Current Events > What experiences with cops have you had?

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Personally.

I've been pulled over a few times now. Got a ticket 3 times for speeding. Red car and speed = a no go.

Other than that I haven't had any memorable interactions with police.

I was speeding like 5 over one time and this cop pulled out of a side road and tailed me for a few miles. Guess he was just trying to get me to slow down.

Try to keep your experiences matter of fact please

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One time we were drinking on the street too far from the houses and this nice lady gard asked us if we could move to one of the houses so she wouldn't have to consider us as drinking in public

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Usually dumb stuff like expired stickers, almost always let go with a warning, I think they feel bad for me.

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Speeding, got a ticket, asked if I was on anything. I wasn't, but I did accidentally drop my license on the floor after he handed it back and he warned me not to reach for it. Could hear/sense him getting ready to unholster his sidearm, but I don't blame him as I could have easily gone for something under the seat.

Involved in a collision because someone else ran a red, was still stunned/hazed. They frisked for weapons and questioned me thinking I was on drugs when I was more so in shock/disbelief initially (to be fair, the accident happened and roughly 20 seconds later blue lights and someone at the door). Then they realized it was a traffic accident.

Did have a moment where they asked me for help carrying a desktop computer around 2 buildings into the police station, so got to see their armory and back offices. So that was neat I guess

I've had a other minor ones, but nothing stands out comparatively.

When I was a little kid my older brother and I took our big wheels onto a main road to go to a flower shop, and a family friend who happened to be a cop "pulled us over" and brought us home. He made sure to use lights and siren to try and scare us from ever doing it again.

My dad died and when I called 911, the first people on the scene were cops. Super respectful of his body, they helped load him into what I assume was a hearse. I had no desire to watch them do it so I don't know what they put him in.

These are the only two experiences I have with cops. My anxiety is a super power, I am ultra straight laced so I don't stick out to anyone. I'm also a middle class white boy, and I understand that helps.

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Mostly tickets and they were pretty much jerks everytime, but hey you dont get leeway as a black man. Even pulled over (no citation) twice for no front plates

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No experience whatsoever.

I've gotten stopped a lot in New York. I got stopped and accused of smoking weed cause I had a green sweater on. Them dudes were about to arrest me cause I kept being a smart ass with them until I called my dad who was a detective but wasn't anymore because he had ALS. Could still talk. Kinda. I got stopped because I got accused of using my friends MetroCard when I clearly used mine.

I mean I do some really stupid shit. Like what set them off after stopping me was my dumb ass called them oscifer lmao.

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Got pulled over because I forgot to turn off my internal lights once.
Had to point out the driver of a car that pulled onto the bike lane in front of me and another cyclist (I stopped in time but the other guy went over the hood and had to go to the hospital).
Had to explain what happened when a drunk scooter driver hit a friend of mines car head on.
They regularly visited a night club I used to work at. Either to check for underage drinkers or drugs, or to take care of troublemakers.

They were always polite and professional. Cant complain. Of course I dont live in the US, so my experiences cant be used to describe how their cops do their job.

Come to think of it I even had a couple of runins with he russian police when I went there. One told us a street was closed. Well he didnt speak English, so he communicated it with hand gestures, but he was a good sport about it. No problems at all.
We also went through a number of checkpoints on the road, but we didnt get stopped. Supposedly getting bribes from tourists is too much of a hassle. Our local guide got pulled over in one of them, paid the bribe and went on. Thats apparently a normal thing over there.

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ReeNoiP posted...

Got pulled over because I forgot to turn off my internal lights once.

i remember always getting yelled at for turning on the internal lights while my mom was driving but I just assumed was "cause I can't see"

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Minor traffic violations.

Over the course of more than a decade, a couple tickets. I think it was two for speeding and one for expired inspection sticker. And once got pulled over for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign, but he just gave me a warning.

wackyteen posted...

i remember always getting yelled at for turning on the internal lights while my mom was driving but I just assumed was "cause I can't see"

Well It does make it harder to see. Could also confuse other drivers seeing white light in the wrong lane, so it makes sense you have to turn it off. Luckily I didnt get a fine or anything.

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I used to work retail in NYC and had a few thieves that came to the store. I would usually tell the NYPD what happened, a description of everything, and our surveillance video.

Also a few of my friends became NYPD so they would often tell me funny stories they've experienced.

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Blue_Target posted...

I used to work retail in NYC and had a few thieves that came to the store. I would usually tell the NYPD what happened, a description of everything, and our surveillance video.

Also a few of my friends became NYPD so they would often tell me funny stories they've experienced.

Have you heard anything from them since all the protests kicked off? or are you not really friends with them anymore?

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I don't do anything wrong, but with other people I've been with they've been all positive.

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on the top of my head:
pulled over and the cop ask for money to let me go. happened a few times.
actually threatened with a gun (holstered and conceal-carry, but he show it up when I refuse to give him seat in a bus).
someone accused me of shoplifting when I was a kid and I got strip searched in public, but it was a false accusation. I don't even get the right to know who is the accuser. heck, the cops didn't even know what is the thing I suppose to steal. after I was proven innocent, they threatened me to shut up about it or they will come to my school to ensure I'm getting expelled and will never be able to get into another school.

but my country is a shithole 3rd world country, so yeah kinda expected.

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I've had quite a few good ones as an adult. One officer stopped when I had a flat tire. I went with just a warning after being pulled over for a broken side mirror I was attempting to replace.

On the other side, I've had some officers that hang out at the gas stations watching me while I was shopping despite being in my own uniform and badge. I was detained my freshman year for being accused of an arson I wasn't a part of. Then they tried to use my previous mental health issues to make a case a couple years later for something else.

I can vouch for specific officers and will say that that every cop is not the same. However you won't be able to tell a good cop from a bad cop until you interact with one. Many people understandably don't want to have to make the guess.

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When I was 17 living in a conservative part of Indiana, I got pulled over for "driving too slowly"

I was trying to get to a friends house and I was a little lost, it was also late at night and I'm a bad night driver so I was probably going to 20 mph. I had really long hair back then and a lot of left wing bumper stickers on my car. At this point of my life I had never smoked weed or even gotten drunk.

The police officer comes to my window and asks me a bunch of questions and then he says "so what kind of drugs are you on tonight?"

He asks me if he can search the car and I said yes because I had nothing. He then LIES to me and says "I am finding traces of weed in car" which is impossible because no one had ever smoked weed in that car.

He then starts basically yelling at me for at least half an hour and trying to get myself to false incriminate myself until I break down crying. He eventually decides he isn't getting anything out of me so he lets me go home.

Since then, and this was also around the time I started going to Occupy Rallies, I have been pretty anti police.

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I've been arrested for weed a few times actually when I was young and stupid and rode around smoking that shit

Got me some jail time even

Other than that just a couple of speeding tickets and one time they cuffed me and searched my car for weed but I didn't have anything

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Good, for the most part.

but I've also had cops who treated me like shit for no reason whatsoever.

thats what started tainting the image i had of them.

then it was being in the car with Black friends and getting pulled over for DWB's

no one else gets to be an asshole in their job and not get fired, but its okay for cops who serve us. its bullshit.

Way, way, way too many. Used some examples in that bad experiences with cops topic.

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wackyteen posted...

Have you heard anything from them since all the protests kicked off? or are you not really friends with them anymore?

My friends in the NYPD? All of them are minorities so they have very neutral views on all of this (peaceful protest but don't do anything radical.) One guy (Asian) said "I've avoided talking about this because people will be offended no matter what. But whatever you think of me, what you call me, or how much you hate me, I will defend my city, my country, my family in blue, and most importantly I will defend you."

I also have two friends (African Americans) who have been silent the whole time but understandably they are stuck right in the middle of the war.

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They've protected me a bunch of time on my job from crazy people, even now when I'm treating patients on the street during the riots. idk where the hell people are saying they're shooting EMTs cuz they're not doing that to me lol

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NeonOctopus posted...

They've protected me a bunch of time on my job from crazy people, even now when I'm treating patients on the street during the riots. idk where the hell people are saying they're shooting EMTs cuz they're not doing that to me lol

EMTs are legitimately some of my favorite people. Thanks for what you do.


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I had a warning because I stopped at an uncontrolled stop sign, then proceeded without yielding the right-of-way to the oncoming traffic on the other side of the intersection. I didn't think I needed to yield the right away, because that side of the intersection is basically a private driveway to a business. Guess the police took special exception to that, because they were the ones to whom I should have yielded right away. *shrugs*

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Alucard188 posted...

I had a warning because I stopped at an uncontrolled stop sign, then proceeded without yielding the right-of-way to the oncoming traffic on the other side of the intersection. I didn't think I needed to yield the right away, because that side of the intersection is basically a private driveway to a business. Guess the police took special exception to that, because they were the ones to whom I should have yielded right away. *shrugs*

and you call yourself a mod. *smh*

Patchwork posted...

EMTs are legitimately some of my favorite people. Thanks for what you do.

Np baby <3

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Odoylerules posted...

and you call yourself a mod. *smh*

What can I say? I was young and wreckless in my Plymouth Voyager.

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Blue_Target posted...

My friends in the NYPD? All of them are minorities so they have very neutral views on all of this (peaceful protest but don't do anything radical.) One guy (Asian) said "I've avoided talking about this because people will be offended no matter what. But whatever you think of me, what you call me, or how much you hate me, I will defend my city, my country, my family in blue, and most importantly I will defend you."

I also have two friends (African Americans) who have been silent the whole time but understandably they are stuck right in the middle of the war.

Cops are bad people though. This doesn't fit the narrative. Clearly he wouldn't say something like this.

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I called 911 when a hobo near the mall was attacking people. I talked to cops, filled out a police report, and had a statement recorded since I witnessed the end of the struggle after he stabbed a cop in the chin with a screwdriver.

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Got pulled over for "going too fast" through a yellow light and just got a warning -- told me it was dangerous too go so fast because I might hurt some cats that live around there.

I'm also white, though, so that helps.

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Got pulled over a few times (twice for running a red light, 3 times for speeding).

Cops got involved in a couple of wrecks I was in - got a ticket for one of them (following too closely).

Cops came over to my house when my folks wanted to file a report regarding a stolen laptop. Before they arrived, my mom called a (now ex) friend of my brother's and somebody else who was here when the laptop was discovered missing. Reason why I said ex-friend of my brother's was because he was the one who took it - I suspected he did when Mom let him know the cops would be coming by just to get a statement, and he issued a vehement denial he took it. He was caught red-handed with it about a month and a half later - his parents and my parents struck a deal so he wouldn't have charges pressed (lucky him, if it was up to me, it would've been "Book him, Danno").

Cops came over to my workplace once when a homeless bum showed up (probably drunk or strung out, I don't know) and was a real nuisance - they took that loudmouth, slapped on the cuffs, and got him out of there.

In all cases, they were polite and professional - one of those times I got pulled over, they cut me some slack when I admitted I was going too fast, keep up the good work.

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Only been pulled over once for not turning my headlamps on after dark. Got a warning.

I work with cops every day and most are cool and professional. Some are lazy. Some are quicker to escalate to force. You gotta judge each of them individually.
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Was in the area after an armed robbery a couple years ago where I 'fit the description' and an officer wanted to get some information from me. Felt like I saw a slight twitch of him reaching for his weapon as I was reaching for my ID from my wallet.
I looked up the case later and they didn't have all that great a description in the news report. Also found out there were apparently 2 robbers, though I can understand not throwing that out everywhere

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can think of two instances.

got stopped walking through my neighborhood because i looked suspicious. coming back from a class, had a hoodie and backpack on, was about to cross a street when i saw a car coming. i've got shit vision and i've almost been hit by a car before, so i generally step back from the curb and let cars go first. cop though that was me about to run, so i got to spend 10 minutes explaining myself while he ran my license...

other time was on a public bus. crazy woman at the front works herself into a rage and starts attacking the driver, not wanting to die in a crash several of us passengers grabbed her. took about 3 minutes but the bus driver waved down a cop who took the crazy woman and got statements.

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