PDA

View Full Version : LEO question. Probable cause?



Leadfoot281
08-04-2006, 10:25 PM
A little backgroud first... Two years ago my idiot-career criminal half-brother asked to see my gun. When I showed it to him, he pulled it from my hands and accused me of pointing it at me. He then tackled me and held me down til police arrived. There were no witnesses. He did this to me because I found out that he had been hiding on my farm (while he was on work release!) so he could knock 100 days off his sentence. I was charged with 3 felonies (2nd degree assault with a deadly weapon, terroristic threats, and gun harrasment). 6 months later he was charged with kidnapping. My lawyers got it down to 1 count of simple harrasment (misdemeaner).

Two nights ago I was driving the Marauder through a trailer court in Wisconsin, about 40 miles from home, at 3 am. I couldn't sleep and I needed a long drive to clear my mind a little. This court always has few cars for sale and my friend is looking for a cheap car. I didn't drive strait there. It was just along the way. I was driving without any destination at all. Just enjoying the night, the Marauder, and Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell.

I pull out of the court, and that's when I get pulled over. He followed me for 2 blocks before pulling me over. The officer asks for my licence and leaves. 25 minutes later I hear; OPEN THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE AND GET OUT! I open the door and step out. Over my left shoulder I see 3 cops with weapons drawn, and aimed at my back. I get to my knees and they Handcuffed me.

They start asking me what I was doing. I said "I'm just out for a late night cruise, enjoying my car. I couldn't sleep, and I just pulled through the trailer court to look around for a cheap car for my buddy."

"'YOU'RE FULL OF *****! You're here for drugs! This whole trailer court is FULL of drugs! Can we search your car? "Yes Sir, I said, Help yourself. The trunk release is in the drivers door."

They asked if I had been "found guilty of a gun crime". I said "no". One cop yelled "think again a##hole!" I said, "OK, I was charged, but it was plead to a misdemeaner harrasment charge, but I'm not a felon or on probation".

They explained that they handcuffed me because they saw me "go for the center console at least 7 times while they were running my licence".

I said; "I was eating cashews. There's half a bag of 'em in the console".

Other than the cashews, they didn't find a darn thing, (they even lifted out the trunk organizer!) I was handcuffed for 50 minutes on the side of the road, all three asking me the same asking me questions over and over, and telling me I was lying after EVERY reply!

They even asked why a "dirtbag" like me was driving such a nice car.(and THAT'S a QUOTE!) I told them "I inherited my Dads 980 acre farm 6 years ago. Since them, my half brother has unsuccesfully sued me, and my own mother is currently suing me, and I had to quit farming to take care of these problems. The farm is rented out and I really don't need a job. I got more money than Davey Crocett and it has really upset my half-brother and my Dads ex-wife". (my "bio-Mom").

They took the cuffs off, and told me "You're full of ***** and if we see you anywhere near this court again, you'll be arrested!". That's when I left.

I couldn't have been more polite. I answered EVERY question HONESTLY, no matter how much they hated it. I used "yes sir, and no sir". I never got a ticket.

What now? Is this probable cause? Driving through the wrong place at the wrong time? Do drug dealers drive Marauders? Is the trailer court "full of drugs" because the cops pull over and interogate owners of nice cars, and let the rusted-out Hyundais go?

Was being handcuffed considered an arrest? Sorry about the long post. Thanks for reading. Any suggestions?

GAMike
08-04-2006, 11:36 PM
No LEO here Leadfoot, but have had my share of this type of thing.

1st. Way to keep your cool 2nd. Don't waste your breath on a story, most LEO's this hyped up aint listenening, and they aint believing. Just my .02.

I say answer yes sir/no sir and keep other answers as short and polite as possible.

In Georgia there are some decency statutes on the books for when ppl. cuss at LEO's and ge belligerent. my guess is the reverse would apply too.

Me? I beleive in giving as good as I get. I would write down the incident and ask to take it up with the Dept. Chief or other LEO agency that may share jurisdiction of that area (this way, they might be able to maintain some impartiality.

I may be a little naive on this point for your kneck of the woods, but I did run an incident that landed me in Jail for speeding up the GA State Police Flagpole, and I was successfull with my complaint.

Good luck whatever you do, The're just jealous of your wonderful life/toys:D ....Its sometimes tough for LEO's to cope with their lot in life. ....Boy....Wish I could drive a car like that...............:( :depress:

Regards,

Leadfoot281
08-05-2006, 01:20 AM
I just don't get it. This incident has me rattled. I was afraid to NOT answer their questions. It just kept going and going and going...

"Who'd drive 50 miles to look at beater cars?"

"I didn't! I was just out driving around and I swung in to have a look".

"Bull****! You're lying to us!" You just told us you drove 50 miles to get here."

"But sir, I was just driving around..trying to relax. I didn't drive strait here."

"You told us a few minutes ago you were looking for a car for your buddy. You are a LIAR! Give us the real reason you're here!"

"Sir, I have already. I can't tell you anything other than what I've already told you. Anything else would be a lie. I was just out for a cruise."

"That doesn't make any sense! You better start making sense. Now you say you were out for a cruise. Before you said you were trying to relax. Which is it?"

"Sir, am I under arrest?"

"You better start making sense. You drive 50 miles to look at a car that doesn't even exist, at 3 am, when there has to be beater cars in your town. You are here for the drugs!"

"But Sir, I don't even drink. Haven't in years."

"Hey guys, we got Mel Gibson here!"

People, I swear this stuff went on for 45+ minutes, on the side of a deserted road, two blocks from a trailer court, in a rural Wisconsin town of 1,400 people.

I don't get it. I look like a young Bill O'Reilly. Also, how many drug dealers slap Republican bumper stickers on their SB '04 Marauders?

I don't have a problem suing the snot out of bad guys, but I've got real mixed emotions on this. This was an absolutely horrible experiance.

I got pulled over 'cause they seen me leave the place. WTF? I'm leaving a Trailer court at 3am, with out of state plates, in a nice car. Is THAT probable cause?

DefyantExWife
08-05-2006, 03:24 AM
sorry that happened to you.

whoa .... you couldnt sleep so you took a drive.. 50 miles away in the middle of the night? I believe you, but I can see why the cops did not.

maybe next time you need to clear your head, sit out on the stoop and look at the stars a while. Safer too. and less expensive than $3.75 a gallon, 100+ miles round trip. :confused:

Bluerauder
08-05-2006, 05:21 AM
I believe you, but I can see why the cops did not.
My thoughts as well. :o Cruising a trailer park at 3 AM ?? :rolleyes: Sounds like the trailer park was already on the crime watch list --- a case of wrong place, wrong time. The "incident" with the half-brother didn't help your case.

SergntMac
08-05-2006, 06:11 AM
Your experience has probable cause written all over it. Big lime green letters too. This is a textbook case, I'll stick to the obvious...

Everything is relative to time of day, location, and law enforcement resources. The long delay may have been waiting for a back-up unit coming from a distance, like maybe the next town or county. There are not a lot of cops on duty in rural areas at that hour.

You and the cops agree that you were looking for something at an odd hour, in a remote location. You say used car, they think drugs, and it all depends on whether or not this particular trailer court has a reputation for drug activity. Do you know if it does? They do.

Yes, you were suspicious to them and they have a responsibility to ferret out crime in all communities. If you put me behind the wheel of that police car, I'd be going through your ***** too.

Handcuffs...Safety measure for both you and the cops. You don't try anything stupid, they won't have to hurt you.

No...Handcuffs are not immediately/automatically an arrest. You can be lawfully detained in secure custody for a reasonable period of time during a field investigation, without being under arrest, or, charged with a crime.

However, your Miranda rights are always in tact, and you are not compelled to cooperate with said investigation. You don't have to say anything to the cops at all. The cuffs came off when the cops were satisfied your were not up to no good, and wouldn't try any funny stuff.

They did not need your permission to search your automobile, but granting that may have helped your situation. Nothing to hide, right?

Bumper stickers don't mean squat. Two things...One, most cops are relatively politically neutral. They see the world for what it really is, and most will agree that neither a Democrat, nor a Republican can fix it. It's prolly how it got broke to begin with. Two, you don't even have to be a US citizen to be a cop. You can be from anywhere in the world, and if you have basic communications skills, some education, and a clean background, you can be a cop in America.

Point is, do not presume that any party loyality or patriotism is going to make your halo shine any brighter with the cops. You're Joe Citizen, and you still looked like a thief in the night, to any cop worth his salt.

I don't approve of harsh language, unless it's necessary to force cooperation, but that's just me. So you got called a few names, wasn't the first time you heard that, eh? If you feel bad about this, go see the Chief of that jurisdiction. Most cops agree that harsh language doesn't accomplish anything, and usually starts more trouble.

You're in the LEO system as being arrested for a gun related crime, and that much is true. Sure, you plead out to a lesser crime, but the initial arrest will have you marked accordingly. Best thing for you to do is pursue an expungment of that incident, otherwise, every cop that approaches you, will approach as if you are armed.

I know you prolly didn't like my answers, but you asked and I'm not going to lie to you about anything.

DEFYANT
08-05-2006, 07:39 AM
Probable Cause:



Probable cause is where known facts and circumstances, of a reasonably trustworthy nature, are sufficient to justify a man of reasonable caution or prudence in the belief that a crime has been or is being committed.

Probable cause is what would lead a person of reasonable caution to believe that something connected with a crime is on the premises of a person or on persons themselves. (sometimes called the nexus definition; nexus is the connection between PC, the person's participation, and elements of criminal activity; determining nexus is the job of a judicial official, and it's almost always required in cases of search warrants, not arrest warrants)

Probable cause is the sum total of layers of information and synthesis of what police have heard, know, or observe as trained officers. (comes from Smith v. U.S. 1949 establishing the experienced police officer standard)

FWIW, it sounds like you went to an area that is a known drug area. These officers probably made numerous arrests for CDS (controlled dangerous substances) in this area. Trailer parks, as Mac mentioned, have a reputation for CDS activity. They are also usually one way in and one way out. Making it very unlikly for "a guy out on the town at 3am 'cuz he can sleep" to wonder through - looking for a used car.


The police searching your car is known as Stop and Frisk. Based on your situation, that can do that. Check this out:


STOP

A "stop" by definition is a type of seizure with two subtypes: show of force and show of authority. It is a seizure of the person, or more specifically, a deprivation of their liberty. Innocent contacts or police-citizen encounters, such as stopping to ask for directions, do not constitute a stop. Nor do innocent slaps on the back count as stops. The officer must physically lay hands on the individual with the intent of detaining them. Grabbing the shoulder of someone and saying "Wait a minute, I'd like to talk to you" constitutes a stop by intentional use of force. Another possibility is the show-of-authority stop which does not involve any touching, but the officer by their look, demeanor, and display of authority persuades the citizen to submit or at least acquiesce to that authority. An example would be an officer following the smell of marijuana burning at a concert, and by sniffing the air and/or tapping on their ticket book produce an unseen swallowing of the joint and the words "Can we help you officer?" A required element of a show-of-authority stop is that citizens submit to the show of authority, believe they have been seized, feel compelled to cooperate, or feel unfree to leave.

In determining legality, a stop must meet the "totality of circumstances" test, looking at the whole picture, from the perspective of both the officer and the suspect. Was the officer too intimidating or the suspect too cooperative? Was the suspect from a neighborhood where they feared police brutality? Was the officer badgering the suspect with difficult questions so that only evasive answers could be given? What direct and indirect information did the officer have to produce reasonable suspicion? The length of the stop also must be reasonable. Stops of 20 or 30 minutes have been considered reasonable, but a 90 minute stop might be declared unreasonable by the courts. I don't want to give you the impression there's a time limit on the duration of a stop because all the law says is that it must be temporary and not any longer than necessary under the circumstances. Two actions widely held lawful are asking for a person's identity and "freezing" a situation for further investigation. The duration, location, invasiveness, and freedom to walk away are all factors in the "totality of circumstances" test.

A stop is justified in any combination of the following circumstances:

the suspect doesn't seem to "fit" the time or place
the suspect fits a description of a wanted person in a flyer
the suspect is acting strangely, emotional, angry, frightened, or intoxicated
the suspect is loitering, hanging out, or looking out for something
the suspect is running away or engaging in furtive movements
the suspect is present in a crime scene area
the area is a high-crime area (not sufficient by itself or with loitering)FRISK

A "frisk" by definition is a type of search that requires a lawful stop. It is best thought of as a separate act, but in practice, a suspect who refuses to answer questions in a stop may be providing the officer with sufficient justification to frisk. A frisk does not necessarily follow a stop, however. The one and only purpose of a frisk is to dispel suspicions of danger (to the officer and other persons; i.e., that this person isn't armed & dangerous). A frisk is a search for concealed weapons, necessarily involving an invasion of privacy. A frisk should not be for anything other than a dangerous weapon or contraband. However, if other evidence, like a suspected drug container, is felt, it can be seized by the officer under the "plain feel" doctrine. Plain feel is a hotly debated issue because many commentators argue that there are few objects that one can feel through clothing that have an "immediately apparent" character or quality of being contraband or evidence.
The test for plain feel is that the item's contraband nature be "immediately apparent". The officer can't probe or move or roll the item around in their fingers to become better acquainted with its contours. According to People v. Rivera (1964), a frisk involves contact or patting of the outer clothing to detect by sense of touch if a concealed weapon is being carried. The law of frisk is based on the "experienced police officer" standard. Police, by their experience, are able to read more into circumstances surrounding complex criminal behavior than the average layman. Police are expected, for example, to know which crimes and what kinds of criminals usually involve weapons. Crimes of violence almost generally allow a frisk. If officers turn out to be wrong, the frisk remains lawful. And, officers are allowed to feel under bulky clothing if they have to.
Another test is whether the officer has a reasonable fear for their own safety, and sometimes that varies from officer to officer. This makes it controversial. An officer working in a department that doesn't provide bulletproof vests might be justified in making more frisks, or a rookie officer might be justified in making more frisks, but generally, a frisk is only permissible when there are articulable facts which indicate the person is armed or dangerous.

A frisk is ALWAYS justified in the following circumstances:

there are concerns of safety for the officer and for others
there is suspicion that the suspect is armed & dangerous
there is suspicion that the suspect is about to commit a crime & a weapon is commonly usedA frisk MAY be justified in the following circumstances:

the officer is alone and backup has not yet arrived
the number of suspects and their physical size
the emotions, behavior, and look of the suspects
the suspect gave evasive answers (that didn't dispel fear) during the initial stop
the time of day, and the geographical surroundings (not sufficient by themselves to justify a frisk)
Good thing you didn't find a used car. :bandit:

GAMike
08-05-2006, 08:10 AM
I agree that the time and place may have warranted a stop, and an investigation, but interogation should take place at the Police Station, not on the roadside. I also agree with the cuffs being placed on the person for his safety and that of the officers because of what was kicked back by the computer.

I don't agree with LEO's making accusations like Leadfoot says and using abusive language. this is not a tactic, this is a LEO or LEO's that do not know how to extract information any other way than being a bully. Call it what it is......

If Leadfoot described the situation and circumstances accurately then he got unlucky and ran into some Backwards A$$ Country @(#** LEO's.

The thing that makes the United States of America the greatest country in the world is that if I want to get up at 3am and go for a drive to Topeka Kansas, just to have a Hamburger in a Ghetto there, then I can as long as I obey the laws.....

Pull out all the manuals you like, but that is fact. The scope of authority there was very small. The LEO's tried to widen it through search, intimidation, and borderline harrasment. Not as bad as other countrys, but should not be accepted in the U.S.A.

Regards,

sailsmen
08-05-2006, 08:45 AM
Based on some of the situations you have been in you may want to reflect on how you can protect yourself by avoiding future ones.

Like it or not driving thru a trailer park at 3:00a.m.to look for a car that maybe for sale for a friend is not normal behavior.

These situations tend to build on themselves, now you are in the computer for arrest for using a gun, ect.

I guarr you the 3 LEOs do not beleive your story and will pull you over next time they can.

Leadfoot281
08-05-2006, 10:41 AM
Wow. Thanks for the replies! I knew I was gonna get some strait answers here.

Sure, I may have been from out of state, but only by 30 miles. Actually, I'm only 35 miles from Iowa and 30 miles from Wisconsin. Having out of state plates shouldn't be that big of a deal IMO.

If they really wanted to stop drugs around here, they'd issue specific Sheboygan and Milwaukee plates. As it is right now, you can't tell if they are "supposed to be" in the area or not.:rolleyes: What ever that means...

What area am I supposed to be in at 3am? My bed? If not, I'm running a good chance of being pulled over, and interogated for nearlly an hour?

This would be a whole lot easier, if some one could send me a very specific, nation wide, listing of "drug places" I shouldn't go. A list of "drug place" visiting hours would further help me. Obviously, had I been to this place at 3pm I would have been OK. Then I won't waste anymore LEO's time.

Am I going to Detroit anytime soon? Heck no! If I understand this all correctly, that has "probable cause" written all over it.

1. Out of state plates. Red flag right there. (Drug dealers prefer interstate commerce?)

2. "You drove here just for a car show? Ain't they got no car shows in Minnesota? That just don't make no sense at all!"

3. "How'd you buy such a nice car? You don't look rich or smart. Must be drugs. We're searching it."

4. "You're in Detroit. Detroit has drugs. We're just gonna search you by default."

This trailer park almost always has half a dozen cars sitting there for sale. And the "inventory" is different every time I drive by. Most everything is cheap and negotiable. My friend just lost the trans in his Explorer. He can't fix it right now. He'll need cheap transportation til he saves up the dough for repairs. I can't be the only one that swings through there occasionally to look for a deal.

Gas here is $3.11 for high test and $2.99 for regular. My Marauder only gets driven to car shows and long distance trips. That means 6 days out of 7, I drive a $400 '89 CV without AC. Blowing through $50 in gas is not all that big an issue. What else can I say? I like the Marauder.

I have to drive 25 miles each way for a Whopper combo w/cheese. This place is RURAL!

I can handle being pulled over. Not a problem. It's the repeated questions, the attempts to put words in my mouth, the intimidation. (the one cop stood there, with his chin six inches from my chest, looking up at me, calling me a liar. I just wanted to take a step back, but he had me against the Marauder). I suspect that a different person would have confessed to anything at that point.

There was no need to question me for almost an hour. If they weren't going to believe anything I said, five minutes should have been sufficient.

I didn't mean nothing political mentioning my bumper sticker on the Marauder. I just thought that some of that stuff would help negate any of the other "probable cause" traits they were looking for. I guess when I see a car with political bumper stickers on it, I think; "That dude is into politics". Not; "That dude is a drug dealer."

Since when do drug dealers take an interest in politics?

I'm going to contact the Courthouse and see what they have on my "record". If it says "gun" anywhere on it, they'll have some explaining to do to my lawyers. And my lawyers will have some explaining to do as well.

Leadfoot281
08-05-2006, 11:25 AM
To HE!! with "normal"!!! And to HE!! with the "normal police"!!!

I don't want people driving around, pulling me over, and tossing my car, because I don't happen to fit their description of "normal".

What's next? Thought police?

What if I was leaving my friends house at 3am? I happen to have a very good friend living in a trailer in Wisconsin. Can I still visit him, work on his Explorer til the wee hours of the morning, and then go home, without getting interogated? Maybe I would be required by the "normal" police to stay at his house til daybreak.

All that LEO saw on Wednesday, was me pulling out of the trailer court. That's it. I was at a stop sign. I looked left, then right. As I looked to the right, I seen headlights from behind a hill. He was coming from the east and had just rounded a bend in the road. I had plenty of time so I pulled away from the stop sign, and turned west. Two blocks later he pulled me over.

Is this "suspicious" to anyone here? All he seen me do was pull away from a stop sign, and make a left hand turn.

sailsmen
08-05-2006, 11:34 AM
What is not normal or ordinary is what catches someones eye resulting in this case unwanted attention.

Like it or not you are now in the computer for a gun arrest, so LEOs will treat you differently.

In the average life time over 60,000 new laws are passed within the state they reside in.

Leadfoot281
08-05-2006, 12:15 PM
He didn't know I had a "gun arrest" before he pulled me over.

Maybe if he knew it first, I'd understand it all a little better. But as it is, I was just driving around, listening to Art Bell, and forgetting all the other non-sense in my life. Basically just out enjoying the Marauder.

I think it's also possible that the LEO seen my cars profile at night and thought "hey, some little dope head slapped some mack daddy rims on his grampas old CV! Lets check him out!"

Other than something built by John Deere, I have the biggest wheels in my home town and probably that town as well.

"Mack Daddy" wheels just ain't "normal" in these parts.... Maybe it's time to buy a rusted out Hyundai so I blend in a little better?

BruteForce
08-05-2006, 02:18 PM
You/your car looked out of place for that time & location. Next time wear your overalls and drive the tractor.

SergntMac
08-05-2006, 02:37 PM
Jeeze...Sorry you're so bitter about this event that you have to take it out on us. Some of us were just trying to explain how stuff works. You asked, I answered, but I'm not the cop who made you feel bad. You need to work this out elsewhere, no one here raised a hand to you.

Smokie
08-05-2006, 02:44 PM
You are not going to like my opinion: I believe anybody cruising thru a neighborhood at 3:00 am is up to no good until PROVEN otherwise.

Hotrauder
08-05-2006, 03:14 PM
Sorry, Leadfoot; but the above comments in my opinion are right on. Doesn't make it right in your case but we pay Leo's to serve and protect and they do as you found out the hard way. No question that the officers did not use the professionalism we would expect in their determination of what you were up to at 3pm but we would expect them to pull you over if they had questions. If you do not want to be a person of interest to Leo's at work, don't be one. Your explanation did not fit the paradigm of expected innocent behavior no matter how innocent your actions were. Dennis

DEFYANT
08-05-2006, 04:11 PM
Your explanation did not fit the paradigm of expected innocent behavior no matter how innocent your actions were. Dennis

+1!

And...What Mac Said!

Smokie, you have a pm :banned:

GreekGod
08-05-2006, 05:12 PM
1) Like Mac said, get your record expunged.

2) Like you said, see what your record actually is.

3) Like you said, contact your lawyer.

4) When the harassment started after you let them search the car, you probably should have refused to answer any questions. They probably would have had to let you go, as they had nothing on you.

5) It seems they were just doing their job and went too far. Your record obviously affected their behaviour. A trailer park resident may have called them account your prowling. They may have had an ongoing stake-out in effect.

6) If you ever feel you were truely harassed or treated improperly, contact the officer's supervisor and tell him you want an internal affairs investigation of the offending officer because you suspect he has been drinking alcohol or he is on some other drug and you want him tested before his shift ends. Alcoholism is as common in police work as any other occupation, possibly more so.

Leadfoot281
08-05-2006, 05:18 PM
First off, let me appologize if I seemed really bitter. It's not my intention to sit here and dis LEO's. I came here specifically for LEO'S oppinions.

Second, I'm amazed at what it takes to acheive "probable cause".

Third, I have absolutely no idea what I could have done to meet "the paradigm of expected innocent behavior". I pulled over, answered every question posed to me calmly, and honestly. They certainly offered me numerous oppertunitys to change my story...but I never did. And still haven't.

What would YOU have done if you had been pulled over under my circumstances? Should I have "lawyered up" right away?

It seems there may be a "part two" to this story. I have to go to another small town in Wisconsin next week (population 230) to help change a transmission in my friends truck. I loaned him the dough to fix it. He lives in a court so hopefully we are able to get it fixed before nightfall.

Apparently every one agrees that driving a '04 SB MM is enough probable cause for me to get the car tossed again.

And no, I won't put on my overalls and drive my tractor. Thanks bruteforce, Didn't know you had a horse in this race.:shake:

Marauderman
08-05-2006, 05:56 PM
I am undergoing alot of thunderstorms and have had my power dropped alot --so hope this gets in---its my third time to post this--
Anyway--After reading all of this--I at first thought "yeah --you should be in bed at this hour of the night --" not out on the road --"clearing your head"--I think that you would have been better off sitting over the bed -"just talking to your self"--and then go back to sleep---after all--at your age--you should have known by know that people out at night at those hours are normally either going to work or coming home from it--not much else--so the cops can tell----anyway-

Then I took another position cause you seem to stress the point that suppose it was of difference importance----suppose I was there for normal..etc..etc..=---ok--given that ---yeah--they(Leo) were wrong on your part--but not theirs----Your friend, if there was one , were out there to be helping in that cause you mentioned as an example, should have told you that you would need to stay over night cause of the bad area--etc...........but ---anyway-I have changed my original thinking and at the moment agree with you --that you have a point only a LAWYER would love----but --you need to understand the LEO point alot more too-- to that end--I would suggest the following--

If you have a place to ride with an LEO for a whole shift--as a "ride-a-long" as to several in my place--I say to it--It truley shows you what they (Leo's) put up with and several of other confrontations they encounter--I suggest --if you can--start with the beggining of the shift--when you can get in on the "role call" info and meeting--and then meet the other Leo's you will be seeing now and then on the shift when cases causes you both to meet up when calls bring you together---

Finaly--Yes--what you originally say is poop!! and right --But remember --There are always two sides to stuff/stories--sometime the other side(the LEO's) will explain why you were left alone==and let go after all-------thats what you really need to UNDERSTAND and appreciate those who look out for us all-----and to understand that --DO A RIDE ALONG--....Tom

Leadfoot281
08-05-2006, 06:11 PM
I wouldn't say I was "prowling" the court. There is almost always half a dozen cars and trucks sitting there, lined up, facing the highway, with for sale signs in the windows.

I drove past them. I didn't idle around the park like I was casing the place.

This was the first time in 8 years that I have been stopped by a LEO. My last ticket was in 1991, fourteen years ago when I was just 20, so I must be doing something right.

Not only was I surprised I got pulled over, I was especially surprised by my treatment. It wasn't 100% professional, but that wasn't my fault either. I submitted fully. I argued with the LEO's during the incident with my idiot career-criminal half brother, and that, more than anything lead to me being arrested and not him.

Maybe it was my fault that I got pulled over. I had no idea that anything like that would have happened. The Marauder is obviously a car that draws unwanted attention.