After having a few beers (maybe 3) at my friend's drinking party. His girlfriend and I decided to go to Taco Bell to grab everyone some nachos and stuff. She had been staying completely dry.
Well, after we pick up our Taco Bell, I was just staring at her speedometer and paying attention to nothing else. I dunno why I do that - but when I'm a passenger, I get bored really easily. Then, she gets pulled over.
So, after waiting in the car for about 10 minutes, the officer finally approaches her window. She asks, "What am I being pulled over for?"
Ignoring the question, the officer asks for license and registration. After her asking again, the officer says, "You were speeding."
She says, "I was not speeding."
He says, "You were going 60, maybe 62 mph and this is a 45mph."
At this point, since I have been staring at the speedometer the whole time, I chimed in and said, "She was not speeding, sir. I was watching the speedometer the whole time and she never once passed 48mph. Can we go? Our Taco Bell is getting cold."
The officer then says, "At first this wasn't anything, but now you have made it something." He also asks for MY license and regisration and whether or not I've been drinking.
I told him, "I had a few beers." BTW, I am 21.
He then goes back to his car and proceeds to waste another 10 minutes. Another cop shows up and they start talking. We sat there waiting while our Taco Bell for the entire party was getting cold.
When he approached the car again, he handed us each back our licenses. I then asked for his name and badge number and was ignored. Since asking for name and badge number is completely legal and necessary for any future police station correspondence, I got out of the car but did not approach him.
From about 10 feet away, I asked him (in front of the other officer), "What is your name and badge number?"
He says (after getting noticeably angered), "You know what? This is for my safety." He then ran up to me, grabbed my arm and shoved it behind my back and pushed me up against the car. He told me to spread my legs and started patting me down. He also hit my nuts damn hard when he got to that area. I flinched a little - but it wasn't that bad. It definitely was not a proper search, however, because force against the nuts is never proper.
I then repeated a third time, "What is your name and badge number?" He finally answered and I wrote it down. I'll leave the name/# out to satisfy the mods.
Then, I asked him if he was Tampa PD. He said "He's Tampa PD" while pointing to the other officer.
I began asking for the name and badge number of the witnessing officer at which point the original officer shoved me towards the car and yelled "Get in the fvcking car!"
I made one more attempt at getting the name and badge number of the other officer when the first officer said, "Ma'am, I strongly advise that you make your friend get into the car." He then pushed me hard enough that I almost fell into the door. I got in the car and we left. There were no papers given to either of us.
In total, we spent about 30 minutes being pulled over for absolutely nothing. The officer was evasive when I asked him the only legal question I know to ask. He used force against me even though I was physically compliant.
Her and I documented the event verbatim right when we got back to the party and we plan to file a comlaint. Ugh.. This is why I hate cops.
And don't you say that a cop has every right to pull you over at random - not in FL.
EDIT: You have a LEGAL RIGHT to ask the officer for his name and badge number! In fact, it is often a prerequisite for filing a complaint against the officer. I know this because I have a friend who was mistreated during a traffic stop but was not allowed to file a complaint because the officer gave no papers (and therefore no record) and he didn't know to ask for name and badge number. When he called to file a complaint, he was told he could not procede unless he had name and badge number. After that, he and I read extensively on how to deal with traffic stops. I never thought I would have had so many opportunities to excercise this knowledge.
We were planning on filing a complaint since the very beginning of the stop since the officer blatantly lied about her speeding. It is unfair to be singled out and pulled over since we look like two college kids drinking and driving. Any time an officer pulls you over without cause, it is your duty to report it and complain to the station. Complaints against officers are the only ways a station can get feedback as to the real performance of their officers. Also, complaints are the only thing that keeps law enforcement in check and gets rid of the bad cops.
Getting out of the car was my only option to get his name and badge number. From what I understand, without name and badge number or any record of incident, I am unable to file a complaint. I cannot believe I have been pulled over so many times. Three out of five times I have been pulled over, I have been told to get outside the car and I have been searched.
A search without probable cause' is an illegal search. If a cop asks to search your car, you ALWAYS say "no". Otherwise, he is free to open your luggage and leave it laying all over the ground (happened to two friends on their way to Miami.)
I don't know about the rest of you, but getting pulled over for no reason and being forced to wait 30 minutes just so a cop can let you go with no papers or nothing is a terrible inconvience.
EDIT AGAIN: For those that are telling me that I should never have gotten out of the car, how else do I get his name and badge number? It is a legal request. Do not tell me that I shouldn't bother to get that information. Instead, tell me how I do it when a cop ignores my original request when I am in the car.
The cop had NO right to pull us over and NO right to lie about the reason. The stop was nothing other than random speculation. There are laws in this country to prevent random speculation law enforcement attempts. A cop cannot pull you over at random. It is against the law. If it was a sobriety check point, then the cops must document each check and pull over every set number of cars. It cannot pick a random car at a random place and check it.
I will definitely keep you posted as to how they respond to my complaint.
Well, after we pick up our Taco Bell, I was just staring at her speedometer and paying attention to nothing else. I dunno why I do that - but when I'm a passenger, I get bored really easily. Then, she gets pulled over.
So, after waiting in the car for about 10 minutes, the officer finally approaches her window. She asks, "What am I being pulled over for?"
Ignoring the question, the officer asks for license and registration. After her asking again, the officer says, "You were speeding."
She says, "I was not speeding."
He says, "You were going 60, maybe 62 mph and this is a 45mph."
At this point, since I have been staring at the speedometer the whole time, I chimed in and said, "She was not speeding, sir. I was watching the speedometer the whole time and she never once passed 48mph. Can we go? Our Taco Bell is getting cold."
The officer then says, "At first this wasn't anything, but now you have made it something." He also asks for MY license and regisration and whether or not I've been drinking.
I told him, "I had a few beers." BTW, I am 21.
He then goes back to his car and proceeds to waste another 10 minutes. Another cop shows up and they start talking. We sat there waiting while our Taco Bell for the entire party was getting cold.
When he approached the car again, he handed us each back our licenses. I then asked for his name and badge number and was ignored. Since asking for name and badge number is completely legal and necessary for any future police station correspondence, I got out of the car but did not approach him.
From about 10 feet away, I asked him (in front of the other officer), "What is your name and badge number?"
He says (after getting noticeably angered), "You know what? This is for my safety." He then ran up to me, grabbed my arm and shoved it behind my back and pushed me up against the car. He told me to spread my legs and started patting me down. He also hit my nuts damn hard when he got to that area. I flinched a little - but it wasn't that bad. It definitely was not a proper search, however, because force against the nuts is never proper.
I then repeated a third time, "What is your name and badge number?" He finally answered and I wrote it down. I'll leave the name/# out to satisfy the mods.
Then, I asked him if he was Tampa PD. He said "He's Tampa PD" while pointing to the other officer.
I began asking for the name and badge number of the witnessing officer at which point the original officer shoved me towards the car and yelled "Get in the fvcking car!"
I made one more attempt at getting the name and badge number of the other officer when the first officer said, "Ma'am, I strongly advise that you make your friend get into the car." He then pushed me hard enough that I almost fell into the door. I got in the car and we left. There were no papers given to either of us.
In total, we spent about 30 minutes being pulled over for absolutely nothing. The officer was evasive when I asked him the only legal question I know to ask. He used force against me even though I was physically compliant.
Her and I documented the event verbatim right when we got back to the party and we plan to file a comlaint. Ugh.. This is why I hate cops.
And don't you say that a cop has every right to pull you over at random - not in FL.
EDIT: You have a LEGAL RIGHT to ask the officer for his name and badge number! In fact, it is often a prerequisite for filing a complaint against the officer. I know this because I have a friend who was mistreated during a traffic stop but was not allowed to file a complaint because the officer gave no papers (and therefore no record) and he didn't know to ask for name and badge number. When he called to file a complaint, he was told he could not procede unless he had name and badge number. After that, he and I read extensively on how to deal with traffic stops. I never thought I would have had so many opportunities to excercise this knowledge.
We were planning on filing a complaint since the very beginning of the stop since the officer blatantly lied about her speeding. It is unfair to be singled out and pulled over since we look like two college kids drinking and driving. Any time an officer pulls you over without cause, it is your duty to report it and complain to the station. Complaints against officers are the only ways a station can get feedback as to the real performance of their officers. Also, complaints are the only thing that keeps law enforcement in check and gets rid of the bad cops.
Getting out of the car was my only option to get his name and badge number. From what I understand, without name and badge number or any record of incident, I am unable to file a complaint. I cannot believe I have been pulled over so many times. Three out of five times I have been pulled over, I have been told to get outside the car and I have been searched.
A search without probable cause' is an illegal search. If a cop asks to search your car, you ALWAYS say "no". Otherwise, he is free to open your luggage and leave it laying all over the ground (happened to two friends on their way to Miami.)
I don't know about the rest of you, but getting pulled over for no reason and being forced to wait 30 minutes just so a cop can let you go with no papers or nothing is a terrible inconvience.
EDIT AGAIN: For those that are telling me that I should never have gotten out of the car, how else do I get his name and badge number? It is a legal request. Do not tell me that I shouldn't bother to get that information. Instead, tell me how I do it when a cop ignores my original request when I am in the car.
The cop had NO right to pull us over and NO right to lie about the reason. The stop was nothing other than random speculation. There are laws in this country to prevent random speculation law enforcement attempts. A cop cannot pull you over at random. It is against the law. If it was a sobriety check point, then the cops must document each check and pull over every set number of cars. It cannot pick a random car at a random place and check it.
I will definitely keep you posted as to how they respond to my complaint.
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