thumper823

Alright, I got a little steamed yesterday on my way home from picking up chinese food.. Ill try to keep it short.

theres a brown ford fusion behind me but i dont think anything of it.

Cruisin at about 60(limit 55) over a hill, when i crest the hill i can see over a mile worth of open road with no cars at all. i gently press on the throttle and get up to about 70(still 55), then i notice a van about 1/2 mile away headed my direction so i coast back down to 60(55 still) I continue at 60 untill i turn down my road.

speed on my street is 25 which is what i am driving. I look in my rear view and see the brown fusion stopped in the middle of the road( he hasnt made the turn down my street yet) which alerts me that he is following me. So i stop in my road to alert this creep that i know he is following me. 20 seconds go by of both of us stopped looking at eachother.. lol then he turns down my street and i proceed to head home thinking nothing of it.

just to be safe i pull in my 2nd drive and stop as if im lost and turning around. the brown fusion stops again in my street in front of my house, guys gets out, flash's his badge walking to my car(on my property if it matters), i roll my window down.

Ill call him "guy" for this conversation since he wasnt even on duty as far as i know.

guy says: can i see your license
me: why? you just follow people home in unmarked car. can you even do that?
guy ignores question and says: how fast were you driving?
me: i dont know i was watching the road, probably 65..
guy shaking his head: you were going way faster than that! do you live here?

conversation goes on, we are both getting pissed off at eachother.

in the end I said " I broke the law, you are right, you may give me a ticket " I was just sick of it and wanted it to be over.

it ends with his just telling me to slow down. i reply "yea ok"

I DO KNOW THAT I BROKE THE LAW AND DESERVED A TICKET

but.. does this "cop" have the right to do this? unmarked car, no uniform, following me home, walking onto my property. all that just to tell me slow down. no ticket leads me to believe he was breaking the law himself. any experts that can chime in?

pnoyworx

I don't not know the laws in your state. In Washington, if unmarked the officer must be on shift and in full uniform with matching badge and picture ID. Also our laws state that any traffic enforcement vehicles shall be marked where visible, and that non marked are for investigational purpose only and for traffic management only. You also have the right to call 911 to ask dispatch if the police behind your is real. Dispatch can contact the officer and confirm they are indeed following or trying to stop you.

thumper823

I didnt think about that! I was thinking about going to the station right by my house and talking to someone about the legality of what happened.

are cops obligated to give you their badge numer and full name if asked?

pnoyworx

Yes they are obligated to identify themselves as public servants all for all encounters.

Toadster

I had one try to give me a ticket about 5 years ago, was a 'bait' setup - long story, but I fought it in writing (11 pages) and won

thumper823

great thanks man! im brushing up right now on my rights and looking into mich state law.

thumper823

hope the cop was reprimanded and you got some compensation for the hassle. nice work

moosejaw

Cops are free to do free will and act as if its a police state.
They only enforce what they interpret as "law"
Only if you have an attorney and lot of time to waste do cops actually follow the law.

Agencies will go to great lengths to protect those who have "misinterpreted" the law
Take it from me,,,,,,Ive spent the night in jail a few times but never had charges brought up against me the following monday. I wont elaborate more than that other than thats why I live in the banana republic.

thumper823

unmarked car parked in the street instead of pulling in my drive leads me to believe he was in his personal vehicle right?? he had like 3 miles to pull me over, but waited untill i got home so it wasnt a actual traffic stop? no uniform either? the whole thing just threw me for a loop

Enigma94

I've always been informed that if a unmarked car tries to pull you over to call 911 to confirm that it is indeed an actual cop. We had a few robberies/murders here a few years back from people being pulled over by what they thought was an unmarked police officer and it happened to be criminals.

In your situation I would of called 911 and not of opened the door or window until a marked car showed up.

In a very pro second amendment state such as AZ I could see this situation being very dangerous for both parties thats why officers in unmarked cars must be in full uniform...

p30amg08

In texas that **** just wudnt fly.sry that happned to you

chawkins2001

I will post your situation on svt performance as they have a specialized sub forum with cops who own svts. They answer just about anything and everything, I will report back what t he outcome is.

p30amg08

Subscribed

thumper823

Very much appreciated Craig!

SheriffDep

I think my .02 might apply here. LOL

Was it even a officer???????? That is my first question. Yes I have stopped a car in my personal vehicle before. I was in uniform though. Makes a big difference.

Most officers would not bother in a personal car and MOST agencies have policies against it. Mine was a drunk in the other lane for a mile, so had to do it or he might have killed someone. Worst thing other than that was flashing the badge at someone and telling them to slow down and put the kid in a car seat. YOU DONT stop someone like what he did. He could have been killed and a normal officer will not take that chance. If you did 100, I could see it possibly out of anger but not 70 in a 55. Hell I wouldn't have stopped you in a marked car for that.

A unmarked, plain clothes, no lights, follows for a bit, 15 over the speed limit,
spells NOT A COP. If it were, he should have adamantly identified himself and calmed you down, knowing that you would be leery of him. Identifying yourself is a huge MUST in any situation where it is not obvious that they are an officer. You can get killed to easy, and traffic stops is where the most officers are killed. To many variable to stop someone in a personal car.

Please contact your local Sheriff's office and ask to speak to a Patrol Captain. Please make a complaint out of concern for safety, of the situation. Let them know every detail about the person who stopped and their actions. Also being the fact they know where you live know and know your car. They will investigate and find out if its a local officer, or not. Then will proceed from there. IF a real officer they won't be fired but might get a talking too. 70 in a 55 is not a reason to go out of your way to stop someone and just warn them. That is just not right.

A uniform, marked car, those items don't make a officer or make something legal in any state. The ID (not the badge) is what makes the person an officer, and the oath is all binding. On duty, or off duty you are still an officer of the law and are compelled by law to act in accordance to the laws. I think we all understand that doesn't apply to running traffic or if you have been drinking. But just because there is no uniform or marked car that doesn't mean that the person is not a Officer.

In CLT NC we had a situation of a guy with lights and a uniform stopping cars on the interstate. He made the mistake of stopping an officer on the way into work. The officer believed him at first, then realized, got out and took the guy to the ground and arrested him. Kinda funny that one.

Sorry this happened. This puts a bad light on an already testy situation with LEO's. This should not have happened this way and I have given you the best answers possible, and sound advice. I look at it like what if that were your wife, or child driving, not you. What then, especially if it were NOT a REAL officer. I look at everything that way and treat people accordingly.

AMGAffalterbach

What really angers me is here in Douglas County, Colorado they have gone to unmarked units that are not your traditional Charger or Ford Taurus or Crown Victoria. Now they have a twin-turbo SRT8 Cherokee, white Jeep Liberties, Cadillac Escalade, Dodge Ram pickups, a fake taxi they use as a cop car for traffic enforcement, Chargers with giant chrome rims or piano black rims - essentially they try to blend in and keep you guessing. What's even worse is they are no longer required to have GVT license plates as cop cars do here in Colorado so you know, when being pulled over, that the person behind you is some type of government official. Does your state license plate have something similar? Now they have none of these guidelines and I've seen these cops pull over multiple people AT NIGHT without any marked units. Personally, I don't feel secure in my person when someone is pulling me over in an unconventional cop car with dark tinted windows. You have no idea who is in the vehicle as anyone can go out and impersonate a cop now - they're really opening the door to bad things.

The point is that the police are extremely abusive, and even more so in minority communities where you never hear the abuse. I used to be very pro-police and pro-authoritarian philosophy, but I've come to realize that as Benjamin Franklin said, "People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both." It's true, and as countrymen we continue to give up rights to an ever-increasing government bureaucracy run by people motivated by profit and on a power trip. I salute the 5% of cops out there that are really GOOD people, protecting and serving our communities as their job is necessary. As for the 95% out there, you're making your other comrades look very bad.

Makes you wish we lived in a world where we didn't need police... notice the common theme of guilty until proven innocent. And no I'm not a firearms activist but I do believe in the literal interpretation of the constitution. I apologize ahead of time for blowing up this topic to the wider scope of abuse of rights but I'm passionate about this haha, pay special attention to this video where this man is arrested by a plain clothes officer that isn't even displaying a badge.

thumper823

Wow thanks so much! I live 1/4 mile away from the police station so I will probably go in person... I'll also checkthe parking lot to see if i recognize the fusion anywhere. I'll at least see what they say. I should've demanded a name and badge number definatly.

SheriffDep

Police are usually just like anyone else, in every other job out there. There are some who are not to bright, some who have anger issues, some who have authoritarian issues, some who don't care its just a paying job, some who ride the benefits, but somewhere within each and every officer out there, there was a time where they had a calling to do what is right and to help the less fortunate and protect the weak. Please remember this when viewing normal officers. There are always bad eggs and each department has one or two. Look at your company where you work and imagine if they were all officers and did officer work. That is how our military and LE is. All different personalities.

Don't speed or break the law and you don't have anything to worry about from the unmarked cars. Its that simple. Why should LE have to show themselves so that people breaking the law can see them???? Speed and you take the chance, same for me and everyone else. NOW---- I completely understand impersonators and the thought of that happening. It is rare, very rare but does happen. It is a concern.

Most officers understand if a car is in a dark area and slowly drives for a few hundred yards to get to a lit area. If its your wife or daughter or son, tell them to call 911 and tell the operator where they are and the situation. The operator can contact the officer to let them know.

Sorry for your situation, not all officers are bad eggs. I know too many that would give their life to save yours if need be, or dye trying. We run into the situation while everyone else runs away..........

SheriffDep

Always politely ask who they are, who they work for, and what is their position.

NO officer should mind saying that information.

I will be all to happy to answer that, and usually say "make sure you get the spelling correct" for my last name

AMGAffalterbach

It's a "rare, very rare" occurrence? You honestly believe that SherrifDep? Because in NYC alone they arrest about 100 people a year on suspicion of impersonating a cop. Let's say the conviction rate is about half, that's 50 people a year in once city that represents only 6% of our population. Imagine all across the nation. It's not an uncommon crime.

I'd also say that it's more than just two or three bad officers per department based on median size, but even if it were just 2 or 3 they will NEVER see jail time. Talk about rare, a cop getting convicted of a crime they committed against a civilian. S

SheriffDep

You know I am not here to argue anything, it happens often enough for someone to be cautious and wanted to help the OP with some advice. Have a good night

emoving

Here in Ohio, deputies can be in an unmarked car and stop you but it has to be a serious offense and they can't be doing routine patrol. So basically they are not allowed to use unmarked cars for the sole purpose of enforcement. If they happen to be traveling somewhere for training or whatever and see a serious traffic offense, they can stop you. Same with the patrol. But.......if some assclown cop is stopping you in his personal vehicle or following you home in his personal vehicle for something as stupid as a small speed violation, you should call. That's a cop that is a doucher and needs put in his place. He probably learn to relax a little when he is off duty. Following a drunk and calling in to 911....that's a little different.....hell even the general public does that. I would have laughed at him and told him to pound salt as I laughed at him an walked into my house. If that was a cop.....it was a clown cop. I'm pretty sure Michigan is a marked car state.

G_Money

You realize that NYC has 3x the population of the entire state of North Carolina? And a alot more of the type of freaks that would pull a move like that too. Those types tend to concentrate in major population centers.

emoving

I would agree. I also know these wanna be a$$clowns usually drive an old Crown Vic or some sort of LE looking vehicle.....not a focus. I would mean towards doucher cop that needs to get a life outside if work. Call and report it either way. They will know who drives that car as a personal vehicle and deal with the clown.

thumper823

I am a safe driver for the most part. And when I'm doing something wrong I accept it and take the punishment. I like to think that cops are just doing their job so I try not to give them a hard time. This guy was acting like his wife was cheating on him though.. oh well. I have some steps to take tomorrow now and I'll update with what happens if anything. Thanks again sheriff!