First off, let me start by saying that I have ultimate respect for police officers. They have a very thankless job, and it is one that I sure as hell wouldn’t want.
But…
This fucking piece of work that arrested me Monday night really got under my skin. I had NEVER been to jail before. Hell, I am 29 and did a LOT of things when I was younger that I fully deserved to go to jail for and I had never even seen the inside of a police car. I was even respectful and courteous to Officer Regas (the arresting officer) Monday night. But it really pissed me off when after he had the cuffs on me he asked me if I had any weapons on me. I replied that, No, I did not have any weapons on me. So he reaches into my pocket and pulls my keys out. On my keyring I have one of those small swiss army knives, that can barely clean under my finger nails on a good day. He held my keyring up so close to my face that he was touching my nose and SCREAMED at me that I could draw another charge for carrying a concealed weapon.
What I wanted to say was, “Listen here jackass, I know for a fact that you won’t try to throw another charge on me for my fucking keyring because the god damn judge would laugh that shit out of court. So, go grow a dick and suck it and get the fuck out of my face. Just take me to the fucking holding cell where I can get out in less than 3 hours. I won’t even be in lock-up long enough to make me jones for a fucking smoke. So either start licking the back of my balls or do your mother fucking job and take me in.”
What I said, “I’m sorry sir, I didn’t remember the small knife on my keys.” I figured that he is disrespected enough by little teeny boppin hoodlum fuckers on a daily basis, that I would continue to treat him respectfully. I can only assume that he thought I would be scared, but I wasn’t. I knew I didn’t have a serious charge on me in the first place. I mean hell it was a fucking no insurace ticket from over 4 years ago that I had forgotten about.
So to Michael Regas I want to say, you lick the sweat off a dead man’s balls. You are a cum spot on the tooth of life. I used to have a dog just fucking like you. It was the most worthless fucking animal I had ever seen. He would shit and piss in his own fucking food and then turn around and eat it. Worthless fucking animal!!!
But to Officer Regas I want to say, Thanks for doing the job I sure as hell wouldn’t want. Even though it included taking me to jail (which I fully admit I deserved since I was the one who forgot about the original ticket). Just next time try to treat the “criminal” with as much respect as they are showing you.
Before reading your post I was prepared to scream at you for not taking responsibility for something really jerky that you had done. Instead, you have posted a perfectly reasonable protest more delicately worded than the officer deserves.
I’m glad you restrained yourself on the scene. It’s that kind of bully that gives cops a bad name.
Great OP, Greathouse. Very tactful and magnanimous.
You did the right thing. I follow the same philosophy. I’d like to think it’s part of the reason I’ve never been involved in a punch up in all my life. I always try to show respect and smile a warm smile etc.
Unfortunately, I suspect Officer Regas is one jaded motherfucker.
As a dear friend of mine once noted (he comes from a long line of well known lawyers round my parts) “The problem with a lot of Police is that basically, they assume you’re guilty until proven innocent.”
And he’s right too, isn’t he? And the worst part about becoming so cynical is surely what happens to you on the personal front. I suspect you’d end up being a very cynical man, not trusting your wife or kids too much etc etc. You’d always assume the worst in people as averse to the best I rather think.
I’d like to think that maybe the officer was simply having a bad night and that he is not such a dick to everyone, but I have my doubts.
And one other thing…
Not that I EVER recommend going to jail, but if you like to people watch then there is no better place. Those guys were cracking me up the whole time I was in there.
Welcome to America! Where insurance companies can persuade the government that their citizens must buy their product to be lawful, and where police can (and do) put honest taxpayers in the slammer for things like finger nail clippers.
Americans are losing their freedoms. This is a small story of a much bigger picture.
But you see, I was not an honest taxpayer. I was in fact a criminal that knowingly broke the law and then neglected to pay the fine imposed upon me. That is why I went to jail. If I didn’t have an outstanding warrant then I would not have gone to jail. The small knife on my keyring was simply a way the officer thought that he could intimidate me. Well, he failed miserablly.
I don’t think cops are “out to get” people generally. I have always had a rather hard view on the legal system. I think that people get to walk away from way to many things, and I think that the sentences for crimes should be much harsher. And just because I spent a few hours in lock-up I am not going to change my view. I broke the law and deserved to go to jail, but I didn’t deserve the attitude that this officer felt the need to throw my way.
Oh I hear what you’re saying. I once slept a night in a jail cell - but I wasn’t locked up. I just needed somewhere to sleep and I’d been out on the town with an old school buddy who happened to be the Station Seargeant. So he gave me a cell to have a nap in but I was free to walk out and about any time I wanted.
Funny stuff. If only because I could walk around and have a chat to the other cellmates. That really bugged 'em.
I’m pretty sure that Officer Regas could NOT get you on a concealed weapons charge from the way you describe the knife; I used to carry my less that two inch blade into a criminal court house regularly (though they measured the blade every time).
I am so proud of your restraint.
And you made him look an even bigger fool.
But as someone who has been the victim in three traffic accidents, I think you deserved him for driving without insurance.
Oh, yeah, enforcing the laws of this country so that murderers, thieves and other assorted criminals don’t wander around freely is JUST EXACTLY LIKE people calling to sell you crap while you eat dinner. :rolleyes:
You may wish to file a report with the constable’s commanding officer. Rectal cavities who abuse their positions of authority breed a distinct disrespect for law enforcement. A good police captain will be rather concerned about this.
You are absolutely correct that Mr. Regas went way too far and should have treated you with as much respect as you treated him. I just want to pipe up that a majority of officers I know, the single most important thing in the world to them is to make it home alive after their shift. One thing that makes that hard to do is weapons. They tend to take weapons, even piddling little pocket knives, very seriously.
Well, if little pocket knives were so damn dangerous then the damn KEYS should have been taken anyways. My car key (2 inches long) could do plenty of damage used correctly.
Police officers like this guy are the reason why most of us dislike police officiers. I would write a nice letter to his CO and hope something happens to this guy. Just having the letter of complaint in his file might help later if he goes ape with another arrest.
This can be a risk. After being stopped by police once, and asking for their badge numbers (after they spent literally an hour questioning me and searching my car - for a broken license plate light), I made an informal complaint to the desk sargeant. Over the next two years, I was stopped 25 times in that town, all by undercover cops (same as the two I complained about). In a place with over a hundred thousand residents, I find it hard to believe all those stops were simply random when they were all minor offences.
I still don’t see how it was funny… even though I can see how it could be a joke, being a joke and being amusing are two completely different things.
Sorry… I’m losing my ability to differentiate between genuinely stupid people and people who are just pretending to be idiots in order to be funny. Too much time at work. :smack:
