My LEO history

[Johnny G]

About 40 years ago, me and four other guys were sent to a warehouse to mop the floor at 2 am. The guard inside was asleep and didn't here us banging on the door, and then a cop car drove up with its spotlight on us. The cops got out and told us to face the wall with our hands up. Even with the lights on us we could still see that the cops had their guns drawn and pointed at us. After a couple of minutes of questioning they finally started to believe our story and then they came up to us and looked at our Id's.
One cop kicked the crap out of the door and the guard came and let us in.

I've had a couple of speeding tickets; nothing unusual about the encounters.

About 20 years ago in a parking lot I became surrounded by 4 marked cop cars. One cop came up to me and said that my truck was a match to the color and year they were looking for, and that the driver had a gun and a police radio. He asked to see my license and registration. When I was reaching into the glove box I noticed in my outside mirror that a cop had his gun drawn and pointed at the glove box. They then requested to search me and the truck and I said OK. He asked if I had any weapons on me and I said a pocket knife. So he patted me down while two other cops searched the truck.

Even though they were ready to shoot me at the drop of a hat, they were very nice and respectful during the whole episode. :happy:

 

[Firefighterchen]

14 years ago a family friend was diagnosed with cancer. She was the wife of a police officer. The medical bills were piling up for their family, and they came to us and some friends for some help financially. My parents have earned a very wealthy life, and such, paid the rest of their house off on conditions that they would pay us back eventually. 2 years later, the cancer "disappeared." We expected the payments to start coming back in, they never did. We asked a little more...nothing happened. We asked to see the doctors bills to see how the cancer treatment went...no bills were found. We pushed enough, that the police officer started to push back. He and a few other police officers started harassing my brothers and I on our way to and from school. They parked outside our home all hours of the night, just watching. My mother went to the DA. When he got involved, it came out that the wife never had cancer, but a drug problem. She got her husband into the drug problem. 2 officers in jail, and 4 others fired or suspended, and our family never did get our money back. A few more friends came out saying they too lost a substantial amount of money.

6 years ago I was pulled over on my motorcycle on I5 south near Roseburg. The officer gave me a speeding ticket (72 in a 65), but explained to me that he is giving me a ticket because he didn't want me to hit a deer, as many motorcycles have been hit by deer recently. Despite the fact I was behind a semi truck and a purple durango...so be it. I was speeding but at least be up front and honest about it.

3 years ago I was pulled over on my motorcycle. The officer asked me for my paperwork, I gave him my license and explained that my insurance card was on my desk. He told me to just bring in the insurance card to the courthouse and the ticket will be dropped. He handed me a ticket for driving uninsured and careless driving. I plead not guilty, not understanding what was careless. In the court he lied, and said I made an aggressive turn into an aggressive illegal lane change without a blinker, I then pulled a wheelie across a bridge passing multiple cars on my right. He did not bring the video in, because he didn't need it. Astounded, I replied I did not make an aggressive turn, I used my blinker, I stayed in the right hand lane and I was alone on the bridge. The judge found me guilty under mens rea (it was not a criminal charge so there is no burden of proof? If it could have happened, that was enough to find me guilty...). I ordered the video, and it took them 35 days to get it to me. I should have applied for an appeal but I didn't have the money and I wanted to see the video. The appeal limit is 30 days..so I missed that. Once I got the video, the audio had been cut from the file on 3 of the cameras, but on the 4th camera there is a faint audio that can be heard of his explanation of ONLY telling me to bring in my insurance card. It was plain as day my story was correct. I sent the judge the video, and he didn't care, and wasn't going to change the verdict. (Follow up on this incident. My uncle is part of 'internal affairs' for the LAPD. After I sent him the video and the court transcripts, he too feels the officer should lose his job. He was more furious than I was, but maybe that was just family backing family...)

Besides the first experience, police have always had a professional tone in my encounters. The dishonesty is what bothers me the most. So for all of you who think I am a cop basher, it's true, I have a dislike for police. These three examples are only the personal experiences I have had, and don't include all the professional experience I have had working as an EMT/Paramedic/FF...I try not to push that mindset to hard on others here, but it will take a lot of time and positive experience before I will ever trust an officer again. I have learned, for me at least, the kindness that they put up front, is a facade to dishonesty. Maybe one day it will change.

 

[mojoman]

Thank you for your service, when I was younger I wanted to go into LE but couldn't pass the test and as you know if you know the top 5 or 6 you will not get in. I'm glad that I didn't go now because I'm a Pastor of a Holiness Church that I love doing and it's more beneficial in my life.