Anyone else have interactions with bully cops?

[ReliableOstrich]

One off the top of my head: About six years ago my parents (in their mid/late 70's at the time) came down to visit me in Stuart and see the house I had bought and remodeled. My mom decided I needed a few small accent pieces to complement to interior furnishings, so we headed up to the local Steinmart and Marshall's discount stores, which were located in a strip mall along US1. As we were leaving (I was driving her car), I was headed down the main parking lot aisle, one that ends right at the entrance onto the highway. As I'm approaching the road, a local Sherrif's deputy car is driving across the parking lot, coming from my right. He had a Stop sign but couldn't be bothered, even though it meant that I had to brake to avoid a collision. I honked my horn at him as he took a right turn in front of my to exit onto US1. Well, he didn't like that one bit, and he slammed on his brakes, put his car in Park, and jumped out of the cruiser, storming towards me with his finger jabbing towards me. He got about halfway to my car and I just kind of threw my hands up (palms up), like WTF!?!? I think he probably saw my 77-year old Mom in the passenger seat at that point and decided he had something better to do, so he shouted some BS like "You want a piece of me?!?" and then turned around and got back in his cruiser and left. I gotta wonder how things might have been different had there not been an old lady in the car.

We owe it to the rest of society to report cops like these.
That guy prob went on to beat the crap out of some innocent dude later that afternoon.

 

[Huck Said]

I know, Bacardi, and I regretted not getting his tag number. I think my Mom and I were so shocked that in the heat of the moment we were just glad the situation didn't escalate, that we just sat there for a second, saying, "WTH just happened?!?!" and meanwhile, he got back in his cruiser and pulled out onto US1. I do remember thinking about it, but it was too late (though I suppose, in further hindsight, had I called with a complaint, the department could have figured out who it was).

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

Anyone ever feel the urge to yell at cops when they're camped out on the side of the highway doing paperwork with their lights on, completely oblivious to the fact that they are causing traffic to back up for two miles behind them for no reason whatsoever.

I've been so close but just afraid that story wouldn't end well. Pisses me off when they do that though.

 

[kj9127]

In around 1969 or 70 I was travelling across country on my motorcycle. Hair down to my shoulders, beard. I get stopped by two Texas Rangers on this highway out in west Texas in the middle of nowhere. They make me take everything I had on the bike and spread it out on the ground. I had to unroll my sleeping bag, unzip it and open it, empty out my backpack and tank bag. When they had gone through everything there, they started making me take off sidecovers, undo my seat, and finally remove my gas tank and empty it to make certain that there was nothing hidden in the tank. While this is going on they are making these ongoing suggestions of how remote it is out there and how really isolated it was. Did I mention these guys were really big. Finally when it was getting dark, they figured it was time to go. They drove off, leaving me with a partially assembled bike, no gas, and nothing that I could do except go away from the road and unrole my sleeping bag in the absolute dark.

 

[billanole]

In around 1969 or 70 I was travelling across country on my motorcycle. Hair down to my shoulders, beard. I get stopped by two Texas Rangers on this highway out in west Texas in the middle of nowhere. They make me take everything I had on the bike and spread it out on the ground. I had to unroll my sleeping bag, unzip it and open it, empty out my backpack and tank bag. When they had gone through everything there, they started making me take off sidecovers, undo my seat, and finally remove my gas tank and empty it to make certain that there was nothing hidden in the tank. While this is going on they are making these ongoing suggestions of how remote it is out there and how really isolated it was. Did I mention these guys were really big. Finally when it was getting dark, they figured it was time to go. They drove off, leaving me with a partially assembled bike, no gas, and nothing that I could do except go away from the road and unrole my sleeping bag in the absolute dark.

If you drive thru Texas these days, you can count on seeing a brown skinned person on the side of the road doing similar things.... Being assualted legally by the road crew. I have never seen a white person pulled on the side of the road on I 20,I 40, I 10, I 35, etc... Do white people not speed or violate traffic laws in Tejas?

 

[TexSkills]

If you drive thru Texas these days, you can count on seeing a brown skinned person on the side of the road doing similar things.... Being assualted legally by the road crew. I have never seen a white person pulled on the side of the road on I 20,I 40, I 10, I 35, etc... Do white people not speed or violate traffic laws in Tejas?

I've seen plenty of white people, brown people and all kinds of people pulled over on the sides of the roads in Texas. Plenty of the state troopers pulling people over were African American or Hispanic too.

 

[billanole]

I've seen plenty of white people, brown people and all kinds of people pulled over on the sides of the roads in Texas. Plenty of the state troopers pulling people over were African American or Hispanic too.

Not to discount your time in state, obviously more than mine, but I have driven mostly interstate there for decades...it is almost always the POS truck or sedan with occupants outside while the ride is trashed.
Often you see the driver/occupants of a small pickup or mini van with another one in tow (these cats are obviously heading back south) sitting down watching their "stuff" being tossed.
Meanwhile, the state truck of Texas (Suburban) sucks your doors in as it blows by... and I drive well above the limit.

 

[kc78]

No, I've lived a pretty boring life and the few times I have had an interaction with c

I've seen plenty of white people, brown people and all kinds of people pulled over on the sides of the roads in Texas. Plenty of the state troopers pulling people over were African American or Hispanic too.

Texas seems they will pull you over and harass you for almost anything. Had a good friend of mine, (Who is the most boring pastor you've ever known) get pulled over driving through Texas. He was pulled over for being a left lane cruiser (Many of you will think he should have taken a beating as well). However he's as white and boring as you've ever known. The cops went all through his car like he was some type of illicit drug dealer. To this day he has no idea what caused them to rip his car apart like that. I guess I've just lived an extremely boring life. The only run-in I ever had involved some barney fife sheriff in Gretna with nothing better to do than harass drivers who missed one of the 100 speed changes. However I wasn't beaten, searched for drugs, etc... so all in all fairly mundane.

 

[321Nole]

Have to say I've been treated to "the benefit of the doubt" in just about all of my dealings with cops.

Worst I can think of is when a cop accused me of urging my friend to outrun him. We were in my friend's Camaro doing 55 in a 45 and didn't see the cop behind us for a mile or so. In our defense he was waaay behind us when we finally saw him. He swore he saw me look back at him and motion "Go!" to my friend.

Other time a Barney Fife-esque cop asked us to show him our surfboards since he had a "tip" that area drug dealers were stuffing coke in them. He saw a couple homemade ding repairs and wanted to cut them open. We flipped out and told him he needed a warrant then we were on our way.

I know, white and boring.

 

[seminole97]