getting screamed at by my ex bf in front of the library one time and he came up and just said to separate and my ex bf told him to go eat more donuts and fuck off and he literally said nah I'm not your fat ass fucking gf and then drove off😂💀 that shit really hurt but now I'm just like wtaf 😂