Don’t want a rough ride, don’t get arrested.
Incidentally, ‘rough rides’ are one of the most useful tools for cops in beleagured inner cities to get information out of punks who otherwise have a lethally-enforced code of silence aka “stop snitching”. Such information, need I remind people, is usually where the latest rape/murder/robbery suspect is hiding out or where their gang keeps their gun stash or who’s moving the big shipment of coke base. In other words, really serious $hit where lives are at stake.
They don’t give ‘rough rides’ to 14 year old brats caught stealing a beer from the corner store, folks.
A former co-worker of mine in Florida was a cop in City of Detroit in the late 80’s prior to the Florida deal... he said it was common, after applying a fresh ArmorAll application to the rear vinyl seat in his cruiser, to haul a perp in and do a “Screen test” while in transit.
This test would be watched for entertainment value from the driver’s side of the plexiglass partition, on which the face of the perp (handcuffed in back) would be plastered when doing an emergency/panic brake when away from traffic.
Maybe this stuff still goes on, but I doubt it. I would think the (living) EYEWITNESS in the back of the same van at the same time would be the best available information. Dead guy succeeded beyond all belief in trying to hurt himself... an overachiever!