Jan. 17, 2012

Did Palm Beach police have an encounter with a “sovereign citizen” last Tuesday night? Probably, police spokesman Fred Hess says.

“Let’s put it this way,” Hess said. “He kept saying, ‘I know my rights,’ things like that.” He referred to specific articles in the U.S. Constitution. “That’s typical of what a sovereign citizen would say.”

Sovereign citizens, according to the FBI, believe that federal, state and local agencies have no authority over them. Their numbers have been growing over the last decade and police officers, including Hess, have been getting instruction on how to spot them and what to do when they have an encounter.

[link to www.palmbeachdailynews.com]