Come on dude, he was just hitting you with bright lights purely for the aesthetical effects:
It’s 2:00 in the afternoon, maybe you should check at night since that’s when you said this happened.
Besides, maybe the comment about not being able to see it was BS. It could have been a way for him to approach your car without looking like a jackass. Most people (that aren’t doing anything wrong) would see that as a cop that’s just checking…just doing his job. It’s similar to when I ask an employee to do a project then, a little while later I make some excuse to walk past them. The excuse is BS, but it’s a good way for me to check on them without looking like an ass for doing it. This way, if you aren’t doing anything wrong, you could just show him the placard, answer a few questions and everyone can be on their way. If you didn’t have a placard or if he didn’t believe it was yours then he could detain you while he runs your ID against it.
How does the presence of hand controls prove that you, the driver, are a handicapped person? All it shows is that this is a car modified for use by a handicapped person.
Well I know I get really pissed when an obviously able bodied person flips on a placard and grabs a handicapped space. Sounds like you just got a guy who was going to bust an able bodied person (YEA!!) and then got embarassed when he realized you were in a chair. Lighten up with him
Blinkie! Welcome back!
I realize this is a Pit thread now, but I wanted to address the substance:
It is the police officer’s job to determine if the placard is being used as issued. It is not ordinarily the police officer’s job to determine if the placard was properly issued to begin with; it is the motor vehicle office’s job.
Using other anti-discrimination law as a guide, I would imagine that a police officer asking someone using a placard if he (in this case) is handicapped anough to be entitled to it violates Title II of the ADA, with the poissible exception of a police officer specifically assigned to determine if the tag was properly issued.
It’s entirely possible for more than one person in an encounter to have attitude 
I fully agree.
Not his role. If the holder has satisfied the issuing authority as to his need for a placard, it should be treated as legitimate.
I see nothing wrong with the idea that everyone should do their job as politely as possible at all times.
Shit, Jamie, you drive a car that’s over seven years old? Isn’t there a doctor or gym or orphanage you can sue so you can upgrade?
In a perfect world yeah. When you find that place’s Stargate address please let me know.
When Jamie gets perfect then he can really start bitching. Till then IMO (and probably the large majority of most other posters round these parts) he needs to chill a bit.
I’m looking…Can’t let the Mazda make it to double digits, that’s for damn sure! :eek:
He drove a car over a seven year old?! That’s sick.
The hand controls, alone, don’t prove anything (other than the car has been modified). I never said that it did. I said it just adds to the context of an above-the-board situation, when combined with the presence of a valid placard.
I cut a little extra slack to those who deal with cheaters, frauds, and liars on a daily basis and have had to listen to every excuse under the sun for why the cheater, fraud, or liar should be excused this one time.
The cop was rude and blunt. Tactful? Probably not. But I’m guessing it cuts to the chase nine times out of ten.
Of course he could just roll on by. WAG, but I am thinking catching handicap parking violators without it being reported is a pretty rare occurrence. I think I could shake that one off in the name of finding out that somebody out there is actually trying to enforce those rules.
Yeah, I’ve seen way too many people cheat/lie & use a handicapped parking space that disabled people really need. I’ve been asked if I’m legit occasionally when taking my dad somewhere (wheelchair rider) in his car. I’ve always been happy to think that a cop is actually prioritizing the issue.
:rolleyes: Whatever. I should know better.
Indeed, someone driving someone else’s car which has one of those placard things in it isn’t going to dismantle the controls, presumably. The hand controls are no more evidence than the placard thing.
Except that does not apply. The OP was asked why he was disabled, not if.
Actually, the OP was asking how he should feel about the cop asking why he was disabled. I say ‘meh’.
Bahhh, given previous history I am reluctant to take any Jamie related encounter as a perfect unbiased recollection of events.
But even then, the “why” can be interpretted to mean "in what manner are you disabled?’ and or “are you actually disabled?” and not “what tragedy occurred to make you disabled?”
I seriously doubt the cop gave a rat’s ass as to the history of events that lead up to the disability. Its pretty damn obvious he just wanted to know if Jamie actually WAS disabled.
So, at best/worst the cop used the wrong word in his search for truth, justice, and the American way. BFD.
I understand that young black men occasionally have this problem. It probably does suck.
Hey Blinkie! Good to see you!
Go wheel yourself off a fucking cliff already. Do the world a favor.