guys, please be resepctful that all cops are not bad and that this appears to be an isolated incident. There will be no cop bashing on these boards and if it continues, I wil lock this thread and warn and or ban anyone who wants to summarily trash on police.

I have had my run ins with the law too and believe me, i am as reluctant to laud the police forces that automatically hassle us ust because our cars look different, but as a former firefighter myself, I respect the service police go through and the amount of crap they take and how dangerous thier job is even in something that sounds as mudane as a routine traffic stop.

Please leep the converstaion in this thread above the board and respectful.

 

i was first going to ask if you were white or not. also, what kind of area do you live in? maybe they see you as like "hood rich" and you have to be making your money dealing.

maybe you are saying some sort of buzzwords into your cellphone that lead them to believe you are a terrorist threat

or maybe you need to stop rolling around town playing n.w.a. with your windows down and your cannibus shapped air freshener. does your license plate have anything like "420" in it or something?

 

there are good cops and bad cops, but mostely you hear about the bad ones because we have nothing but heartfelt appreciation for the good ones.

most people i meet say that cops think that their badges make them cowboys and that they are above the law and such. they are the law, but they have to obey it just like we do except when they are enforcing it.

some people say that guys often become cops because they are tired of ridding in the backseat.

anyway, i don't think we have a problem with good cops, but with the bad ones that are jerks and seem to do whatever they want, park where they want when it is convienent, tailgate like its their job. ignore the posted speed.

i hate it when i'm on the interstate going 70 to 80 and state trooper fly by at 90 to 100, tailgating minivans and stationwagons without their lights and sirens on. i see that every week and wish i had a copilot with a camara to send in this kind of behavior. while i respect and understand the job of the police, as upstanding citizens we need to police the police as well. they protect and serve us, not endanger and harrass.

 

most cops i know are former marines or military that don't ever conform back to normal society. If cops became cops because they were smart, I'd respect that more. But yeah, becoming a cop seems like "i want to be a cowboy when i grow up".
To become a detective is one thing, but a uniformed cop is another.

 

yea i hate the tailgating crap...i almost have been hit SEVERAL times by the WSP and infact i got a fee cup of coffee over it from a sargent because he responded to a wreck of mine back in the day and i see him now and again and is really nice and just happened to be on duty when i called it in.

but i will have a camera in the car soon...cant wait to get some of that acion on tape.

this reminds me i need to go get my law enforcement memorial plate..it cant hurt!

 

lol nothin like that goin on. I try not to draw attention to myself since my car does that enough...no music blasting...no speeding...and I try to keep the blow off valve quiet too...and no I don't do drugs or anything like that either lol...

The funny thing though is that every day in Lake Stevens I pass dozens of cops (now that they annexed some property they trippled the police force, but only patrol the same spots), and I've never even got a look. Only this one cop. I think he's just itching to get me for something lol.

 

just keep the camara handy

 

document it !!!! for a while then go to his chief and show him your documentation.and ask why you are being harrased.(they dont like that word) do it on a little note pad or something and make it appearant that your doin so too.if he confronts you while your doin it ask him for his badge # and name and tell him what your doing. btw if you ask his name and badge # he must give it to you if not turn him in by the car # and date and time. i do alot of fishing with a retired chief . coolest guy around ( now that hes retired) lol...

 

Thats why I dont have "any" exterior stuff going like window tint or anything "flashy"..I had a 98 Honda civic H/B and had a lot of "exterior" stuff on it to make it look fast etc...I got pulled over ALL the time!!...Damn Po-Po's always there when Not wanted...Never there When Needed!!....

 

If you have a car number or a badge number I would file a complaint.

Maybe we should setup a M&G at the Taco Bell parking lot lol.

 

In re: the tailgating thing... I'd suggest slowing down when you're being tailgated. You've got less time to safely respond to something going on in front of you because of the idiot behind you. Maybe they'll pass. If not, just pull over and let 'em go by. If there's one thing worse than being tailgated by a fool is being rear-ended by a tailgating fool.

 

Actually, Dustin, most officers are very good and even nice, but there are always a few who actually need to be watched. Michael having the same officer hanging around for no apparent reason on multiple occasions is more than "an isolated incident."

As to others starting to "summarily trash on police" - I don't think so. They are simply doing what is ALWAYS done on-line: chipping in with their own experiences and ideas.

I'm going to do the same.

Where my mum used to live I was very familiar with the city council, mayor, city manager, city attorney, public works director, and the police force, and was not just a regular attendee of all council meetings, but a regular speaker as well for a couple of years.

One night as my mother and I were returning from Eugene, Oregon - me driving her shiny, detailed, 11 year old Ford, we were pulled over for no reason about 6 blocks from her home.

I recognized the officer as one who often worked drugs, and he seemed flustered and very surprised to find someone he fully recognized from city hall in the car. He obviously wasn't expecting folks approximately 60 and 80 years old driving back home from a long trip near midnight.

He gave three different "reasons" for stopping us (not signaling for the turn we hadn't made, her car matching one just involved in a crime, and a call about a suspicious vehicle) over the time he had us stopped. Interestingly enough he did not even ask for my driver's license, nor did he warn or ticket us.

That was an unwarranted stop, he knew it, I knew it, and he knew I knew his bosses. His strongest desire was to just forget the whole thing.

He's not a "bad cop," actually he's a really nice guy who's trying to do his job. Part of his "job" seems to involve flipping a figurative coin and stopping cars almost at random in the hope that EVERY car/driver has something worth stopping them for. I think he was bored.

He wished us a good night, and allowed us to get home and to bed. Neither of us ever spoke about that stop again.

Now, if that stop had been repeated, or if he had repeatedly prowled my mum's car after that, there would have been questions for him to answer, which brings us back to Michaels officer.

Michael, if that officer continues to single you out for no apparent reason (AND if you and your car are totally clean), if it were me I might consider challenging his actions - very politely. The others above are right: keep good records, maybe even take his picture while he's casing you and your car.

(Why did this get moved out of Pacific Northwest?)

Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?

Tom

 

Why on earth would someone be punished or banned? Simply because you don't like their views, you're going to lock the thread or ban them? Get a grip.

 

Yes, seriously.
My daughter finished the fire academy last year. My uncle was a Highway Patrolman/Sgt for over 30 years, but so what?
That description is of a bad cop unless the OP is completely lying by omission.

If I were him, I'd get a video camera and tape the guy next time.
Put it back on him.
Take it to the local office and show the officer in charge.
Then, if you don't like the response, take it to a lawyer.

A bad cop is 100% worse than a bad anything else.
You wear a badge, you HAVE to be better than everyone else.

 

I don't know if contacting the officer in charge is going to help anything in this particular situation as I'm assume they actually encourage that type of "patrolling" in that area. The police department that he is speaking of (I live in the same area, even that town at one time) has had a very long history of police officers who do this type of thing. It seems as though I hear at least one story every other week about one of my co-workers in that area getting pulled over and hassled for truly no reason.

Not to say that he shouldn't try, of course. It'd be great to try to get a big community meeting about it going or to contact The Herald (newspaper) like someone mentioned previously.

 

It is not always a wise choice to go after law enforcement, even if one is in the right. One must always weigh how important it is against how hazardous it can be.



Tom

 

Thx Jenna and Tomas for speaking my words.

 

Yeah, it's much better to let a bad or misbehaving cop get away with harassing you.
It may not be easy, but that's up to you.
You asked for opinions.
I know because I had to do this with a situation which involved my daughter and a smitten cop.
Went to the police chief and it was dealt with.
A neighborhood meeting might also work, but if you're going to complain, at least do something about it.

 

theres always the opt. of staying home = saving money and gas and ordering the pizza from home too

 

what you should do is call the cops when he is staking out your car, then tell the cops over the phone that there is someone suspicious staking out your car and taking pictures. the cops will show up and maybe you will get a good laugh....