Oh gods what an IDIOT!

[Antoninus]

Marvelous, my friend just called me and told me that if the cops show up and ask if I know where her or any of her friends are to say that I dont know. Apparently she and a bunch of her friends were hanging out on someone's lawn smoking (ciggies, not weed) and a cop pulled up and started questioning them. He wanted to search my friend and her friends (The group was 5 in total, my friend, two other girls and two guys). They refused and said the cop had no reason to search them so the cop told them he'd arrest them for loitering if they didnt submit to a search. One of the guys got up and yells in the cop's face "**** YOU AND YOUR BADGE TOO!" The cop tried to grab the guy and everyone scattered. The guy shoved the cop backwards and ran, now theyre all at someone's house laughing thier asses off. DAMN people can be idiots sometimes. :grrrrr:

[Tsuchimaru]

Who are you calling idiots? The cop, or the group? I don't see how a cop can just randomly search you....

[Antoninus]

Im calling the GUY an idiot. You DONT tell that to a cop out here, the cops out here will do ANYTHING for some action because NOTHING happens in this town.

[flar7]

yep, shoving a cop over something like that qualifies as idiotic.

[Ceffyl]

Cops can't search without a search warrant, right? Unless you give them permission? Even if that permission is bullied, as it sounds like the cop your friends dealt with was doing. Agreed that it was stupid for the guy to push the cop. Never give the police a reason to come after you...

Ceffyl

[Antoninus]

The cops dont need a warrant if they have probable cause. Realistically there was no probable cause, but the police officer probably wouldve used "I suspected them to have marijuana(sp) in thier posession, they were smoking".

[Chibi-Fallon]

That’s why I’m so thankful I live in a big city. The police have better things to do here. Thank god, but step one foot in the ‘burbs and the cops will bust you for *anything*. My friends and I got yelled at once because “parks close at 11". Got the big police light shown in our eyes and the whole bit like it was some sort of drug bust. :rolleyes:

[rain_fallen_tears]

Yeah... the pushing was a ridiculously stupid move, but it was completely uncalled for the cop to demand to search them for no real reason....so altogether....I don't think that the measurment of IQ points would tally very high...:)

[Antoninus]

Cops around here are JERKS, basically because theyre BORED. So its never smart to make one mad around here, they use any exscuse they can to get ANY kind of action they can get.

[rain_fallen_tears]

I know how that is...I used to live in a small town, I've never done anything for even a bored cop to get on my case...but I've had friends and family who have been pestered for no good reason....the get power high from picking on the 'small people', I've got news, they are part of the 'small people' :D

[Antoninus]

I know how that is...I used to live in a small town, I've never done anything for even a bored cop to get on my case...but I've had friends and family who have been pestered for no good reason....the get power high from picking on the 'small people', I've got news, they are part of the 'small people' :D
Very true. I have VERY little respect for local cops.

[Charise]

I doubt you would have to tell the cops anything..and I doubt they'll bother coming to you for questioning. I'm sure it's already spread like wild fire through the police department what took place and now these bored cops will no doubt be 'steaking out' the house for a long time until the group shows back up to smoke some more siggies on the lawn.

and this time they'll have more the probable cause or reasonable suspicion... they'll have police brutality on their side. tsk tsk!

[Antoninus]

Im picking up on some sarcasm here :megaphone

[Charise]

nah..just wasn't too smart of the guy to push the cop is all. lol

[charmedkisses1]

Idiots.. idiots are everywhere... :whistle:

[flar7]

never make the mistake that cops can't search you at will. They can and do. If they have cause or not, they ask you. If you turn them down they can then call for back up and detain you until a drug dog or higher authority comes and determines the merit of it It they get merit then they get the warrant and you can guarantee a more thorough hard time than you had originally coming. They can also ask for your ID without any cause just because you "look suspicious."

A group of semi young people smoking have already set themselves up for multiple reasons. Age check for smokers, contributing for some if minors are there, maybe the smoke smells suspicious........blah blah. Never assume you have some unalienable right to protection from search. You should, but you dont. Many of the freedoms our parents had are long gone........never to return.

[Antoninus]

And thats truly sad. At our school they have random searches by drug dogs. All the students are taken out of the room and the drug dogs sniff all our backpacks for drugs. I think its a waste of time, just because someone's backpack SMELLS like weed doesnt mean they have it in there. If your backpack gets targeted then you get called up to the office and you get told "Let us search your backpack." If you say no, they obtain a warrant and search it anyways. The one time I got singled out I refused to let them search it, stating that I knew there wasnt anything more dangerous than literature in there and if my word wasnt good enough then they were out of luck.

[Nighthawk]

Yup... things are changing.. all over. Never shove a cop... or ask if you can play with his gun, as a friend of mine did, when they were pulled over..

[ravynbynorthwynd]

cops CANNOT legally search you without probable cause. however, you should submit to a search anyway, because even if they find something on you, you can claim later that the cop didn't have probable cause and thus it was an illegal search.

[StormChaser]

See if your the guy hadn't laid a hand on the cop or opened his mouth then they would have been fine.

What your friends -should- have said was 'then arrest us'.
If the cop had arrested them, he still couldn't search them. So what would he do is have them all sit in the station for a couple hours, maybe call their parents. If he wanted to search their person he would have to have reasonable cause, a warrent, or permission.
If your friends had followed this procedure, they could have taken the cop to court and easily won, because he was pressuring them unlawfully.

You have -every- right to tell a cop, and I'm telling this to everyone who does not know, to tell a cop that he cannot search your house, your car, or your person unless he has a warrant. Even if he says 'well if you dont have anything to hide why don't you let me search'- and even if you have -nothing- to hide, you don't need to cave and you shouldn't. When he asks 'why not, what do you h ave to hide' you reply 'i have nothing to hide, but i know my rights, you may not search my car etc".

More over, many board cops will not miss an opportunity during an unwarrented search to -plant- evidence.

Your friends did everything they shouldn't have. The worse was shoving the officer.
If the guy called the cop a name and then the cop used physical force on him, it was undo and aggrivated and could easily have got the cop in some serious trouble. Now though that cop has a reason to get a warrent for resisting arrest (even though the basis was entirely bogus), and for 'attacking' an officer. By running your friends all gave reason to believe they had something more to hide and therefor if the cop wants he could go after them.

Best suggestion, tell your friends to go to the police themselves with story of what happened.

~SC

[StormChaser]

Not true, if you submit to a search, in other words GIVE PERMISSION for him to search you, it is then a legal search.

~SC

[Athena-Nadine]

Well, every one of your friends who were smoking, and under 18, was breaking the law. The police officer had every right to ticket them for doing so (I got a ticket at 16 for it). The fact that they were smoking cigarettes while underage gave him probable cause, whether they like it or not. Now, because of their stupid behavior, they can be brought up on worse charges--assault for one--if the police decide to push it.

[Shanti]

Small towns and bored cops, I can relate. I got pulled over and blocked in by all 5 cop cars that we have in this town...and why? Because my right side headlight blew out!!!!! Lights, sirens and action...."excuse me mam, you might want to get that light replaced". GEESHH

[Athena-Nadine]

Small towns and bored cops, I can relate. I got pulled over and blocked in by all 5 cop cars that we have in this town...and why? Because my right side headlight blew out!!!!! Lights, sirens and action...."excuse me mam, you might want to get that light replaced". GEESHH
:rotfl: I'm sorry, Shanti, but the mental image that invoked was just too funny...

[Shanti]

:rotfl: I'm sorry, Shanti, but the mental image that invoked was just too funny... The image was probably acurate. Being surrounded by a bunch of rough and tough police men was so...........:fishtank:

I didnt know if I should put on the act of the hysterical, traumatised, over emotional, crazy lady or just laugh my butt off.
I opped for asking them to provide an escort home since my burned out light was creating a potential hazard. They did, to the end of the town limits. I live just one mile out of town. When they stopped, I waved and floored it! (It was at the beginning of the highway). I laughed all the way home. They really need better things to do out here.

[Shanti]

Sorry to go kinda off topic Antonius, but small town cops are totally unreal at times, and getting cocky does push their over inflated egos.

[flar7]

if an officer arrests you, then he does have the right to search you at that point. You may be able to sue for unlawful arrest, but not the search at that point.

CANNOT legally and reality are two different things and seldom will meet.

[Laisrean]

That’s why I’m so thankful I live in a big city. The police have better things to do here. Thank god, but step one foot in the ‘burbs and the cops will bust you for *anything*. My friends and I got yelled at once because “parks close at 11". Got the big police light shown in our eyes and the whole bit like it was some sort of drug bust. :rolleyes:

So you are thankful there is alot of crime just because it gives the cops something to do? :hairraise

[flar7]

actually, I have much less trouble with small town cops than big city ones. Rarely does a small towner even put his hand on his gun, but a simple traffic stop by the larger cities involves another patrol car and sometimes a drawn pistol or at least hand on gun until they see me well.

[Dallin]

Eesh, reminds me of a problem I had with a "woman" (and I use that term loosely) at the hostel I'm staying at. This "woman" comes charging into the living room at about 6pm while I'm cooking dinner, looks around for half a minute, says "If the cops ask where I am, I'm not here! I'm just going around next door..." (who she and her boyfriend were quite friendly with.) Now this "woman" and I didn't get on really well (something to do with being woken up at 3am a few nights earlier by her screaming that I'd left the gas on, which I know full well I hadn't... part of what earned her the nickname "psychotic b!tch from hell" - quite appropriate, I think ;) ) But I thought, nah, I won't dob her in... that'd be pretty slack.

Anyhow half an hour later her boyfriend sticks his head around the corner and calls out for her. Without giving it much thought I called out to him that she was around next door. He looked at me kinda funnily and called for her again. Repeat. Anyway then he went around the back to next door, and it was only then that I saw the cop that had been hiding around the corner, using the guy as bait to lure her out :D As I'm sure you can imagine, I was terribly (un)upset over this :hehehehe:

But yes, there's no doubt - it doesn't matter whether they're legally allowed to search you or not, pushing and insulting a cop is just plain dumb. If it was me I'd say, "If you want me to say I don't know where you are, go somewhere and don't tell me where."

Dallin

[aluokaloo]

Cops can't search without a search warrant, right? Unless you give them permission? Even if that permission is bullied, as it sounds like the cop your friends dealt with was doing. Agreed that it was stupid for the guy to push the cop. Never give the police a reason to come after you...

Ceffyl


They can search your person w/o a warrant, they can't search your house w/o a warrant. Think about that question for a minute, if some cop possibly has somebody on a lonely highway, that could have a gun why is he going to sit there and wait for somebody to go through the tediopud process of obtaining a warrant?

[Antoninus]

Sorry to go kinda off topic Antonius, but small town cops are totally unreal at times, and getting cocky does push their over inflated egos.
No problem, I agree with you.

And Flar, Id rather have a cop point a gun at me than be a total jerk.

Ive been tempted to bust a cop's jaw before but I havent actually DONE it (Long story). Is assaulting an officer in self-defense or in defense of annother legal?