I would hope settlements for power abuses of this type would come out of this PD's pocket. Meaning: abuse power = less $ left for paying officers, obtaining gear, etc. So that in future, PDs would be more hesitant to stomp on things they don't like simply because they can.

But who am I kidding.. probably taxpayers on the hook as usual (same with court costs).

Btw: too bad victim deleted his post. No deletion (or even apology) needed.