Then you can sit out there all night!

[Gawdzillers]

"Don't die on me, buddy! Loooooooootta paperwork if that happens! Looooootta paperwork!"

That's my new signature.

[zzapp the witch]

In most states, cops need a search warrant or consent to enter a home (some, it seems like they can walk right in for no reason at all). One exception to this is in an instance much like this, they can enter the home to make sure everyone is ok.

A friend of mine and his gf had a loud argument about his psycho ex harassing her (the current gf) at work. He wasn't taking it seriously, which pissed gf off. Neighbor called the cops, cops show up to check on everyone, she had locked herself in the bathroom to take a bath to calm down and didn't believe that the cops were there....eventually she peeked out the door wrapped in a towel, said that she was fine.

One snafu though......idiot friend of mine had left his bong in plain sight on the coffee table......cop saw it, turned to my friend and said, "The only reason you can't get in trouble for that right now is because we only entered your home to do a safety check, IF I were here for any other reason and I saw that, I could haul you in right now." But this is Oregon, and I've seen cops outright LIE to the judges face and not get called on it, never know what kind of cop you're going to get when you call for help.

I learned early on in my abusive marriage that calling the cops was useless. And I wasn't one of the ones that would call, have him arrested, then bail him out because "I was sorry and I love him." Oh no....after me getting THROWN all over the house, pissing myself in the pain and fright, and finally crawling down to the neighbor's to use their phone....cops showed up, I told them what happened, then they went and talked to hubby. A few minutes later, one of the officers came back, took my arm (my ribs and legs were killing me) and walked with me back down to the apartment, chatting with me so friendly like. Hubby was out talking to another officer by their car, glaring daggers. The one with me took me into the apartment and told me that I could stay there and they'd take care of hubby to make sure that I was left alone (which I took to mean they were making him leave, if not putting him under arrest). Then the cop left....then I heard the car leave...... Just when I was breathing a sigh of relief and thinking about grabbing some aspirin and ice, guess who walks through the door and locks it behind him?

You don't want details of what happened after that, but he figured out how to keep it quiet enough that the neighbor didn't hear. Yeah, I learned my lesson about trusting cops. I was finally able to figure out how to get away from him on my own. Life lesson right there: Don't rely on anybody else if you can't rely on yourself first.

And nothing against good cops. My uncle was a good cop once. Its just unfortunate that they're outnumbered.

Mao, Stalin, Hitler and others LOVED to use the "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear" mantra.

[Jack7957]

That's why you NEVER give the cops permission to search you, your car, your premises, if there's something you don't want them to find.

How about not having anything you don't want found in the first place? I've never had a problem with all the run-ins I've had, including them suspecting me of a possible B&E, becuase I've always been straight forward with them and never had anything on me or in my possesion that would make them call for a warrant.

[blas]

What irritates me is cops assuming that a brake light out or a cracked windshield gives off a red flag "Drug dealer!" "Prostitute!" "Pull her over immediately!!!".

I know it's a common tactic used in catching drunk drivers and people hoarding drugs......it's an easy way to get them pulled over, by something to piddly like that.

I'd let the police rip and tear my car apart. And when they found nothing, they could promptly put it back together just the way they found it. Then I'd laugh at them for assuming that I was a drug dealer or a drunk because of my cracked windshield.

[zzapp the witch]

Blas' post made me think of this story:

My bf's best friend's mom has a big brown van with "Jerry Bear" stickers on all four sides. Once, on a roadtrip vacation from Utah to Oregon, the mom got pulled over at least 3 times when she wasn't doing anything. Cops would give her some standard unprovable excuse such as "weaving". Bf's best friend complained about it when bf went over to visit. Bf laughed, took out a razor blade, and scraped off the Jerry Bear on the back window of the van.

Its been a few years now, but she's never been pulled over since.

[Dave1982]

That's my new signature.

Cool! I approve!

[Jester]

I'd let the police rip and tear my car apart. And when they found nothing, they could promptly put it back together just the way they found it. Then I'd laugh at them for assuming that I was a drug dealer or a drunk because of my cracked windshield.

Bad news for you: they don't put it back together after they tear it apart. I found out that particular rude lesson in San Diego in 1991. And by the way, no...they don't have to put it back together, even if you are innocent of everything. That is part and parcel with their job. So you may not want to wish for that, my friend.

[myswtghst]

I've been pulled over a number of times, generally because I'm a 20-something female driving a bright red car, and I do speed, I suppose. Not as much as I used to, in my defense.

The second time I was ever pulled over, I was speeding a lot. I admit it. I was going at least 104 in a 70mph zone, on my way home from a concert with 2 of my friends in the car, since we had class early the next day. We were completely sober (I was only 18 at the time) and none of us did drugs, but the cops were exceedingly rude to us-very short, accusing us of everything they could think of, even though we were all polite and coherent. The best part was when the cop asked me "If I search your trunk, will I find anything I shouldn't, anything that would get you in trouble?" It took everything in me not to say, while laughing, "Yes, cuz if there was, I'd tell you."

The couple of times I was pulled over after that, I was direct, honest and polite with the cop(s), and I've gotten out of a few speeding tickets, and even had one written down from around 22 over to 5 over, simply for being honest and admitting I'd been pulled over and ticketed before. The most fun have been the few times I've been pulled over "on suspicion of drunk driving" when I've been on my way home from work, either from the bar I worked in at college, or from my current job on second shift. Once I explained I was coming from work, they were always cool about it.

I do think a lot of it depends on the cop and his/her attitude. If the cop was up front with me, direct about why they were asking to search, I'd probably be cool. If they ordered or were nasty or accusing about it, I'd be less likely to immediately cooperate. I'd like to think that they have my best interests at heart, and I like to think, given how many cops I work with and like on a daily basis, that they're just trying to keep me safe, but you can never be sure, in this day and age.

That said, the biggest challenge for me is always not being a smartass. It's just in my nature, ya know?

[BookstoreEscapee]

Bad news for you: they don't put it back together after they tear it apart.

I was thinking the same thing. If they actually damage something (break down the door, say) you probably get to file a form to get reimbursed for the repairs. Which I'm sure takes a number of weeks.

[Jester]

I do think a lot of it depends on the cop and his/her attitude. If the cop was up front with me, direct about why they were asking to search, I'd probably be cool. If they ordered or were nasty or accusing about it, I'd be less likely to immediately cooperate.

That said, the biggest challenge for me is always not being a smartass. It's just in my nature, ya know?

I understand that last part. I have also found that the best thing to do with cops is keep a small vocabulary. To wit: "Yes, sir." "No, sir." "Yes, ma'am." "No, ma'am."

As for your other point, I disagree. The bigger a jerk the cop is, the more important it is, I think, to be exceedingly polite and cooperative, at least when you are in a pulled over scenario. Because the jerks can REALLY be jerks and escalate it, from arresting you for "failure to cooperate with a police officer" to beating the living shit out of you.

I have found that the cooler cops, once they realize you are not stoned, drunk, or violent, don't mind a little humor.

And again, directness helps. Actual conversation that saved me from getting a SERIOUS charge against me, due to my directness and honesty, and the fact that he realized I did not really know the law concerning this:

COP: "And do you have anywhere in the vehicle any drugs or weapons I should know about, sir?"
JESTER: "Actually, I DO have a semi-automatic pistol in the center console compartment."

Turns out that that was considered a concealed weapon, but if I kept it in the trunk, it wasn't. I was unaware of that, but looking back, it made sense. The officer thanked me for telling him, searched the console, found the weapon, made sure it was safe for handling, then asked me to put it in the trunk. Which, naturally, I did. (I wasn't even worried about the ramifications about having a weapon while being pulled over until he asked me about it. Hadn't even thought about it. In Arizona, you don't need a permit for a gun, unless it is concealed, at which point you need a concealed weapons permit...which I didn't have.)

Moreover, I have gotten out of MANY incidents that could have resulted in tickets and/or arrests simply by being polite, respectful, and honest. (I had a heavy right foot and far less sense of responsibility when I was younger.) That being said, I would be lying if I said I've gotten out of ALL such situations. But to my credit, every single bit of trouble I have ever had with the law has been driving related. No violence or otherwise, thank you very much. And I have avoided that kind of stuff, for the most part, for a long time now.

[blas]

Well then I guess they will not be searching anything of mine anytime soon without a warrant or proof that I am drunk or on drugs. Which I never drive drunk and I am clean as a whistle.

[Strikesfirmly]

What irritates me is cops assuming that a brake light out or a cracked windshield gives off a red flag.
I know it's a common tactic used in catching drunk drivers and people hoarding drugs......it's an easy way to get them pulled over, by something to piddly like that.

The laws governing that are a prime example of the utter absurdity of most laws; they need a reason (excuse) to pull you over, but can give you a ticket for a completely unrelated issue that they "discover" once you are stopped. In most cases, without that reason (excuse), they absolutely cannot pull you over even if they know for a fact you are driving with no license or etc.

If you are a decent, honest, hard working, everyday individual the moral of this thread is;
Sometimes the police are your friends.
Sometimes they are not.
Most times they do not care or question either way.
We are to them mostly a pack of SCs, rarely given the benefit that we might be telling the truth.

OT:
However, the police only have the job of attempting to first-line enforce a set of mostly contrary and arbitrary laws based on ambiguous precedent and outmoded societal concepts. Their arrests or investigations are then turned over the the court system. Simple fact is the American legal system only works for your benefit, no matter how innocent or wronged, if you can afford to buy it. And even then you may not see justice.

[zzapp the witch]

In Oregon we have medical marijuana cards, but a lot of people don't like getting them even when they qualify for them because you mysteriously start to get harassed and watched after you get one. So you get a lot of people that qualify for it that just grow it without getting approval.

An aquaintance qualifies, but doesn't bother with a card. They value their privacy. After quite awhile, they get busted. And nothing happened.

After a whole heapload of crap, and a night or two in jail before her hearing, she didn't speak once. Not while they were taking her plants, not while they were breaking her stuff, not while they were putting her in the car, searching her, processing her, fingerprinting her, interrogating her....not a peep. During her hearing, she only answered the judge, in the form of nodding her head.

Short term of probation and a fine.

ALWAYS remember your rights, and NEVER be afraid to exercise them.

[blas]

I don't want to hate the police, because they proved to be my heros when I worked at the gas station, and I was never bothered by the local police where I used to live....

But I guess now, where I live, they could assume that just because I live in the slums, that I'm one of "them"..........I just wish I could get a fair chance.

[protege]

Since my family has had to deal with the cops on *many* occasions, usually after the nutballs next door called them...I know how to act with them. Of course it also helps that we know many of them.

First off, don't cop (haha!) an attitude. This will just piss them off and/or escalate things. If you're polite and honest to them, they might let things slide and be more willing to believe what you tell them.

Second, don't threaten them. They do not take kindly to that, and some will use it as an excuse to haul you to jail.

Also keep in mind that because of their job, they might react differently to a situation. They never know if the person is going to flip out on them, pull a weapon, etc. so they try to be prepared for it--that's why they act like they do.