Did a deputy with the Platte County Sheriff’s Office assault a Northland father at a Park Hill preschool last week, as the father claims? We watched more than 20 minutes of video footage the man recorded of the encounter. As best we could tell, a physical altercation may have occurred as the sheriff’s deputy attempted to ticket the man for illegally parking in a reserved space — but the video raises its own questions.

Yes, the father’s behavior was profane and obnoxious. He throws F-bombs and many other expletives and personal insults on the video he recorded in a school parking lot. But he wasn’t violent, nor did he pose a threat.

The father accused the deputy of assaulting him. On video, we can’t see the alleged roughhousing. We see one of the three deputies on the scene move decisively toward the father. We hear another deputy speaking calmly and professionally to help calm the situation.

But we have only the video the father recorded. Platte County sheriff’s deputies don’t wear body cameras. If they did, we’d have the other side of the story.

In the video, the deputy approaches the man as he opens his car door, and then demands his driver’s license. The lawman reaches toward the man, the video shows. After that, the picture goes dark, but the camera keeps recording muffled audio, presumably from inside the automobile. The man is heard asking, “You’re going to assault me?” The deputy replies, “No. Let me see your driver’s license.”

Seconds later, the man says, “Sir, you can’t just grab me like that.” The deputy replies: “I sure can. Let me see your driver’s license.” Then the man says: “That’s crazy. You assaulted me over a driver’s license?” The sheriff’s deputy replies: “Yep.”

“I’m glad I got that” on the recording, the man says on the video, adding that he’s going to sue the deputy for assault.

Because the father was not charged with a crime, we won’t identify him for now. He is 38 and lives in Platte County. He plans to seek legal counsel, he told us.

Was the interaction unlawful or excessive? An internal investigation will determine the facts of the case, a spokesperson for the Platte County Sheriff’s Office said. Until that inquiry is complete, we won’t know whether the deputy’s dashboard camera captured audio or video of the altercation at Park Hill’s Gerner Family Early Education Center in Platte County.

What we can say for certain is this: We live in a society well documented by smartphone-wielding civilians. In today’s digital age, all law enforcement agencies should equip their officers with body-worn camera technology. It’s a powerful tool to refute claims of excessive force or other misconduct.

Instead of relying on state grants and American Rescue Act funds, the Platte County Commission must make outfitting deputies with body cameras a funding priority.

Profane man banned from Gerner school grounds

Interactions between peace officers and the public can sometimes go awry. In this instance, if the sheriff deputy’s actions were lawful, body cam footage could give us a clearer picture of what happened.

On Feb. 16, at the precipice of that morning’s winter storm, the father went to the school to get a better understanding of how administrators planned to settle a dispute between his child and another student. During the visit, the man was rude and condescending to administrators and authorities, he admits. He used language that was inappropriate at best — we’d call it highly offensive. As a result, he was banned from Park Hill School District grounds, district officials told us.

But did he, as alleged, deserved to be roughed up and illegally frisked by a sheriff’s deputy? Absolutely not. If proven true, the sheriff’s deputy must face the consequences of his action. No matter how disrespectful a person’s actions may be, a law enforcement officer using unnecessary force is unacceptable behavior. The father says he filed a formal complaint against the deputy the next day.

“I didn’t know assault was the punishment for free speech,” he said. It isn’t.

As the man was being escorted from Gerner, the contentious situation worsened. “I didn’t say the nicest, kindest words,” the man said. He sure didn’t.

Let’s keep in mind, the deputy said he was going to cite this unruly parent for parking in a spot for disabled drivers without a placard. The man was not arrested or suspected of committing a crime. At this stage of the investigation, we can’t say whether the deputy violated his oath, sheriff’s office policy or the law. We have concerns, though.

After watching the video of the incident, we conclude that the father was out of line. But being a jerk to educators and law enforcement officers is not against the law. Not to absolve this parent of his responsibility — he should know better than to belittle others. But in this country, he has the right to pop off to law enforcement officials.

Other agencies around the metropolitan area equip their officers and deputies with body-worn cameras. To serve its community, and to prove when its officers are in the right, the Platte County sheriff’s office should, too.