# Ask the cop **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 2, 2002, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973 "2002-12-02T16:25:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 22
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/421 "2004-03-01T19:02:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Badge, thanks for starting this thread. And thanks for your service as well. Hear, hear to both parts of the above. If an officer says, “Do you mind if I search your car?”, and I reply, “Yes”, have I give consent to have my car searched? Regards, Shodan Combine this with **Esprix** ’s previous, and “Ask the Gay Cop” has the potential for being the longest running thread in SDMB history. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/422 "2004-03-01T19:44:37Z")
> [@pohjonen](#): > > I was shocked to get a reply so fast. Thanks Badge! I guess anonymous is the route to go. Unfortunately, the only place you can see the light burning that I speak of is from my kitchen window, but if you say the police have other ways then they still shouldn’t need anything from us. Thanks again! Pardon me for barging in but why do you _care_ if someone else is growing a little weed in their house? How does that hurt _you_? Pot is harmless, man. Leave it alone. Why ruin someone’s life over some nothing? ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/423 "2004-03-01T20:16:23Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Hear, hear to both parts of the above. > > If an officer says, “Do you mind if I search your car?”, and I reply, “Yes”, have I give consent to have my car searched? > > Regards, > Shodan There was a case like that on the New York subway, I believe. A guy was carrying a bunch of heroin in his carryon bag, and a couple of cops asked him, “Would you mind if we searched your bags?” He replied, “Yeah!” and the police officers interpreted that as consent and searched his bags. It’s probably best to say something extremely clear like “I do not give consent for you to search my person/vehicle/belongings”. Be so clear in refusing to give consent that nobody could misunderstand you. If they still search you after that, there’s a good chance whatever evidence they find will be thrown out. (Not literally, although that might happen as well.) ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/424 "2004-03-03T09:21:40Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Pardon me for barging in but why do you _care_ if someone else is growing a little weed in their house? How does that hurt _you_? > > Pot is harmless, man. Leave it alone. Why ruin someone’s life over some nothing? Diogenes does make a point… ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/425 "2004-03-03T14:54:03Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Pardon me for barging in but why do you _care_ if someone else is growing a little weed in their house? How does that hurt _you_? > > Pot is harmless, man. Leave it alone. Why ruin someone’s life over some nothing? > [@pohjonen](#): > > I’m 90 percent certain that my next door neighbor is growing pot in a building in his back yard… **I’ve seen them carrying chemicals back there, they get a ton of ten minute traffic** , and most of the time no one over there seems to have a job. I’ve considered making an anonymous phone call, but have researched that and it seems this is insufficient for a warrant. If I were to call the local sheriff and identify myself, would I be assured that my neighbor would never find out the tip came from me? He already hates us because **he used to have rottweilers that he left free (presumably to stand guard)**, and I called animal control and got him in trouble when **one of them chased me up my driveway.** It has not been my experience that people who deal drugs make good neighbors, either. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/426 "2004-03-03T15:00:04Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Pardon me for barging in but why do you _care_ if someone else is growing a little weed in their house? How does that hurt _you_? > > Pot is harmless, man. Leave it alone. Why ruin someone’s life over some nothing? Well I don’t know about you, but where I live it’s illegal. And **pohjonen** said there is a lot of traffic in and out of the house, and they aren’t people that live there. It is well beyond the “growing a little weed” stage, the guy is dealing. If you don’t mind a guy dealing, you might want to check your priorities. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/427 "2004-03-03T16:20:32Z")
The people I knew in college (back when dinosaurs ruled the earth) who dealt drugs and/or used them (bought them from drug dealers) tended to be on the paranoid side. I’ve observed pot make some smokers paranoid (or intensify their latent paranoid tendancies) but people also get edgy when they are doing something illegal. Movies with scenes about wild shoot outs and drug-deals gone bad don’t seem to calm them down either. This makes some people who are drug dealers and some people who buy from drug dealers edgy (yes, this is a generalization…but I don’t think its a real stretch). While DC has very strict gun regulations, some states that surround that District (that aren’t as far away as one might imagine) do not. While not every drug dealer has a gun, its a good possibility that someone in that house who just lost their pit-bull protection might have gotten one. Granted, all that I’ve laid the groundwork for here is that there’s a good chance that his next door neighbors are on edge and armed. But he has to live there. And edgy, armed next-door neighbors present a risk to his life & his property, no matter how small. Given that he has to live there, I’d grant him that its his call to make as to whether to contact the police. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/428 "2004-03-03T16:56:46Z")
> [@liirogue](#): > > Well I don’t know about you, but where I live it’s illegal. And **pohjonen** said there is a lot of traffic in and out of the house, and they aren’t people that live there. It is well beyond the “growing a little weed” stage, the guy is dealing. > > If you don’t mind a guy dealing, you might want to check your priorities. Why should I care if they’re dealing as long as they don’t bother me? Especially if they’re only dealing weed. It might be “illegal” but that’s a dumbass law and not one cent of taxpayer money should be spent enforcing it. **Shodan** , oooohhhhh, they’re bringing in “chemicals.” Well that cinched it, they must be evil psychos. What kind of “chemicals” are these I wonder? Are they illegal? How does bringing legal chemicals into your house become your neighbor’s business? How is it the neighbor’s business who comes and goes to someone else’s house. > [@](#): > > It has not been my experience that people who deal drugs make good neighbors, either. Nosy narks make even worse neighbors. ---
**Author:** ![D.E.S.K.Top668](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@D.E.S.K.Top668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D.E.S.K.Top668)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/429 "2004-03-03T18:04:23Z")
**Badge** , I read through this thread and I don’t think there was any comment on this: > [@Ellis Dee](#): > > [snip] I was pulled over two weeks ago. Having watched a Discovery Channel show about cops, one of the points it stressed was to make sure you pull over to a place that won’t cause problems. IOW, the driver should use discretion. > > The road was barren; it was 2:00am. But, being 1 mile from home, I knew the area and continued on (after putting on blinker) for about 200 yards and pulled over into an empty church parking lot, and waited patiently with my hands on the wheel where he could see them. (But my fingers were curled…good tip to keep the fingers visible.) > > He politely informed me that he gets to choose where to pull me over; not me. Which of course makes sense. What TDC was thinking is beyond me.[snip] . I was just wondering, is the above true? Is there additional charges/infractions that could result from not pulling over immediately? Also, I was stopped by a pair of undercover officers one night for having a licence plate out. After 45 minutes of searching my car and questioning me, I’m afraid I finally got a little rude (Basically, I asked them if they would either arrest me for something or give me a ticket and let me go so I could make it to work or call in\*). After that, I was stopped 25 times in 2 years by members of the same department. always for something minor (received 1 ticket in those 25 stops, for 5 miles over the speed limit) and only in this city. Among other things, I got verbal warnings for: brakelights out (was downshifting instead of braking) not using a turn signal(road narrowed from 2 to 1 lane), so on and so forth. I find it hard to believe that I was picked out at random in a city of 100,000+ people, especially when it only happened when I was driving my own car. So is it possible/probable that there was an unofficial “keep an eye out for this guy” or did I just have really bad Karma Thanks in advance - DESK ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/430 "2004-03-03T18:06:23Z")
> [@](#): > > Why should I care if they’re dealing as long as they don’t bother me? Well, that’s the rub isn’t it? “If weed is outlawed, only outlaws will have weed.” Since it IS against the law, characters like OP’s neighbor – > [@](#): > > He already hates us because he used to have rottweilers that he left free (presumably to stand guard), and I called animal control and got him in trouble when one of them chased me up my driveway. are the ones doing it. He’s also conducting a business with customers visiting in a residential area, which is a zoning violation in most cities, as it’s a nuisance. That’s one reason why most people object to drug dealing and prostitution (another “victimless” crime) in their neighborhoods. I’m well aware that perfectly unobjectionable people use pot and prostitutes, and I support decriminalization of both activities, but the behavior surrounding those activities must not be a nuisance, or it won’t work. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/431 "2004-03-03T23:46:17Z")
Cops always ask after they’ve read someone their miranda rights Do you understand these rights as I read them to you? What if the suspect says no or refuses to acknowledge that they understand? ---
**Author:** ![MartinL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@MartinL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MartinL)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2004, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/432 "2004-03-04T08:10:40Z")
> [@pool](#): > > Cops always ask after they’ve read someone their miranda rights > Do you understand these rights as I read them to you? > What if the suspect says no or refuses to acknowledge that they understand? This question has been discussed in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=242675&page=1&pp=50). See post #15 and following. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/433 "2004-03-04T18:24:58Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Why should I care if they’re dealing as long as they don’t bother me? We have already established that they are “bothering” their neighbors by dealing drugs and keeping dangerous animals off leash. > [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > **Shodan** , oooohhhhh, they’re bringing in “chemicals.” Well that cinched it, they must be evil psychos. What kind of “chemicals” are these I wonder? Are they illegal? How does bringing legal chemicals into your house become your neighbor’s business? Possibly fertilizer. Possibly they are also running a meth lab, or cooking cocaine into crack. I don’t think that drug dealers limit themselves strictly to one drug, as a general rule. Do you think living next door to a illegal chemical plant is a good idea? > [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Nosy narks make even worse neighbors. Right. Being chased by your neighbor’s dog makes you “nosy”. Objecting to drug dealing in your own neighborhood makes you a “nark”. I have children. I do not care for drug dealers in my neighborhood. I am therefore empathetic to those who have to live alongside criminals. I am sorry that your determination to pretend that drug dealers are really angels of virtue who just happen to sell pot for a living prevents you from doing the same. It does you no credit. My standards for the environment in which children grow up seem to be higher than the people infesting **pohjonen** ’s neighborhood. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/434 "2004-03-04T19:56:36Z")
I dont think that thread really answered my question specifically, it was more about if the suspect spoke a foreign language, I’d rather have an actual police officer answer. ---
**Author:** ![Badge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Badge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badge)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/435 "2004-03-05T05:08:05Z")
> [@Machetero](#): > > In your state, is it part the ticket form seperate from the carbon copy that would be given to the person being ticketed? My carbon didn’t have a place for the extra information that he asked about. > > Is their any SOP in your state about not asking the optional information or telling the person that is being ticketed that is optional? > > How long in your state has this information been asked? Interesting. No, the same information should be on your copy of the ticket as well. I can only guess that he may have to do some extra paperwork to go with the ticket. I have no idea why they would do that. No, there is no SOP on how these are done. The tickets are a standard form used throughout the state, but different departments may or may not require the officers to ask for the information. We don’t require it and many officers don’t bother to ask for the extras. And recently we did adopt a policy that we will **not** ask for social security numbers at all. We’ve had those boxes on the ticket form as long as I’ve been working here, which is a little over 17 years. ---
**Author:** ![Badge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Badge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badge)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/436 "2004-03-05T05:12:25Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > If an officer says, “Do you mind if I search your car?”, and I reply, “Yes”, have I given consent to have my car searched? No, but I would just be very clear. “Yes, Officer, I do mind and I will not give consent for you to search my car”. > [@](#): > > Combine this with **Esprix** ’s previous, and “Ask the Gay Cop” has the potential for being the longest running thread in SDMB history. **LOL!** ---
**Author:** ![Badge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Badge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badge)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/437 "2004-03-05T05:17:55Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Pardon me for barging in but why do you _care_ if someone else is growing a little weed in their house? How does that hurt _you_? > > Pot is harmless, man. Leave it alone. Why ruin someone’s life over some nothing? Whether “pot is harmless” is a question for **Great Debates** , not here. After all, it’s been being debated hotly for years in our society. And even if one believes that pot itself is harmless, the people who are in the business of providing it to others are usually not so harmless themselves. I would like to make one point though: No one is “ruining someone’s life” by reporting that this person is committing a felony. The person growing the dope is risking ruining his or her own life by knowingly breaking the law. They alone are responsible if they are caught and punished. ---
**Author:** ![Badge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Badge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badge)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/438 "2004-03-05T13:06:10Z")
> [@D.E.S.K.Top668](#): > > Is there additional charges/infractions that could result from not pulling over immediately? When I hit the lights, I want you to stop quickly. I do plan where I want you to pull over (prefering places that are well-lit, with a shoulder for safety, etc.) but I don’t believe there are any possible charges if you keep going to somewhere that you feel is safe for you. This has to be within reason, of course. And while you may feel safest driving home, I definitely do not feel safe making a stop in your driveway. As always, common sense is your best bet. > [@](#): > > So is it possible/probable that there was an unofficial “keep an eye out for this guy” or did I just have really bad Karma? I would say it is most likely that whatever caused the cops to focus on you for the first stop continued to get their attention. This could by the type or condition of your car, the areas where you drive, and (I hate to say it and I don’t approve of it) your race or ethnicity. Cops will make “special projects” of some people, but it doesn’t sound like your encounter would be enough to get their attention. From what I gather of the size of your city, it doesn’t seem likely that all the cops would know to be after you even if someone were out to get you. I often tell people who claim that they are being unfairly targetted that they really aren’t important enough for us to put that much effort into bothering. ---
**Author:** ![Badge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Badge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badge)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/439 "2004-03-05T13:10:42Z")
> [@pool](#): > > Cops always ask after they’ve read someone their miranda rights > Do you understand these rights as I read them to you? > What if the suspect says no or refuses to acknowledge that they understand? I run into this fairly frequently (particularly on DUIs). If they claim that they can’t understand, I keep trying to make it clear until they do. Of course, if they claim not to understand the first time, they probably will never admit to understanding. If we cannot get a “clear, knowing and voluntary” waiver of the Miranda Rights, we simply don’t question the person. ---
**Author:** ![booklover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973/440 "2004-03-05T21:27:54Z")
Like **Machetero** , I was asked for all sorts of personal info (SSN, employer’s name and phone number, how long I had worked there, etc.) when I reported seeing someone hiding drugs in my neighborhood. I didn’t report it anonymously because the place where the drugs were hidden would be tough to find, so I knew that I would need to show the officer the stash (I live in an apartment building that’s kind of set into a hill; there are stairs on the side of the building that lead to an elevated sidewalk and the drugs were beneath a loose piece of pavement—I was gazing out my window when I saw someone lift up the pavement and put the drugs underneath it.) So what was up with all the questioning? Did they just want to run me through the system, even though I was the one reporting it? It certainly made me less willing to report such things in the future. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cop/139973.md?page=23)