# "Hey, you stupid cop, get the hell out of my yard!"
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-stupid-cop-get-the-hell-out-of-my-yard/200804
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [September 10, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-stupid-cop-get-the-hell-out-of-my-yard/200804 "2003-09-10T18:00:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 4
### Author:  [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-stupid-cop-get-the-hell-out-of-my-yard/200804/61 "2003-09-17T23:13:02Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by pkbites \*
> \*\*š Huh? Both are still alive and well. Almost 20% of my arrests/citations are for DC. Why would you think disorderly conduct was not longer a violation? Itās a class B misdemeanor.
>
> Vagrancy is still a crime too. Itās a Class C Misdemeanor here. Not enforced enough, if you ask me. \*\*
I guess Iām just spoiled living here in this nest of liberalism.
On DC, I was being a wiseass, 'cause I know how much cops love that one little law.
But I _was_ under the impression that vagrancy laws had been shot down on Constitutional grounds. Equal Rights and something else. I dunno, I may do some research. There was some extreme abuse of old vagrancy laws, esp in the south, if I recall correctly. Five bucks in your pocket and proof of address?
Forget it. Iāll start another thread if I canāt find the answer I want.
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### Author:  [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2003, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-stupid-cop-get-the-hell-out-of-my-yard/200804/62 "2003-09-18T12:23:47Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by ltfire \*
> \*\*Man, where do you frigginā word and spelling nazis come from, anyway? Canāt a thread go itās merry way without someone who has nothing to say about the thread, come creeping in here and add a holier than thou wiseass crack?
> Rant over. \*\*
Nope.
( Shit, I couldn`t find anything grammatically incorrect with your post either.)
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### Author:  [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2003, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-stupid-cop-get-the-hell-out-of-my-yard/200804/63 "2003-09-18T12:31:08Z")
[Vagrancy.](http://www.bartleby.com/65/va/vagrancy.html)
[Due process.](http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_duep.html)
It appears as though they can still be applied (vagrancy laws).
The SC has had trouble dealing with this, it appears.
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### Author:  [@Sarcastro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarcastro)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-stupid-cop-get-the-hell-out-of-my-yard/200804/64 "2003-09-18T17:52:52Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Bricker \*
> **_Welsh_ clarifies that exigent circumstances can includes serious crimes, but nowhere explicitly limits āserious crimesā to felonies.**
Fine, but look up āfelonyā in a law dictionary, and youāll find something like this (bolding is mine) : \*n. 1) a crime sufficiently **serious** to be punishable by death or a term in state or federal prison, as distinguished from a misdemeanor which is only punishable by confinement to county or local jail and/or a fine. \*
So while the decision did not explicitly state that it must be a crime currently on the books as a āfelony,ā likely because they didnāt want the precedent they were setting to be too inflexible, it seems pretty clear that by using the phrase āserious crimesā they were setting a high standard for the justification of the home entry. Which, although Iām not a lawyer, I would read as a pretty clear warning to prosecutors and police that they would not be allowed a blank check for pursuit.
Youāre right, the explicit limit isnāt there, but the implicit one is pretty clear.
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### Author:  [@Sarcastro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarcastro)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2003, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-stupid-cop-get-the-hell-out-of-my-yard/200804/65 "2003-09-18T17:54:02Z")
That cite, by the way, was taken from [dictionary.law.com](http://dictionary.law.com), in case it matters.
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### Author:  [@RogueRacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueRacer)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-stupid-cop-get-the-hell-out-of-my-yard/200804/66 "2003-09-18T19:16:15Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by ltfire \*
> Man, where do you frigginā word and spelling nazis come from, anyway? Canāt a thread go **itās** merry way without someone who has nothing to say about the thread, come creeping in here and add a holier than thou wiseass crack?
> Rant over.
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by whuckfistle \*
> \*\*Nope.
> ( Shit, I couldn`t find anything grammatically incorrect with your post either.) \*\*
Actually, **itās** is a contraction of **it is**. The possesive form of **it** is **its**. There you go! š
Btw, this is just in fun. I could do without the spelling nazis too.
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### Author:  [@RufusLeaking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RufusLeaking)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2003, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-stupid-cop-get-the-hell-out-of-my-yard/200804/67 "2003-09-18T20:14:35Z")
Just wondering, did you totally blow through the stop sign or did you do a \ stop. Someday, when I have nothing better to do, Iām going to stand near a stop sign and, over an hourās time, count how many people actually come to a full complete stop when there is no need to. I donāt think Iāve ever seen anyone come to a complete stop at a stop sign when the way was clear to proceed. Personally, I donāt see anything wrong with creeping through a stop sign. But I could see that it would be hard to define how fast one could do this. If I got such a ticket Iād be tempted to fight it in traffic court.
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### Author:  [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2003, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-stupid-cop-get-the-hell-out-of-my-yard/200804/68 "2003-09-19T05:00:07Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Monty \*
> \*\*Well, j66, your mastering of the obvious here is to point out what exactly, other than to restate what I posted? \*\*
YOUR post came immediately after the:
āI and another officer ā¦ā correction, but you refered to the reflexive pronoun rule and NOT the person order rule.
So, actually, I was not restating your grammatical correction, which I assumed was intended as a humorous aside.
I guess I was wrong ā¦
Iām going to go hand out with RogueRacer and whuckfistle, and pick on Itfire.
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### Author:  [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-stupid-cop-get-the-hell-out-of-my-yard/200804/69 "2003-09-19T21:00:38Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by j66 \*
> \*\*YOUR post came immediately after the:
>
> āI and another officer ā¦ā correction, but you refered to the reflexive pronoun rule and NOT the person order rule.
>
> So, actually, I was not restating your grammatical correction, which I assumed was intended as a humorous aside.
>
> I guess I was wrong ā¦
>
> Iām going to go hand out with RogueRacer and whuckfistle, and pick on Itfire. \*\*
If youāre gonna HAND out, donāt pick on me.š
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### Author:  [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2003, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-stupid-cop-get-the-hell-out-of-my-yard/200804/70 "2003-09-19T21:39:37Z")
So what if you had pulled up into your garage, then closed the garage door? Could the policeman follow you into the garage; stop the garage from closing; or hi opal?
If you made it into the garage, leaving the police outside, could he then demand you let him in the house? Is he limited to mailing you the ticket? What if it happened so fast he didnāt even get your license plate ā could he write up a ticket for a vehicle registered at that address? How would he know for sure who was driving?
Needless to say, this concept puzzles me. I havenāt had so many questions since I was 3!
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