I'll add this little footnote. Politeness does work. On 2 occasions, while I was given a ticket for speeding anyway, both officers knocked them down on the spot simply because I'm smart enough not to run my mouth. Yes Sir, No Sir, and a smile on your face go a long way towards an easier encounter. Not all police are this easy to deal with, but most are. Don't forget, tell the officer to drive safe and have a nice day before he can say it to you. I'm sure they hate that, and it's a nice little dig for us

 

Aaron's (and other's) advice is sound to be cool, and if you really are being harrassed or treated improperly ask for a supe and/or get the officer's name and badge number, and make a complaint. As Aaron and other's also pointed out, most cops are in it to do good, to help people, and generally serve the community. I know this, as I've had a few friends and people at my church over the years who were cops, so I've known some good ones. That said, I've met a few major ******* over the years - always in association with traffic stops - sometimes for legit reasons (but still ruder and more hassle than was called for), some that were just harassment. Certainly laws like Ontario's "street racing" legislation make it possible for the bad cops to do a lot more damage, making them judge, jury, and executioner, so to speak, and leaving you much more open to being mistreated.

As an aside, my impression from my police friends has been that traffic detail seems to be where a lot of the bully/bad apple cops end up - that's not an empirical observation by any stretch, but I've kind of gathered it's low prestige, low satisfaction, low-opportunity-for-promotion work - so if a cop stays there, there may be a reason - or it may just make them cranky. In any event, on to one of my experiences with a bad cop, in keeping with the thread theme...

It was in Sept. of '89, I was 21 and just into my 2nd year of university, and was on my way home after gassing up on the way, and it was rush hour. I was approaching lights of an intersection at a major freeway (I was on the cross-street). Just as I entered the intersection (and it's a wide intersection, 6 lanes), the light turns yellow. A car is in front of me about 3 car lengths, and I'm doing about 45-50km/h - I was in 4th or 5th already, so gunning it wasn't really an option. I see the guy in a pickup waiting to make a left turn look right at me - and gun it anyway, even though there's no chance he could make it between me and the car in front of me. I don't even get to hit the brake before I'm hit (the only skid marks was as my car was driven backward a few feet), and I slam into the truck head on. Being in a sport coupe against a 3/4 ton, I come off the big loser, and I'm of course shaken up. I'm also plenty pissed, I've essentially been rammed, and this is my 2nd car totalled in a year by someone else running a light.

That said, I know left hand turn is always at fault, and that I did nothing wrong, so I don't expect any problems (and I was still young and naive enough to think that's all that was necessary) . Even better, the woman who was going through the intersection ahead of me stops, because she thought the guy was going to run into her, and she watched it happen in her rear view. So I've got a witness. A single cruiser responds, an older guy (like 50), and his considerably younger partner. I write out my statement, they collect one from the truck driver - and I'm completely surprised, and enraged, that as they get ready to leave, the older cop gives me a ticket, for supposedly running the light - and the other driver is not being charged at all.

I don't remember what I said, but it was along the lines of "What the hell do you base this on?" I could see that his younger partner was uncomfortable and looked embarrassed, but the old guy was basically like "Too bad", and got in the cruiser, leaving me standing there with my toolbox and other crap I'd taken out of my car before it was towed - that cop didn't know how close I came to decking him - or lobbing my toolbox through the rear window of his cruiser as he drove off. He had basically just ignored everything I had said, and the evidence of the scene, in favour of the other guy's story - presumably because I was young and driving a shiny sports car. Why I don't know, the other driver was older, but looked like a hobo, and was driving a 12 year old truck that looked like it was 20 years old and had been involved in a few mishaps already.

Fortunately (for me), I didn't do anything stupid. I did, however make a complaint the following day at the officer's district HQ. I didn't get anywhere there, so I wrote letters of complaint to my alderman (who was also a neighbour), the mayor of Calgary, and to the Police Commission. Which resulted in a letter of reprimand being added to the responding officer's records. Too bad for the younger guy, I'm pretty sure he knew I was being maltreated, but it made me happy to think the older guy had another roadblock on the way to ever getting a promotion. Or maybe a step closer to dismissal. And when the matter went to court, the judge dismissed the charge without hearing testimony - wondering, like me, why this matter was even prosecuted. And insurance paid me double what I paid for the car a year earlier based on their appraisal, so I was able to significantly upgrade my replacement ride. But that was my first experience of being dealt with inappropriately just because of the officer's preconceptions (not my last, mind, and I had been pulled over before and checked for booze, etc - ironically a couple times on my way home from church youth group, but with a car full of teens, so sort of understandable, and no hassle, just a check and on my way in a couple minutes).

 

I always thought that Quebec cops were pretty bad seeing that I have been pulled over countless times to check on where I was headed, what I am doing having Tim Hortons, what I am doing with my Dad's car (kinda hard when he is deceased).

But I must say recently on my trip to Mosport I found it ridiculous what I am seeing in Ontario.

On the 401 cops were teaming up in spots 2-3 cars and multiple locations. I saw people pulled over and the officer instead of going to the drivers window going straight to the passenger side and yanking open the door. I have never seen anything like this.

I remember getting pulled over in Moscow because our car looked like a car that had been stolen, AK47 barrels in our faces. Will our cops soon be like this?

Actually now that I think about it when I was around 17 I got pulled over by a cop who was comming at in the opposite direction almost smashed into me. Before saying anything had the spotlight on me so I couldn't see anything guns pointed and screaming. All because someone reported that kids were firing rifles at peoples houses (actually kids playing paintball in the woods), crazy.

 

If Chief Hooligan FatTony has has his way, yes, we'll get there.

I've had guns drawn on me by Italian caribinari (I was half way up a mountain sharing a bottle of champaign in the back of a Volvo with my wife). The plus side is italian cops are a joke, so I shouted very slowly at him:

" I DON'T SPEAK ITALIAN!!!!"

They talked back and forth to each other, appologized, and left.

 

I've probably posted this before somewhere here, but it still boggles my mind to this day.

This happened a few years back, when I was in grade 10. I was 15 or so, just got out of school for the day, decided to play basketball with a couple of my friends. There's three of us that live on the same street, so we normally just walked to our friends house together.

Anywho, I just finished dropping my stuff off at my house, and I walked with one of my friends, his name is Greg, to his house so he could drop his stuff off. I continue walking a bit more to the corner so I could see if my other friend (Joey) who lived around the block, was coming or not. As Greg was getting his stuff ready, and Joey was making his way towards me, this cop comes blazing down my street, drives past me, stops, and tosses it in reverse.

This is where it gets weird, he rolls his window down, and asks me if he can see I.D. I didn't wanna get into a big hassle, so I agreed and handed over my license.

Cop, "Don't you have school or something that you're supposed to be at?" *looks at my license*

Me, "No Sir, I go to Augustine which is just down the street and I got finished at 2:25."

Cop, "So, what are you doing out here then?" *does something with his carputer*

Me, "Well, me and my friends are about to go play some basketball, and I'm just waiting for them."

Cop, "Alright, so where do you live?"

I pause for a second, cuz he's on my street.
Me, "I live just at the end of the street that way, number 76."

Cop, "Right, okay, so do you know anyone who lives on the street?"

Me, "Well, only a couple, I don't get out much, but there's Greg who lives right there *I point to the house across the street* Joey who lives around the street, and a couple others who live down on Joey's side."

Cop, "Okay, and you said school lets out at 2:25? Why aren't you still there?"

Me, "It's almost 3 sir, I've had plenty of time to walk home, so my and my friends are just looking to enjoy the rest of our day."

Cop, "K, here *hands me my license* Don't let it happen again."

And dude peels out, no joke, left some dust in the air and everything.

Anyways, I see the same dude every now and then, ALWAYS doing about 80 down my street, and I live in a residential suburb area. Take that as you may.

 

should definitly report that, enforcin laws speed limit laws wouldnt work if the enforcer breaks the law

 

This thread is entertaining...and yeah they do profile. One sat night in the industrial area frequented by street racing a young buddy of mine got pulled over and had his car looked over and ticketed for off raod headlight bulbs. Later, same night, some buddies and I (all 35+) were obviously heading out to race, 12 sec cars, cheater slicks on the 3 in front of me, and a scoop protruding from the hood of mine. LOL, we were told to clear out of the area and play safe as they were gonna shut things down locally and ticket all they could. Age has it's rewards.

 

police have too much power, and not enough education!

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Write your MP and tell them Fantino has to Go. Latest example of cronyism, revisionism in the OPP:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/sto...eetracing.html

 

Maybe he has a mob boss family and he is the supposed goodone and we are all living in Godfather I.

 

thats an example of pure and utter harrassment. And bullshit.