Yet More Police Brutality

[Kamakazie Sith]

You know what cracks me up about this Zod is that you're mad at the wrong person. The police weren't fulfilling a quota when they arrested you they were going off an eye witnesses who "positively" identified you. The police said "Hey, this guy matches the description is that him?" and he said "Yeah, that's the motherfucker!"

The police fucked up by just going of his word. What did they charge you with?

As far as I'm concerned they're both at fault because the police weren't even questioning whether or not the owner's bullshit was accurate. The charges themselves were minor; disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, etc. But more than enough to ruin my week. (Also, I was not being completely serious with the "quota" quip).

LMAO. Wow. Seems like a lot of work for some small time charges like disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace, and to take you to jail for that?! Crazy. If I took someone to jail for something like that and they weren't drunk or fighting I'd end up having to buy the jail personnel donuts for a month to make up for it.

[Darth Wong]

You'd be surprised. I got arrested a few years ago by douchebags looking to find anyone to put in cuffs. Unfortunately I'd decided to walk instead of taking the mall shuttle and passed by the place where the cops were taking some restaurant owner's statements about a homeless guy causing trouble. Since I was working outside, I wasn't exactly in my best clothes, nor clean. For some bizarre reason the cops assumed that meant I was the guy they were looking for and decided to arrest me without bothering to listen to anything I said. (The charges were dropped, but it's definitely soured my feelings towards the cops).

Of course, I wasn't going to resist. But the fact that they were doing everything they could to put the blame on me because I only sort of vaguely fit the description they had doesn't exactly engender me to the police.

Yes, but when you're here now and you still have your teeth. If you had decided to put up a fight, that might be different.

[Death from the Sea]

You know what cracks me up about this Zod is that you're mad at the wrong person. The police weren't fulfilling a quota when they arrested you they were going off an eye witnesses who "positively" identified you. The police said "Hey, this guy matches the description is that him?" and he said "Yeah, that's the motherfucker!"

The police fucked up by just going of his word. What did they charge you with?

As far as I'm concerned they're both at fault because the police weren't even questioning whether or not the owner's bullshit was accurate. The charges themselves were minor; disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, etc. But more than enough to ruin my week. (Also, I was not being completely serious with the "quota" quip).

just out of curiosity, what would your side of the story been? from your story it sounds like you were just passing by and got snatched up. So when (or if) they asked you questions about the incident, your answer would have been "I don't know what you are talking about.".

What reason did they have to question the victim? I mean if he positively identified you (whether it was wrong or not), the officer has to take that at face value.

As for the OP,I agree that I would prefer to see these officers put on suspension until it is cleared up or charges are filed. It is worth noting that "witnesses" said that the attack was unprovoked, yet the victim admitted to knocking the cap off of one of the detectives as he rode by on his bike. So it is not hard to believe that in doing so, he might have accidentally smacked the detective in the face. Not that their response was even close to acceptable, but he is not just some guy riding his bike that got attacked for no reason.

[Death from the Sea]

You know what cracks me up about this Zod is that you're mad at the wrong person. The police weren't fulfilling a quota when they arrested you they were going off an eye witnesses who "positively" identified you. The police said "Hey, this guy matches the description is that him?" and he said "Yeah, that's the motherfucker!"

The police fucked up by just going of his word. What did they charge you with?

As far as I'm concerned they're both at fault because the police weren't even questioning whether or not the owner's bullshit was accurate. The charges themselves were minor; disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, etc. But more than enough to ruin my week. (Also, I was not being completely serious with the "quota" quip).

LMAO. Wow. Seems like a lot of work for some small time charges like disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace, and to take you to jail for that?! Crazy. If I took someone to jail for something like that and they weren't drunk or fighting I'd end up having to buy the jail personnel donuts for a month to make up for it.

depends, an arrest on those charges could easily be reasonable since you have an actual victim, instead of just crowd of people, and since it was a business, they may have wanted to send a message to the vagrants in the area (since Zod said he was mistaken for one) to stay away from that area and not cause problems (if they had alot of ongoing problems in that area). But generally yeah, that kind of stuff gets at most a citation because it takes too much time from things that are a bit more serious and require more attention.

[General Zod]

just out of curiosity, what would your side of the story been? from your story it sounds like you were just passing by and got snatched up. So when (or if) they asked you questions about the incident, your answer would have been "I don't know what you are talking about.".

What reason did they have to question the victim? I mean if he positively identified you (whether it was wrong or not), the officer has to take that at face value.

The cops were already there when I got picked out. Supposedly some homeless guy came by and started stealing food off the tables. As far as my side, I kept telling them I didn't know what the hell they were talking about and that it was impossible for me to caused anything. The fact that they kept asking me if I'd had anything to drink despite the fact that I told them no repeatedly, and even asked to talk to the owner but got refused (they said being picked out from across the street in low light conditions was plenty), seemed to me that they weren't interested in listening. (They didn't stop asking me if I had anything to drink until I told them to breathalyze me or stop asking stupid questions).

As for the OP,I agree that I would prefer to see these officers put on suspension until it is cleared up or charges are filed. It is worth noting that "witnesses" said that the attack was unprovoked, yet the victim admitted to knocking the cap off of one of the detectives as he rode by on his bike. So it is not hard to believe that in doing so, he might have accidentally smacked the detective in the face. Not that their response was even close to acceptable, but he is not just some guy riding his bike that got attacked for no reason.

Since they were "undercover", he had no way of knowing they were detectives. If these were just joe blows off the street they'd have been the ones charged with assault and battery.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

There you go, you told them to stop asking stupid questions, instead of just answering the same over and over again like you should have. Also, if you used the word "hell" in answering them, that was probably another reason they arrested you.

[General Zod]

There you go, you told them to stop asking stupid questions, instead of just answering the same over and over again like you should have. Also, if you used the word "hell" in answering them, that was probably another reason they arrested you.

I was already in handcuffs and in the car when I told them that, because by that point it was clear they weren't going to listen to me. Also probably worth noting it was the 4th of July weekend at the time, which might have made them even bigger cocks than usual.

[Death from the Sea]

The cops were already there when I got picked out. Supposedly some homeless guy came by and started stealing food off the tables. As far as my side, I kept telling them I didn't know what the hell they were talking about and that it was impossible for me to caused anything. The fact that they kept asking me if I'd had anything to drink despite the fact that I told them no repeatedly, and even asked to talk to the owner but got refused (they said being picked out from across the street in low light conditions was plenty), seemed to me that they weren't interested in listening. (They didn't stop asking me if I had anything to drink until I told them to breathalyze me or stop asking stupid questions).

Zod, you popped an attitude with them, and you probably popped it with them sooner than you realize. And as for not letting you talk to the victim, why would they? That would just end in yelling at each other at the scene.

Your 6th amendment right to confront witnesses against you would be satisfied in court.

Since they were "undercover", he had no way of knowing they were detectives.

Detectives or not, he shouldn't be riding by knocking hats off of people, that is just looking for trouble.

If these were just joe blows off the street they'd have been the ones charged with assault and battery.

and again I will say that they should be suspended and this should be investigated fully.

[Aaron]

I can't imagine that ever happening to me unless I ended up looking like a bag lady. I mean, seriously, you must have been dressed like a bum. Try to take the time after work to change clothes in a bathroom or at least spot-clean them in front of the mirror and wash your face off and comb your hair next time, seriously, or even every so often while you're working. Also if you're working outdoors in a busy area, wear an orange vest if you don't have a uniform, it'll make you look more like a worker and less like a vagrant.

Pardon my ignorance but is targeting people who are dirty an American police thing or something? I used to be an electricians apprentice before I joined the CF and regularly rode mass transit absolutely filthy. And I wasn't the only one. Add to that the Skytrain ended (at the time) in one of the worst areas in the GVRD, regularly patrolled by the transit cops and I was never so much as asked a question by them.

[Death from the Sea]

I can't imagine that ever happening to me unless I ended up looking like a bag lady. I mean, seriously, you must have been dressed like a bum. Try to take the time after work to change clothes in a bathroom or at least spot-clean them in front of the mirror and wash your face off and comb your hair next time, seriously, or even every so often while you're working. Also if you're working outdoors in a busy area, wear an orange vest if you don't have a uniform, it'll make you look more like a worker and less like a vagrant.

Pardon my ignorance but is targeting people who are dirty an American police thing or something? I used to be an electricians apprentice before I joined the CF and regularly rode mass transit absolutely filthy. And I wasn't the only one. Add to that the Skytrain ended (at the time) in one of the worst areas in the GVRD, regularly patrolled by the transit cops and I was never so much as asked a question by them.

Zod said that he was targeted for dressing like a bum, which is what the police happened to be looking for that day since a bum caused problems at that restaurant.

[General Zod]

Zod, you popped an attitude with them, and you probably popped it with them sooner than you realize. And as for not letting you talk to the victim, why would they? That would just end in yelling at each other at the scene.

I doubt it was "sooner" than I realized. They were already filling out the paperwork while I was in the car and clearly weren't interested in listening to anything I said, so telling them to breathalyze me or stop asking if I was drunk seemed perfectly reasonable. Sounded like they wanted me to admit it without bothering to test at the time.

Detectives or not, he shouldn't be riding by knocking hats off of people, that is just looking for trouble.

It's not as if he just flipped it off unprovoked. If some twat came up to me and told me I'd ran a red light while I was on a bicycle without a uniform or a badge I'd probably laugh in his face too. Considering all the alerts on the news about police imposters lately it's at least an understandable response.

[Kamakazie Sith]

It's not as if he just flipped it off unprovoked. If some twat came up to me and told me I'd ran a red light while I was on a bicycle without a uniform or a badge I'd probably laugh in his face too. Considering all the alerts on the news about police imposters lately it's at least an understandable response.

Well, he didn't laugh in his face. He flipped his hat off. Distinct difference which would piss most people off.

[Block]

It's not as if he just flipped it off unprovoked. If some twat came up to me and told me I'd ran a red light while I was on a bicycle without a uniform or a badge I'd probably laugh in his face too. Considering all the alerts on the news about police imposters lately it's at least an understandable response.

Well, he didn't laugh in his face. He flipped his hat off. Distinct difference which would piss most people off.

It's also technically assaulting a police officer isn't it?

[salm]

The cops were already there when I got picked out. Supposedly some homeless guy came by and started stealing food off the tables. As far as my side, I kept telling them I didn't know what the hell they were talking about and that it was impossible for me to caused anything. The fact that they kept asking me if I'd had anything to drink despite the fact that I told them no repeatedly, and even asked to talk to the owner but got refused (they said being picked out from across the street in low light conditions was plenty), seemed to me that they weren't interested in listening. (They didn't stop asking me if I had anything to drink until I told them to breathalyze me or stop asking stupid questions).

Zod, you popped an attitude with them, and you probably popped it with them sooner than you realize. And as for not letting you talk to the victim, why would they? That would just end in yelling at each other at the scene.

They popped an attitude first. They kept asking if he was drunk even though he had already answered the question several times. This is generally percieved as really annoying because it implies that the questioner thinks you are a liar.
Just because some people wear some stupid badge i don't think they should be given a free ticket to be assholes, esspecially if they wield a whole lot of power like the cops.
It seems like US cops should recieve more training in deescalation methods.

[Kamakazie Sith]

It's not as if he just flipped it off unprovoked. If some twat came up to me and told me I'd ran a red light while I was on a bicycle without a uniform or a badge I'd probably laugh in his face too. Considering all the alerts on the news about police imposters lately it's at least an understandable response.

Well, he didn't laugh in his face. He flipped his hat off. Distinct difference which would piss most people off.

It's also technically assaulting a police officer isn't it?

Only if it can be shown that the person knew the other was a police officer.

[Kamakazie Sith]

They popped an attitude first. They kept asking if he was drunk even though he had already answered the question several times. This is generally percieved as really annoying because it implies that the questioner thinks you are a liar.
Just because some people wear some stupid badge i don't think they should be given a free ticket to be assholes, esspecially if they wield a whole lot of power like the cops.
It seems like US cops should recieve more training in deescalation methods.

It might seem like that, but you're taking your sample from one side of the media.

Here's the other side of the coin. Calm Trooper

[Block]

Interesting. Is it still assault?

[Kamakazie Sith]

Interesting. Is it still assault?

Yeah, if you were to attack a person who later turned out to be a police officer, but never identified himself/herself as one then all you could be charged with is assault.

[Tsyroc]

Here's the other side of the coin. Calm Trooper

Now that was hilarious.

There were times though where I really wanted to see the officer beat that guy's ass. Later on seeing and hearing the guy freak out about the fine made up for it.

The rant about Bill Clinton coming into office and hopefully fixing everything was good too.

I always love people who bitch about the cost of living and how they can't afford car insurance but they drive a new fucking car, and not a cheap little econobox either.

[salm]

They popped an attitude first. They kept asking if he was drunk even though he had already answered the question several times. This is generally percieved as really annoying because it implies that the questioner thinks you are a liar.
Just because some people wear some stupid badge i don't think they should be given a free ticket to be assholes, esspecially if they wield a whole lot of power like the cops.
It seems like US cops should recieve more training in deescalation methods.

It might seem like that, but you're taking your sample from one side of the media.

Here's the other side of the coin. Calm Trooper

Awesome.

[Gil Hamilton]

There you go, you told them to stop asking stupid questions, instead of just answering the same over and over again like you should have. Also, if you used the word "hell" in answering them, that was probably another reason they arrested you.

As far as I know, none of those things are crimes, nor is being grubby as you've suggested. Even if Zod looked like a bum or was somewhat belligerent after a while, that doesn't excuse the police officers. They shouldn't have confronted him at all, let alone harassed him. Police are public servants, they can't and shouldn't go around treating people like shit.

Of course, I don't have much interaction with the Pittsburgh police, but I've known plenty of folks who have. For instance, I know that it is an infraction to be driving a Prius while actively being a black man, for instance, based on the number of times my friend Dan has been pulled over by a cop looking for his license and registration.

Then again, I suppose Pittsburgh isn't the worst. When I was in a conference in New Orleans, we all got the advice to avoid the attention of the police at all cost and prepare to drop to the ground and cover your head if you happen to be unfortunate enough to be confronted by them.

[Kamakazie Sith]

As far as I know, none of those things are crimes, nor is being grubby as you've suggested. Even if Zod looked like a bum or was somewhat belligerent after a while, that doesn't excuse the police officers. They shouldn't have confronted him at all, let alone harassed him. Police are public servants, they can't and shouldn't go around treating people like shit.

Do you realize that you just said that police shouldn't confront people that match the descriptions given by their complaintants? I agree about harassment, but not confronting him at all is ridiculous. If he matched the description it is perfectly reasonable to interview him, and see if the complaintant positively identifies him.

Of course, I don't have much interaction with the Pittsburgh police, but I've known plenty of folks who have. For instance, I know that it is an infraction to be driving a Prius while actively being a black man, for instance, based on the number of times my friend Dan has been pulled over by a cop looking for his license and registration.

Did they give a reason for the initial stop? Were you even there? I'm not implying that racism doesn't exist in law enforcement. However, I've also seen many people play the race card when it wasn't a factor at all.

Then again, I suppose Pittsburgh isn't the worst. When I was in a conference in New Orleans, we all got the advice to avoid the attention of the police at all cost and prepare to drop to the ground and cover your head if you happen to be unfortunate enough to be confronted by them.

Who gave you this advice?

[The Duchess of Zeon]

There you go, you told them to stop asking stupid questions, instead of just answering the same over and over again like you should have. Also, if you used the word "hell" in answering them, that was probably another reason they arrested you.

As far as I know, none of those things are crimes, nor is being grubby as you've suggested. Even if Zod looked like a bum or was somewhat belligerent after a while, that doesn't excuse the police officers. They shouldn't have confronted him at all, let alone harassed him. Police are public servants, they can't and shouldn't go around treating people like shit.

Of course, I don't have much interaction with the Pittsburgh police, but I've known plenty of folks who have. For instance, I know that it is an infraction to be driving a Prius while actively being a black man, for instance, based on the number of times my friend Dan has been pulled over by a cop looking for his license and registration.

Then again, I suppose Pittsburgh isn't the worst. When I was in a conference in New Orleans, we all got the advice to avoid the attention of the police at all cost and prepare to drop to the ground and cover your head if you happen to be unfortunate enough to be confronted by them.

I'm not saying it's right, Gil, I'm saying it's how you avoid a beating and an arrest.

[Keevan_Colton]

I'm not saying it's right, Gil, I'm saying it's how you avoid a beating and an arrest.

You dont perhaps see this as being an ass backwards approach to solving the problem?

[Adrian Laguna]

I'm not saying it's right, Gil, I'm saying it's how you avoid a beating and an arrest.

You dont perhaps see this as being an ass backwards approach to solving the problem?

It's more of an approach to not being a victim of the problem. Just like how avoiding the ghettoes isn't going to solve rampant crime in them, but it may keep you from becoming a statistic.