kurty[B]

Do to GraveTaker's topic on "Crooked Cops", I just wanted to know your most memorable experience with an officer of the law. For those who have never had to deal with the Police I applaud!

My Personal favorite was when my good friend just got a "new" late 80's VW GTi. Awesome aftermarket adjustable suspension, swapped out engine with a supercharger. Nice set of wheels with super nice low profile tires. We had just pieced it back together (after the engine threw a piston on us on the drive home from picking it up in the Dakotas), and we were excited to take it out for a spin.

My friend was driving and we were flying on the mountain roads through a canyon, and the thing just stuck to the turns. Well, on the way back, coming through the canyon we sped past a cop going around a turn at ~90 MPH. I knew the cop saw us, but it did not look like he had his radar handy. I informed my friend about the cop, and he started to slow down, and then decided to just punch it. We made it to the next town, and dipped off the highway and onto some side streets (never having seen the officer, and thinking we were free). The officer came up from in front of us, and pulled a U-ee, and we pulled into a gas station lot.

Cop came to the door and informed my friend he needed to get the lead out of his foot, and then looked at me and asked if I'd like to get a cabride home?

"Fuck no, I'm having fun!" I let out with a huge smile.

The cop took my friends information, and came back shortly after, and said "If you guys want to drive like that you should join the Highway Patrol". He went on to list the benefits of an exciting career as a Highway Patrolperson, "speedy carchases, excitement, getting shot at..."

"Getting shot at is not my idea of a fun time, officer" I said.

Towards the end of the conversation I was curious and asked him how fast he had to go to catch up with us (because we were doing over 100, I didn't let him know how fast we were going). He said he got up to 130 on the straightaways, and 115 or so on the turns to get ahead of us.

I can't believe we were pulled over at such speeds, and did not receive any ticket, and even more amazing we were pretty much extended jobs.

Anyone else have interesting law stories?

martinguerre

best...i wasn't there...but a friend got pulled for expired tabs, and had about 7 drunks in the back that she was sober cabbing home. did i mention she didn't have a valid license?

after seeing that the driver was sober, and no other occupant of the car was, the cop took her info, ran it, and then came back. "My computer is broken. Drive carefully."

worst-having an APB out for my detention becuase my folks thought i was going to suicide. the cop who found me put me in his cruiser where he had WLTE Light Rock Radio playing. when i entered the car, i was angry but wanted to live. by the time i was taken out, i was beyond furious, and wanted to bash my head in to the glass to stop the misery.

he was just doing his job...but DAMN that was some awful taste in music.

__________________
For God so loved creation, that God sent God's only Son that whosoever believed should not perish, but have everlasting life.

-John 3:16

maleficent

Worst Experience:
I had been living in my apartment in NYC for about 2 weeks, when I got in from work one night only to find my apartment ransacked, and the few paltry possessions I had, taken. I did what I thought I was supposed to do and called the precint (which was 2 blocks away) They declined to help me and told me to call 911 (but it's not an emergency -- doesn't matter call 911) So i called 911, and got left on hold for 20 minutes. When I described the problem, the operator asked me if the poipatraitahs (I can't spell brooklynese) wuz still in da apahtment. Ummm, yes, they are standing here with a gun to my head... making me make this phone call.. (Hello, I've been on hold 20 minutes... I could be dead) So I file the report - 4 hours later, at 12:45am, the cops come banging at my door to take the report. I had just opened up the window on teh fire escape to let in some air, and the gate was still locked and had been all day. The cop starts yelling at me that that was how the burglers got in -- because I was careless and left the window open. I told the cop to turn around and look at the kitchen window (which the top half was broken,a nd there were two very clear hand prints on the wall... Gee office krupke, you wanna tell me how the bad guys got into my apartment?

Absolutely useless experience... Then about a month later I get a letter from victim's services asking for a donation

Best Experience.
There've been a lot.

The time I tripped down a subway step ( I content I was pushed but that's another story) and ended up breaking my ankle. Officer O'Reilly (15 years later i have never forgotten this guy) helped me hobble over to a chair where I wouldn't get stepped on to wait for the ambulance, waited with me, keeping me entertained, telling me jokes and stories while we waited.... then I went to get fixed up... That night he called to see how I was feeling.

There was the time that I got a flat after driving my sister back to school (in da bronx) and my parents car (which Iw as driving) got a flat somewhere in the bronx (it was kinda late) Now I am perfectly capable of changing my own tire, but it was late, it was cold, and it was raining, and I was in the Bronx (I was about 1/2 a mile or so from Fordham University -- not on a highway -- no idea where I was)

So I sucked it up, got out of the car to change the tire, when a friendly NYC cop happened along, shone his lights, and actually (and this was against department policy) got out fo the car and changed the tire for me - and then had me follow him to the highway so I could get home.

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Carno

I haven't had any good cop experiences, but have had plenty of bad ones..

Here's the top three:

- Got pulled over for a burnt out tag light, got cuffed and searched and thrown against a cop car, had my truck searched, had the K9 unit called because the cop couldn't find anything but *knew* that there *had* to be something, was yelled at for 20 minutes by three cops while the K9 searched my truck, dog didn't find anything and I was told to "Have a nice night."

- Got pulled over for a burnt out brake light on my way to my parents house when the dorms closed last year. Cop made me wait in his car while he searched my truck, including all of my shit that wa packed up. He let me pack everything back up on the side of the road. Fucker didn't even end up giving me a ticket, just a warning.

- Got robbed at gunpoint one night working at a restaurant, cops didn't show for an hour. I had gotten hit by one of the robbers and when I told the cops I didn't want any medical care, they yelled at me because they said I should go to the hospital. We (my manager, the store owner and I) were told to go to the station to look at mug shots, so we drive there and have to wait outside for two and a hlaf hours until they decide to let us in. It was the middle of december and two oclock in the morning, and all any of us had on were work clothes.

I was polite to the cops each time and never gave any attitude, but I guess that's irrelevant to them..

dogzilla

Best: Around 1978 I owned a Formula 400 Firebird, very fast pickup car. One night I was driving on an expressway in Connecticut and a guy in another fast car decided he wanted to race me, so we started to race. I happened to notice a flash in the woods to the side of the expressway. Connecticut State Police cars at the time had a very reflective plates on the roof. Thinking quick, I slowed down and let the other guy get past me. The cop went after the other guy and awarded him his prize for winning. I took the next exit and went home.

Worst: I live a few miles outside a small town, in a wooded area. One Sunday my wife and I came home to find somebody had broken in and stolen the stereo. We called the police and they looked around, took some notes and didn't do much else. I didn't do anything about locks since we had lived there about 15 years and hadn't had any problems before. A few weeks later, our house was broken into again, same time on a Sunday morning and the stereo stolen again. Called the police, same routine. I told them I had an idea who did it but no proof. I never heard any more from the police. I put deadbollt locks on the doors. A few weeks later, the burglars come back again on a Sunday but didn't get in because of the deadbolts, but did beat up the door pretty good. So now I have deadbolts with metal plates over the latches so burglars can't chop out the latch and an alarm system.

The guy I suspected did this was somebody I knew who had no money or job. He managed to get himself arrested a few months later for having burglary tools. His wife had the nerve to ask us for money to bail him out. We said no, we weren't going to put money or property up to bail this guy out. He decided he didn't like jail and tried to hang himself. He ended up in a coma for three months before dying.

irseg

This past summer, shortly after Hurricane Charley, a friend of mine asked me to pick him up. He was in the seedier end of town. I wasn't sure where exactly he was so I circled the block a few times looking for him.

A cop noticed this, pulled me over, and asked what I was up to. I told him I was merely trying to pick up my friend, to which he replied "You could have come up with a better story than that, that's what I hear from every white kid who drives around here looking for crack." The fact that I was wearing the clothes I had been in all day dragging hurricane debris out of my yard and driving my old beater car didn't help my image much, either.

3 cops searched me and my car, and of course found nothing whatsoever. So he couldn't charge me for anything drug-related, but he was soooo sure I was a crackhead that he hauled me off to jail for the night because of a curfew violation (unbeknownst to me there was a curfew because of the power being out, etc. from the hurricane). The judge sacked me with the maximum $500 fine and suggested that I seek help if I have a drug problem.

What an embarrassing pain in the ass nightmare.

cyrnel

Best: My mother and I were driving home from Portland International on I5. I was wiped out and had been asleep in the passenger seat, but awoke to flashing lights and those median bumps as my mother pulled off the freeway. We were being pulled over. My mother came to a stop and shifted the trans to Park. Moments later there was a crunch and our car surged forward another 5ft. The trooper had punted us doing $1500+ damage (1988 dollars).

The officer wrote in his report that the collission was just "a slight contact." The state adjuster showed up the next day and did his best Buckwheat impression.

I recall at the time the officer coughed up something about us doing 65 in a 55 zone, but for some reason he decided against giving us the citation. What was choice was that he had a trainee riding shotgun. Who knows what they were doing to have such severe brain-fade.

ratbastid

I've got a new mantra for you: "I do not consent to your search of my vehicle." They need your permission to search your property, and as long as you're on record calmly and politely communicating your lack of consent, anything they might potentially find will be inadmissable. Unless you're going around broadcasting probable cause, in which case, knock that off.

I find it funny that so many of the "best" stories are the ones where some cool cop looked the other way when somebody broke a law, and so man of the "worst" stories are where these guys (the thin blue line between society and chaos, btw) do their job and bust lawbreakers. Not all the stories, I grant, but it's still a pattern I'm noticing in this thread.

My best police experince was one where I got legitimately caught doing something I shouldn't have been doing, and I very professionally and competently got what I had coming. When I was 16 I got busted drinking beer and firing bottle rockets in a public park. When we spotted the motorcycle cop cruising through the park, we bolted. I knew I was caught from the moment the police bike lights came on behind me, about 100 yards down the street from the park. We got charged with underage posession, posession of fireworks (illegal in the state where I grew up), and littering, and I got 10 hours of community service. From the cop (Officer Peck) to the DA's Office guy who settled the case, everyone was strict and fair with me, and I couldn't deny they had my best interests at heart. These are people who deal with juvenile offenders on a daily basis, and know the opportunity to intervene and make a difference in young people's lives when they see it. I resented it and hated it at the time, but now, 14 years later, I'm damn glad it went the way it did.

almostaugust

Good stories.

Worst- I called the cops while watching a gang of thieves break into my gf's car. They never turned up. Half the cars in the street got robbed.

Weirdest- I was acting in a film out in the bush, covered in fake blood and stuff. The cops went and informed my parents (on the strength of my number plates and a description) that i was tied up and blood soaked, and possibly dead. When i arrived home, two coppers were sitting in my flat just waiting for me to do some explaining.

Annoying- A cop cut his hand while chasing me over a fence a couple of years back. When they caught my friend, they got my details. I thought he was gonna assault me he was so pissed off.

__________________
'And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell my myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass'

MacGuyver

Having to wait an hour while pulled over for forgetting to turn my headlights on... the parking lights were on, and I was in a well lit area so I didnt really notice, even though it was 11pm.

__________________
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.
---Aristotle

Deeds, not words, shall speak [for] me.
---John Fletcher

Seaver

Best:
I lived in a very small town, junior year in highschool. It was the 3rd year of wrestling at our highschool, and being that our class was there from the very beginning us juniors were held in as much regard as the seniors (we set down every tradition/etc, not many people can claim that). Anyways we had to leave for tournaments at about 3-4am because we always had a 3-4hr drive (not many schools have wrestling in texas). Anyways we were all ready and the bus just arrived when I realized I was missing my singlet (the spandex suit... VERY important if you're going to wrestle). So I hop in my truck and haul ass. I was going 95 in a 30 when I see the red and blue lights, so I'm sure I was going to get hauled off to jail.
Cop: "So.. you in a hurry tonight son?"
Me: "Yes sir, I'm late to leave for a wrestling tournament but forgot my suit"
C: "Oh so you're a wrestler? You any good?"
M: "Yes sir, made it to state"
C: "Huh, my son is doing that next year, you're going to help him out right?"
M: "Oh absolutely sir.."
C: "Good, now get the fuck out of here"

Worst:
I was all alone in my college apartment. I lived in West Campus, basically a craphole that is filled with only college kids because it's so close to the school. It was x-mas break so my roommates were gone (I had one last final). So at about 3am on a tuesday I hear a knock. Two policemen were at the door and looked serious. So I ask what they want, they said they heard loud noises coming from the room (only the tv was on, so I smelled BS).

M: Only the TV is on sir, I was half asleep
C: Sir do you mind if we come in?
M: Yes
C: Thank you we just want to have a look around
M: No, yes as in I mind
C: Sir we have reasonable cause to believe you are selling illegal substances from this residence.
M: Because the tv is on?
C: Are you going to let us in sir or are we going to have to arrest you for interfering with an investigation?
M: Are you going to leave immediately or am I going to have to sue for illegal search and seizure?
C: We can come back with a search warrant sir and we wont be so nice.
M: Tell you what, if you can get a search warrant for a tv being on at night I'll cook you brownies you can eat while you search the room.

That only pissed them off more, but I slammed the door and locked it before they could give a rebuttle. God I hate Austin cops.

Jackebear

Best experience

Driving through some backwater village of 5 houses and the speed limit is 50km/h for about 1 km. It is about 6am and I am trying to fly home after a night of partying and I zip through going at least 100km. Low and behold, a cop is at the intersection with his arm sticking out the window holding a radar gun. Jeez. I hit the brakes and pull over right away...he got me. I was already out of my car walking toward him. He just sticks his head out and says "come on in" and opens the front passenger seat. I said " I have no excuse...you got me free and clear". He checks my record...nothing. He could have given me a $400 fine or so, minus 6 pts and on my insurance record. He said "I appreciate your honesty" gave me a fine for only 19 km over (about $70 bucks and no insurance record...20km over is trouble). Very nice man.

Worst experience

I am driving 5 drunk guys and I am stone sober. I get pulled over at a spot check, tell him I am the designated driver, blow in the machine, no worries and because one guy is holding a beer, and I get charged for alcohol accessible to driver. Come on...what the heck was that all about. Kinda frustrated about that one.

Happy New Year...drive safe.

__________________
Life's jounney is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn-out shouting, "Holy sh*t! What a ride!" - unknown

Journeyman

Best experiences: A local cop that's sort of the ambassador to school children gave me a ride home from my highschool just because I asked.
Oh and the time I was partying in San Luis Obispo (18, and drunk) and was walking somewhere with my friends and saw somebody out of the corner of my eye and looked right at him (but without actually seeing them for a second, if you understand) and said something loud about "Yeah I'm drunk!" Eyes focus a little and I see a badge shining in the night lights. Just kept walking and never heard nothing from him. Or her.

Worst experiences: Kind of an ongoing reluctance of Hawaiian cops to get involved in jack, fucking, shit.

Amano

My dad likes to tell the story when he got stopped by a cop for speeding on the highway. Thinking quick, he made up some excuse that he was rushing off to see a patient at the Emergency Room (my dad's a doctor, not an ER doctor, but a doctor nonetheless). Fair excuse, right? Well, the only problem was that he was going in the wrong direction.

The cop replied, "Ok, then I'll escort you there."

So they turned around, and my dad was escorted by the police car to the ER. Cop left after arriving to the hospital, and my dad ended up not getting at ticket



As for myself, I've only been stopped for expired registration. Other than that, I've had a bunch of boring run ins with cops trying to shut down various underground parties I've been at. They once came in riot gear

f6twister

Worst

I was at a party with a group of friend when my friends girlfriend and I got hungry. This party only had alcohol, no food and we were the only ones who had stopped drinking long enough to leave. So we left to shop at the only 24 hr store in the city. Half way there, we pass about 6 squad cars on the side of the road, all with their lights flashing. I drove by slowly like I'm supposed to and moved on. A short distance later, I see one of the squads flying to catch up with me and I get pulled over. He says I have a tail light out and asks what we are doing out at 3 a.m. I tell him we are hungry and headed for the grocery store. He tells, "Yeah, right. I'll bet you were looking for a place to screw. We don't go for that around here." I was so suprised at what he said that all I could say was okay. My friends girlfriend and I thought it was funny later but my friend didn't find the humor in it. (And no, we never hooked up).

Best

Too many to list. I work with cops every day and I see/hear a lot of funny stuff.

__________________
A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day. Calvin

Tarl Cabot

Oops. Made a mistake here.

Carno

I am always polite and calm with police, but they never seem to want to return that courtesy. The first time the cop searched my truck (when I was moving) I didn't think he was going to be a dick and trash my stuff. I figured it was better for him to search my truck rather than wait for a K9 unit to show up. I guess I was wrong.

Second time I was kinda shaken up after being thrown against a car and being searched. I just wanted to get the fuck out of there so I let him search my truck, but he said he *knew* I was hiding something, so he called a K9 unit anyway.

Maybe I was just being naive; ya know, trusting cops. I always try to be nice and what not, and after my packed stuff got opened I just figured it was a single asshole cop and that would not happen again. Guess I was wrong. I go to flight school, and if I were to get arrested, my career as a pilot would be over before it started, so I have no reason to be a dick to a cop and do something that would get me arrested. I also do not do drugs so I knew that the cops would not find anything. Maybe just being a 19 year old male is a crime..

You were not there and more than likely you will not believe me when I said that I did not do anything wrong or give any reason to be treated the way I was. Regardless, it happened just the way I told it, and I don't much care if you believe me or not. And those aren't even all of the bad experiences I've had with cops.. There have been numerous times when I've been detained by naz- I mean police, like when I was skating at a skatepark with my friends, walking on the side of the road to a gas station, and the list goes on..

sob

I've had several good ones, all traffic-related, in which the cop was professional.

Worst:

I'm driving back to school after lunch, stop at a red light, and hear a siren. (School was close to a hospital, and a siren was always an ambulance). The light turned green, but I waited until I saw where the ambulance was.

This guy behind me in a wood-panel station wagon is really leaning on the horn. So I flip him off and drive away. He follows me.

Winding roads, I'm in a Honda, no contest. Pull into the parking deck, and as I get out of the car on the third level, I see him come screeching to a stop at the entrance to the deck, when he discovered you had to have a magnetic card to get in.

So I figure that's the end of it, and walk out to a wide open area. Some guy comes up behind me, grabs my arm, and says in what he felt was an authoritative voice, "I wanna talk to you!"

I yanked my arm away, turned around, and said, "Good, because I wanna talk to you, too!"

He flashes his badge, and starts into a tirade, not about flipping him off, but about not going through the light fast enough to suit him.

After 15 or 20 adrenaline-filled seconds, it registered on me that he was wearing Bermuda shorts. The phrase "off duty" went through my mind, along with a deep feeling of satisfaction.

I'm about 6 feet, and at the time (a LONG time ago), I was very buff. Since he was shorter than I am, and had a gut, I moved closer to him, and stood a little on tiptoe. In other words, I was looking down on him. That really started to piss him off. I'm sure he was wishing like hell he had his gun on him, but it was obvious from the way he was dressed that he didn't.

It pissed him off even worse when I interrupted him and said, "So you're telling me I shouldn't have let that ambulance have the road?"

We argued for awhile, and he finally stomped off, telling me I could go to jail for giving him the finger. (Not true, according to another cop I talked to later.)

This same cop later arrested a friend of mine for "obstructing traffic." Actual situation was that we'd had a snowstorm in an area that almost never gets snow. As a result, the street was empty of cars, and my friend was riding his bike! Real reason for the arrest was that my friend gave him some lip after being hassled, but the cop was on-duty this time.

My friend went to court, and another cop told him he wouldn't even let his kids leave the house if he knew this guy was on-duty.

About a year later, this cop made the papers. His wife pissed him off at the bowling alley, so he pulled his gun out of his bowling bag and shot her.

I don't remember how long he was locked up for. It would be best for all if he's still in the slammer.

Journeyman

MARK IT ZERO!

Rlyss

The only time I've ever had anything to do with the police (except a random roadside breath test) is when some friends and I were on vacation near the beach, and late one night we decided to go for a drive. We were cruising along, going the speed limit, and there were five of us in the car. I was in the front passenger seat with a beer (I didn't know that was illegal) and we drove by a police station and for some reason the driver had his hand on the horn, blasting for the whole world to hear.

I look out the window and see half a dozen police cars outside the station with all the cops milling around chatting, and I see one reach for the car door. I told the driver to turn down a side street because we're about to be pulled over, but he didn't believe me until we saw the trees glow blue behind us. We were freaked out so at 60kph he slammed on the breaks and skidded up a gravel driveway and stopped only a few feet from an iron gate and just as we stopped I rolled down my window and threw my beer out. I didn't know it was illegal but I thought it wouldn't look good. As the dust settled from out sudden stop we saw our headlights were shining right on a bunch of teenagers sitting in their driveway, five feet away, probably drinking or partying, and they were stunned. In the middle of the night out of nowhere this beaten up station wagon comes grating to a halt right in front of you, a beer bottle flying out the window, followed seconds later by a police car with lights flashing.

The police ignored the kids in the driveway and asked us if we'd been drinking. We were all overage so we had nothing to worry about, and the driver was sober and passed the breathalyzer just fine. They gave us a warning about blaring the horn at midnight for no reason, and said it was a stupid thing to do outside a police station, then they drove off. We were all pretty stunned but glad they just gave us that warning.

ratbastid

I believe you. What I don't understand is why you allow them to search your car without probable cause. You don't know your rights, and you're letting them manipulate you because of it. You're protected from this sort of thing by no lesser power than the Constitution of the United States.

(Edit: I assume you ARE in the United States? If not, never mind!)

sob

That's true, but not the biggest danger in my opinion.

The biggest danger is if you're ever arrested on suspicion of a crime. It's legal for the cops to lie their asses off to you.

The very first thing they'll do is separate you from any friends you were with. The second thing they will do is tell you that your friend(s) just blamed whatever occurred entirely on you.

The third thing they will do is try to get you to sign a statement that it was your friend that did everything. Of course, they're trying to get your friend to do the same to you.

Naturally, according to them, the only way you have a chance of not spending the rest of your life in jail is if you do what they say, and under no circumstances should you consult with a lawyer.

This is not spoken from personal experience, but I saw the actual tapes of the interrogation the Escondido cops did to the brother of a murdered girl, Stephanie Crowe.

Most of the criminals in that case had badges.

warrrreagl

I've always had good fun with cops.

While dating my future wife, I rolled her yard one night on her birthday. It was about 3AM, and she lived alone in a duplex. Suddenly, a cop pulled up and started asking the obvious questions. He checked my driver's license and listened to my story about it being my girlfriend's birthday. He then asked, "So if I knock on her door right now, she'll identify you and verify your story?"

I replied, "Do you know Judge D***** in the circuit court, the one they call 'The Hanging Judge?'"

He said, "Sure, every cop knows him."

I answered, "Well, that's his daughter's door. If you knock on it at 3AM, she's liable to shoot you."

He threw his head back laughing and climbed back into his cruiser, saying "Be careful."

__________________
Living is easy with eyes closed.

Suave

My first one was when I was about 12, with customs officers who thought I had drugs hidden in my bag. Let me tell you, those guys have NO sense of humour. I was close to terrified that there were somehow drugs in my bag (a dog had been all up at it, and pointed it out to the officers) that I didn't know about. They were looking through all of my luggage, and when they got to the big book of guns I happened to be carrying, the officer gave me a nice "look" with a cocked eyebrow. DANGEROUS TEENAGER ALERT! I was honestly feeling pretty woozy. Luckily, there were no drugs, I was let free, and have no outstanding warrants for felonious charges in the United States.

Only other experiences with cops I've had were, well, not positive exactly, but not emotionally painful either. Just tickets and things like that, which I did deserve (mainly for being stupid enough to get caught ). I've had some fun conversations talking to cops while drunk though.

__________________
"Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions." - Albert Einstein

"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." - Plato

ElwoodBlues

I don't believe this is correct. I always thought that an officer could search anywhere in the car within reaching distance of your seat, however they need a warrant to check the glove box or the trunk.

To quote the ever-knowing Jay-Z;

" 'Do you mind if i look round the car a little bit?'
Well my glove compartment is locked so is the trunk and the back
And I know my rights so you gon' need a warrant for that"

__________________
I think Pringles initial intention was to make tennis balls. But on the day that the rubber was supposed to show up, a big truckload of potatoes arrived. But Pringles is a laid back company. They said "Fuck it. Cut em up." -Mitch Hedberg, '68-'05

Bauer's the man.

Amano

um and why shouldn't you consult with a lawyer? without a lawyer, they'll just simply tread all over your civil rights! you also have a right to leave at any time if you're not being arrested

Nisses

Amano: I'm guessing what sob is getting at, is that every point in his post is already violating your civil rights

__________________
Moderation should be moderately moderated.

basmoq

best, getting off for being pulled over going 35 over the 35mph speed limit. It was 3am and my friend and I were driving to work in Evansville Indiana (an 8 hour drive). Fortunately, we were completely lost, so the guy helped us find out that we were actually right where we should be (after making several wrong turns) and informed us that there actually were no road signs with the speed limit showing between where we got on and where we got pulled over, but gave me a warning because I should have known that a two lane road has a speed limit of 55 in Indiana.

__________________
"There's someone out there for everyone - even if you need
a pickaxe, a compass, and night goggles to find them."

Tarl Cabot

They will SAY the only way they can "help" you is if you don't talk to a lawyer.

The truth, of course, is that when you're taken to the station, about the only things you should say are "Am I under arrest," "Can I leave now," and "I want a lawyer."

Anything else can only get you in trouble.

NewBonk

Actually, in the case of a DUI the cops PREFER you call a lawyer. If the cop wants you to take an intoxilizer test (different than the roadside breathlizer test), it's against the law to decline. A lawyer cannot instruct a client to perform an illegal action, so the lawyer HAS to advise a client to take the intoxilzer test.

(Laws in your area may vary from mine of course)

NewBonk

Is it just me, or should this thread be named "Times I got away with breaking the law and times I didn't"?

Carno

I guess it was a combination of nervousness/being bullied..

Yeah I realize that, but how many teenagers know their Rights when it comes to that sort of thing? How many teenagers do you know who would stick up to a cop that's bullying them? After that sort of thing kept happening to me, I learned my rights, so I know what cops can and can't do. But I didn't know that stuff then.

Unfortunately though, it all comes down to the cop. If he says I had bloodshot eyes or appeared to be on drugs, then there's his probable cause. Who's a judge going to believe, a teenager or a cop? And like I said before, I have too much to lose by getting arrested, so I generally try not to do things that might get me arrested by a nazi with a badge.

f6twister

An officer can only search your car with probable cause, a search warrant or a search incident to arrest.

Probable cause is a tough one because there are so many factors to consider but one of the other two usually apply anyway.

Search incident to arrest occurs when one or all of the occupants in a car are arrested, not just the driver or the owner. Once this occurs, the cops can look anywhere and even force their way into a glove box if it is locked (this was just upheld by the supreme court). Now, this can only happen if the arrest took place at or extremely near the car. If you park your car and walk into a mall, then get arrested for a different offense (say an outstanding warrant), the cops cannot search your car without consent or a search warrant as the arrest had nothing to do with your car nor were you near it at the time. Now, if you were caught stealing and you had placed stolen items in the car, now they are clear to search as the vehicle was involved in the crime. Some cops may go for a search warrant anyway just to cover themselves but it has been proven here not to be necessary in that instance.

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A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day. Calvin

DelayedReaction

Find a video called "BUSTED" and watch it. Then watch it again while taking notes. Then memorize these three lines:

1) "I do not consent to any searches."
2) "Officer, am I free to go?"
3) "Officer, I do not have anything to say to you."

Memorize those lines, and know when to say them. Never let the police search your house or your car; you have nothing to gain from it. The second is important to ask when an officer has you step out of a car or being taken somewhere. You NEED TO KNOW if you are being detained. The last one is probably the most important; unless you have a lawyer present, shut the hell up.

The job of a police officer is to find criminals and arrest them. They will do anything within their ability to perform their job, and it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to know and excercise your rights. You should always be courteous and respectful to a police officer, but don't let them scare you into giving up your rights.

Remember: You have the right to be free of unreasonable search and seizures, and you have the right not to incriminate yourself. NEVER GIVE UP THESE RIGHTS.

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If ignorance is bliss, you must be having an orgasm.

JStrider

well ive been pulled over twice... both times i was going 5-10 mph over the speed limit..... both times i got warnings...

first time i was driving back to lubbock after christmas break... i had just passed muleshoe, texas saw the cop pull out of the center divider and pulled me over... asked where i was coming from... i told him bakersfield cali... and he asked where i was going i told him lubbock, tx and he asked if i did the trip in a day... i told him i had planned to but had to rebuild my transmission in flagstaff AZ... im pretty sure thats why i got the warning... he just told me not to forget that the speed limit slows down to 65 at night and if i get too tired to pull over and sleep somewhere


the second time i was driving to dallas for a birthday/easter party i had 3 other colege age guys in the car and 2 empty kegshells in the back...this guy had that real hard ass look... aviator glasses and all...just told him we were going to dallas to visit my friends family... get some home cookin and celebrate my friends birthday....... he gets my license and insurance and goes back... comes back to my car after a few minutes and asks me to come back behind my car. I'm thinking "oh great hes gonna make me walk the line and ask about the keg shells". Instead he asks me why i have texas plates and a california drivers license and tells me i really need to pick a state and get the plates and license in the same one... then sends me on my way with the warning...

i really cant believe i got a warning that second time... i mean... a car full of college guys... AND 2 keg shells in the back... i really dont think he coulda missed the keg shells...

it kinda makes me wonder if it makes more paperwork for them to give me a ticket since i have TX plates and a CA license...


then one time my friends and i were filming some fight scenes for a movie we were doing and a cop came up... we had a guy all bloody and beaten laying on the ground and a couple guys with bats and whatnot... she was really cool about it... said in the future we need to talk to the nearby businesses to let them know whats going on... and also to call the police station so they wont waste manpower sending someone out there if they are called.


so i havnt had any bad experiences with cops...and hopefully i won't in the future...

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-=JStrider=-

~Clatto Verata Nicto

ibis

I once was pulled over for having my inspection expired. No big deal... untill another cop car shows up... then another. In all, it took 3 cruisers to write me a ticket for having a expired inspection. Damn Cedar Park (williamson county for that matter) cops.

Oh, don't get me started on the cops on campus (UT Arlington). Their uselss.