Man arrested for filming dishonest cop ends up winning $80,000 after body cam footage proves the truth

Cops often stop people for speeding, but when the opposite happened, one cop could not stomach the fact. When Deputy Walter Berlinski was at a traffic stop, he was pulled over by Barry Zatkalik (a man clearly unrelated to the police team at hand), who wished to film a video of Berlinski for speeding. This role reversal did not sit well with the Deputy, who went on to let his aggression take hold. When Zatkalik was handcuffed and wrongfully arrested, it resulted in a massive uproar, leading to a settlement payout on November 12, per 9News. 

In February 2024, Deputy Walter Berlinski was wrapping up a traffic stop on southbound Highway 85 near 104th Avenue, when Barry Zatkalik pulled over near the traffic stop to record a video of Berlinski. When Berlinski inquired why he was filming the video, Zatkalik went, "Can I get your name and badge number?" Berlinski was flabbergasted. Why was a random civilian questioning him? He asked him why, prodding at Zatkalik's motives. When the man responded with honesty — that he was going to file a speeding complaint against the police officer — Berlinski lost his mind. He asked Zatkalik to produce his details: "OK, license, registration, proof of insurance," which the man denied. That's when Berlinski began berating him for the "obstruction" caused, although neither Zatkalik nor the viewers could figure out exactly what his infraction was.

Following the heated argument, Zatkalik was handcuffed and put in the back of Berlinski's police vehicle; however, that's when Berlinski noticed a badge. He instantly realized that the man he had just arrested was a former reserve officer for the Denver Police Department. Reserve officers are volunteer officers with full powers like any other cops, but often work during parades and traffic control.

Soon, an Adams County Sheriff’s Office supervisor arrived on scene and apologized to him for the wrongful arrest. "Mr. Zatkalik was several feet away in his vehicle, filming from a distance, not obstructing at all," said Maddie Shaefer, a civil rights attorney. "The only thing that he was obstructing was the officer's unlawful attempt to arrest him in retaliation to his First Amendment-protected activity." The supervisor was seen apologizing for the mishap as he said, "It will be handled… I'm sorry."

While Zatkalik never filed an official lawsuit, his attorney, Maddie Shaefer, sent a legal letter to Adams County stating the wrongful arrest. Surprisingly, Zatkalik was compensated with an $80,000 settlement payout on November 12, 2025, a year after the incident. A National Institute of Justice study from 2013 found 10 key reasons that explain why some innocent people end up wrongly convicted while others in similar situations are cleared.

The Office of Justice Programs says these reasons include things like witnesses identifying the wrong person, forensic evidence being wrong or misread, the accused not having a strong defense, and misconduct by police or prosecutors, along with other system failures. By not adhering to the traffic rules, Deputy Berlinski violated the law himself, yet arresting Zatkalik for calling him out made Zatkalik the wronged person. Laws are not just for citizens but for officers, too, and the $80,000 paid to Zatkalik for his wrongful arrest was justified.

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