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Idaho trooper harasses old man due to Colorado license plate (with video)

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by DeskMonkey1, Apr 16, 2014.

  1. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    Yup. If a traffic stop turns into something more than license, registration, ticket, on your way. ...

    "Officer, are you detaining me, or am I free to go?"

    If you don't ask, it is the same as voluntarily staying. He can't just detain you, unless there is reasonable suspicion of crime -- for example a bag of powder on the front seat. If he does for circumspect reasons -- or searches your car without a warrant -- not having said anything and asking if you are free to go (after he reasonably had the chance to complete a traffic stop), works in your favor. He can't use your words to come up with suspicion of some BS crime, after the fact.
     
  2. DeskMonkey1

    DeskMonkey1 Active Member

    I was visiting the state, just driving a family member's (whom I was visiting) car to the grocery store. I used "home" as a generic "headed to my uncle's house."
     
  3. Bradley Guire

    Bradley Guire Well-Known Member

    I don't recall state police doing much community work like that. Mostly left ro the cities. I did know a city cop whose job description included playong McGruff. He kept the costume on a coat hanger in his office. First time I saw it, I asked, "Business or personal?"
     
  4. franticscribe

    franticscribe Well-Known Member

    So you told the officer a fib and then got bent out of shape when your white lie caused you to catch some gruff. Got it.
     
  5. Gator

    Gator Well-Known Member

    In fairness, he was headed to a home. Never mentioned "my" home.
     
  6. DeskMonkey1

    DeskMonkey1 Active Member

    Not really a fib, considering it was my "home" for the two weeks I was there. How was I supposed to know they were going to set up a checkpoint while we were at the grocery store?
     
  7. Stoney

    Stoney Well-Known Member

    If even the "decent ones" (as opposed to the asshole cops) admit to chronically manufacturing bullshit reasons to pull people over to meet a monthly "quota", then we've got a severe misallocation of public resources going on here. If they can't find legit reasons then either pull them off the traffic beat and assign them to real crime, or if there isn't enough real crime, then let's eliminate some cop jobs and save the public some tax dollars. But this stuff is pure crap, and deserves more outrage from the public.

    And, btw, between the recent story on the dog shooting thread and this one, I get the impression there's no shortage of douchebaggery in the Idaho law enforcement community.
     
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