[geeks] Major League Oh Shit!!!

[Joshua D Boyd]

On Tue, Sep 04, 2001 at 11:17:57PM -0400, Kurt Huhn wrote:
> 
> > You have *GOT* to be kidding!
> >
> > They take whatever they want, and shoot you if they're in the mood.
> 
> Wow - talk about a dark view.  I guess I partly have no fear of the law
> enforcement folks because I don't do anything wrong/stupid that would
> illicit their attention (aside from driving too fast, but even at that..).

Yes, but did you ever do anything to piss anyone off?  And can you be
positive that someone isn't about to use your identity to commit a crime?

In some states, it doesn't take more than an acusation of dealing drugs
for the police to be able to permenantly seize your assets (unless
you get the case into court to be found innocent because just having
the charges dropped is no longer enough to get your stuff back when
drugs are somehow involved).  In many states, the police finding drugs in
your car (say you were giving someone a ride, something I do often for
other students) is enough to have your car and anything in it seized.
 
> Perhaps I'm ignorant to how other folks are treated by law enforcement - but
> I've never been mistreated.  Even after tearing past a police officer at
> well over 150MPH one day, I drove away with a ticket for 10MPH over the
> limit.  Lucky?  Maybe - but I like to think that I know how to conduct
> myself - and a little humor doesn't ever hurt either.

Most of my experience with police have been good.  I did some work for one
local police station (they needed some bugs fixed in an Access database
used for managing traffic citations, and no, I didn't modify the program
to ingnore citations with my name on them) even.  But sometimes they can
be real jerks, like the time I got stopped because doing a three point
turn on a side road because I missed my turn look suspicious.  I was
terrified that the police officer might search the car and find surinjous
(spelled incorrectly, but I don't care) because my diabetic sister at the
time had a habit of leaving them scattered everywhere.
 
> I don't subscribe to the thought of "evil police".  In fact, I get along
> quite well with all the officers in my locality.  It never hurts to interact
> with the local officers either.  Wave at them when they're directing
> traffic, say hello at the coffee shop, strike up a converstion about nothing
> in particular, and if you own guns be sure to go down and let the Chief
> know - in some localities this is a requirement (check your local laws).

Yes, interacting with police is good.  But, be extremely careful about
interacting with them if you didn't initiate it.  The New York Bar
Association at one time had a pamphelet about this.  I believe it is on
the net someplace.

-- 
Joshua D. Boyd