Have you ever been stopped by Officer Obie?

[billski]

llinois Traffic Stop Of Star Trek Fans Raises Concerns About Drug Searches, Police Dogs, Bad Cops
Posted: 03/31/2012 3:18 pm Updated: 03/31/2012 4:27 pm
Huffington Post

"Last December, filmmaker Terrance Huff and his friend Jon Seaton were returning to Ohio after attending a "Star Trek" convention in St. Louis. As they passed through a small town in Illinois, a police officer, Michael Reichert, pulled Huff's red PT Cruiser over to the side of the road, allegedly for an unsafe lane change. Over the next hour, Reichert interrogated the two men, employing a variety of police tactics civil rights attorneys say were aimed at tricking them into giving up their Fourth Amendment rights. Reichert conducted a sweep of Huff's car with a K-9 dog, then searched Huff's car by hand. Ultimately, he sent Huff and Seaton on their way with a warning..."


:smash::smash::smash:

 

[snoseek]

They don't play around in in the midwest.

Last December they pulled me over-same thing for going 7 over, interrogated for 45 minutes, asked for a search, got a dog, ripped my truck and possesions apart and left it along the side of the highway. All that work and they never found my one hitter with maybe 2 measley grams of pot. Later that night I smoked it in dedication to those two asshole cops. Nice try douchbags.

 

[snoseek]

This also happened going across the salt flats in January. I have now learned where they do and don't search and to go ahead and give them consent. Utah is the worst IMO, but fortunately most cops aren't as clever as they think they are.

 

[legalskier]

They don't play around in in the midwest.

Do you believe this is confined only to the midwest?

 

[snoseek]

Do you believe this is confined only to the midwest?

Absolutely not, but they do have strict rules it seems. I hear Oklahoma is very strict. Bible belt. Colorado and California could care less in my experience. I'm not some sort of drug mule but do generally carry my own personal stash. Many states are decriminalized now right? I bet NH is strict.

 

[ScottySkis]

Absolutely not, but they do have strict rules it seems. I hear Oklahoma is very strict. Bible belt. Colorado and California could care less in my experience. I'm not some sort of drug mule but do generally carry my own personal stash. Many states are decriminalized now right? I bet NH is strict.

NY is decriminalizing but they do bullshi. with random search, then they say it was open possession then put you in jail, but i guess i'm lucky because of my color which is so stupid.

 

[ScottySkis]

I been busted by dare cop 10 years ago, i forgot about the roach in my glove box, after search was almost complete the cop was ripping me one when he found that, but then just went home and smoked anyway.

 

[legalskier]

More from the same article:

Reichert taught a class on how to conduct roadside searches, which [federal Judge] Reagan wrote could easily have been titled, "How to avoid the warrant requirement in searching a vehicle." Reagan's opinion, along with the fact that Reichert was also convicted on federal charges of selling knockoff designer sunglasses, led to Reichert's dismissal from the Collinsville Police Department in 2006. But with the help of the police union, Reichert sued to get his job back.
In subsequent hearings, the local state's attorney's office said it didn't trust Reichert, as did the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Illinois. Reagan and the state circuit court judge also made clear that they felt Reichert was untrustworthy. Despite these concerns, in March 2009, an Illinois appellate court ordered Reichert rehired.
In much of the country, discipline and dismissal of police officers is governed by union-negotiated contracts. Some states have a “police officer bill of rights,” which affords police accused of misconduct and criminal acts more rights than are afforded other citizens. Others send officer misconduct cases to union-negotiated arbitrators. Federal law also protects police from being fired for refusing to answer questions in a misconduct investigation, even if their answers can’t be used against them in any ensuing criminal case. Police watchdogs say all of this makes it extremely difficult to fire even cops with long histories of misconduct. These concerns have been raised at police and sheriff departments across the country, including in King County, Wash.; Maywood, Calif.; Gary, Ind.; Cincinnati, Covington, Texas, Aurora, Colo., San Diego; Spokane, Wash., Louisville, Ken.; Milwaukee; and the entire state of Florida.
By spring of 2009, Reichert was back on the job in Collinsville. Soon after, federal prosecutors raised new concerns about Reichert's credibility. Those too were dismissed.
In January 2011, [Chief] Williams gave Reichert the Chief's Award of Merit (PDF), and in April 2011, he was named Officer of the Month....Despite Reichert's past, Williams said he sees no reason to question the officer's integrity.

Well there you have it.

 

[RootDKJ]

Never ever consent to a search.

 

[marcski]

This video just reinforces my inherent distrust for law enforcement.

 

[Nick]

This video just reinforces my inherent distrust for law enforcement.

I think its unfortunate to draw sweeping judgements against law enforcement (or military, teachers, priests, cat lovers, carpet salesman) based on the actions of some. There are always gonna be some bad apples in any group. By and large I have a lot of respect for cops, outside of speeding infractions

 

[billski]

This video just reinforces my inherent distrust for law enforcement.

I'm not ready to cast off an entire group. In every group, there are always some few who ruin it for everyone. Incompetent, evil, whatever you want to call it. I'll bet the majority of cops would be equally P.O.'d as I am.

What about that drunk on the slope who crashes into skiers and steals skis? Does that define all of us? You get the point.


So many people think that cops are "out to get me." Most often it surfaces in traffic enforcement.

 

[ScottySkis]

Ya lots of cops are also military people with lots of stress, plus their always a chance they something bad could happen to them more then regular jobs, so i respect them unless they give me a reason not to.

 

[marcski]

Not saying everyone is a bad apple. But, power corrupts. I've heard too many stories over the years from DA's in various counties. So, personally, I have an inherent distrust. I will check and double check what I'm told by law enforcement.

 

[Nick]

Not saying everyone is a bad apple. But, power corrupts. I've heard too many stories over the years from DA's in various counties. So, personally, I have an inherent distrust. I will check and double check what I'm told by law enforcement.

Yeah that's just due diligence

I bet it also depends where you live. I live in a small town and you know the cops here too. It's not as political I guess as bigger cities.

 

[gmcunni]

houston cops are crazy too
(NSFW language)

 

[SkiFanE]

Not saying everyone is a bad apple. But, power corrupts. I've heard too many stories over the years from DA's in various counties. So, personally, I have an inherent distrust. I will check and double check what I'm told by law enforcement.

Here Here :smash: Sorta love/hate...who do you call when you're being robbed and hiding in your bathroom? THEN you want them. But some of the same qualities that makes someone want to be a cop could be the same that make them jerks. Like politiicians..need to be a smoothtalker and be able to BS your way out of anything..which means lots of slimeballs are eligible lol.

2 years ago I was driving home on ME Tpk, nice Sunday afternoon. Huge SUV tries to guillotine me, while I'm just following traffic at a safe distance in high speed lane, came out of nowhere...being a Boston driver...not lettting him in, speed up a bit, but the jerk cuts me off anyway with about 2' to spare...so I flippped him the big ole bird. OMG....it was a ME state cop. Lets just say he pulled me over. yelled at me with spit flying "why did you give me the finger".."How dare you give me the finger"...blah blah blah... "well you cut me off, and where I live, that's what we do". He checks my license, yadda yadda, meanwhile I"m thinking he's in the wrong, I'm taking this one to court, I did nothing wrong, no speeding. Well..he was smart and realized this and gave me my license back after trying to scare me, and still wouldn't shut up about me flipping him the bird. I reminded him again, that's what we do in Boston when someone cuts you off Little People: 1, Staties 0 :flag:

 

[Cannonball]

I bet it also depends where you live. I live in a small town and you know the cops here too. It's not as political I guess as bigger cities.

I grew up in a small town. I grew up with all of the guys who currently make up the police force. Not coincidentally they were the biggest douches in town then and now. And THAT is what reinforces my inherent distrust for law enforcement.

 

[Nick]

I grew up in a small town. I grew up with all of the guys who currently make up the police force. Not coincidentally they were the biggest douches in town then and now. And THAT is what reinforces my inherent distrust for law enforcement.

huh.... I dunno . Guess it depends on the town then :lol:

 

[Mpdsnowman]

For some reason I tend to draw police and border patrol around..I have no clue why...I wear my tye dye like any other day, I dont play my dead shows loud (least I dont think i do). Dancin bear stickers dont mean anything really . I feel as though I own my own bay at the border. Im friendly with the sniffing dog..they already know all the hiding spots..ive shown them just so I can move on...

Over the years ive learned they dont like the use of the word "profiling" so now i just use the term "Formative assumption". I dont think they get that one:smile:

Something tells me that if I didnt drive this....the formative assumption would be alot less...