see thats what im talking about. why do they try and catch everyone in lies ALL the time? why is everyone instantly being treated like a criminal? those are the same tactics used in interrogation, and i thought we were all innocent until proven guitly. everytime they come up to the window, after i have everything ready thats ALWAYS what they ask. and i was talking about the GENERAL PUBLIC getting nervous. not me. yes i get some anxiety but shit who doesn't. if some random person is walking down the street your telling me they think oh look, an officer of the law here to protect, and serve us. they go. "fuck a cop." anyone. or it might be "uh oh, a cop" for the ones who dont curse. EDIT: so high didnt read OP's reply too.
It's a tough one for sure. I WANT him to catch a person in a lie if that means ACTUALLY making the streets safer. The liar that hurts others. Like the kidnapper or robber. There is no law saying they have to be truthful either. They can, and do, lie all the time. They are generally just "fishing" when they ask to search.
well yeah no doubt about that. but if we start worrying about liars and truth tellers, we would be worse than China or Russia imo. haha. dont get me wrong, i've got nothing against cops. it just makes me sick that theres always that asshole that makes everyone look bad or ruins it for everyone. but its like that with everything. cops just have a lot of pressure i suppose.
Heres a question, I undertsand that an officer of the law is just any other person and shit like that. Why do SOME cops treat cooperating individuals like violent offenders. Basically I understand they have a job to do, but not why they feel the need to be an asshole on the job.
MOST of the time those are the guys that got picked on in school and now have the authority to bully others.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsCuurneZVE]YouTube - guy mouths cop and gets beat down[/ame] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^What everyone wants to say to asshole cops.......
Did you ever knowingly break the speed limit while not on a call? or use your sirens to get past stop lights? I suspect cops in my area do this, and its upsetting, but at the same time, if i held the power, hmm. Ever go to work high?
Speeding, all the time. On duty and off. Usually more off duty though. I've never used the lights JUST to get through a light, but if in a hurry to a lower priority call, yes. I actually made a code3 run to a neighboring city at 11pm to get an order from Denny's Never went to work high. Actually didn't smoke while I was on the force because I wqas afraid of piss testing after a major incident.
Wow, I really can't even BEGIN to count the times. I never took offense for the simple reason that the term P.I.G. was actually coined by law enforcement. I want to say it started in Chicago, but there was a lapel pin that cops wore that stated "P.I.G.", standing for Pride, Integrity, and Guts. As for WHY they said it, I guess because nobody likes the cops. It was usually while I was arresting them.
I work at a movie theater over the summers, and a few years ago before I could drive I would have to walk home at around 3 AM in my all-black uniform. If you were to come up to me while on duty and say "Hi, how are you doing tonight?", could I just keep walking and refuse to engage you? Do you need some kind of reason to detain me (probable cause, etc), or can you detain me solely because it's suspicious that I didn't answer you?
You could be detained if the officer is able to state that due to the time and your clothing and possibly your actions, he became suspicious of you. It really comes down to the officers discretion. If he asks you to stop, you must, but if he just makes small talk about how cold it is or asks where you're going you are allowed to walk away. Doesn't mean he won't follow you since he has the right to walk as well, but then he risks being accused of harassment.
ok so they cant just take the bag away from you, and set it aside? there is so much grey area with the searching thing. i wish there was a clear definition on that stuff. like say theres a guy walking down the street at midnight. doesnt matter what color or what he is wearing. but lets say its not the best part of town but nothing bad has happened yet that evening. guy has a bag thats heavyish. you can stop him to ask how he is and what hes doing out so late. politely of course. "just trying to get home form my friend's place" "what you doing there?" "just chilling" if you ask for ID does he have to give it to you? seeing as there is no reason to think he has done anything wrong. at that point i know you can ask if you can search him for weapons, but since he isnt in any violation, does he have to consent to a pat down? can he say "id rather you didnt search me but what i can do is put down my bag and keep my hands on my head while you are detaining me." "are you detaining me or can i go on my way home?" is that an actual state of detainment? and what constitutes detainment. i know its that you are ordered to stay while the officer tries to figure out what kind of violation is being made but in this situation is there a reason you can detain this guy?
I don't know much about the laws in Cali, but I was told that if you hav a locked container (be it bag, or those fancy briefcases, whatever) Officers are not allowed to search it without a warrant. Say, you're driving somewhere in a pickup that has one of those built in locking tool boxes, if your stopped and they decide to search, due to probably cause, they are allowed to search the locked tool box because it is technically part of the vehicle, but if you have a locking briefcase on the seat next to you, they can't touch it without a warrant? That's what a cop from around here told me quite some time ago. I've never actually tested it out though, and don't really care to.
From my understanding (I took a law class), the person is not required to have identification on them if they're just walking but they DO have to at least tell you their real name (it can be checked on the computer). They can pat you down for weapons without consent, but need probable cause or consent to do a legitimate search. By offering to put your hands on your head, you're just adding suspicion and putting the cop on edge. Not a good idea. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Well, you said in a bad neighborhood which I would think would have a fairly high crime rate. If it happens to be a neighborhood that has had a few burglaries the officer has the right to ID you. They fill out what is known as a field contact card that is then logged into record and can then be referred back to at a later date(like seeing the same person in the area several times late at night). An officer has the right to require ID until he can determine who you are. The backpack is a very grey area. If you are in an area that has had burglaries he is allowed to check for the presence of burglary tools too. I had my backpack searched recently on a vehicle stop. I told him I wasn't going to stop him, but it was being done under my protest. The pack was clean so it worked out ok. As for when a detention occurs, it is generally held that if at any point you feel you no longer have the option of walking away, you have then been detained. This can be based off of what is said, the officers actions, and even his body language since it is considered the first weapon(officer presence) that an officer attempts to use while working his way up the escalation of force.