They gave him a GUN?

[NinjaChick]

So, for the first time in my life, I got hassled by a cop today, without ANY cause.

I’m on the train, coming back from some volunteer work in Philadelphia. I’m volunteering in a warehouse for a charity that does lots of foreign aid - sending relief packages to various regions that need them. A lot of what I"m doing is sorting and folding donated clothing. It’s very dusty, etc, bad air quality in said warehouse. I have bad allergies, and forgot my allergy meds today. Thus, after about four hours of being in the warehouse, my eyes were pretty irritated, and my sinuses were all screwy. Then, on the train, someone in that car was wearing way too much cheap cologne, which did NOT help. It was also very crowded, and as I don’t like sharing seats with Strange Public Transportation Folk, I chose to stand by the doors. No problems, other than my own allergies. I’m not bothering anyone.

And then, at the first stop in Camden, a uniformed police officer gets on. He, also, chooses to remain standing, across the vestibule from me. After a moment, I notice he is very carefully watching me. Okay - I doubt he’s sizing me up to tell if I’m a violent wanted criminal, since I’m five feet tall, just over a hundred pounds, and look quite harmless. I decide to do something about this, as it’s making me pretty uncomfortable - so I look him in the eyes. According to the Laws of Public Transportation, this means quite clearly, “I know you’re staring, stop it.”

Officer Pig-Ass speaks. “Have you been smoking pot.”
I’m stunned. Have I entered an alternate dimension in which this is somehow acceptable? “Uh, I’m sorry, what?”
Officer Pig-Ass: “WHy are your eyes all red?”
Me: “I’ve been working in a dusty warehouse for the past four hours. I’ve got bad allergies.” I’m not sure why I even bothered to answer - that gave the wrong impression that I acknowledged his existance as a vaguely-sentient person.
Officer Pig-Ass: “Where?” His tone made it clear that it wasn’t just a curious question.
Ooookay. Since when can I be fucking interogated just because someone has a badge? I respond: “Unless I’m arrested and have a lawyer, I’m not going to talk to you, because, quite honestly, you’re apparently an asshole.”

At this point, the questioning ceased, but he kept. fucking. staring. at. me. We were just pulling into a stop, so I got off the train, and waited for the next one, which took ten fucking minutes.

Oh no! A teenager! Her eyes look red! She must be a horrible baby-killing pothead! Lets harrass her just for kicks! Because I have a fucking badge, so it’s OK! Jesus, do they intentionally find the STUPIDEST, MOST FUCKING RUDE ASSHOLES in the city of Camden and give them a gun and cuffs? Lesson one in How To Function in Polite Society: Don’t walk up to random people and ask if they’re stoned!

And now I really wish that I’d gotten his name so I could lodge a complaint…not that it would do any good, I’m betting they tend to ‘look after their own’. Fuckheads.

[World_Eater]

We’ll you handled yourself well, and you didn’t even need to ninja kick him in the throat.

[Gadfly]

He should be beaten about the head with a comically oversized waffle iron.

[LilyoftheValley]

You go, NinjaChick! I probably would have been so stunned that I just answered him. Congrats on keeping your wits about you.

[fushj00mang]

Jesus, do they intentionally find the STUPIDEST, MOST FUCKING RUDE ASSHOLES in the city of Camden and give them a gun and cuffs? Lesson one in How To Function in Polite Society: Don’t walk up to random people and ask if they’re stoned!

And now I really wish that I’d gotten his name so I could lodge a complaint…not that it would do any good, I’m betting they tend to ‘look after their own’. Fuckheads.

Why do those of us in law enforcement have the ability to be “…the STUPIDEST, MOST FUCKING RUDE ASSHOLES…”? Let me tell you, it’s low pay, long hours, and individuals like you. This guy is doing his job. He sees an individual (you) who is exhibiting at least one sign that the individual may be under the influence of an illegal substance. Red eyes, probably coughing and sniffling, a bit groggy from the allergies? You sound like you looked fucking stoned, so yea, he’s the ‘rude asshole’ for doing what he’s paid to do.

What’s the fucking difference between what this officer asked you and say, this officer pulling over someone because they’re swerving all over the road, or stumbling down a sidewalk? Hmmm?

As far as the crack about ‘us looking after our own,’ well, that’s bullshit too. We take abuse very seriously, as it is a breach of public trust. You’re right, your complaint wouldn’t have gone too far. Not because we ‘look after our own,’ but because he was justified in his questioning.

[Sam_Stone]

Ooh, that question just BEGGED for some smart-ass answers!

“Why are your eyes red?”
“It’s an unfortunate side effect of being one of Satan’s minions.”

“Why are your eyes red?”
“I don’t know. Why are yours so close together?”

“Why are your eyes red?”
“I prefer seeing only in the infra-red.”

[Sam_Stone]

What’s the fucking difference between what this officer asked you and say, this officer pulling over someone because they’re swerving all over the road, or stumbling down a sidewalk? Hmmm?

Uh, because the other people are visibly impaired and/or a risk to others?

Grilling people who are minding their business just because they look suspicious is over the line, if you ask me.

[Reeder]

Continuing in the same vein…

“Why are your eyes red?”
Because they aren’t blue?

“Why are your eyes red?”
Donut withdrawal?

“Why are your eyes red?”
Eyes? I’m blind.

[NinjaChick]

“Why are your eyes red?”
“It’s an unfortunate side effect of being one of Satan’s minions.”

I like.

What’s the fucking difference between what this officer asked you and say, this officer pulling over someone because they’re swerving all over the road, or stumbling down a sidewalk? Hmmm?

Let’s see - swerving all over the road, clearly exhibiting signs of drunkeness = very possible dangers to others. Standing quietly on a train with red eyes and not doing anything wrong = minding your own business. I don’t know, I was under the impression that tax money went to pay people for arresting those who break the law. I was not breaking a law or doing anything wrong. He had no right to question me.

[Scruloose]

…staying up nights stomping to death little kittens will do that to ya.

[Meros]

Was this a regular Camden cop or one of the PATCO guys?

See the reason I’m asking is that it has been in my experience of taking the train from Camden to Philly every day that it must be some kind of hiring criterion for the PATCO cops to be complete and utter assholes. Just about every time I run into one it leads to all of those questions…

Where are you going? Are you on drugs? etc, ad tedium…

Funny part is the only reason anyone would even think i would take part in such…activities is that I have rather long hair for a guy.

fushj00mang, this is in no means a crack aganst officers. May close friends and family members of mine are members of local and state police forces and I have nnothing but the utmost respect for people willing to do such a job. However, these glorified security guards (which is all the people I am speaking of really are) really do have problems with their behaviour towards the patrons of the transit system. So much so that numerous complaints have been filed against them for their harassing behaviour and they receive a bit of general scorn from other officers.

NinjaChick I feel your pain. You did the same thing I always do when I run into one of them and the best thing…Hop off at the next stop and board another train.

[Earl_of_the_CC]

Yes, Fush his work was amazingly productive. Look at that arrest he made.

Let’s pretend you were idiot. It’s a stretch, I know, but let’s do it. If you were an absolute moron, you wouldn’t know that even if she had been carrying marrijuana, there was no way that a look at the eyes of a girl on a train is reasonable cause for a search, and even if it were, any competant lawyer could get the case thrown out on that anyway.

But let’s ignore that too. Let’s pretend you didn’t notice the obvious, that being that the cop gave up his quest for justice very quickly. What does that tell you? He knew he didn’t have a damn leg to stand on. So why was he even bothering to question her?

BECAUSE HE WAS BEING A DICK!
You already know all this though, seeing as how you’re not an idiot.

[Scruloose]

*Originally posted by NinjaChick *
**Let’s see - swerving all over the road, clearly exhibiting signs of drunkeness = very possible dangers to others. Standing quietly on a train with red eyes and not doing anything wrong = minding your own business. I don’t know, I was under the impression that tax money went to pay people for arresting those who break the law. I was not breaking a law or doing anything wrong. He had no right to question me. **

This reminds me of a pretty funny quote from a Dave Barry column:

"My car’s registration had expired. I had not realized this, and as you can imagine I felt like quite the renegade outlaw as one of the officers painstakingly wrote out my ticket, standing well to the side of the road so as to avoid getting hit by the steady stream of passing unlicensed and uninsured motorists driving their stolen cars with their left hands so their right hands would be free to keep their pit bulls from spilling their cocaine all over their machine guns. Not that I am bitter.

[Meros]

ack…damn coding…:smack:

[fushj00mang]

Let’s see - swerving all over the road, clearly exhibiting signs of drunkeness = very possible dangers to others. Standing quietly on a train with red eyes and not doing anything wrong = minding your own business. I don’t know, I was under the impression that tax money went to pay people for arresting those who break the law. I was not breaking a law or doing anything wrong. He had no right to question me.

He had every right to question you. Any officer can and should investigate anything he deems suspicious. If you see a guy wandering around your house at 2am, wouldn’t you want a cop to do something about it? He may be your neighbor, trying to jump the fence to get to his back door, but hey, it’s 2am. WTF is he doing there? Same bit. You had a legitimate reason for your condition, which is why he shut the hell up. Doesn’t mean he wasn’t doing his job.

What does that tell you? He knew he didn’t have a damn leg to stand on. So why was he even bothering to question her?

Again, because it was his freakin’ job. Think about it this way, if he hadn’t asked, and she was stoned (perhaps carrying some too,) wouldn’t that mean that he had been derilict in his duty, especially as he was suspicious as well?

[Bricker]

*Originally posted by NinjaChick *
I was not breaking a law or doing anything wrong. He had no right to question me.

That’s not true, at least in a legal sense. Police officers, just like any citizen, have every right to approach you and initiate a conversation. As long as you are free to disregard their questions and walk away, they’re not doing anything improper.

• Rick

[7_up_yours]

Unless he pulled out his gun and pointed it at your head and demanded that you answered his questions, I don’t see what the big deal is.

[BoBettie]

*Originally posted by Bricker *
**That’s not true, at least in a legal sense. Police officers, just like any citizen, have every right to approach you and initiate a conversation. As long as you are free to disregard their questions and walk away, they’re not doing anything improper.

• Rick **

Is that entirely true, though? If he DID suspect her of drug use and she just ignored him or walked away, could he have stopped her and questioned/searched her?

[Telemark]

*Originally posted by Zette *
**Is that entirely true, though? If he DID suspect her of drug use and she just ignored him or walked away, could he have stopped her and questioned/searched her? **

I assume (and I’m sure I’ll be corrected if wrong) but the officer would need some probable cause to detain a suspect. I don’t think red eyes is enough to detain someone, as there are dozens of reasons to have red eyes.

[hansel]

*Originally posted by fushj00mang *
**He had every right to question you. Any officer can and should investigate anything he deems suspicious.

*Originally posted by fushj00mang *
Red eyes, probably coughing and sniffling, a bit groggy from the allergies? You sound like you looked fucking stoned,

**

There was nothing at all suspicious there. If I’d seen here, I’d have assumed she had the flu, or bad allergies. Harassing someone who is most probably, by appearances, ill, is not “investigating suspicious activity”, it’s being a dick.

fushj00mang, I’ll be the first to agree that cops receive a lot of unwarranted abuse just for doing their (generally difficult) jobs. That doesn’t mean that an overzealous supercop looking to turn a boring train ride into The French Connection (and incidentally embarassing someone very publicly) is doing a good job. Your reaction here is part of the reason why people think that there’s a “blue wall of silence”.