No, it’s not.
You need to be forceful with them. Perhaps brandish a firearm so that they know you mean business.
True, but that doesn’t mean that the police cannot make your life extremely annoying for a while. He is in his car, that means he is required to show a license, insurance and registration. He can be patted down. If anything in his car looks suspicious enough (probable cause) they can lock him in the back of the cruiser while rifling through his belongings. If he refuses a search, they can sit him on the sidewalk for an hour or two until a search warrant arrives, if a warrant is required.
Granted, they can’t necessarily arrest you, and their choice of actions are limited, but even within those limitations your day can be ruined.
Our OP’s best bet is to avoid doing suspicious things. If you can park your car and go inside, park and go inside. If you have 10 minutes to wait, or calls to make, stop at dunkin donuts. You can’t do innocent things that appear suspicious and expect the police to leave you alone. Another option is to get cozy with the beat cops, be talkative let them know you’re a regular at that spot, they can expect to see you there a couple of nights a week, that sort of thing.
Andrew:
First of all, FYI, there is an edit button for correcting harmless misspellings now.
I never suggested we live in a police state, and the ACLU page you linked to restates everything I said. Just because we don’t live in a police state doesn’t mean the police need to explain their reasons for investigating what is obviously a suspicious situation in their eyes.
Cheesesteak was right on in his post, although becoming buddies with the cops is probably going a bit far, unless the OP is really interested in that kind of thing. Judging from the way he talks about them though, I’d say he isn’t. 
Just because we don’t live in a police state doesn’t mean you can expect to be obstinate with police about “your rights” and get off without a hassle. I said the onus is on the OP because he’s in the situation and whether he likes it or not, the path of least resistance is his choice to make if he wants the authorities to leave him be. The path of most resistance will only get him into more trouble.
It is not a treatment plant for municipal water. It is for softener tanks our company rents and exchange in customers homes. People choose these over a regular self regenerating water softener for different reasons.
I am on private property sitting in my car. If I was driving it it might be a different story. From my understanding I don’t have to even have a license to do this, much less hand it out to any officer that feels like running it. Last I checked being in the parking lot of a place I work at is not illegal. They could sit and wait till I did something that might be considered a crime before harassing me. Like watch me go to the door unlock it with keys I have and disable the alarm I have codes for.
The reason I don’t go inside is we turn the heat down at night. The offices are kept around 55 and the plant is kept at 45. Sometimes I’ll go inside turn the heat up and hang out in my car till it warms up inside. My car(even when I’ve turned it off already) is a more comfy place to hang out.
I can’t seem to stop laughing at this.
Quit offering “Synchronicity” for download on WinMX…
I was thinking that he should make himself less obvious. Perhaps by skulking in the shadows while wearing a ski mask. The cops can’t hassle those they can’t see.
“Few people understand the psychology of dealing with a highway traffic cop. Your normal speeder will panic and immediately pull over to the side. This is wrong. It arouses contempt in the cop-heart. Make the bastard chase you. He will follow.” - Hunter S. Thompson
I know and understand the reasoning behind this. It just saddens me incredibly. The police are supposed to be the good guys. You’re supposed to be able to approach them, without them suspecting you of brandishing a weapon or trying to steal something. Now they’re the bad guys and everyone they pull over is a suspect. I was under the impression that we were all innocent until proven guilty, but I guess not.
I’m only 22 but I remember that my town used to have some beat cops - as in, they actually walked a beat. Man, they were the coolest. I was totally bummed when they phased them out. Everyone in my neighborhood could talk to one of them if there was an issue and they’d get it taken care of. They were the good guys.
~Tasha
OK, but it’s the middle of the freaking night and although you know who you are and what you’re doing, they don’t, and are just doing their jobs.
People have already offered sound advice in this thread. You need to get over yourself, let the station know what’s up, and you should be fine. I really doubt they will continue to “harass” you after that. A little bit of friendliness can go a long way. Hell, one night someone could follow you there and mug/rape you. Then you would need their help, imagine that.
Talk to the police chief, let him know the situation and give htem hell each and every time they approach your car. It sounds like there might be a part of the story that’s missing, and it’s not on your end. Once or twice, I can see. If this is a common ocurrence, tell the cop that this happens to you a lot, and you’d appreciate it if they took a picture and circulated it around so they know you and know that you’re going to be there…you know…if it’s that big of a hassle to have you at your workplace in your car.
How suspicious do you and your car look?
I may be wrong but I don’t think that function works for guests.
Plenty of people approach me all the time, both when I am in a car and when I am not. Everyone should feel free to walk up to an officer and ask questions. When someone says “never approach the police car” it means when you are being pulled over or if it is a situation like in the OP. Someone getting out of the car in that case makes me think he doesn’t want me to see what or who is in the car or he is trying to get a mobility advantage over me while I’m stuck in my car. I don’t prone out everyone who walks up to me and asks me for directions.
If he has an articulable suspicion then he has every right to ask for your identity and some way to verify it. What you can and can’t do in a vehicle on private property varies from state to state and is not relevent in this case. Most people would prefer the police to prevent crime rather than wait for it to happen. I guess you are in the minority. I have checked on many people in this situation. Most of the time it is something innocent like getting to work early and catching a nap. Sometimes it is a couple engaged in certain activities, which can be pretty scary depending on who it is. Sometimes it is a drunk driver, a burglar or someone doing drugs in a secluded spot. I have never had anyone who was there for a legitimate reason complain about harassment . All of them have been greatful that we are checking their businesses at all hours of the night.
Of course once or twice you can see but THREE TIMES! Holy shit! C’mon three officers at three different times see a vehicle in what normally is an empty lot in the middle of the night, occupied. That is suspicious. It is out of the ordinary. They are trained to know there districts. To know what is usual. To know which business are closed and which have workers at night. They get to know when the cleaning crews show up and leave. If there is something out of the ordinary they check it out. If the OP is there every night then he will become part of the routine. If he is there at night once a month he won’t be. That is what the town is paying them for. Otherwise they would stay at the station and be dispatched like firemen after a crime occurs. Usually the complaint is about lazy cops who don’t do their jobs. These guys seem to be doing the right thing and are getting shit from the OP. It is not harassment.
Do not talk to the police. If they decide you are a trouble maker they will make your life hell. Just get used to the police state and keep your mouth shut.
The next time it happens, you could ask the officer if there was something in particular that looked suspicious. Maybe there is something you don’t realize you are doing, like parking in the shadows or close to the door instead of in a marked space?
In the latter two incidents (and most especially the third), it sounds like the OP was made to wait for some time while the officers checked his license. Does a license check really take more than one or two minutes? I can understand his thinking they’re harassing him when it appears they’re going out of their way to drag out the process and make it physically uncomfortable for him. Is there a legitimate reason for their doing so?
:rolleyes:
I stopped by the police station and gave them my plate number and a brief description of myself. They told me they would let the overnight officers know.
At the point where the third officer treated me like a criminal even after she had confirmed my identity and reason for being there it is harassment in my opinion. I appreciate them noticing something out of place(I’m not sure why they still consider me out of place, maybe they changed shifts around or something)
Speaking with my lawyer the police may ask for a license but I am not required to comply with the request.
My car is a 2000 white Malibu. I’m can’t think of any vehicle less suspicious. I am 6’1" short blondish hair.
What vehicle is more suspicious?