I just want to add something: What is the use of carrying a weapon for self defense when everytime a person with a badge feel like checking someone on the street with a loud shout of FREEEEEZE!!! drop your gun, or a sudden attack of your very person doing body search.
oberkommando, pointed a good point to remember, that if a person is fully armed it will never be questioned by just few cops.
To my mind, only unruly person in authority will be doing search on the street. But mostly the officers don't. My personal experience, I mostly encounter problem with the lowly echelon of police officers who act like warrior if they see a person that is weak.
Also, in my country I would like to add: That even our former Head of the Department of Justice "Franklin Drilon" now a senator advise the public the following things to do if being checked or flagged down by a Polie Officer.
Stop as any law-abiding citizen would do.
Without getting out of your vehicle, allow the officers to do a visual search.
If asked to alight or to open the doors and the trunk, politely ask the officers for a search warrant.
If there being none and the officers persist in conducting a further search, but you believe you have done no wrong, tell the police officers that you are objecting to a further search (I might add, in a polite and never antagonizing manner).
If forced for reasons of safety to yield to an extensive search, ask for a witness to the search and keep your eyes on the officers, to guard against the planting of evidence of any kind. Get the name of the officers and get in touch with a lawyer.
In this way it will preserve our privacy and honor our dignity being a freeman and a law abiding citizen. Of my being a law abiding citizen it is not necessarily mean to yield whatever the people in authority will tell me to do so. In that way, I feel like the civilian is always inferior to his civil rights when accosted by a person in authority, liked when being freeze and being search for anything and it turns out nothing.
I based everything I say from advises of law enforcers, lawmakers and lawyers. My only purpose in this topic is to see people reactions with different nationalities if ever they are in a situation like this. I don'tmean to agitate. For sure the majority does not like to be treated as such if he is legal.
An additional word, how do you feel when you see BBC on the TV that the forces in Timor is tying the hands of the suspected militias being kicked and put to the ground (they are still suspects not yet convicted by the law) Boy!! I remember when I was still a very poor guy and cannot buy a .45 for 50,000 pesos in Philippines and eat with the officers in 5 star hotel I cannot still get even to SOME of the Oppressors.
[This message has been edited by stdalire (edited October 18, 1999).]
[This message has been edited by stdalire (edited October 19, 1999).]