So I was inspired by Mill's thread...

[calbear2000]

I had somewhat of a similar expeirience with some overzealous cops with nothing better to do...

Here's the story for those interested in a long read: (sorry no cliff notes)

At the Burbank airport, I was walking towards the exit of the Terminal expecting to see my wife outside. She actually was on another flight from a different city (for business) and our flights were supposed to arrive at the same time. Before I actually exited, my cell phone rings - its my wife and she tells me she's right behind me. I turn around and she's about 40 feet behind me. So I start walking towards her, but the airport terminal security guy (don't know what else to call him) yells at me "Get out of here!" "Turn around right now!"

I try to tell him my wife is right there, and he keeps yelling in my face "Get out of here" with his finger pointed right at my face. By this time, my wife catches up to me and we're on our way out.

*here's where I made my mistake*

Before we turn around to leave, I look at this guy's badge because he was extremeley rude to me and I tell him that. He puts his hand over his badge to hide it and says "that's it I'm calling the cops" He tells another emplyee to hit the alarm button. I'm out of the terminal by now, and these police officers run towards me and stop me.

The officer asks us what happened - I explain what I just explained to you. And then the airport employee tells him that he said to me "Sir, you're entering an illegal security area. You have to turn around now" I stood there with my jaw dropped, wondering how the hell this guy has the gall to claim he spoke to me in that manner. He was really rude and condescending when he was yelling at me.

The cop then pats him on the back (they seemed to know each other) and tells him he'll take care of it. He then asks me for my driver's license and has another cop "watch me" while they take my luggage and have me sit on a bench. The cop takes a statement from the airport employee and the person that hit the alarm button. He comes back to me and says he has statements from 2 different witnesses saying that I entered the exit-only door. He says I caused a code-blue security breach and could arrest me right now for a felony offense, but instead will issue me a misdemeanor. My jaw is on the floor by now. He lectures me about how 9/11 makes them take trespassing very very seriously and writes me a citation for "trespassing" He says I should be arrested but my "clean record saved me" :roll:

As I attempt to repeat my story about how I merely turned around and I didn't re-enter the door, he says "court is the place to argue this... I'm not going to argue with you here" Thats great, I live in Northern California and he expects me to come down to Burbank to go to court to argue my case.


I was just going to pay the bail (don't know how much it is, but I'm not going to fly down just to argue this ridiculous case). But Mill's story is an inspirational one... the system is truly set up in a way that proving innocence is too much of a hassle that you might as well give in.

I wasn't going to post this here, but I did so any advice for me besides "when airport security tells you to turn around, shut up and do it"

 

[nan0bug]

You should have waited for him to get off work and kicked his ass.

 

[AFB]

Originally posted by: nan0bug
You should have waited for him to get off work and kicked his ass.

:beer:

 

[StageLeft]

For that new cop's story to be believable - that he told you you were entering a special area, then you must have been trying to enter that, right? So, regardless of what the first cop actually said, DID you enter that area? If so, don't get hung up on the details; you screwed up. If not, then how could the first cop claim to have said you were entering a restricted area if you were entering, say, just another wing of the food court?

 

[calbear2000]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
For that new cop's story to be believable - that he told you you were entering a special area, then you must have been trying to enter that, right? So, regardless of what the first cop actually said, DID you enter that area? If so, don't get hung up on the details; you screwed up. If not, then how could the first cop claim to have said you were entering a restricted area if you were entering, say, just another wing of the food court?

So let me explain the way the Burbank terminal is set up... btw the "new cop" is really just an airport employee assigned to sit and make sure no one enters the terminal . There is the exit-only door and the employee who sits about 20 feet away from the door.

I was on my way out when I turned around. So I didn't technically leave and re-enter the door - I just turned around right before the door. The employee sees me walking towards him and gets out of his seat to stop me. I walk about halfway between the exit door and the seat where the employee sits all day, and we had our altercation there.

I admit I screwed up... I should have walked out the exit door immediately when the employee told me to. But I didn't enter the exit-only door to cause a "security breach"

I'm not passionate enough to take 2 days off work, fly down to LA, and explain myself to a judge who will probably take the cop's side anyway. Its just a shame that cops have nothing better to do - you should see the Burbank airport, there's cops EVERYWHERE - I guess its part of the "war on terror" :roll:

 

[Ausm]

Cliff Notes


Ausm

 

[calbear2000]

Originally posted by: Ausm
Cliff Notes


Ausm

Cliff notes: airport staff and airport cop went on a power trip and gave me a misdemeanor for "trespassing" The charge is ridiculous, and I was originally going to just pay bail since I have to fly or drive down 500 miles to tell a judge who's probably not going to believe me anyway.

 

[Hossenfeffer]

Would love to hear you fight this with a lawyer in your corner.

That being said, I understand that you're not anxious to waste 2 days.

 

[nakedfrog]

Starts when you're always afraid... Step out of line, the man come and take you away...

 

[DWW]

:music:Oh Canada:music:

 

[rh71]

it's not the system, that's fine... it's the A-hole security dude that told you to turn around when you (by your account) simply did an about-face without advancing backward. Doesn't seem like you "entered" any security area when in fact you were standing where you could. There's no law about stopping in the area, is there ? Sure he should be alarmed you stopped, but he didn't have to be a d1ck if you didn't GO anywhere backwards.

Sound right ?

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: calbear2000
I had somewhat of a similar expeirience with some overzealous cops with nothing better to do...

I was just going to pay the bail (don't know how much it is, but I'm not going to fly down just to argue this ridiculous case). But Mill's story is an inspirational one... the system is truly set up in a way that proving innocence is too much of a hassle that you might as well give in.

I wasn't going to post this here, but I did so any advice for me besides "when airport security tells you to turn around, shut up and do it"

Sorry this happened to you.

Isn't great to live in a Country where Terrorists roam free but the Citenry is treated like Terrorists.

What happened to Mill???

There is a story in today's paper here locally of a woman that like to takes pics of the lake as she drives across the World's longest Bridge here called the Causeway Bridge over Lake Pontratrain near New Orleans. She doesn't stop on the bridge or anything and has been taking the pictures for years.

Well this past Friday a Motorist saw her taking pictures while they were both driving and the Motorist called the Police with her License Tag and description of the car. In no time she was pulled over and grilled that she is under suspicion under the Dept of Homeland Security. They examined her Camera and asked a ton of questions. She was eventually let go but she is obviously quite shaken.

I'll try and find a link that does not require registration, the local paper website does

 

[XMan]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: calbear2000
I had somewhat of a similar expeirience with some overzealous cops with nothing better to do...

I was just going to pay the bail (don't know how much it is, but I'm not going to fly down just to argue this ridiculous case). But Mill's story is an inspirational one... the system is truly set up in a way that proving innocence is too much of a hassle that you might as well give in.

I wasn't going to post this here, but I did so any advice for me besides "when airport security tells you to turn around, shut up and do it"

Sorry this happened to you.

Isn't great to live in a Country where Terrorists roam free but the Citenry is treated like Terrorists.

What happened to Mill???

There is a story in today's paper here locally of a woman that like to takes pics of the lake as she drives across the World's longest Bridge here called the Causeway Bridge over Lake Pontratrain near New Orleans. She doesn't stop on the bridge or anything and has been taking the pictures for years.

Well this past Friday a Motorist saw her taking pictures while they were both driving and the Motorist called the Police with her License Tag and description of the car. In no time she was pulled over and grilled that she is under suspicion under the Dept of Homeland Security. They examined her Camera and asked a ton of questions. She was eventually let go but she is obviously quite shaken.

I'll try and find a link that does not require registration, the local paper website does

You don't think taking pictures of a bridge is a bit suspicious, especially with the info that's been found on laptops recently? C'mon, Dave.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Well this past Friday a Motorist saw her taking pictures while they were both driving and the Motorist called the Police with her License Tag and description of the car. In no time she was pulled over and grilled that she is under suspicion under the Dept of Homeland Security. They examined her Camera and asked a ton of questions. She was eventually let go but she is obviously quite shaken.

Good evidence that the problem IS the system.
Dept of Homeland Security needs to go away.

 

[bradruth]

When you see real cops at Airports, 10:1 says they're getting some serious overtime for being there. It's not that they "don't have anything better to do," it's that they're working either voluntary or assigned overtime contracted out from the airport. It sounds like the security guy was the dick, and the cop was just going off of witness accounts. Despite your intentions, you *were* in the wrong, weren't you?

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Well this past Friday a Motorist saw her taking pictures while they were both driving and the Motorist called the Police with her License Tag and description of the car. In no time she was pulled over and grilled that she is under suspicion under the Dept of Homeland Security. They examined her Camera and asked a ton of questions. She was eventually let go but she is obviously quite shaken.

Good evidence that the problem IS the system.
Dept of Homeland Security needs to go away.

And when terrorists do decide to take advantage of this ... we'll just think nothing of it, right ? Better safe than sorry applies in most cases, why not here? Hell pull me over and grill me if I do something like that.

 

[calbear2000]

Originally posted by: bradruth
When you see real cops at Airports, 10:1 says they're getting some serious overtime for being there. It's not that they "don't have anything better to do," it's that they're working either voluntary or assigned overtime contracted out from the airport. It sounds like the security guy was the dick, and the cop was just going off of witness accounts. Despite your intentions, you *were* in the wrong, weren't you?

I was in the wrong with respect to not listening to the yelling airport security guy immediately. He yelled at me to turn around, and I didn't immediately do it.

I was not in the wrong in regards to entering an exit-only door. I simply turned around - but the airport staff told the officer that I actually entered.

The officer was somewhat of a jerk also. He told me upfront that he believes the witnesses over me... "why else would they hit the alarm?" he asks.

Anyway, I put the airport police there in the same class as the airport security. I know you have insight since I think you're a police officer yourself, but these guys really had no class either. Detaining me for nearly an hour while my elderly parents-in-law were waiting, saying they could arrest me if they "wanted to" This really was a ridiculous misdemeanor and citation by any stretch of the imagination.

And the Burbank airport really is sprawling with cops. For a tiny airport, there are cops everywhere, literally everywhere you look. It looks like they'll hire just about anybody: http://www.bgpaapolice.com/employment.htm