Years of Persuasion

[seejase]

I just got AMPed and thought I'd share a few of my stories and experiences with law enforcement. I've never been arrested and I was raised to respect law enforcement. The disdain I have today for cops has stemmed from years of persuasion by cops themselves. I'll post one story at a time:

The first really bad encounter happened when I was about 22. I was driving in rush hour traffic and coming up to a spot where 2 lanes narrowed into one. I was well into the single lane when this old Ford Ltd comes out of nowhere and passes me on the shoulder and nearly cuts me off to get in front of me. I was furious and decided to express my displeasure at the other driver by laying on my horn and hanging my middle finger out the window. Out comes the blue light to the top of the car and I can see someone pointing to the side of the road. So, I pull over and some guy in a suit walks back to my car and shows me a badge. He then asks me to step back to his car. I get out and slip into his passenger seat as he asks for my drivers license. He then opens his glove box where there is a police radio stuffed inside and runs my license. It comes back clean and meanwhile he starts asking me if I think I can just go around giving black people the bird. I was stunned and it had not even occurred to me until that moment that the man was black. I attempted to explain that he cut me off and almost caused a wreck which he ignored and threatened several times to arrest me. I wanted to ask for what, but something inside me told me that this was a no-win situation so I sat quietly while he finished running my license. He let me return to my car and I wrote down his license plate number. Later, I tried to file a complaint with the state trooper headquarters and I was not met with any cooperation at all. The best I could get out of anyone was that the guy was an administrator but noone would give me any additional info. I started getting the impression that these folks could make my life a lot harder so I finally dropped it.

[seejase]

So, rewind back to when I'm 17. I'm driving home from work one Sunday afternoon and I pass by a house that has a handful of police cars in the yard. Not sure what's going on there, but I continue on to my house and as I'm pulling into my driveway several miles away I see a police car coming from the opposite direction. He pulls into my driveway behind me and cuts his blue lights on. Apparently someone about an hour earlier had shot at the previously mentioned house from a moving vehicle. My crime was that I happened to be driving by an hour later. I had met this officer before and he had recognized my car and met me at my house to ask me where I was coming from. I told him work and he asked if I had any weapons in the car. I told him I did not and he asked if he could search my car. Now, today I would have done things a lot differently but I didn't have anything to hide so I consented. During this time my Dad came out also. The officer searched my car and didn't find anything and left. The incident wasn't really that big of deal and the officer was actually pretty nice about the whole thing, but it always bothered me that he just happened to see me driving down the road an hour later and he felt like he had probable cause to search my car? Why would he even be suspicious of someone just driving by later? Obviously this was a huge fishing expedition that could have gone badly for any number of reasons. It was also an embarrassment for me because this was in the middle of the afternoon and who knows what my neighbors were thinking.

[Fred]

You handled it well....

[seejase]

I don't know how state laws differ, but in Mississippi the favorite thing to do for law enforcement are road blocks... I'm sorry "Safety Checkpoints". They happen daily and they check for drivers license and proof of insurance. I half joke that they don't actually patrol around here anymore. Why would they? Four or five of them will sit on some back country highway at all hours of the day and night and just stop everyone passing by. Whole lot easier. I am horrible at keeping up with insurance because I'm 40 and have never caused an accident. When money is tight- that's the first thing to go. several years ago I got a letter in the mail saying my license was suspended for not paying an insurance ticket. When I took my receipt to the courthouse to show that I had in fact paid it, I was told they would take care of it. 6 months later I got another letter in the mail which stated the same thing. Again I was told they would take care it. several years later, I go through a roadblock and discover that my license is still suspended. This time I have hired an attorney and still awaiting court date. I've paid to have my license reinstated, but what do you think the chances are that the state is going to reimburse me for that- Even if they drop the driving on suspended charge? I think roadblocks are unconstitutional but that's probably for another thread...

[seejase]

So, one more. Recently I ran down to the store on a Saturday afternoon and passed a state trooper going the other direction. Good thing I wasn't speeding. On my way back, I saw some blue lights up ahead and slowed a bit to be cautious. As I approached the same trooper pulled along side the road, I couldn't see another car in front of him so I really didn't know what was going on and I slowed a bit more just to be safe. As I neared his car, he jumped out and just stood there staring at me. I still could not see that he had anyone pulled over and I was growing more confused about what he was doing. He just kept staring at me and I kept slowing almost to the point of stopping when he finally waved me past. I continued on my way and only when I passed him did I see that there was indeed a car pulled over in front of him. As I got on down the road I could see the trooper had pulled out and was gaining on me fast and as I approached my driveway I knew he was trying to catch up to me. He flipped on his lights and I pulled into my driveway. He asked for my license and proof of insurance which I actually had this time but he never told me why he pulled me over. He walked back to look at my plate which was in date, he checked my inspection sticker which was good. But he never told me what the problem was, so I finally offered my explanation that I had slowed because I didn't see that he had pulled anyone over and I just thought it was a roadblock. He thought the idea of a one-man roadblock was silly and he walked back to check my plate one more time as if that had somehow changed. He also kept looking into the back seat of my car. Bottom line was he was literally fuming that he couldn't find anything to write me up for. He asked if I had ever been arrested? He finally handed me my license and left clearly upset that all my affairs were in order. My parents were visiting from out of town and my neighbors were outside watching everything and I was once again pretty embarrassed. And once again I didn't say anything I wanted to say because I knew that my situation would have gone from bad to worse quickly. The truth is most cops are bullies and most of us are in a no-win situation when we encounter them.

[Sussex County Angel]

The truth is most cops are bullies and most of us are in a no-win situation when we encounter them.

Agreed.  Most cops were bullies, grew up and got a badge and a gun and a pair of heeled boots.  That being said, I hate when people generalize me, so I try not to do it to other groups.  Cops are the exception in my book.  I know one cop whose a good guy, the rest are on a power trip. 

The sheriff in my state is freaking out because the state is taking away his power to arrest. He asked to come on my show and for me to blog about it.  I reminded him of when he was running for office and told a story about shooting a drug dealer.  He was proud that he shot an unarmed man (I looked into it) because he had been selling drugs and ran...

ugh

I am planning on writing an epic 4/20 piece about medical marijuana by the way...

[Defendant]

The cop targeted you because a criminal/felon/drug trafficker may use a cell phone to initiate a drive-by shooting from his back-up, who shadows him as a bodyguard.

If criminal #1 and criminal #2 are technology proficient, they can GPS each other on their smart phones. 

All criminal #1 has to do is text criminal #2 and say "911" and the other guy will come guns blazing to his location.  He will either eliminate the cop, rival gang member, or help him fix a flat.

It really is that easy.

[hen567mcb]

You just did the right thing back then. You were not guilty so there's no problem with it. The only problem there was that you also have your right as human to refuse and prove yourself that you're not actually guilty of what was almost being accused to you. Some officers must also need to know their limitations.

Best regards,
hen567mcb | merchant account

[seejase]

Guess I should give a quick update on the suspended license issue I mentioned before. My attorney and I went to court and got the driving while suspended charge dismissed and I had to pay about $200 for no insurance; So, I have been paying on my ticket every 2 weeks as ordered. Last week a sheriff's deputy showed up at my house and said that he had a warrant for failure to pay on the driving while suspended charge. I explained that it had been dismissed but he had a warrant. I was arrested for the first time in my life in front of my 12 year old daughter. luckily, I was able to get a couple of calls off to my attorney before being carted off and luckily my attorney beat me to the jail. It took 4 hours for him to find the judge and get me released. I didn't end up having to pay anything to get out, but my license was suspended again. I had to mail $25 to the state for a second time and wait a week before my license was reinstated again.
My point has always been that I have never been guilty of anything except driving to work and back. This suspended license issue goes back over three years and all of it a series of clerical errors. For the first time I am considering filing a lawsuit.
I have a type of prepaid legal service through my employer - about $15/month - and it has been worth every penny. Had I not gotten a lawyer involved I might still be sitting in a cell.

[freeAgent]

It sounds like your lawyer's a good one.  Given your previous history with the police, I wouldn't be surprised if they got that warrant just because they wanted to harass you and demonstrate their power.

[Diogenes The Cynic]

Nice to see things got straightened with you.

Now, I suggest you go and destroy $200 of city property to make up for the damage they did to you.

[seejase]

All of the previous issues are from different times and places and this issue with my license all stems from the courthouse itself. I actually can't fault the sheriff's dept for this one because the judge misfiled some paperwork and he did issue a warrant. I don't think I'm being targeted - I think that these people are allowed to make these kinds of mistakes and they are not accountable for them. When I went back 3 days later to try and get my license straightened back out they didn't even remember who I was. I had to re-explain the whole situation to the judge and clerks. They don't care and not one of them were inconvenienced in any way. That is why I'm finally considering a lawsuit. Maybe that will get someone's attention and make someone accountable.

[seejase]

My attorney has been out of pocket last week due to the holidays so we have not had a chance to sit down and discuss our options at this point. He asked me if I wanted to file a lawsuit right in front of sheriff deputies and I didn't feel like that was the time or place to discuss it. I would be VERY interested to hear from anyone who has experience with arrests due to clerical errors. I have heard that some public officials are immune from lawsuits?

[Diogenes The Cynic]

My attorney has been out of pocket last week due to the holidays so we have not had a chance to sit down and discuss our options at this point. He asked me if I wanted to file a lawsuit right in front of sheriff deputies and I didn't feel like that was the time or place to discuss it. I would be VERY interested to hear from anyone who has experience with arrests due to clerical errors. I have heard that some public officials are immune from lawsuits?

The lawsuit would then target the office itself if thats the case.

[Fred]

No More Cloudy Days - The Eagles (Original Eagles Recording)