Civil forfeiture gone wild, police take more than burglars

on second thought, deleted by me

If something doesn't change it's not IF its WHEN someone I know will be affected by this.

There's been a few close calls.

It used to be you would pray for just a warning and was pissed off if you got a ticket. Nowadays you're praying... just give me a ticket, please just give me a ticket, then excited and fist pumping that you just got a ticket.

So sick.

Quote: Dodsferd

Quote: DrawingDead

other than having to repack three weeks worth of bags by the side of the highway next to a cow pasture and put them back in my car

Was there just cause to search your vehicle? Was a warrant present?

That's all easy to say for most people.

However until you're in a situation out on some small county road traveling with money. You don't want to test any theories like that. it's absolutely -EV

Yes sir, sorry sir is the correct way to go.

Quote: AxelWolf

That's all easy to say for most people.

However until you're in a situation out on some small county road traveling with money. You don't want to test any theories like that. it's absolutely -EV

Yes sir, sorry sir is the correct way to go.

Sure, I can understand that. I also hail from a country where this isn't common, so my conception of CPS encounters is much different. I deal with the police on such a regular basis, that I have no fear of them pulling me over.

If I were to experience otherwise, sure I have no doubt that I would have hesitation as well.

To be immediately barked at for asking the question in the first place is all I was commenting on. If he wants to be salty about it, that's his prerogative. I was merely being inquisitive.

Quote: rxwine

There's probably a profile for well-off and/or might be carrying money -- aside from the usual drug dealers.

I have no doubt whatsoever that I met some kind of profile he was instructed to use, and that as soon as he lit me up (for 79 in a 75) he was sure he had everything he needed to proceed down that path as far as he needed to by the policy he was given to follow. Though other than the plates that were very non-local I really don't know what the elements of that profile would be. He was a very young fellow, had to be very junior in his agency no matter how small that county might be, and I don't believe he was acting "rogue" in any way. The entire interaction was done in a very professional manner and was very civil, and considering all the circumstances my goal was to be sure to keep it that way. So long as it did not become a power struggle, I was confident how it would end. With an annoyance, but no more under my circumstances.

Perhaps the 'small talk' was maybe a bit interesting to note. "So what brings you headed all the way up there?" "I'm going to see some baseball games." "Oh yeah, who they playing?...Huh, sounds interesting, when is that game on?...etc." Momma may have raised an occasional fool, but not a complete idiot. A distinction with a difference. That was no small talk. A minute of reflection and I'm sure it will occur to you why it wasn't, or wouldn't have been if I chose to continue down the friendly cooperative conversational path but somehow didn't know who and when. But I had tickets and hotel bookings sitting in my padfolio with my route map, other arrangements for cash transfer, and no dope or hand grenades in my trunk. Lucky me. So I may not have had four aces, but at least a set of jacks. So long as he was on the level and professional on his end, which he was, apart from that little detail about a local policy of using a flimsy pretext for initiating a fishing expedition. If I had a brick of cash sitting in the car for my long trip that someone might say is "a lot?" Hmmm.

I should also mention that he made a point of telling me repeatedly something to the effect that "we always do this..." meaning ask those questions and look in bags routinely for traffic stops. I have a hard time picturing THAT. And certainly didn't picture it "always" for anyone allegedly doing all of 4mph over the posted speed. I'm sure they do get their share of drug mules and whatnot that way from some single digit % of such stops, but it wasn't destined to be the county treasurer's lucky day, and cost me all of about 20 minutes and no cents.

Quote: Dodsferd

To be immediately barked at for asking the question in the first place is all I was commenting on. If he wants to be salty about it, that's his prerogative. I was merely being inquisitive.

I intended to make it clear that I was not put off by you just asking the question, and that the remarks after my answer were intended to forestall something which had not yet occurred, and not necessarily from you. Obviously, I failed. I'll try again.

I understand why you'd ask the question; it is relevant to the issues of the incident. So I chose to answer your question, and the answer is that I chose to consent, based on my individual judgement of my self-interest under the particular circumstances at the time. It may not be identical to the choice I'd make under all circumstances at all times and places. And, I do not now wish to debate that choice, while fully understanding that in asking the perfectly reasonable and relevant question, probably simply for information to understand what did and did not occur, it does not mean that you individually intended to plunge ahead into doing that. But there will be some here who usually won't be able to help themselves, because they are hard-wired that way. If they emerge, I plan to throw rocks at them. Rocks that smell of a certain cow pasture.

Quote: DrawingDead

...Obviously, I failed. I'll try again...

It's entirely likely that my comprehension of the way you phrased your response was lacking due to the end of my work rotation. I apologize for misunderstanding the intent of your post.

Like I said before, I understand the stigma around encounters with dealing with the police under specific circumstances. Likely, I would have the same preferred ways of dealing with them as has been outlined here by yourself and others. T'was not my intent to jump the train with asking a question that you in effect, want to avoid. I just haven't had the negative dealings myself, and still have a notion of a non corrupt justice system.

Quote: Dodsferd

It's entirely likely that my comprehension of the way you phrased your response was lacking due to the end of my work rotation. I apologize for misunderstanding the intent of your post.

Like I said before, I understand the stigma around encounters with dealing with the police under specific circumstances. Likely, I would have the same preferred ways of dealing with them as has been outlined here by yourself and others. T'was not my intent to jump the train with asking a question that you in effect, want to avoid. I just haven't had the negative dealings myself, and still have a notion of a non corrupt justice system.

I believe I understand where you're coming from with that, at least in part. I almost never get tickets, including some tickets I probably deserved to get occasionally.

I don't get them, I believe in part because of some things in the interaction like being considerate of his situation & reducing his stress (with a stranger who could be a well-armed serial killer) by immediately slowing and signalling my intent to pull over, then doing so in a very safe place well out of traffic (but if I have a choice in front of a camera such as a convenience store or ATM), keeping my hands visible on the wheel as he approaches, remaining still unless and until asked to do something, and asking for permission before reaching for anything, having all my necessary documents handy and very clearly in order, keeping my voice calm and deferential even if I don't feel that way at all, and a whole list of stuff I have intentionally committed to memory so they are second nature. A lot of little stuff that's mostly about making sure he knows he's safe and I'm very unlikely to become one of his weirder or more hair-raising stories, to keep from having a much worse day than we both need to.

I've found that they notice me taking care to do that, I think because the first priority is they want to know that they get to go home later. So far, this has even worked with one fellow (a Las Vegas Metro PD patrolman) who was seriously worked up for some reason. Given the silly innocuous mistake that led to the stop, I don't know why he was agitated, but it may have been something unrelated to me. But whatever, I let him vent, I lowered my voice to his raised one, his temperature cooled, and I had a happy ending. And went home and told him off every which way for being an unprofessional nutjob and a disgrace to his badge... to my mirror.

I do not judge your choice, but I would have told them to get a warrant. In fact, I did, when I was stopped by Nevada Highway Patrol - Reno Division and asked for consent for a search. I wrote about it on my blog here. (Scroll down to Day 8 - Reno, Nev.)

Anything you can do to make it harder I would do. I told them to get a warrant and they brought the dog. The dog was a joke, of course. It was sickening to see the whole thing in action.

I was not in a cow pasture, I was in a cold parking lot next to Circus Circus Reno. They made me stand on the sidewalk.

How long did the whole thing take? I was picturing getting to know those cows for something like > 2 hours while they involve more people and fetch Sergeant Fido the Wonder Dog, perhaps calling over to the next county to get him, but that's nothing but a wild guess by me. [Probably that's in your blog, and I'll see it later.]