"The reasons why you were stopped are fairly obvious. #1) Its a high crime area #2) You were at a hotel which probably has a history of crime. I'm guessing drugs and prostitution. Lets face it, a lot of these hotels are not really used by honest business travelers looking for a night of sleep. #3) You seemed to fit the description of the kind of guy they bust all the time at this hotel and were there during the time that crime usually happens. Im guessing the hotel is probably frequented by "johns" and other notorious figures. #4) There is other conduct you are either not telling us about or not realizing that made them suspicious. "
I see... so making a hotel reservation with a well known 3-4 star national chain on Orbitz at a hotel one mile from the LAX Airport, and then parking in their lot in a rental car, and turning on the dome light to wrap up my GPS cord and toss it into my briefcase is sufficient "probable cause" to conduct a felony stop? No acceptance of my offer to show my ID, my boarding pass, my hotel reservation letter, or anything? Just "on the ground, handcuffed, head banged against the door of the car, a search of my private papers, my phone, etc.". This when I am a clean cut military pilot with a uniform, helmet, DOD Identification, and all of my things in order.
And you defend this sort of behaviour?
And you are a cop?
Uhh.... Yes, this is *precisely* why it's "Us" v/s "You":
Nobody but a cop would make any excuses for this sort of industrialized civil rights violation. There is a special name for a place where the Police make the rules. It's called a "Police State". I entered one that night and I no longer recognized where I was.
Listen to the excuses: "It's fighting the war on drugs", "fighting the war on prostitution"... the WAR... the end justifies the means I guess... after all it's a war. The language defines the attitude: "civilians"... "fighting the war:"... fighting the enemy... who is us.
I was never treated like the "enemy" before. And you were not cause for any alarm by this honest citizen. But for the rest of my life you sure are the enemy now, not in a way where I wish you any harm, but just in a way that makes me want to RUN AWAY, which is the reason this thread on the forum started. Why do people run from the police? It's because they are TERRIFIED. Yes, some are probably bad folks... but some, like me, have just been abused and are truly frightened. I can see now why they run of they think they can get away.
In contrast: In my town, if I seemed out of place at 10:00 PM, my local cops would have come up, rolled down the window, and asked if I was OK, lost, needed assistance, etc.. to engage me in conversation to determine if I was a good guy or a bad guy. That's OK... and would meet the law enforcement objective while not causing someone like me to become the "enemy". I'd have smiled, offered to show my ID and airline ticket and hotel reservation, and that would have been the end of it. I'd have tossed them one of my unit coins with a thanks and been on my way.
And this disparity in the way things are done is, sir, the reason I want nothing to do with LEO's and all I can think about when I am around them is leaving. Thank GOD I did not have my SAA in my suitcase being transported home. although I am certain it would have been perfectly legal, I am equally certain that I would have been tossed into jail for having it, after being stopped and held with a loaded weapon aimed at me for "probable cause" for my "crime" of being a traveler at a major airport.
As for police academy training, I suggest that you go down to Coronado sometime and see how the SEAL's train. Saying that it's harder to get onto and stay on a local police force is harder than being selected for SEAL training is absolutely ridiculous.
Sorry, Officer: I'm just calling it like I see it. I'm sure you're a stand up guy at home, but might also be a guy who would toss my car and throw me in jail if you had the least chance to do so. Maybe not...probably not in fact, but I cannot take that chance. You want to fight a war? Sign up with your recruiter for a real one. I did.
As for Dunkin Donuts and out of shape officers, people do get older. The city or state cannot simply run an individual out of the department because they are getting older. On the other hand, the military does run you out as you get older with their "up or out" policy. You will have a clearer understanding of this as you get older. A 45 year old officer can be a valuable asset to an agency, but on the other hand a 45 year old enlisted man in the Navy is seen as a liability.
I'm 53, I run, can outfight the kids, and when people call me "Captain" they mean it. The only thing that would gain me more respect would be to be called "Chief", and if you know anything about the Navy you'll get it.
Smile, it's all OK... I'm here discuss to learn from each other.
Willie
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