So, it is OK for a police officer to stop a young man walking down the street because they put a paper bag inside their sweatshirt? Then, when it was just food, to tell them to take off their shoes? That is what they do here. The kids know that a disorderly conduct ticket can be had for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That is a ticket for when they cannot come up with anything else. Granted, my son did not get a ticket that time, but he figured he would. When the cop asked him what was in the bag, he said mashed potatoes. The cop was not happy when it was shown to be the case.
I used to respect the police a lot more. Even had the view you do of not being stopped unless it was appropriate. Now I know better. And, when a 911 call takes 2 hours to handle, that is a problem. Oh, and our former chief did resign after the hoopla of being found out about drinking while driving and on duty, and then throwing the beer cans out the window. They know no one can do a thing. If the paper hadn’t gotten a hold of it, he would still be out there. And, don’t get me started on when the teenager disappeared a few years ago. He was found dead right after the cops declared the kids were hiding him as a runaway.
I guess you could say I have a bad attitude about our boys in blue. In my book, you get respect when you earn it. Don’t tell me to do something about it. We know it doesn’t work that way.
Please indulge me...I got pulled over once when I was living in Florida. I was coming back from a freind's house (not in the PJs, but only a few blocks away) after 2 one morning. I was driving the red Jeep I owned back then. Tampa PD pulled me over and asked me for my DL and insurance. No arguments, I just handed them over. After they ran a check on me and saw I had no warrants or record, I asked them why I'd been pulled over. They told me it was fairly common for young (I was 35, but still looked relatively young) white guys to cruise that par of town for drugs, and they'd had a report of a guy in a red Jeep that very night doing that very thing. They politely suggested it might be a good idea for me to get to where I was going, and I didn't make an issue out of it.
The moral of that boring story is there are a multitutde of reasons police do things, but they don't always tell you unless you ask. If you do ask and they give you a load of hokum, push it up the chain of command. Get the city clowncil involved, get your state attorney general and legislators involved. Get rid of the scumbags and get good, dedicated, trustworthy officers and leadership in place. You and your fellow townspeople can do it if you work together.
Sure sorry to hear of the miserable state of your local police force. I hope you and your family stay safe and don't get hassled.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!