My hispanic friend has been pulled over more than 10x for no reason in H.B. (Huntington Beach: insurance, low crime)

[cnev3]

I have a friend who's Mexican american. We have both lived in Huntington Beach our whole lives.

He's never been convicted of even a misdeminor. Spotless record. Hardworking college student and american citizen.

A few years back he started telling me how often he gets pulled over for no reason. Told me about how he took too long to pull over and had 4 guns drawn on him, and about how his father got pulled over and ticketed because he had a soccer ball keychain hanging on his rear view mirror.

At first I thought he might be exaggerating a bit.

Well last night was the FOURTH time that I have been with him in the car when he has been pulled over. Two of those times they lied and said he was swerving, these last two times they gave no reason at all.

Last night we got pulled over at the same time, coming from the same place, at a mere yards away from where we were pulled over 3 months prior.

The cop did the standard license/reg/insurance check, but he also took mine, and another passengers ID to run through the system. I ask the officer, "Why did you pull us over?". He shines his flashlight in my face and says, "Who are you??" and I reply, "I'm just asking". He says, "I'll tell you in a minute."

My friend is too intimidated by the police to question anything the police do. Rightfully so.

He makes my friend get out of the car. Pats him down, asks him a bunch of questions. He cant dig up any dirt on us, and leaves the scene. He never did answer my question or tell the driver why he pulled us over.

Can you imagine if he tried to pull over an older white guy in a new mercedes, interrogate him, pat him down, then let him go without telling him why he pulled him over? He wouldn't dare.

He's frustrated, but what can he do? Write governor terminator a letter? Complain to the department?

This is what you call harassment.

But there's nothing that can be done.

I appreciate the low crime rate in Huntington Beach. But this is ridiculous.

[EscapeCalifornia]

What kind of car does he drive and is it modified in any way?

[Fontucky]

How does he dress?

[EscapeCalifornia]

I wonder when I see threads like this. If HBPD pulled over every Mexican 10x each, they'd need a police department the size of the Chinese army. Something about your friend in particular is making the cops suspicious.

[ferretkona]

That or the car is drawing attention. Lower, raised, dingle balls, ricer, three tone primer??
Does your friend have a shaved head, flat bill. The police do profile and your friend seems to draw attention.

Does your friend share the car with others? previous drunk drivers, felons?

My dad used to get pulled over everynight, he finally asked a cop why. The cop merely tapped on his NRA sticker.

[cnev3]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

I wonder when I see threads like this. If HBPD pulled over every Mexican 10x each, they'd need a police department the size of the Chinese army. Something about your friend in particular is making the cops suspicious.

This is over the course of several years, and I think huntington beach cops often don't have a lot to do anyways.

As far as I know there's nothing illegal about his car or what he wears, or the police would have nailed him for it.

When i've been with him when we've been pulled over it was at night, they came from behind, they couldnt have gotten a good look at his face. Besides he wears glasses and a baseball cap at all times.

So what i'm pretty sure is happening is that they run his plates, see his mexican name, and decide to move in.

We just want the cops to leave him alone.

[cnev3]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

How does he dress?

he could be sporting a doo-rag, and rolling in a slammed impala.

cops need reasonable suspicion that a crime or violation has been committed for them to pull you over.

if an incident occured, and my friend and the cop had to go to court, and the judge asked the cop what his reason for pulling him over was, do you really think he'd say it was because of the type of car he was driving, or what he was wearing?

[NCyank]

Where were you coming from?

[cnev3]

we were coming home from a cafe, on PCH.

but he's been pulled over at 2 in the afternoon, on his way to school, and work.

so its not just the time/place.

its racial profiling is what it is.

[miu]

How does he drive? One of my Chinese friends gets pulled over a lot. But he's a sloppy driver. He rolls through stop signs, drives too slow sometimes, sometimes too fast, sometimes no turn signals. Once at a red light, there was a cop ahead of him, it was a four lane road and he should have pulled up to the right of the cop. However instead, he stops behind the cop and to the right... which looked really suspicious. His explanation was that he was trying to give the cop his "space".

So what kind of car exactly does your friend drive? Post a picture of it with the license plate blurred out.

Otherwise, the type of car, tinted windows, aftermarket taillights and the car being slightly lowered does draw attention from the cops. Stuff like that screams "young guy driving". I know that I get extra attention from cops when I drive my Civic hatch. However when I'm driving my Integra sedan, I could be speeding on the highway and I get ignored.