I Pit Burbank, California Cops!

The BBQ Pit
#1

From the “Moronic Cops” thread started by Stan Shmenge, I noticed that most of the pitters were unsympathetic, understandably because they have never experienced the audacity of Burbank CA cop behavior. Believe me, it is a different, different world of cops and law enforcement.

Stan’s other rant on Burbank Cops, here,
brought up all kinds of angry memories from my dealings with Burbank Cops.

I am SURE there are others out there to share a similar story.
Please share and read mine below too.

Here’s my first Burbank cop story:
After a shouting match with a former employer in Burbank, CA, Police came, spent over 90 minutes trying to figure out where the shouting came from. (Apparently, a person new to this country called saying they thought “a terroristic threat” was happening in our building. Those were the words used on the report.) Finally, they came to my office, I explained that the argument was over.

They asked me to step outside. I explained that the argument was over again. It’s just business. They told me that when I initially left the building during the argument, I had broken an exit door. I explained that door was broken for some time. They told me to take a walk and cool down, seeing that I was “acting anxious.” Well, I actually WANTED to get back to work.

I took a walk, about ten minutes and turned back to the office. One of the cops pulls up in his car, lights on. He slowly explains to me that due to the door damage, and due to my excitement, they wanted me to talk to a doctor for “just a few minutes”, or charge me with vandalism. I explained that vandalism is premeditated, so that’s not a possibility. The cop cuffed me.

We picked up his partner (female) and drove me all the way to Sylmar, CA to Olive View Medical Center. On the way, the female officer kept asking about suicide. I told her, “I’m planning to live to be 110, so no I won’t commit suicide.”

I should have stopped there. But, dumb me had to add, “Suicide shouldn’t be considered a crime.” That’s all they needed. When we arrived at the hospital, they filled out the paperwork, took me to a room filled with attempted suiciders, meth-heads, HIV-ridden people and explained that I was on a suicide watch. I freaked!!!

I demanded to know how they came to this conclusion. The female officer wrote in her report, “During my conversation with the alleged perp, he told me 'there’s nothing wrong with suicide.”

She lied. Now, to recap, it took them 90 minutes in a two-story office building to locate me, a complaint from a foreigner (NOT a citizen) whose English was quite bad, and a broken door. They were against the wall.

I was shipped off to Gateway Hospital for four days (five total incarcerated in hospitals) until the Gateway staff had “observed” me enough to determine that I was not suicidal. My in-hospital hearing came, and I was released. The judge at the hospital was very confused as to how I was deemed suicidal. I related the above story to her.
She said, “Yeah, they’ll do that in Burbank.” !!! (Then why the fuck did it take five days to release me?)

Hold on, not done yet. I get home, of course, I’m fired (good riddance) and I open my mail. Remember when the cops gave me the choice between vandalism or doctor?
The hospital told me I could not be charged, but in the mail, I’ve got a subpoena from the Prosecutor of Burbank, CA, CHARGING ME WITH VANDALISM!

I had to get a lawyer. LA county prosecutors told me they couldn’t do that, but Burbank has its own way.

Gateway Hospital will be another rant showing how mental health care in the US is absolute bullshit, but as far as the cops in Burbank go, shut your mouth, let them take you in if necessary, and ask for a lawyer. No statements EVER!

#2

Also, to Stan, what video lab do you (or did you) work for?

I’ve got a resume… (sung) :slight_smile:

#3

So why couldn’t you post in one of those threads? Why open a third thread?

#4

Dude, when are you going to get to the part where anyone but you acted unreasonably?

#5

Don’t hold your breath…

#6

I can’t believe this. Please read again. You have two Keystone cops milking an issue already resolved, telling doctors I think “there’s nothing wrong with suicide” which I did not say. But their actions have to be justified, so the doctors, according to CA state law HAVE to put a 72-hour hold on a potentially suicidal civilian.

I was told, either talk to a doctor for a few minutes or be charged with vandalism
and get a criminal record. The suicide questions came after I agreed to talk to the doctor.

The judge at my hospital release hearing told me I won’t be charged with vandalism, I get released from hospital and in the mail is a subpoena from the Burbank Prosecutor charging me with vandalism.

I had to incur the costs of an attorney, spend three months waiting for the outcome.

#7

The first thread focused on Moronic Cops in general. This thread is about Burbank cops, hence “I Pit Burbank, California Cops.”

Plus, the other stories Stan shared about moronic Burbank cops was old and, I think, closed.

Here’s my second story:

I left Gitana Bar around closing in 2000.
I had just moved to Burbank less than a year ago, so I didn’t really expect this:

Cop asks me to come with him. I’m walking, a little buzzed, not much, and I ask why.
Cop puts his hand on his holstered gun and yells, “You want me to force you?”
I approach and he asks me to stand on the corner of San Fernando and Olive with two other guys. One’s tall and black, one is about 5’2" and Hispanic, and me, 5’7" white.

Soon, other young men are waiting with us, all different varieties.
It was winter, so it was very breezy and about 38 degrees, but I was sans jacket.

90 minutes go by, then 100, then 110. There are two cops waiting with us while others go and search for more. I’m getting WAY angry now. As I’m about to complain, I’m told I can leave. I start to walk, another cop says, “wait, we may need information from him.” I said, “Officer, what, in the name of what is going on?”

He explained that an Armenian young man reported being attacked by two men of two different races. He asked where I was, and the guy got attacked far away from where I was-- didn’t even know where the street was. He started to walk away, but I jumped, “Officer, what were these two races?” He said, could’ve been black and/or Hispanic. I said, “You have my number.”, and walked my white ass home.

Dumb fucks.

#8

Nevermind

#9

And heeeeere’s another one from my friend Billy. His dad was a Burbank cop for over 15 years. Now, some of you may think its nice that a small town gives no special treatment to family members of Burbank cops, but maybe not:

Billy’s in his dark blue Chevy pickup with his girlfriend, gets pulled over and is told to exit the vehicle at gunpoint. He and his girlfriend comply. They are cuffed and held on the side of their pickup.

Billy explains that his dad is a Burbank police officer, not on duty at the time, he was on vacation. He wanted to know why the cuffs and why the guns?

There was a report of a possible rape. Perp fled the scene in a dark Ford Explorer.
Ford Fucking Explorer??? Billy laughed. He said, “This is a pickup.And it’s a Chevy.”
Cop says, “The alleged victim could be mistaken.”

They stood in cuffs at their location for about two hours until let go.

Billy’s dad returned and got the details. There was really no rape. Over 11 vehicles were pulled over in that time frame and held in the same fashion as Billy and his girlfriend. None were Ford Explorers.

If you can even think this is good police work, then you won’t mind being detained outside your car, even though your description doesn’t match the given description.

Much like my second story where my body type and skin color didn’t match the description of the attackers.

#10

Maybe my brain no worky today, but assuming the op’s tail is true could you kindly point to the part where he acted unreasonably?

#11

The argument ended about two hours before the police showed up.

The door I was accused of breaking was already broken. I know THEY didn’t know that,
but others in the building agreed with this. I was told I could STILL be charged with vandalism, even though it is a premeditated crime.

I was held beyond the 72-hour hold due to the words that cop-bitch wrote,
“there is nothing wrong with suicide.” I never said that to any doctor, officer, nobody.

I was told I had a choice between doctor or jail, I chose doctor AFTER being told I won’t be charged for anything criminal INCLUDING vandalism.

The hearing judge at the hospital admitted that Burbank does things their own way.
She also apologized to me for being unnecessarily taken from my work and home over a non-suicidal issue.

And when I get home, I’m still charged with vandalism, the officer’s report was turned in for charges.

Is that enough, guys? The cop had to cover her ass after others in our office building affirmed that the door was already broken. After relaying my story of my office argument to a doctor, I would’ve been released,
but the only thing keeping me there was the officer’s report stating I said, “there’s nothing wrong with suicide.” A lie cost me time, money, and justice, IMHO.

I think you can only disagree if you KNOW Burbank and lived there too.

#12

Yep, cops never act unreasonably. NEVER. :rolleyes:

#13

Were you one of those involved in the shouting match? Did they literally pick you out of the blue?

#14

Are you really that fucking stupid or just pretending? I never said cops never act unreasonably. I was just pointing out that the OP sounds like a loon. I mean shouting so loud in a work place that the cops are called. Then focusing on the fact that the person who called was a foreigner. Then 90 minutes later having to take a ten minute walk to cool down. Then engage in a conversation about the merits of suicide instead of just saying no I am not going to hurt myself. And if he was acting reasonably why the hell would they ask him that question to begin with?For fuck sake the cops weren’t there, all they know is somebody was really excited and are told a door was broken then have to deal with some anxious dude. What are they supposed to do? Take his word that the door was already broken? They took a complaint and cited him to appear. The person he should be mad at, besides himself, is whoever lied and told the cops he broke the door. If in fact they were lying.

#15

Well no shit you didn’t say that, but what you did do was insinuate that the OP was the unreasonable one, while the cops were not. Even if the OP was unreasonable, two wrongs don’t make a right. What cop cuffs you and takes you to a hospital due to a screaming match with your employer? The OP can be all the idiot he wants to be, but if the actions of the cops were true, that isn’t right either.

#16

The OP never explicitly said who was shouting. It’s interesting that there’s no denial, but also the suggestion that the cops had no reason at all to be questioning him. Plus if the OP thinks it is “just business” that there was a shouting match at all in the workplace, let alone one that frightens someone enough to call the cops, the OP must have a very strange work history. In my 30 years of working, I’ve never seen such an event in my workplaces.

#17

How is it loony? The foreign person who called the police said he thought is sounded “like a terroristic attack.” In the report. I was fine 90 minutes later, until the late cops showed up, distracting me from my work. The cops TOLD ME to take a walk. While I was gone, they saw a door slightly off its hinges and immediately think I did that.

"Then engage in a conversation about the merits of suicide instead of just saying no I am not going to hurt myself. And if he was acting reasonably why the hell would they ask him that question to begin with?" - Yes, why the hell would they?
Because they were fucking losing it. They had no idea where to find me, the complainant, it’s only an office building with about 40 offices, they were behind schedule. Please read again, they told me it’s jail for vandalism, or talk to a doctor for a few minutes. I chose doctor. That set them up to ask why a doctor? Why a doctor?
Are you suicidal? Are you? Are you sure? Your behavior might be a cry for a suicidal person etc. I DO blame myself for talking in the first place.

“For fuck sake the cops weren’t there, all they know is somebody was really excited and are told a door was broken then have to deal with some anxious dude. What are they supposed to do?” Please read again, they WERE NOT TOLD A DOOR WAS BROKEN! They saw the door when they were leaving, assumed it was me. I don’t think the foreigner who reported this said I was some “anxious dude.” When the cops finally arrived at my office, they were asking about any employees who may have been shouting. Didn’t specify a male or female.

The person I should be mad at and AM STILL VERY FUCKING MAD AT is the bitch cop who purposely lied to get me held for minimum of 72 hours.

Remember that the judge in the hospital who arranged my release APOLOGIZED that I was brought to a hospital for a non-suicidal incident.

Also, they did not simply take a complaint and cite me to be in court. They said, talk to a doctor for a few minutes and you won’t be charged or appear in court.
Instead, they fooled me, took me away from work, house and home on a lie they made up.

#18

THANK YOU! Lawyers, LA cops, others who’ve had experiences in Burbank CA all say,
“They fucked you, dude.” I will admit I was loud enough to scare a fellow office mate in calling the police (not from MY office, but down the hall, same floor) and I was dumb enough to engage in conversation with the police, but everyone else involved, especially the bitch who wrote “perp thinks there’s nothing wrong with suicide” put me through the wringer. If that statement wasn’t on there, there would be no other possible complaint except disturbing the peace, but not at ten in the morning.
I made no threats during the argument.

I am really, REALLY surprised that us intellects have so much support for the police, who, by the way out here in CA, are notorious for only earning a GED before hitting the academy and picking up a gun.

Isn’t there anyone out there besides Stan (whose story about his dead friend was absolutely positively true) who knows this is how cops act, especially in Burbank?

I should also mention, when gas prices were high, they drove me over 20 miles to Sylmar to Olive View hospital. How smart is that?

#19

No, I don’t think it’s just business, that’s what I told the cops to get them out of there.
Didn’t work, obviously.

In a way, though, it IS just business, in post-production.
Welcome to my world. Let me work in your office. If there’s no events that require shouting, I’m in.

#20

That’s where I’m having a little trouble.