POPO's..thought the police agression thread was over. My Friday nite

[Dueller]

Don't know if this merits a new thread, but it ties in with the police force video and one posted a few weeks ago about the "new" police presence with SWAT team like drfess and tactics.

Last nite, within 200 yards of my wife's restaurant one of her day cooks, a super nice young (21 y.o.) black kid who works 2 jobs to help support his family was pulled over by the police. His father is the kitchen manager and his mother picks up occasional shifts in wife's pub in addition to a full time day job. His brother is in HS and works part time for her as well. Family is trying to break the cycle of poverty. Thgey're buying their own home, providing work ethic for theirkids etc.

I noticed a number of police lights from the restaurant. Within 2 minutes his father (the kitchen manager) calls me and says Justin has been pulled over. When dad pulled up he told an officer "That's my son...what's wrong officer?" Officer, dressed in full SWAT gear said "Move your A$$ or we'll arrest you." He said "Well do I need my lawyer?" Officer responds "Yeah call your lawyer M'F'er so he can get you both out of jail."

Father calls me and I'm there within one minute. When I arrive there are ELEVEN cars in the middle of a 4 lane road blocking this kids car. They have him out on the ground face down and handcuffed. I walk up and politely tell the officer my name, inform him I'm the kids lawyer and ask what is going down? With that, another officer, literally runs up to me and announces it is his crime scene and he's going to arrest me for interferring with an investigation. Again I calmly tell him I'm the kid's lawyer and I'll cooperate in every way and ask what he's being charged with and if I can speak to the kid briefly before they take him in.

At this point he pulls his taser and says "This ain't your crime scene...you're about to be under arrest." I say fine and inform him that I am invoking his 5th amendment rights and that he is not to be questioned without me present. I walk to the curb...and pull out my camera and begin photographing the scene.

Ultimately he is charged with speeding (68 in a 60), failing to obey a police officer and FELONY ATTEMPT TO ELUDE A POLICE OFFICER.

What a country for a young black man.

[Hugh R]

Wow, where do you live? I take it he wasn't evading police or anything like that..

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Police and government are only there to "protect and serve" the public. You must not be getting the whole story here.

Sorry to hear about this.

I can kind of see both sides of this (there are a lot of cops out there that work a very difficult job and take their roles seriously), but more and more, in general, I do NOT see police or government officials as (1) accountable to the public they supposedly "serve" or (2) respectful of anyone.

This problem is only going to get worse in the future, sadly.

[9dreizig]

sub'ing

[Dueller]

Oh, it gets better. A friend at the jail told me the officer knows that the felony eluding will never stick "but they're gonna at least make him post the $10K bond to show him." Of course this guy can't come forward.

They searched the car on site and found nothing....nada....no guns (5 of the officers were from the guns/gang unit), no alcohol no drugs. NADA. No DUI (the kid doesn't drink).

We ask if we can take the car...officer refuses even tho its done all the time. "Procedure...gotta tow it to impound." Plus the car is in dad's name.

As far as we can tell, he came down an interstae on ramp and the cop threw the kights. Kid was trying to turn into a lit parking lot within 75 yards of the intersection rather than in the road where there was no shoulder. His blinker was even on when I arrived.

[Mule]

Waiting for all the defenders.

[Rick Lee]

Looks like his family might break the cycle of poverty with a very justified lawsuit.

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Looks like his family might break the cycle of poverty with a very justified lawsuit.

Very unlikely.

Thanks to tort reform in our state, an officer is immune from any actions done in the course and scope of his employment while a person is committing a crime (speeding will probably stick). Justification is that they have the right to sue under 42 USC 1983..i.e., the conduct by the police rises tothe level of a constitutional tort.

Problem with a federal civil rights suit is to recover you must show a systemic pattern of intentional conduct by an entire police force. Tell me how hard that's gonna be to prove.

[Mule]

Looks more like one more pr!ck cop gets away with abusing a citizen.

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by Mule

Looks more like one more pr!ck cop gets away with abusing a citizen.

Yeah...and I'm second guessing myself that they might not have charged him with the felony had I not arrived on the scene so quickly. The cop that approached me did seem a bit shocked that I was there so fast after his discussion with the kids dad.

And actually I counted 13 cops.

[Rick Lee]

Too bad wasting resources by sending 13 cops to take down an unarmed speeder isn't a crime in itself.

[Moses]

Driving while black is still a crime in the US.

In Oakland, CA a quick way out of town is to drive up Moraga Blvd. to the highway. That takes you through a small corner of very white and very affluent Piedmont. Years ago the Piedmont cops would openly brag that they would not allow black traffic through Piedmont without a stop.

I'm white, but I've seen more racially motivated harassment than I need to. The sad thing about your story is that it reinforces racial distrust and a distrust of authority in general.

[fintstone]

Why do you have to make it into a black/white issue? Cops do the same crap to anyone that crosses them.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by fintstone

Why do you have to make it into a black/white issue? Cops do the same crap to anyone that crosses them.

You're delusional if you believe that. I agree with your second sentence, but unfortunately, being "black" (or "brown") crosses "some" of them . I've seen enough "crap" from LEOs as a white 47 year old in the south to know better. We've come a long way in my lifetime, but racism is still "alive and well" for "some" people.

[TGTIW]

Maybe it was the same 13 cops that escorted Britney to the hospital? They saw an obvious violent criminal doing 8 mph over the limit, who dared to try and pull over in an area that was obviously safer both him and the police.. And had the audacity of being black!

I think the American public has been conditioned to believe that everything and every country is a threat, and unfortunately, a large number of the police see every minor traffic stop as one as well.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by fintstone

Why do you have to make it into a black/white issue? Cops do the same crap to anyone that crosses them.

It may happen to anyone, but the DWB issue is alive and well.

A very good friend of mine recently retired from the Marine Corps as a LtCol. He worked for me as a Marine and now works for me managing the Shadow UAS program as a civilian He does great work.

After I bought my 964 he decided to get a Porsche as well. He bought a 2002, jet black.

We both drive to DC quite a bit. I have never been pulled over for any reason. Vic gets pulled over, he estimates, at least one in every 10 trips. He says that when he was in uniform, the stops generally consisted of, "Have a good drive, Sir..."

He just rolls with it.

[Mule]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Too bad wasting resources by sending 13 cops to take down an unarmed speeder isn't a crime in itself.

Wasting resources? What about abusing citizens?

[strupgolf]

One more a-hole cop to go along with all the other a-hole cops. I know, lots and lots of good ones, but I'm so sick of these gestapo types. I'm so happy there were 13 cops there, how come we keep hearing there are'nt enough police on the streets to keep us safe. Give me a break.

[plain fan]

Problem with a federal civil rights suit is to recover you must show a systemic pattern of intentional conduct by an entire police force. Tell me how hard that's gonna be to prove.

And actually I counted 13 cops.

Sounds like a starting point...

[lendaddy]

Does the kid have a right to the cruisers video? You would think so.