# "Known To Police" and other ways you DON'T want to be described **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 17, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293 "2009-02-17T17:37:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/121 "2009-02-22T05:00:17Z")
Suspect. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/122 "2009-02-22T05:18:09Z")
computer repair technicians turned his hard drive over to the police and following a report from the photo developing store mother of twelve councilling services are being offered to the survivours ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/123 "2009-02-22T08:21:18Z")
dear New York Post while it is true I play a mage in my warhammer roleplaying group, but referring to me as “Imperial grand Wizard” in your fine paper would cause me severe inconvenience at my job at a local video store in Harlem ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/124 "2009-02-22T08:23:11Z")
also hapless accomplice innocent bystander and local expert on Victorian Pornography ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/125 "2009-02-22T08:25:33Z")
> [@willthekittensurvive](#): > > dear New York Post > > while it is true I play a mage in my warhammer roleplaying group, but referring to me as “Imperial grand Wizard” in your fine paper would cause me severe inconvenience at my job at a local video store in Harlem Is this an actual occurrence? :eek: Even if it wasn’t, it made me laugh out loud. 😃 Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/126 "2009-02-22T09:23:50Z")
> [@Scissorjack](#): > > Y’know, I was waiting for this one. As someone who _has_ a history of mental illness, I question why it’s any more of a pejorative term than “a history of diabetes”, other than because of popular media stereotypes of mental illness as somehow evil, criminal or degenerate. But- the only time it’s used to publicly describe a person is usually when that person has committed some kind of crime that was noteworthy enough to make the news… I think of it like this- there’s nothing wrong with masturbating, but I wouldn’t want to be publicly earmarked as a masturbater. ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/127 "2009-02-22T09:44:22Z")
> [@Bootis](#): > > But- the only time it’s used to publicly describe a person is usually when that person has committed some kind of crime that was noteworthy enough to make the news… > > I think of it like this- there’s nothing wrong with masturbating, but I wouldn’t want to be publicly earmarked as a masturbater. or a notorious user of public toilets ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/128 "2009-02-22T17:48:58Z")
“Called before congress.” ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/129 "2009-02-22T17:54:26Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > “Called before congress.” Good one!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/130 "2009-02-22T19:39:12Z")
> [@Bootis](#): > > But- the only time it’s used to publicly describe a person is usually when that person has committed some kind of crime that was noteworthy enough to make the news… **Creaky** was kind enough to send me a long PM clarifying his position, to which I’m still pondering an equally nuanced reply, but my point is that if the mental illness isn’t relevant to the crime, which it generally isn’t, than it’s not relevant to the story, and only serves to reinforce in many people’s minds a largely spurious association between the illness and the behaviour: “Scissorjack, who has a history of mental illness, was stopped and cautioned for excceding the speed limit.” ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/131 "2009-02-22T20:21:18Z")
> [@Creaky](#): > > Good one!! 😃 Thank you. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/132 "2009-02-22T22:22:27Z")
\ brings shame to our hometown \ was denied entry into the Uk Pope Benedict XVI recently reinstated \into the catholic church ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/133 "2009-02-22T22:36:12Z")
by court mandate not allowed to come within a 5 mile radius of any elementry school, kindergarten or chickenfarm and while the details of the setlement are not known: parties close to \ reported to the press it included a experimental genital restraining device yes, i spend a lot of time worrying about my name in the paper ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/134 "2009-02-22T23:30:23Z")
Speaking through his lawyer… ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/135 "2009-02-23T06:17:33Z")
How about: perennial presidential candidate ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/136 "2009-02-23T07:45:19Z")
“White Power advocate” “Professional rabblerouser” “confessed” “exorcised” ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/137 "2009-02-23T08:02:36Z")
his funeral was\*\*not \*\*picketed by Fred Phelps ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/138 "2009-02-23T08:14:41Z")
…crony of George W. Bush… …acquitted pedophile… …had a bit part in porn movie… …Jeffery Dahmer’s roommate… …Roseanne Barr’s ex-husband… (…actually, all of the above would make for a very funny resume, assuming you wanted to continue getting unemployment…) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/139 "2009-02-23T08:41:03Z")
“…before turning the gun on himself…” ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293/140 "2009-02-23T14:21:40Z")
“…survived by his wife Hilary…” Regards, Shodan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/known-to-police-and-other-ways-you-dont-want-to-be-described/486293.md?page=8)