Say the next time I travel to Jamaica and I decide that the best way to stop the random drug peddler from harassing me (anyone who’s been there knows it can be relentless) is to whip out an official looking badge and proclaim to the bothersome person that I happen to be a poice officer back home and that they would be better off finding another target.
Coud I get in trouble for doing that if I got caught by a Jamaican cop (what if it was a local undercover that was trying to sell me drugs).
What if I didn’t use a fake badge but merely said that I was a cop back home?
(for aiport security reasons I could mail myself the badge to the hotel I was staying at).
Would my concern be more with the Jamaican gov, or the US?
Is there any way that I could get in serious poopy by engaging in this tactic (or a slight variation of)?
I believe it is illegal to impersonate a law officer under any circumstances.
As for being a person so naive as to think some random Jamaican drug dealer would be intimidated by someone impersonating a foreign police officer, well, 'nuff said.
Presumably the question is one of Jamaican law, not Milwaukee or Wisconsin law. So, assuming that there is a Jamaican law about impersonating police officers, dopes that include police officers from other jurisdictions? In the scenario, you aren’t doing anything that is intrinsically a police function, such as arresting a person, just warning them off. I suspect (though IANAL, and certainly not a lawyer expert in Jamaican criminal law) that no crime would be committed in simply flashing a fake badge and asserting that you were a police officer in a foreign jurisdiction.
I would generally be afraid of being killed if I went around telling drug dealers that I’m a cop. What if they panic as soon as they see the badge?
Thank you, Walloon, for the cite. I took a quick look at ss. 27 and 28 of the Constabulary Force Act ( pdf here ), and it does seem to me that you are only committing an office if you “personate a constable of the Force”. So, if you personate a constable of some other force, no offence is committed.
Have you been to Jamaica?
They don’t care who you are, they approach anyone. I’ve given the stern “NO” and tried to move on only have apparently strengthened their steadfast desire to sell to me. They rarely take no for an answer.
And, these guys aren’t the intimidating type drug dealers you might see in the states, they’re usually the weasely little character that bugs you like a tse-tse fly and wont relent. And then they get their buddies to bug you until you have a swarm about you.
So, no I’m not afraid of them, and hopefully if I can convince them that I’m a cop their next logical conclusion is that a cop won’t be doing drugs (not that I’m going to get them in trouble).
If I’m there for ten days and word gets out that I’m a cop they should leave me the hell alone.
Everyone knows the natural enemy of the Weasely Jamaican Drug Dealer is the Milwaukee Police Officer. :rolleyes:
Do you think the WJDD’s keep track of the tourist customers?
Keep two wallets on you. Your real one and an empty one. When they persist take out your wallet and go “oh crap, I’m all out of cash!” and show them it’s empty.
That isn’t the point. An officer of any kind is (should) be the least likely target.
Yes. Weasly Jamaican Drug Dealers tend to know their targets and have a close relationship with the resort people and each other.
We (me and ten male friends) were constantly targeted because one of us chose to buy some weed the first day down there. After that, they. Would. Not. Leave. Us. Alone.
I’m convinced that we were singled out as ‘users’ and therefore targets for the the other WJDD’s also. I myself must have been approached by 6 different dealers selling everything from coke to LSD.
They also know who has the most money and who has the weakest grasp of monetary exchange rates. As both of those people in our group were taken advantage of.
We talked to others down there and only a few had been approached like we were, and the few that were weren’t continuously bothered.
No kidding?
I’ve been there and would love to go back. Maybe it is a question of attitude, but I had a very different experience. People who approached me wanting to sell were nice. I would often discuss the island and use the chance to learn more of the patois they speak. One guy I bought a Red Stripe (beer) and he returned the favor.
My point (I think) is to go into it with an open mind.
I’ve been to jamiaca, and forget about the local law enforcement. i have been buying trinkets at the side of the road(from a zonked out rastifarian), and watching people buy and sell ganja-the local contable 9"red stripe"0 ignored everything going on. You 9as a wealthy tourist) had better keep your nose clean-because you can afford to pay a fine, lawyer’s fees, atc.
Don’t do drugs in jamaica!
Hey, I never said the attention wasn’t our fault. I was trying to come up with an easy way to deflect the attention if it ever happens again.
I have serious doubts that presenting yourself as a police officer would have the desired effect. For all we know, some U.S. police officers go to Jamiaca partly because they can buy and use drugs there without the complications of doing so at home. Sort of like dressing up as a priest in the hopes that people will think you don’t want to have sex. 
Seems to me the effective way to avoid a recurrence is to not go with folks who are going to patronize the dealers. Especially folks who let it be known that they’re loaded and suckers.
Ok. Now just hold that thought for a minute.
These other people, did they resort to proclaiming that they were Milwaukee’s finest in order to keep under the radar? Probably not. Maybe they just didn’t look like drug users.
Somehow, I think that being part of a group that includes 10 males just sort of screams “Party!”. If your next trip includes the same type of group, I don’t think anything you say is going to deter the WJDD’s. On the other hand, if it’s just you and a SO, I suspect the firm “no” might be effective.
They arn’t going to care if you are the king of Milwaukee. Even Jamaica’s own police for won’t keep them in check, why would they think you had any power to do that? Honestly, they would probably just laugh.
People trying to sell you crap is one of the costs of being a tourist in the developing world- it’s what you pay in exchange for cheap beer. It will go better if you lay low (stay out of obvious tourist places, dress in a subdued, not immediately identifiable as “American” manner and for God’s sake don’t buy anything until it’s time to leave town.) I’ve found it helps to be friendly, funny and persistant. Phrases like:
“I will not buy that thing until I am 80 years old. Come back and ask me in 2055”
“I am a mean American! I will buy nothing! Some Americans are rich, but this American is mean”
“Here, would you like to buy this nice (insert whatever you are holding) I will make a good price for you!”
“I cannot buy that post card. I have no family. I have no friends. It is very sad!”
Go a long way. If being funny doesn’t work, then a very loud booming “No Way, Never.”, ideally in the local language, followed by complete silence, works well. If that doesn’t work and the situation seems safe or the people bugging you are kids “I am going to find the police” works disperses a crowd quite quickly. A religious hand gesture can also make people respect what you are saying. If people are swarming it may be a good time to stop in a local shop or restraunt for few. Hanging out near local old ladies is also effective.
It’s annoying, but it doesn’t have to turn in to a battle or ruin your experience. Any kind of travel in a deveoping country calls for you to try as hard as you can be be “layed back” and not let annoyances get to you.
I’m gonna go out on a limb with everyone else and suggest not being part of a group where someone else buys ganja, probably for a price that seems cheap to him but mind-bogglingly inflated to the dealers. These guys make a living selling ganja to tourists, right? So if one guy in your group buys for top dollar, they’ve gotta figure the other guys are 100 times more likely to buy than some other random tourist.
Ask for an insanely low price. Don’t budge. Tell them you’re jewish. They’ll leave you alone.