Now even DDs are harrassed by the cops...

[blas87]

Even though neither of my friends involved in this story were drinking, if cops are all going to start acting like this (or already have been and I just haven't gotten lucky enough to deal with it yet), there won't be many people offering to be DDs anymore.....

My friend and her cousin were driving from my friend's house to her cousin's house this last Saturday night. It's probably 15-20 miles from point A to point B, all small town rural/country road driving.

They got to the top of a hill, a cop was going the other way, but as soon as my friend crested the hill, he whipped it around and flashed his lights and pulled her over. By the way, it's worth mentioning that this was a state patrol officer.

He said he pulled her over for going 60 in a 55 and refusing to dim her high beams. Around here, 5 mph over is usually not that big of a deal, but whatever, and her high beams were not on because they were just leaving town. I really wish she would have proven it by tapping them and proving it, but it didn't go any further than that.

She gives him her driver's license, and then he demands to see her passenger's license as well, no reason specified. Not knowing any better, her cousin gives it up.

Officer then asks if this is my friend's current address. She admits that it's not. Officer then tells my friend that it's illegal to not go to the DMV and change your address.

Officer then asks if they've been drinking. They both say no, because they haven't (we won't say anything about how they were on their WAY to go drink at her cousin's house). Officer claims that the car wreaks of alcohol. Officer then demands that my friend gets out of the car and does a field sobriety test, and that her passenger to a breath alyzher test.

Friend passes the field sobriety test, and her passenger passes the blow test.

Officer then says it must be their perfume that smells so much like booze.

He lets my friend off with a warning for speeding, refusing to dim her lights, and refusing to change her address.

I would really love for a cop to pull me over on the way to work and try to convince me that I smell like booze. Not everyone driving at night is a drunk.

[DrFaroohk]

Some cops are jerks, but many of them have to be. I've known cops that were really nice, friendly dudes and they tend to get walked all over. That being said, there is a middle ground and they should be respectful of people and professional about it.

As for checking IDs, I know in a lot of places its against the law to be out in public with no ID.

[blas87]

The State Patrol has quite a reputation for being assholes around here.

I understand you need to have ID on you at all times....but I've never heard of everyone in the vehicle being hassled UNLESS the driver gets in trouble (aka, fails the sobriety test, has something on them, has a warrant out for them, etc etc etc etc).

[DrFaroohk]

Really? I've been stopped probably 5 times before, and every time the officer has checked everyone out. I can sort of understand why, I mean, he probably runs a warrant check on everyone there, or at least seeing if he recognizes any names. Or something.

[anriana]

Not what I thought this post was about...

[Boozy]

Not what I thought this post was about...

I think you and I both jumped to the same erroneous conclusion.

[Flyndaran]

Some places actually have laws requiring people to carry I.D.?
That sounds like a horrible rights violation.
On some of the few times I leave the apartment I often lack my state issued I.D.
Since I don't drive, I don't see why I should carry such.

[Greenday]

How old is your friend's cousin? If she's under 21, he had every reason to give her a field sobriety test along with the driver, supposing that he actually believed it smelled like alcohol.

As for being pulled over for doing 5 mph over the speed limit, the reasons cops generally do that is because it gives them cause to pull someone over. A lot of these kinds of incidents have led to drug busts and DUIs.

[Rapscallion]

Some places actually have laws requiring people to carry I.D.?
That sounds like a horrible rights violation.
On some of the few times I leave the apartment I often lack my state issued I.D.
Since I don't drive, I don't see why I should carry such.

I think it was the driving licence, not the personal ID card. As driving is a privilege and not a right, I believe one of the conditions of driving in the US is that you have your licence with you when driving. I think it's similar over here, but if you don't have it with you then you generally get a 'producer' (take it to a local police station within seven days sort of thing).

Rapscallion

[BlaqueKatt]

That sounds like a horrible rights violation.

and what "right" would that be?
and according to the Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District Court of Nevada decision from SCOTUS in 2004 it is a law known as "stop and Identify" and SCOTUS upheld that it is legal.

The following states have this law : Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin

Since I don't drive, I don't see why I should carry such.

well I can give you a really good reason other than the above law:

1)-you're walking along the street and a car plows out of nowhere hitting and severely injuring you, also rendering you unconscious-how are the medical personnel going to contact anyone on your behalf, or look up your medical records for any information they need and you can't give them, such as allergies, current medications, consent for necessary surgery...

[Flyndaran]

...
1)-you're walking along the street and a car plows out of nowhere hitting and severely injuring you, also rendering you unconscious-how are the medical personnel going to contact anyone on your behalf, or look up your medical records for any information they need and you can't give them, such as allergies, current medications, consent for necessary surgery...

There's a different between should and must.
I should have the right to walk down the street without getting hassled by the cops. Demanding I.D. just sounds too much like a legal way to harrass minorities.

[daleduke17]

Some places actually have laws requiring people to carry I.D.?
That sounds like a horrible rights violation.
On some of the few times I leave the apartment I often lack my state issued I.D.
Since I don't drive, I don't see why I should carry such.

You're all over the "rights violation" stuff, aren't you?

[Flyndaran]

You're all over the "rights violation" stuff, aren't you?

As a free citizen I should have the right to walk down the street without needing paperwork.

[BlaqueKatt]

Demanding I.D. just sounds too much like a legal way to harrass minorities.

Because we all know that's all cops do....


"stop-and-identify” laws allow a peace officer to detain any person he encounters “under circumstances which reasonably indicate that the person has committed, is committing or is about to commit a crime”; the person may be detained only to “ascertain his identity and the suspicious circumstances surrounding his presence abroad.” In turn, the law requires the person detained to “identify himself”, but does not compel the person to answer any other questions put to him by the officer.

yup wow that sounds totally like harassment

[Flyndaran]

Either they committed a crime and should be arrested or they haven't and should not be harrassed.
Making laws that allow cops to harrass people in the hopes that some of them are guilty is not the way to stop crime.

I live in an area with a disgusting number of bad cops. They have forfeitted the right to the benefit of the doubt.
Cops have the right to ask anything they want as free citizens. But laws requiring me to show valid I.D. for the right to walk down the street unmolested are offensive.