# Don't know how to feel about this cop's question...
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [October 30, 2011, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263 "2011-10-30T06:02:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 12
### Author:  [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/221 "2011-10-31T22:28:09Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#):
>
> Well, one could argue that, having a visibly displayed valid placard would ensure a little bit of security to the driver that they aren’t going to be “light up” when they are parked in a handicap spot. So upon seeing such a thing happen, I don’t think it was that outrageous of me to then roll my window down and wave the placard a bit in front of his car.
> [@Alessan](#):
>
> There’s nothing undignified about being disabled.
Other than the way most people tend to treat you. I really love having the server look past me and ask my husband what I want for dinner, or not having a bathroom one can use and having to cut an outing abruptly short to go home to use a bathroom or risk crapping ones pants.
> [@Ambivalid](#):
>
> I can’t make it _more_ visible than hanging it from the rearview, you nasty bitch.
> .
Gimp plates. Immediately visible from the outside, irregardless of window tinting. Most DMVs will give you 2 sets of plates, or a plate and a placard. I have a plate and a placard.
---
### Author:  [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/222 "2011-10-31T23:49:21Z")
Although this got moved to the Pit and all, I feel Jamie deserves a GQ type explanation for the cop’s behavior, in order to decide how he should feel about it. Disclaimer: IANA cop, but I know a few. My neighbor (and friend) across the street is a cop, for example.
What the OP describes is a standard technique cops are taught in their training. Ask a mildly rude, intrusive, and somewhat accusatory question. The ‘why’ is the interesting part.
Innocent people will (generally) indignantly, but **instantly and truthfully** , answer the question in a manner that immediately eliminates the cop’s suspicion. No need for the cop waste his (and your) time to go to the trouble of running your license and such.
Guilty people? Unless they actually invented and rehearsed a story in advance, they will hem and haw trying (and generally failing) to make up a plausible lie on the spur of the moment. Cop knows he has a live one, and it’s no waste of time investigating further. Alternatively (and surprisingly commonly) the perp will blurt out the damning truth, saving the cop the _need_ to waste time investigating further.
While you do have the right to refuse to answer the question, if you do, the cop doesn’t know if he has an innocent standing on his rights on principle, or a guilty one doing the same in the hopes of stonewalling and getting off. He has to run the license to see, with no guarantee he’s not wasting his and your time.
So pretend you’re a cop. You have this frequently productive technique you’ve been trained in, to immediately cut to the chase and separate the innocent from the guilty without wasting your own or the innocent suspect’s time, which just happens to be mildly rude, intrusive, and annoying to the possible perp/innocent, or you can verify everything the time consuming hard way. Which do you choose?
Cop chose the shortcut he was trained for, in this case. Jamie gave him the first response. Fine. You both go your own way, with the minimum wasted time on either of your part, you mildly pissed at the rudeness of the question, him possibly (or not) mildly pissed at not being able to write someone up, but glad he didn’t have to waste much time with you.
Oh, and since it’s the Pit: Fucking fuckers fucking well should fuck off. And the cop was a bastard and the OP is a jerk… [/manufactured outrage I don’t really feel, which includes opinions on cops and OPs I don’t really hold]
---
### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/223 "2011-11-01T00:06:04Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#):
>
> Like I’ve said, this isn’t something that I have some major issue about.
Somehow I doubt that. You have more issues than _National Geographic_.
(God, every time I read one of your threads, I want to go out and double park in a handicapped space.)
---
### Author:  [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/224 "2011-11-01T00:54:59Z")
I’m not familiar with the handicapped placard/plate rules in Michigan, so pardon me if this is a silly question. Are you the only person who drives your car, and if so why do you only have a placard and not handicapped plates for it? It seems that this would have obviated the whole question of how visible the placard was.
---
### Author:  [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/225 "2011-11-01T02:15:54Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#):
>
> Although this got moved to the Pit and all, I feel Jamie deserves a GQ type explanation for the cop’s behavior, in order to decide how he should feel about it. Disclaimer: IANA cop, but I know a few. My neighbor (and friend) across the street is a cop, for example.
>
> What the OP describes is a standard technique cops are taught in their training. Ask a mildly rude, intrusive, and somewhat accusatory question. The ‘why’ is the interesting part.
>
> Innocent people will (generally) indignantly, but **instantly and truthfully** , answer the question in a manner that immediately eliminates the cop’s suspicion. No need for the cop waste his (and your) time to go to the trouble of running your license and such.
>
> Guilty people? Unless they actually invented and rehearsed a story in advance, they will hem and haw trying (and generally failing) to make up a plausible lie on the spur of the moment. Cop knows he has a live one, and it’s no waste of time investigating further. Alternatively (and surprisingly commonly) the perp will blurt out the damning truth, saving the cop the _need_ to waste time investigating further.
>
> While you do have the right to refuse to answer the question, if you do, the cop doesn’t know if he has an innocent standing on his rights on principle, or a guilty one doing the same in the hopes of stonewalling and getting off. He has to run the license to see, with no guarantee he’s not wasting his and your time.
>
> So pretend you’re a cop. You have this frequently productive technique you’ve been trained in, to immediately cut to the chase and separate the innocent from the guilty without wasting your own or the innocent suspect’s time, which just happens to be mildly rude, intrusive, and annoying to the possible perp/innocent, or you can verify everything the time consuming hard way. Which do you choose?
>
> Cop chose the shortcut he was trained for, in this case. Jamie gave him the first response. Fine. You both go your own way, with the minimum wasted time on either of your part, you mildly pissed at the rudeness of the question, him possibly (or not) mildly pissed at not being able to write someone up, but glad he didn’t have to waste much time with you.
>
> Oh, and since it’s the Pit: Fucking fuckers fucking well should fuck off. And the cop was a bastard and the OP is a jerk… [/manufactured outrage I don’t really feel, which includes opinions on cops and OPs I don’t really hold]
LOL, thank you for that post. Honestly.
---
### Author:  [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/226 "2011-11-01T02:24:37Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#):
>
> I’m not familiar with the handicapped placard/plate rules in Michigan, so pardon me if this is a silly question. Are you the only person who drives your car, and if so why do you only have a placard and not handicapped plates for it? It seems that this would have obviated the whole question of how visible the placard was.
I like to be able to _choose_ when I’m broadcasting my disability to the world-at-large from my vehicle. A handicapped plate removes that option and leaves me no choice but to have my handicap status on display _at all times._ There are many reasons why this is potentially problematic or unwanted.
Given the fact that this incident was a first in all the time I have ever used handicap placards, and that I don’t really believe my placard wasn’t visible in the first place, I still think placards are a better option that handicapped plates. This cop did see the placard but decided that I was most likely abusing it because of the appearance of the situation. THAT is what most likely happened. I don’t think cops should be in the habit of second-guessing the legality of a person’s valid handicap placard, based solely on the appearance of that person.
---
### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/227 "2011-11-01T02:54:56Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#):
>
> I don’t think cops should be in the habit of second-guessing the legality of a person’s valid handicap placard, based solely on the appearance of that person.
So, you want cops to only harass people that are **obviously** handicapped, making sure that their placard is valid and/or they are actually handicapped?
Jesus Christ you are a dense fracking tool.
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### Author:  [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/228 "2011-11-01T03:09:35Z")
> [@G-SE](#):
>
> Go wheel yourself off a fucking cliff already. Do the world a favor.
You heartless bastard.
You _know_ that most cliffs aren’t wheelchair-accessible.
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### Author:  [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/229 "2011-11-01T03:10:49Z")
> [@billfish678](#):
>
> So, you want cops to only harass people that are **obviously** handicapped, making sure that their placard is valid and/or they are actually handicapped?
>
> Jesus Christ you are a dense fracking tool.
Yes, because _that_ is exactly what I meant. :rolleyes:
---
### Author:  [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/230 "2011-11-01T03:36:31Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#):
>
> You heartless bastard.
>
> You _know_ that most cliffs aren’t wheelchair-accessible.
Have a ramp built, and then wheel yourself off a cliff?
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### Author:  [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/231 "2011-11-01T03:39:59Z")
Sue the cliff for not being ADA compliant, force cliff to build its own ramp, then wheel yourself off a cliff?
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### Author:  [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/232 "2011-11-01T03:45:36Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#):
>
> Have a ramp built, and then wheel yourself off a cliff?
May we shorten this to HARBATWYOAC?
Hey Jamie, HARBATWYOAC!!!
---
### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/233 "2011-11-01T06:15:40Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#):
>
> I like to be able to _choose_ when I’m broadcasting my disability to the world-at-large from my vehicle. A handicapped plate removes that option and leaves me no choice but to have my handicap status on display _at all times._
Pure horse manure. [Here is a fun PDF link](http://michigan.gov/documents/mv-110_16178_7.pdf), along with obligatory quote from same:
> [@](#):
>
> A vehicle used to transport a permanently disabled person may qualify for a disability license plate when the vehicle owner resides at the same address as the permanently disabled person.
In short: All it proves is that _someone_ residing at the address of the vehicle’s registered owner has a qualifying disability. It could be you, it could be your cousin, it could be your great-great-great-grandmother.
Oh, speaking of fun PDF links, [here](http://www.michigan.gov/documents/disability_brochure_33616_7.pdf) is one that gives more information than one may have ever wanted to know about disabled plates, placards, free parking stickers, and disabled parking spots. I especially like this bit:
> [@](#):
>
> Please note that private parking lots are not obligated to provide free parking.
> [@Guinastasia](#):
>
> Somehow I doubt that. You have more issues than _National Geographic_.
😃
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/234 "2011-11-01T06:38:57Z")
> [@G-SE](#):
>
> Go wheel yourself off a fucking cliff already. Do the world a favor.
[Moderating] **G-SE** , wishing death on other posters is against the board rules. Do not do this again.
No warning issued.
[/Moderating]
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### Author:  [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/235 "2011-11-01T12:32:14Z")
> [@Smeghead](#):
>
> I’ll take a wild stab in the dark and go with “outraged”.
I feel so prophetic.
---
### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/236 "2011-11-01T13:19:54Z")
> [@aruvqan](#):
>
> Other than the way most people tend to treat you. I really love having the server look past me and ask my husband what I want for dinner, or not having a bathroom one can use and having to cut an outing abruptly short to go home to use a bathroom or risk crapping ones pants.
Look, I’m not disabled myself, but my little brother has been almost completely paralyzed from the neck down for 5 years, and I’ve never seen people treat him that way. Maybe it’s due to cultural differences, maybe it’s a factor of his own outgoing personality, but when he’s around it’s hard to get people to notice anyone \*other \*than him. I’m not doubting you, nor am I saying that you’re in any way responsible for them acting this way; I’m just saying that this attitude you’ve described is hardly universal.
As for the logistical difficulties, yeah, it can be rough. More than once have I wandered the street with him looking for a restaurant with an accessible bathroom. Still, he never acts as if there was something undignified about it. It’s just… one of life’s complications, but with some forethought and the occasional helpful stranger, it’s not something that can’t be solved.
---
### Author:  [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/237 "2011-11-01T13:30:09Z")
If Jamie was “able bodied” or whatever, he would still have this massive persecution complex. It would just be about something else.
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### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/238 "2011-11-01T13:40:04Z")
^That. I’d venture that his persecution complex is simply the replacement for his entitlement complex (or whatever the “I’ll do whatever I damn well please” complex is) after he was injured doing what he damn well pleased and to hell with the law. We already know that he’s still rather fond of the doing whatever he damn well pleases if someone has the temerity to offend him. Don’t believe me? Go park in a disabled spot without a placard. Better yet, park with one but have the misfortune to have the thing fall off for some odd reason.
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### Author:  [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/239 "2011-11-01T14:18:22Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#):
>
> Ah, you ladies. You said what I was going to say, without using any variations of the word “fuck” or “asshole.” Thanks!
Don’t be too proud of us just yet, the thread was in MPSIMS when those posts were made 😉
---
### Author:  [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-know-how-to-feel-about-this-cops-question/601263/240 "2011-11-01T15:37:06Z")
I keep reading the thread title and thinking, of course you know. Nosy and opinionated as always.
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