San Diego police are too invasive and macho? (Richmond: low crime, attorneys)

[TheCaliforniaBear]

I enjoy bicycle riding. I ride my bike everywhere.

However, in San Diego, the police always seem to hassle me and invade my privacy when i'm riding my bicycle. They REALLY cross the line.

I was riding near SDSU a few months ago, just getting some excercise. A cop pulled me over on my bike and started asking me "Where did you get this bike. It looks like a bike that was stolen."

He started treated me like a common criminal, telling me to keep my hands where he can see them. Making me show my i.d. Asking me if I have illegal substances on me. Asking me where i'm going, wher I came from. It was a complete invasion of my privacy.

SUPPOSEDLY he was checking to see if the bike I was riding was stolen. A bike i've had for 6 years that's covered with scratched and dents. But it was terribly obvious he was just hassling me. Being invasive.

Fast forward a few months later. I'm riding near Balboa Park and the EXACT same thing happened. Word for word it was the same. Accusations of a stolen bike, asking me if i'm carrying drugs, asking me all kinds of other questions.......

I'M JUST RIDING MY BICYCLE! What kind of a society is this where a man cannot ride a bicycle in peace without cops pouncing on him like vultures?

I live out in East County, and the cops out here never do this kind of thing. But in San Diego it seems like a common occurance.

Anyone else have experiences like this? Surely i'm not the only one.

[Papajojo]

When I lived downtown I walked home from the gym to witness my truck being pulled onto a flatbed tow truck with two cops parked in front of my house. Apparently my next door neighbor who I shared a driveway with claimed that my roomate backed my truck out of the driveway and put a hairline scratch on their suv in the process. I told the police that nobody drove my car the entire day and that I even had the keys on me while at the gym. I asked why they needed to impound the vehicle in the first place. They started yelling at me in a very macho, threatening tone. They yelled something like 'You don't tell us how to do our job! We don't tell you what to do just because you're in the military!' (I have short hair and good posture, which to Californians means military). I ended up calling the police department the next day and basically finding out that while they 'probably could have' handled things differently, they were within their rights and that I would have to pay the $400+ impound fees. Two attorneys confirmed the same thing. Basically, they're given WAY more authority than they can handle given their level of sophistication and maturity. I've never lived anywhere where ANYONE can be a police officer until I moved downtown. I've also never heard of police officers being so disrespectful and accusatory of someone they thought was in the military. EDIT: This sweeping generalization is based on reports from other people, and not just my own experiences.

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by Papajojo

(I have short hair and good posture, which to Californians means military).

On the other hand, short hair and bad posture means cop.

[jksouthbay88]

City Cops suck.They are underpaid and moral is low.

[MADEKUN]

I'm not going to choose sides but there are always two sides to every story. I have been in situations like this and I know exactly what you’re talking about. If you feel it was handled wrong, file a report with your local police district for harassment. If the officer is deed doing this, you’re probably not the one person that has experienced his behavior. If you file a report it will start a paper trail which could possible document a trend. Results could be the officer be more professional or he gets dismissed if the reports shows his behavior is unjustified.
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]

[Papajojo]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

On the other hand, short hair and bad posture means cop.

In fairness though, I've had enough donuts in my belly before that I couldn't stand up straight.

[Fontucky]

You just passed the test for SDPD. Congratulations. Report to the property room for your gun and badge.

[new2lv]

Always assert your 4th and 5th amendment privileges. They cannot search you without probable cause and you have the right to remain silent and ask for your attorney (even if you don have one). Call their bluff, they'll probably get irate, but will eventually back down. Be polite, but stern.

[YoungSanDiegoDude]

Originally Posted by TheCaliforniaBear

I enjoy bicycle riding. I ride my bike everywhere.

However, in San Diego, the police always seem to hassle me and invade my privacy when i'm riding my bicycle. They REALLY cross the line.

I was riding near SDSU a few months ago, just getting some excercise. A cop pulled me over on my bike and started asking me "Where did you get this bike. It looks like a bike that was stolen."

He started treated me like a common criminal, telling me to keep my hands where he can see them. Making me show my i.d. Asking me if I have illegal substances on me. Asking me where i'm going, wher I came from. It was a complete invasion of my privacy.

SUPPOSEDLY he was checking to see if the bike I was riding was stolen. A bike i've had for 6 years that's covered with scratched and dents. But it was terribly obvious he was just hassling me. Being invasive.

Fast forward a few months later. I'm riding near Balboa Park and the EXACT same thing happened. Word for word it was the same. Accusations of a stolen bike, asking me if i'm carrying drugs, asking me all kinds of other questions.......

I'M JUST RIDING MY BICYCLE! What kind of a society is this where a man cannot ride a bicycle in peace without cops pouncing on him like vultures?

I live out in East County, and the cops out here never do this kind of thing. But in San Diego it seems like a common occurance.

Anyone else have experiences like this? Surely i'm not the only one.

I personally haven't had any experiences with them, but my best friend (who is African-American, btw) has. In fact, just this week, he and one of his other friends got harassed in downtown last thursday by a cop who was trying to accuse them of "supicious activity," when all they were doing was walking through the Gaslamp District. He has also been falsely accused of a robbery.

I think the real problem is that the cops in SD don't have enough to do most of the time, so in order to stay busy, they feel that they must harass innocent people on a daily basis. This may be America's finest city, but the Police Officers here are FAR from being America's finest.

[Papajojo]

Originally Posted by YoungSanDiegoDude

I personally haven't had any experiences with them, but my best friend (who is African-American, btw) has. In fact, just this week, he and one of his other friends got harassed in downtown last thursday by a cop who was trying to accuse them of "supicious activity," when all they were doing was walking through the Gaslamp District. He has also been falsely accused of a robbery.

I think the real problem is that the cops in SD don't have enough to do most of the time, so in order to stay busy, they feel that they must harass innocent people on a daily basis. This may be America's finest city, but the Police Officers here are FAR from being America's finest.

You may be on to something there. I've noticed out of the places I've lived, the higher crime areas (esp violent crime) have tended to have cops who are more laid back with regard to petty stuff. I had a cop in Richmond VA (consistently the highest per capita murder rate in the country at the time) stop me for something small like a busted taillight or something minor in a car I had just bought used. He found out that I had swapped the plates from another car I owned b/c I hadn't gotten to the DMV yet. Any other cop would have towed the car and given me a ticket but this guy just gave me a short, non-patronizing lecture and had me take the plates off and drive straight home with a warning. I've heard from several other people that the cops in that city are super cool, likely because of the higher concentration of REAL crime. I've lived in a few low crime places and noticed a different attitude with a lot of the cops, as well as a different reputation. Nothing near as bad as what I've encountered and heard about out here though.