Police Harrassment in the USA
Discussion
Thought you'd appreciate this:
Police Harassment
Recently, California ran an e-mail forum with the topic being
"Community Policing." One of the civilian email participants posed
the following question: "I would like to know how it is possible for
Police Officers to continually harass people and get away with it?"
From the "other side" (the law enforcement side) a cool cop with a
sense of humor replied:
"It is not easy. In California we average one cop for every 2000
people. About 60% are on duty at any moment and available for
harassing people. So, one cop is responsible for harassing about
10,000 residents. When you toss in the commercial, business, and
tourist locations that attract people from other area, sometimes you
have a situation where a single cop is responsible for harassing
20,000 or more people a day. A ten-hour shift runs 36,000 seconds.
This gives a cop one-second to harass a person, and three-fourths
of a second to eat a donut AND then find a new person to harass.
This is not an easy task. Most cops are not up to it day in and day
out. It is just too tiring. What we do is utilize some tools to help us
narrow down those, which we harass. They are as follows:
PHONE:
People will call us up and point out things that cause us to focus on
a person for special harassment. "My neighbor is beating his wife" is a
code phrase we use. Then we come out and give special harassment.
Another popular one on a weeknight is, "Kids next door are having a
party."
CARS:
We have special cops assigned to harass people who drive. They like
to harass the drivers of fast cars, cars blasting music, cars with
expired registration stickers and the like. It is lots of fun when you
pick them out of traffic for nothing more obvious than running a red
light. Sometimes you get to really heap the harassment on when you
find they have drugs in the car, are drunk, or have a warrant.
RUNNERS:
Some people take off running just at the sight of a Police Officer.
Nothing is quite as satisfying as running after them like a beagle on
the scent of a bunny. When you catch them you can harass them
for hours.
CODES:
When you can think of nothing else to do, there are books that give
ideas for reasons to harass folks. They are called "Codes"; Penal,
Vehicle, Health and Safety, Business and Professions.They all spell
out all sorts of things for which you can really mess with people.
After you read the code, you can just drive around for a while until
you find someone violating one of these listed offenses and harass
them. Just last week, I saw a guy smash a car window. Well, the
code says that is not allowed. That meant I got permission to harass
this guy.
It is a pretty cool system that we have set up, and it works pretty
well. I seem to have a never-ending supply of folks to harass. And
we get away with it. Why? Because the good citizens who pay the
tab like that we keep the streets safe for them.
Next time you are in my town, give me a single finger wave. That is
a signal that you wish for me to take a little closer look at you, and
maybe I'll find a reason to harass YOU.
Street
>>> Edited by Streetcop on Sunday 15th August 10:06
Police Harassment
Recently, California ran an e-mail forum with the topic being
"Community Policing." One of the civilian email participants posed
the following question: "I would like to know how it is possible for
Police Officers to continually harass people and get away with it?"
From the "other side" (the law enforcement side) a cool cop with a
sense of humor replied:
"It is not easy. In California we average one cop for every 2000
people. About 60% are on duty at any moment and available for
harassing people. So, one cop is responsible for harassing about
10,000 residents. When you toss in the commercial, business, and
tourist locations that attract people from other area, sometimes you
have a situation where a single cop is responsible for harassing
20,000 or more people a day. A ten-hour shift runs 36,000 seconds.
This gives a cop one-second to harass a person, and three-fourths
of a second to eat a donut AND then find a new person to harass.
This is not an easy task. Most cops are not up to it day in and day
out. It is just too tiring. What we do is utilize some tools to help us
narrow down those, which we harass. They are as follows:
PHONE:
People will call us up and point out things that cause us to focus on
a person for special harassment. "My neighbor is beating his wife" is a
code phrase we use. Then we come out and give special harassment.
Another popular one on a weeknight is, "Kids next door are having a
party."
CARS:
We have special cops assigned to harass people who drive. They like
to harass the drivers of fast cars, cars blasting music, cars with
expired registration stickers and the like. It is lots of fun when you
pick them out of traffic for nothing more obvious than running a red
light. Sometimes you get to really heap the harassment on when you
find they have drugs in the car, are drunk, or have a warrant.
RUNNERS:
Some people take off running just at the sight of a Police Officer.
Nothing is quite as satisfying as running after them like a beagle on
the scent of a bunny. When you catch them you can harass them
for hours.
CODES:
When you can think of nothing else to do, there are books that give
ideas for reasons to harass folks. They are called "Codes"; Penal,
Vehicle, Health and Safety, Business and Professions.They all spell
out all sorts of things for which you can really mess with people.
After you read the code, you can just drive around for a while until
you find someone violating one of these listed offenses and harass
them. Just last week, I saw a guy smash a car window. Well, the
code says that is not allowed. That meant I got permission to harass
this guy.
It is a pretty cool system that we have set up, and it works pretty
well. I seem to have a never-ending supply of folks to harass. And
we get away with it. Why? Because the good citizens who pay the
tab like that we keep the streets safe for them.
Next time you are in my town, give me a single finger wave. That is
a signal that you wish for me to take a little closer look at you, and
maybe I'll find a reason to harass YOU.
Street
>>> Edited by Streetcop on Sunday 15th August 10:06
However, i think 20,000 scameras could do a better job.....
Streetcop said:
I'm off to the USA next year, Steve..
I've a Sheriff contact over there, so at the end of the holiday (vacation), we're going to spend a few days with him. Out in the patrol car, kicking in tail-lights, calling people 'Boy'! etc etc
Street
When you've learned all that, are you going to adapt your work methods back here.....?
Streetcop, you can laugh all you want about small town Sherrif stereotypes but it hapened to me.
I was attending evening classes in Pasadena, Texas - that's where Gilley's nightclub was, the filming location for most of the movie, Urban Cowboy.
I regularly evaded speed traps in the area, not by running, but by driving the proper speed.
As far as I can tell, this agravated the Deputies enough that they eventually decided to check me out and after being pulled over, they smashed both taillights in my Mk1GTi with flashlights. Then lightly bounced the flashlight up and down the passenger side of the car while inspecting it for any other infractions.
This was immediately reported by me, and ignored by the police. Left a bad impression of police, law and government with me that still lingers today.
I was attending evening classes in Pasadena, Texas - that's where Gilley's nightclub was, the filming location for most of the movie, Urban Cowboy.
I regularly evaded speed traps in the area, not by running, but by driving the proper speed.
As far as I can tell, this agravated the Deputies enough that they eventually decided to check me out and after being pulled over, they smashed both taillights in my Mk1GTi with flashlights. Then lightly bounced the flashlight up and down the passenger side of the car while inspecting it for any other infractions.
This was immediately reported by me, and ignored by the police. Left a bad impression of police, law and government with me that still lingers today.
(So a friend of mine told me...I said:
I'm off to the USA next year, Steve..
I've a Sheriff contact over there, so at the end of the holiday (vacation), we're going to spend a few days with him. Out in the patrol car, kicking in tail-lights, calling people 'Boy'! etc etc
Street
When you've learned all that, are you going to adapt your work methods back here.....?
Streetcop said:
Already have..
stop calling me Boy, and lay off me bloody tail lights 
I had a run in with a bent cop just over the boarder into ohio last year. Had just gone through tole gate and started to accelerate. There was a cop who had deliberately slowed so i passed him within the speed limit. I then got pulled over and told to find my driving license from the boot. He kept on asking how much money we had on us, it was a sunday so said we had no been able to get any money out today and as soon as he realised he was off like a shot shouting something like "please dont speed sir, your in ohio now and ohio wont take it" all said in a thick horrid american accent. I assume he was a white trash cop and was acting alone to score some bonus money
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