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As irritated and angry as I would have been, I believe you did the right thing in being polite and "walking away" so to speak. Cops have a lot more power than we think, and right or wrong, when you try to prove them wrong or call it in, this can lead to more trouble than you need.
Now if the circumstances were different: if the cop had beaten you up or done something very blatantly illegal, then I'd get someone on my side immediately (lawyer). Corruption definitely exists and I'm not minimizing your situation, but pick your battles. Just my opinion.
My thought is this... It may be worth following the chain of command and talking to whomever he answers to. Having it documented out there that he felt the need to come hunt you down might prevent any future harassment. Then again it might provoke it. Good Luck...
That's actually an excellent idea. If the police are anything like the military, just raising the issue to their COC without pressing it or being rude about it may be prudent. Although the situation seems a bit out of the ordinary, technically I don't know if he did anything wrong. But if you plant the seed/thought with their supervisor ("Hey, this guy/gal may take things a personal while off-duty and follow up on them when in uniform"), they may perk up the next time they hear a complaint like this from someone else.
See, the thing is.. The whole situation is very odd. If I were an off duty cop and almost got nailed by someone who cut over in heavy rush hour traffic, I would be pissed as well. But that feeling should dissipate in a matter of minutes. The fact that he obviously stewed on it enough (overnight, too) to actually track you down is a little disturbing. It sounds to me like he took it personal.
I know it seems like a hassle, but it may help you or the next guy who he decides to "follow up" with.
nah, I agree with (the other) chicago. You never know what these guys are capable of. Better to say, "thanks" and go on with your life.
In Chicago, we know what corrupt cops can do. Not saying that this guy was corrupt, but, you just never know. Not a good idea to rock that boat to find out!
I say walk away without filing a "formal" complaint. I do believe there might be an ethics hotline where you can report things anonymously - or even a citizens committee? I agree that it needs to be noted in some way in the event something happens to someone else, but see if there is another way to do it without having them know who you are. Good luck!
I would move on.. which is the easiest thing to do. The right/hardest thing, is probably to call and check. It may bring up a whole new set of issues, as they already know you and where you live. At this point, it was an annoyance and he wasn't rude like you said. You could make a stink, but nothing would really happen to him. Tough call, but copbusting is something you need to be sure of before you get into this battle.
Don't feel bad about your shuffle and jive act. It was the wise thing to do.
Ani's Life Survival Rule # 23: If something negative must be discussed with law enforcement, hire an attorney to do it.
You'll like this video if you haven't seen it already. It's a video from a law professor (and a cop backing him up on part 2) about why you should never agree to be interviewed by the police without a lawyer. (Don't think it applies to traffic infractions, but this video was so good, I can't miss the opportunity to post it here.) The part that hit home for me the most? What you say can and will be used against you, but it can't EVER be used to help you.
Remember Martha Stewart? She did not go to jail for insider trading. Her crime was lying to the investigator, and she didn't even have to talk to the investigator. If you don't talk to the police, you can't be convicted of lying to the police. My cousin the attorney has also advised me to never talk to police. Simply say, "I have nothing to say."
LOL! I posted before he got to the Martha Stewart part...
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