It’s anyone’s guess what the majority opinion on this video is ultimately going to be. My best guess is it’s a wash. The Rand Paul libertarians will likely champion this man as a hero…while others will simply think he’s a tremendous idiot who is lucky he didn’t end up in a world of trouble.

Gavin Seim is a liberty-loving average Joe who one day decided to pull over a Washington state police officer and film it for YouTube. His motivation? The cop’s car was unmarked, and he was staked out with the intention of pulling people over. Seim’s point is well-taken, since unmarked police vehicles can often lead to confusion and possibly some violent mishaps…but I have to admit that even I cringed a little while watching this.

The officer that Gavin pulled over was quite polite and courteous, given the circumstances. I’m not sure I would have behaved the same way if I was a cop who was just told by a random person that he’s letting me off the hook from being “written up.” But at the same time, the conversation that the two men engaged in was unexpectedly enlightening in a few ways, mostly since it was so collegial. Like I said, this one’s probably a wash.

Check out Gavin’s blog post on the encounter, which also contains a link to the uncut footage, and explains in greater detail why he did what he did.