Young people do get pulled over all the time. I was pulled over an average of once a year between the ages of 19-25 but rarely got a ticket. One of those was left of center beef on a residential street (no center line) where I was looking for a house number. The cop wrote me up and I had to challenge it in court. Two court appearances later I won by default because the cop didn't show up. Now I hardly ever get pulled over.
I've never been treated anything but professionally by Philly's finest. But I'm not the type they'd profile. And I don't drive like a doof.
“And when finally they sense that some position cannot be sustained, they do not re-examine their ideas. Instead, they simply change the subject.” Jamie Galbraith
Short version of long story...
My then-UC student son was called by a Cincinnati detective and asked to come in to answer some questions. He had witnessed a fight in front of his house and he thought it was about that.
He goes in and very soon finds himself being accused of a very serious crime that he was wholly innocent of. The detective recites a long litany of very untrue things as to how they have him dead to rights, all kinds of proof and statements, all he has to do is confess. Note that they had *none* of those things.
He tries for a bit to explain himself and then calls Dad. Dad says "shut. up. now." and calls in lawyers, guns, and money. Lawyer intercedes and calls a halt to the questioning. Detective says a lot of threatening things but, after a month of very horrible worrying, nothing comes of it all.
I am convinced to this day that if he had said he did it or made any statements in the general neighborhood of this crime, he'd be sitting in jail today.
I respect law enforcement officials, but sometimes they try to ram a very square peg into a very round hole and will say and stretch things to the breaking point to convict you.
Its a sad lesson to learn. I'm as law-abiding of a citizen as you can find, but if any law enforcement officals wants to talk with me, my wife, or kids, I want a lawyer present. Period, end of story. I'm not a lawyer and I don't know what is stupid or smart to say.
She used to wake me up with coffee ever morning
Then why lie about pulling me over? This isnt the only time I've had a cop lie about something. I've also had a cop say "any reason why you didnt put your seat belt on until you passed me?." The guy was just searching for a reason to give me a another ticket. If thats not "out to bust me" then I dont know what is. Cops are out to give tickets. Thats their job. They will pull you over for zero reason, just to get you to stop and hopefully find something illegal going on. Its they way they work. I wish it wasnt but until you have it happen to you then you probably just assume I'm cooking meth in my trunk and just havent been caught yet or something.Originally Posted by dougdirt
In my limited experience with the heat I'd say there are a bunch of things in place that compel them to force that square peg. In general, cops that I've known are like anyone else: just following orders. But there are obviously some seriously disturbing systemic problems in virtually every major agency.
I do know that I'd never want to be a cop. I was a public school teacher for three years and next to cops, there's nothing more vilified than a public school teacher, no matter how good he or she is. In both professions, you can't win for losing.
“And when finally they sense that some position cannot be sustained, they do not re-examine their ideas. Instead, they simply change the subject.” Jamie Galbraith
Not everything is meant to be taken literally. Do you really think that if someone raised a son to be a police officer, the people in the video would suggest that you no longer talk to your son?
Because they can't pull you over for 'profiling'. They can pull you over for that tail light. I have been pulled over for 'rolling a stop sign' when I know I wasn't because I literally counted to three out loud because the cop was behind me. I got pulled over because there were 3 teenagers in a car at 1am. I answered the questions (which was where are you going - 5 houses up the street- and where did you come from - Mcdonalds and we showed him the food). He told me to be sure to stop completely at the signs next time and to have a good night and be safe and drove off. Sure, cops pull people over for reasons that they don't tell you, but 99.9% of the time its for a legit reason even if they tell you its for something else. They just can't tell you that you were pulled over because you are a 16-25 year old male who is somewhere at a time they shouldn't be and its suspicious.
I just checked them and dealt with it and went home. No reason to scream because what can I say? The cop will say the brake light didnt work. I cant prove that it didnt, even if it has worked every time other than that and worked with in minutes after he pulled me over.
Ive been pulled over probably 10 times and only 3 times was for a legit reason which was speeding. Maybe i look like a bad dude or something but what is there to profile about a white male driving a late 90s A4? I dont want to really make this about me but from my experiances I know its better to not tell a cop anything and normally answer their questions with a question so that it makes them have to provide what ever evidence they supposedly have instead of me giving it to them. Thats why they always ask "do you know how fast you were going" and things like that. They want you to admit that you were speeding so that they have a confession right then and there. They want to find a reason to charge you everything they do is to help their case that you were speeding or what ever the crime is. They arent pulling you over to make sure you are having a good day.
Last edited by GIDP; 12-10-2009 at 12:36 PM.
I read a police report describing an "event" that I myself had witnessed. Anything that could be exploited in any negative sense by the officer was magnified to an absurd level. It did, and does, scare the bejeebus out of me. In a court of law the man controlling your fate is starting with the opinion that the officer's word is more reliable than the defendant.
I also have a healthy respect for law enforcement officials, the same kind of respect I have for a fully functioning bear trap. I'm avoiding both if at all possible, and walking very gingerly if I am near one. I've got nothing to hide from my perspective, but it's not my perspective I am concerned about.
GL
Such a great quote.
In general, you get the kinds of cops your community produces.
“And when finally they sense that some position cannot be sustained, they do not re-examine their ideas. Instead, they simply change the subject.” Jamie Galbraith
Sure they aren't pulling you over to see if you are having a good day, but they aren't just randomly selecting someone to pull over. There is a reason for it, even if its not the one they tell you.
Which is exactly why you should never tell the police anything.
Good thing you're entitled not to incriminate yourself. I guess I just don't understand the thrust of this thread. Yeah, we get it: cops are out to get convictions; their community pays them based on those convictions. I can't fault a man/woman for earning his/her daily bread. Maybe if the community said to its police chief, "Hey, fellas, use your own discretion; just, you know, whatever" you'd feel better. I'm only partially kidding. Maybe that community should give their chief more leeway, or come up with a different metric for measuring the police's efficacy.
What I don't buy, however, is that we're living in a police state wherein non-transient, rap-sheet-less, tax-paying burghers are the target of police profiling.
“And when finally they sense that some position cannot be sustained, they do not re-examine their ideas. Instead, they simply change the subject.” Jamie Galbraith
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