Rookie Cops,olive oil and rocket launchers

[KevinP73]

Grab a beer or a cup of coffee, this is going to be long
First I'd like to state that I have the greatest respect for the people who put on a badge and by choice do a job that I wouldn't/couldn't do. For them a good day at work means they go home alive, a bad day means they go home in a box. Those are working conditions that I couldn't handle.
That said.................
I was headed home this morning (around 2:00AM) after a late night at my daughters. Pizza, root beer, movies and father daughter bonding , thats all. Admittedly I was driving faster than the posted limit. I live in the foothills and at that time of night traffic is almost nonexistant coupled with the familiaraity of the road driving faster than the posted speed limit is the norm. The area is patrolled by the CHP and LASD. Having lived here for some time I've encountered most of the regulars and have a decent repore with them. The few occasions that I have been stopped, generally resulted in a professionally delivered warning . Last night was different. I hadn't seen anyone setting by the side of the road but suddenly my rear view mirror is RED all RED. Knowing fully what I was doing wrong I pulled over, off the two lane paved roadway, put my truck in park, rolled my window about halfway down and turned off the motor. I turned off my headlights but left the park lights on and turned on the dome light. My first thought when the officer (LASD) stepped up to my window was how freakin young this guy looked. Kinda like Rick Schroeder from NYPD Blue. I was tempted to ask him if his mother knew he was out bed but chose not to instead. Rare moment of wisdom. He asked the typical Q's. License, registration. insurance and did I know why he pulled me over? I provided all the documentation he requested answered his question in the affirmative and as he retreated to his car I rolled my window back up as it was cold. After a couple minutes he returned and asked me to step out of my vehicle. He's still very professional and I complied by following him to the back of my truck and in front of his car. Just then a CHP car arrived and pulled up behind Sheriffs car. No big deal I'm thinking, rural road, late at night, I think they call this stacking the deck. The CHP officer approached the sheriff and they exchanged greetings that made me think they knew each other. The sheriff then asks me if I had been drinking. Nothing at all I answered. Where are you coming from he asks. I tell him my daughters.
"And you've had nothing to drink?"
"Thats why I said "Nothing at all".
"Then you wouldn't mind if I asked you to perform a couple simple tasks"?
I answere" I wouldn't mind but this isn't the place to do it".
"Excuse me? Why's that?" he asks
I respond"well it's dark, we're standing on an uneven gravel surface thats only lit by your headlights, I'm tired, shivering from the cold, and I find the flashing lights from the CHP cruiser very dissorienting".
I think I sensed a mood change from the officer.
"Your shivering from the cold? I didn't notice you shivering from the cold when I first spoke to you" he states.
"I was sitting in my truck when we first spoke and I had the heater on " I answere.
The officer takes a couple steps closer to me then say's" OK well this should be easier for you then" he places his pen about six inches from my nose and instructs me to follow the tip as he passes back and forth in front of my face. I tried to follow his pen but my nose was running from the cold, my eyes were watering real bad and everytime I looked to the left I was looking directly into his spot light and I would blink. He asked me to not blink during the test. I tried but found it difficult. He then got a little curse and demanded that I cooperate. I told him "I'll gladly attempt any task you ask but I think you need to be more aware of the conditions your asking me to perform these tasks in".
It was then that the CHP Officer spoke up but I didn't really hear what he said. He walked back to his car and returned with a breathalizer, or whatever the official name of it is. As the CHP is telling me what he wants me to do, the sheriff walks to my truck, looks in through the drivers window and reaches for the door handle. It's locked. He asks why my door is locked. "Must have locked it when I got out, just a habit I guess." "Just a habit "he repeats. Do you mind if I take a quick look in it? "A quick look?" I repeat. "It's for your safety, it's routine". "I assure you there is nothing in my truck that causes me any immediate concerns for my safety". He asks "You don't have any weapons in there do you? Guns, knives, rocket launchers?" "Rocket launchers??" I exclaime "I didn't know this was a known route for trafficing rocket launchers" "Well it's not but we like to keep our eyes open So you don't mind?" he quizzes "If it's not a known route for trafficing rocket launchers why would you suspect I have any? I'd rather you didn't" He then asks "If you don't have anything in your truck ,why don't you want me to look in it?" "I'd be very embarassed if you found some dirty laundry under the seat or something. I'd like to save myself the embarassement" He responds sternly with "I'm not your mother I couldn't care less where you keep your dirty laundry".
The results from the first test come up on the breathalizer 0.01. Must be the olive oil from the pizza I hear some have a little alcohol in them. Retest.....0.01 maybe it's just bad breath?
The rookie now states that he's going to have my truck impounded if I don't give him permission to look inside my truck. I respond"You don't need my permission to search. The fact that I refuse to give you permission gives you the authority to perform a reasonable search" The CHP officer says "He'll probably take out that window if you keep eggin him on" so I handed him my keys he passes them to the sheriff who proceeds to take EVERY FREAKING thing he can lift out of my truck and tosses it into the bed.
Here's an interesting note, the seat back upholstry on a 2000 Dodge Dakota Sport comes off if you pull up on it real hard. Makes it very handy for cleaning coffee stains. I didn't know that till now. It was when he threw a $450.00 pair of Bushnell fieldglass' in the back that I asked if he could be a little more considerate of my things. The CHP looked at me and quietly said "You pissed the rookie off, you might want to shut up while your still able to go home". It was all I could do to not laugh out loud. Just then the CHP officer reaches into the bed of my truck, grabs a jacket and after checking all the pockets, hands it to me. He then joins the sheriff who is intent on finding some contriband in my truck even if it means he'll have to vacuum the carpet to find it. He even looked under the hood!! Both of them went around and under my truck with flashlights blazing.
After thoroughly inspecting my truck and sharing his opinion of me, the sheriff states that I still have a ticket coming for speeding. But get this, it's the CHP who pulls out his book and starts writing. The sheriff has handed the CHP my license and other papers, gets in his car and just sits there staring at the computer. .But the CHP doesn't write me for the 80(no freakin way was I doing 80) in a 45 that the sheriff says I was doing. He writes me for having two bald tires on the front of my truck! WTF? He hands me the ticket, instructs me to secure my belongings in the back of my truck "quickly AND quietly" and slow down the rest of my way home. The sheriff pulls away, I give him a couple minutes to get waaaaayy ahead of me then I pull out slowly and head home SLOWLY, even used my turn signals when I got to my driveway.
All said and done Cops are still cool, even the rookies

[kaisen]

Rocket launchers, eh?

Sounds like a rookie needed to get his practice on someone.

Funny read!

E

[Joeaksa]

Hope you got the rookie's badge and name. This deserves a letter to his CO. The guy was being a dick after he found out you were sober and needs an attitude adjustment.

Good LE are worth their weight in gold. This one is worth his weight in brown material.

JoeA

[Dan Mc Intyre]

All that and cops are STILL cool? Give the rookie a couple years on the job and next time he pulls you over, maybe he gives you a good reason to change your mind. Tasers and night sticks come to mind. How cool would that be?

Dan

[flyenby]

Immature idiot who isnt grown up, enough yet to have any power or carry a gun....

[Joe Bob]

I failed the imaginary "attitude test" once.....just because I was young with long hair and wasn't into hero worship.

I called the weenie's Sarge and described how it went down. The cop got a two week vacation w/o pay.....fuchinjerk off.

I don't care how tuff the job is, respect is job one.

[KevinP73]

I've spent the last couple hours looking for the South Park clip where Cartman keeps saying "You must respect my authority".

[masraum]

Here you go Kevin

http://www.flashring.com/content/toons/tfamous/respectmyauthority.shtml#

[KevinP73]

Thanks Steve. that was it. too effin funny, especially after last night

[DavidI]

Kevin, PM me his name...........

David

[KevinP73]

David PM sent.
I wasn't under the impression that the sheriff did anything over the line. What am I missing here?

[claptrap]

Nicely told, Kevin.

When I was much younger, I was pulled over late at night. The officer just asked for my license and registration. He shined the light on me and asked if I was in the military, I said yes. He asked for my military ID so I handed it to him. I asked why I was being pulled over and he said I crossed the double yellow (which was clearly not true, it was a 4 lane street and I was in the right lane). I asked what the hold up was, and he said they were checking with the Navy to see if I was AWOL. Huh? I told him I was in the Reserves, it's a pink ID and said on the front, "US Naval Reserves". It didn't seem to matter to him. I think it was just a practice stop by a rookie.

Scott

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by KevinP73
David PM sent.
I wasn't under the impression that the sheriff did anything over the line. What am I missing here?

Kevin, You are lucky that the Highway Patrol officer showed up. Had he not been there this young jerk might well have found something that was not there and you would be in the house of doors right now.

The kid was looking for something and was going to find something, period. Had the other officer not shown up with a breathalyzer he would have at a minimum taken you in to the station for a blood test, wasting at least 4-6 hours in the process. He knew you were not drinking and was pushing the limits at every turn.

He is lucky you were not a lawyer or judge. His rear would be in trouble. If David can get a word to his CO to cool his jets it will help everyone involved. No one needs a LE officer like this out on the streets and the attitude he showed with your stop is not good.

JoeA

[KevinP73]

It was my impression that the sheriff was getting frustrated with me NOT being afraid or intimidated by him. I understand these guys need to have contol over every situation they are in but I also felt that he wasn't using the best judgement in trying to conduct a sobriety test on a rough gravel surface. The situation got down right funny when he gave the impression he needed my permission to search my truck. It seemed to piss him off that my truck was locked when he walked back up to it. There wasn't anything in my truck that you would consider fragile except maybe a coffee cup, tossing my field glass' I thought was a little out of line but nothing to make a big stink out of.

[RANDY P]

It's really too bad that some cops have to practice their intimidation tactics on regular, square Joes.

I've been pulled over numerous times - I've gotten the drug dogs called on me once (10 years ago in my temp - tagged Corvette- they were absolutely, positively convinced that at my age it was impossible to buy a newer one)

Questioned 3x DURING THE SAME STOP verifiying my career / occupation by a cop who obviously regrets HIS career choice - in my 911. Last year. Done under the context that I was some sort of criminal. He asked what I make yearly? In a 25 Y/O car nonetheless.

The cops think that the square guy will simply buckle under pressure, afraid of the ramafications of what the police can do. The last few times, I've been outright evasive (denying or ignoring the "do you know why I pulled you over?' question) and pushing for a citation if he cares to try it. Works fairly well, gotten out of all my tickets the last 3 years with this - seems that they don't want to mess with an enlightened citizen.

Unfortunately, it's a thankless job, and it has to be done. But, we as citizens don't need this type of intimidation. Good thing you're doing something about it. Maybe next time the cop will nut up and take his aggression out on some Gangstas instead of square guys with jobs. It's not machismo to bully someone with something to lose.

rjp

[Milu]

Every policeman that *****es about how miserable their lot is and how they don't have the support of John Q Public should read about this type of incident. It only takes one confrontation by a power mad rookie to undermine the good public relations of nine positive encounters. I don't understand enough about interdepartmental power structures and protocols to comment but even the chp appears to have been under the influence of the rookie. The rookie should not be disciplined in my opinion he should be placed in a role where he does not deal with the public - a classic loose cannon and sooner or later will cause a serious problem.

[David]

I saw on one of the cops shows where a cop asked similar questions to a guy on a traffic stop. When the driver didn't acknowledge the strange question they got suspicious. Turns out the car was loaded with dope and they guy was more worried about that than listening to what was asked. So I think there is a point to throwing in a strange question.

[legion]

Every single time I've been pulled over, it's been by a cop with a chip on his shoulder. Never gotten my vehicle searched thankfully (I do keep a pocket Constitution in my glove box dog-eared to the page on searches and seizures for just such an occasion). I've never gotten a warning--always gotten a ticket and I've never really had more conversation than being asked for license and proof of insurance.

I did have one incident where the state police had set up a road block (in town) and I was coming home late from a casino. I had window tinting on the driver's and passenger side windows (illegal in Illinois, but not something you generally get harrassed for), but not the windshield. Anyway, I get stopped and a 5' 2" rookie walks up to my car and the first words out of his mouth are: "You can take that $h!t off your windows now or I can write you a ticket."

I reply that taking the tinting off would leave the windows cloudy, reduce visibility, and thus making operating the vehicle less safe. I said that I would be happy to remove it at home the right way. He takes my license and proof of insurance. I notice that he checks several other vehicles and lets them go while I'm waiting. More cars show up, he checks them and lets them go. After over an hour of waiting, he finally shows up and writes me a ticket.

I took the ticket to court. I had a whole legal argument prepared. Did you know that the courts have ruled that stopping your vehicle is a seizure of your vehicle? Anyway, I essentially made the argument that the road block was illegal because it "seized" vehicles without probable cause. (I still believe this. I knew it wouldn't fly, but I still believe this.) Anyway, I got about two sentences into my argument. I'm sure the judge didn't want to rule in my favor and take this precious tool from law enforcement, or rule against me and allow me to appeal and make my argument to some higher court. So he interupts me and says: "Are you making a motion to dismiss?"

I say: "I'm sorry your honor?" I was implying that I hadn't heard him.

He repeats: "Are you making a motion to dismiss?"

I say, sheepishly: "Okay."

He says: "Granted. Case dismissed."

As I'm walking away from the bench, I overhear him say to the DA: "You never established the defendant was driving the vehicle."

Lucky break for me.

I've been pulled over maybe half a dozen times. I've always been courteous. I've always gotten the ticket. About half the time, the officer was pleasant. I don't hold anything against them. The other half of the time, I've gotten a real power-tripping @$$hole.

When I become benevolant dictator of the world, road blocks will be illegal, as will using radar or laser guns. My opinion is officers should be actually driving the streets and highways, looking for wreckless drivers (which are the most dangerous in my opinion) and not just speeders.

[Jims5543]

Legion for dictator!!!

I will campaign for you on the East coast.

[VINMAN]

Rocket launcher! Thats funny, I had a Pa State Trooper ask me the same thing a few yrs ago, when I was stopped.
I guess they are taught that in the academy!