Will Never See Cops the Same Way Again

TY, CondoCruiser.
I don't "know" the OP (Injun), personally, myself.
I only know her through her posts here. But, I have read enough of her posts to know that this is not something she posted and spoke frankly about lightly.
This was a frightening, potentially dangerous, thing that happened to her.
The MAJORITY of us, HAVE used "logic and coherent thought", in this thread.
YES, it is an emotional incident, which evokes emotional responses that are no less coherent and logical.....for most of us. People that Injun thought had put her on their "ignore" list, excluded. Of course.

 

Sorry! That's why it's bedtime. I think it was around 0500 when I read the OP. But still, even in the dark, the hills have eyes.

SR, I just know her through her posts. But after a year, you kind of get the jest of things here.

 

I never EVER give the cops the benefit of the doubt. They get used to dealing with violent criminals who DO need to be handled accordingly, then they can't distinguish between a violent criminal and a scared woman woken up in her sleep. Every single person they deal with gets treated like they've just captured a muslim terrorist trying to blow up a building.

Last summer I was in my car with my girlfriend, and there were cops all over the place directing traffic because a race was over at the local track. We were sitting in an intersection waiting for the "human red light" to wave us through. There were 3 police cars parked in the grass next to us with their rapid-fire LED light bars going, and 2 cops were talking. My girlfriend, who has EPILEPSY, was crying and holding her hands over her eyes because the rapidly flickering lights will trigger a seizure if she didn't. One of the cops saw this and opened the door and started YELLING at her to take her hands off her face. He thought she was trying to conceal her identity for some reason. She and I both told the cop she has epilepsy and is blocking the light. I said if he turns off his strobe lights she'll uncover her eyes. He didn't listen, he just kept yelling in her face and grabbed her wrists and pulled them away from her face, with the strobe lights right behind him still going off, and she instantly had a seizure. Of course now he thinks she's faking the seizure and kept yelling in her face. The other cop came around to my side and tried the door handle but I'd already locked it. So I got one cop yelling "OPEN THE **** ING DOOR" on one side and the other cop assaulting my girlfriend for trying to prevent a seizure!!!! 4 guys on Harleys were behind us and heard me yelling "YOUR STROBE LIGHTS CAUSED A SEIZURE, SHE HAS EPILEPSY" and they got off their bikes and started yelling at the 2 cops. The "human red light" officer came over, there was lots more yelling and finally I just floored it with the passenger door still open, just to get her away from the strobe lights. There was a county sheriff's substation right across the intersection, about a 1/4 mile away. I pulled in there, got her out of the car and carried her inside in case the cops decided to bring their flashing lights over there. No flashing lights inside the building. I told the cops inside the substation what just happened and they acted like they had no *** ing clue that flickering lights trigger seizures in people with epilepsy. But they ended up calling an ambulance, though my girlfriend, by that point, had recovered and was coherent enough to refuse the ambulance. (Aint nothing they can do anyway except give her the meds she's already taking)
The next day I wanted to file a complaint against those two cops, and after talking to a friend of mine (who happens to BE a cop from that same department) he suggested I make the report with the STATE police. But she didn't want to file a complaint. She's terrified of cops now, and with just cause.

 

That is effed up on so many levels. It confirms my opinion that every LEO who has any sort of jurisdiction over trucks, needs to spend time behind the wheel to understand what it is like.

And that tool was lucky he didn't end up shot. I am sure there are others who if faced with the same situation may have started shooting, and justifiably.

 

Not saying a large carrier would do that, but there are companies that would. My guess from your posts are that you are a law abiding citizen and have never thought of engaging in criminal activity. But when dealing with criminals, they don't play by the rules. When I'm dealing in a unknown risk contact, I am thinking and preparing for the worst until such time I am satisfied that I am safe. I am not safe until I am away from that contact and back in my cruiser riding down the highway. I am never going to tip my hand if you think criminal activity is afoot and call someone and let them know my intentions. I would be setting myself and others up to get killed. Time is on your side in this scenario. You're right you could wait it out and contact them when they exited the truck, or pulled off. You could also do a knock and talk. There are hundreds of scenarios and what if's but I wasn't there and have no idea what the reasoning or logic was.

 

Wow! What a horrible thing to have happen, IHMV's!! I'm glad things turned out okay for your GF, but , well, just WOW!!

 

Injun called me first thing this morning, and got my verbal opinion on her details....I am hoping that between what I told her, and that has been re-mentioned here on this thread. Yes the complaint is necessary....but keep in mind my previous post....the agency in question is one of the worst in CA about protecting their own....if they can they will squash this incident ASAP. But the complaint will get set into motion,....actually already has in a sense....Injun did call the SJSD so the ball is in the works.


P.S., to DB....if police departments don't call the company before responding....then why did AZ Highway Patrol Sgt. Kevin Jex call Swift before proceeding to my incident in Phoenix?

 

Unless the footage is "accidentally" erased by the officer, which happens fairly often. I still haven't figured out why they even have access to it.

Speaking of which, you can at least get the video off the CHP cruisers. I would never open my door in that situation without my cameras running. And they wouldn't know a thing about it until it was all over youtube and every other video site.

And this guy knows what you look like now along with what your truck looks like. Even if you make yourself scarce, he has access to all your personal information, including information on your family. If he can't find you he could go after them.

So keep making noise about it until someone listens. Ask your senator why women are not safe in his state. Ask the governor. Don't let him get away with it.

 

#### straight!!!

 

Minivan,

Like I have said before you have bad apples in every profession. I'm sure in my 14+ years I have pissed someone off about something I've done. I'm sure you have too. I don't sit at home and plan how I can do this or that to someone. The only thing I think about is coming home at the end of my shift. Sometimes I have to put my hands on people to defend myself. Sometimes I have to use a stern load voice to let people know what I want them to do. Sometimes I can talk to someone in a normal tone and make requests to them. I've had people try to kill me and had people assault me. It's a very humbling experience to reflect on. I know each year on September 24th I think back to that early morning in 1999. I've sat and held my kids when they were babies and thought, "Wow, you wouldn't be here right now had that fella got the right shot on me." This passed year I believe was a full moon, just like it was on that night and I remember looking up at the moon while walking the door and thinking what if. Each situation is different and no two days are ever the same. When I was a regular road Troop, I learned how to talk to people and not at them. Dealing with the public is not the easiest thing to do. With time, you learn how to deal with people. I've seen contacts with the public go bad with other officers. I try hard each and every day to be fair and treat people the way I would want to be treated. When I deal with females I try and treat them the same way I would treat my wife and mother.

We are not all like the ones you dealt with. Just like I know all driver's are not bad people. One of my best friends is a driver and we talk almost daily.