Since I read the story and posted a comment about it... yeah, I suppose I am part of the baited rabble =)

It would be victim blaming if I thought he were actually a real person, but the latter part was entirely a well-intentioned tip to any person who actually finds himself in a similar situation. At least talk to a lawyer before traipsing into someplace dangerous like the police office.

So you don't think this really happened, but agree that it could plausibly happen, and give advice similar to the OP.. doesn't that make the question wether this actually happened a bit moot?

IMHO it's not stupid to go to the cops with evidence of wrongdoing, at worst it's being naive and trusting... at best it's simply doing the correct thing without delay. How would anyone know otherwise, without such "rabble rousing" anecdotes, or first-hand experience?

What really is stupid are such reactions of police. We shouldn't seek to teach people to mistrust the police, that is just a crappy short-term workaround; we should teach the police to be worthy of trust. Don't ask me how, it's just when I'm roused I get these big ideas :)