my last experience with law enforcement was pretty ridiculous. the thing that really gets me going is that the average joe has ZERO recourse. in my case, i did have a conversation with his lieutenant. i am pretty sure that absolutely nothing happened, even though he called me back a month later to tell me the incident had been reviewed. how can it be reviewed without my involvement?

That's class. Your Rights aint worth it. Just keep thinking that. No wonder people don't give a flying f... about the state of this place.

Recently went through a similar stop in Blythe. In the process of a PRAR result, followed by a letter to their department on officers' misconduct involved in the incident by my attorney. My favorite line of that even: "No. It's his right when I say it is. [...] I'm gonna run the f*&#er's ID anyways."

The age of "police" has come and gone. Now there are Enforcement Officers.

Nynor, the average joe has plenty of recourse. Call the department and file a complaint. Send a detailed report to the FBI regarding the incident and be as detailed as possible. Include names, badge numbers, etc. These reports are taken seriously and are investigated. They take the gamble that nothing will come of it.

I feel it needs to be said: Good cops should be praised, and bad ones punished. The "Just doing our job" line is BS. I'm pretty sure checking your conscience at the door is not a prerequisite.

PRAR = public records access request?

Correct. Unless the records requested are part of an ongoing criminal investigation they must provide them. Demand a response within 10 business days. Every state's regulations for PRARs are different.

Resources available here.

well, i wasn't cuffed or anything, just yelled at and belittled. i did make a complaint with the department. can i request a copy of the officer's file or something? is that part of the public record?

Read the info in the link I posted. A copy of the officer's file won't help you any. If you feel their conduct was wrong, your rights violated, etc then you use the information from the PRAR and pass it to an attorney. Keep in mind it will only go as far as you want [can afford for it] to go.

Due process is not cheap in this day and age. Usually filing a complaint for the officers involved and also registering the complaint with the FBI gets things rolling enough. Best also to request policy for stops and common procedure.

This process is best to exact policy change. You may have been wronged, but usually a few complaints of these instances alerts a department that continuing to do the wrong thing can cost them (and the city). The problem is getting people who have been wronged by misconduct to stand up and voice it.

You can also go on to contact your local reps. If they actually care about their constituents they'll usually listen. Just keep in mind agents of the state are afforded greater leniency (and favoritism) than us mere citizens.

not sure if my rights were violated, but his conduct was definitely unprofessional. if i did find out that nothing had been done, and i was told that my report would be in his file, i'd be fairly pissed off and would definitely report it to the FBI along with the fact that a reported issue had not been addressed as promised.

Rights are not really an issue here or my apparent disregard for anyones rights. AFC admitted to the offence!!! That gives the law probable cause to check him and the vehicle out. He's not saying he was mistreated or abused in any way, he's merely wondering why they searched his car. My point being he handled it correctly and with a cool head. I would not want to have a police confrontation at 1AM with no witnesses for me as opposed to 2 police officers who will surely agree with each other as to the story they're going to tell the judge. I do agree with you that bad cops should be reported. That is NOT what happened here. In a state with as many drunk drivers as we have they need to be checking. Incidentally, I've been stopped plenty (oddly enough never in any of the Porsches I've had) but I've never been searched. I guess I don't look like I have anything worth much!

admitted to what offence???

For not attempting to stop at a stop sign.

Yes, I admitted to it. 100% guilty of that and would have taken the ticket had they written one.

Instead they searched my car for 10 minutes and sent me on my way. Neither officer was abusive to me.

Yeah, some would say I waived my rights the moment I stepped out of the car and let him search it. But then again, I saved myself a couple hundred dollars and probably a couple of hours on the side of the road in doing so.

BTW, I was alone and I probably would've been screwed if I decided to be a PITA to them.

Sounds like your having a nice life there in southwest Ohio. :)

Sid would have gotten a ticket... :D

Get an extension. Then get another extension. Then get another extension.

After a year of extensions, I have no recollection whatsoever of the specifics of the traffic violation (other than the notes that I have on the back of the citation) and 9 times out of 10, UNLESS THE DRIVER WAS A BUTTHOLE, I won't remember his face or the contact with him. I am certainly not going to compromise my integrity just to get a conviction on some stupid traffic ticket, so I just ask the judge to dismiss the ticket.

As such, I can't stand in court and testify that the person contesting the ticket is the same person whom I stopped and issued the citation to. Even if I took the time to pull up my video, I still won't have an image of the face of the driver unless I got him out of the car for some reason. YOU KNOW, SOME REASON, LIKE TRYING TO KEEP THE NEIGHBORHOOD SAFE.... :D

Based on my thousands and thousands of contacts with "the good people", I have come to believe that the taxpayers expect me to be out there on the streets, stopping people who need to be stopped, questioning people who need to be questioned and arresting people who need to be arrested.

I get paid to talk to people. To know whats going on in the area that I work. To find out who knows who, whose doing what, whose not doing what, etc. etc.

Interviewing people is a systematic and ongoing intelligence gathering mechanism. The information you glean tonight might not bear fruit for a week or a month. Or maybe never. But getting out of your car and talking to people is an integral part of police work.

Within 5 seconds after contacting you, I have already figured out who you are and what you are all about. Cooperate with me or don't cooperate with me. But treat me like an A $$hole and I will give you a high level of police service in return.

Probably 90+ % of police officers will treat you courteously if you are polite and respectful.

Then don't behave like an *********...........

I don't spose that ever crossed your mind..............

No Sale.

I don't recall anyone here saying they acted like and ass, yet plenty have been searched. And acting like an ass, while never a good idea, still does not constitute PC for a search or detention.

I love the way this Trooper handled a difficult driver.

Driver gave the Trooper numerous reasons to give him a hard day.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xq_RvJ7CtOw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

When the "trooper" acts like an *********........... he gets treated like one.

The timing of my initial comment was suppose to come after the cop's comment..........

Now a days, cops have to prove they are NOT thugs....... No benefit of the doubt anymore.......

"No sale"

And I don't buy the 90%

90% are egotistical a-holes....THAT is why they got into the cop business in the first place..........

No, I am not a "fan" of the current police state.

The cops in Florida must be more polite than the ones I've encountered in New York and Ohio. They searched and tossed my stuff in the ditch, and they went on their way, leaving me alone on the side of the highway to pick up my possessions and repack my car while trucks and traffic whizzed by at 65 mph. Refusing a search doesn't have anything to do with moral high ground, it's a matter of protecting my possessions and my safety.

TLDR...

Just kidding. Most traffic violations are not criminal. DUI = Criminal. Failure to stop (absent of a collision/injury/criminal activity) = Infraction. An infraction does not give PC or RAS of a crime, which does not give LEOs a pass to rip through your stuff "because they can".

If you always want to CYA (which I advise) get something like this: Pen Audio Recorder. It's cheap insurance for "just in case". Your state's recording laws may vary, so be advised.
Watch the videos from FlexYourRights. Always be courteous in a police encounter. If you're going to tell an officer they're wrong, politely explain why. Remember that being hot-headed in such a situation will not help you. If the officer however has the attitude or anger problem, just remember to keep note of their demeanor and file a complaint (if it is unjustified).

I am in NO WAY advocating of stirring the sh!# pot. If you did something wrong and fess up to it on the side of the road, being honest never hurt you (too bad). Most officers appreciate an honest person, but sadly there are too many who wanna gut 'um sum n go fishin'. You can be assertive of your rights without being a jackazz... And remember, respect is always a 2-way street.