Stopped on Interstate....Searched

[Machinist]

Okay friends... Just got a call from a close aquaintance..He and a friend just got pulled over on the free way. Lets say right smack in the middle of the country...
2 hwy dicks. They ask to search the vehicle..Friends decline...20 minutes dog arrives, plus 2 fed agents. Dogs get a "hit" on the trunk..Okay full blown 2 and a half hr search.... Nothing no drugs..
Really leaned on my friends...where ya from , whats going on here .. where ya headed why do you have 7 g on ya..and your buddy 2 g. ?????
I my self have been profiled over the years got pulled over 3 time in my van in a 2 year period...I got rid of the van...problem solved..
Has anybody ever had this happen to you.?? How did you handle it.???
I know i always decline their request to search anymore...
Anyone really know the laws on this type stuff???
I believe the cause to pull them over was ... weaving.... They had just gotten a long nights sleep and had just gotten on the road...So they were wide awake....Definitely a profiling case....

Machinist

 

[metronome]

Driving through Tenaha, Texas, doesn't pay for some
A lawsuit alleges that the town's police pull over motorists -- especially African Americans -- and extort money and valuables by threatening criminal charges or worse.
March 11, 2009|Howard Witt
TENAHA, TEXAS — You can drive into this dusty fleck of a town near the Texas-Louisiana state line if you're African American, but you might not be able to drive out of it -- at least not with your car, your cash, your jewelry or other valuables.

That's because the police here allegedly have found a way to strip motorists, many of them black, of their property without ever charging them with a crime. Instead they offer out-of-towners a grim choice: Sign over your belongings to the town, or face felony charges of money laundering or other serious crimes.

More than 140 people reluctantly accepted that deal from June 2006 to June 2008, according to court records. Among them were a black grandmother from Akron, Ohio, who surrendered $4,000 in cash after Tenaha police pulled her over, and an interracial couple from Houston, who gave up more than $6,000 after police threatened to seize their children and put them into foster care, the court documents show. Neither the grandmother nor the couple were charged with or convicted of any crime.

Officials in Tenaha, along a heavily traveled state highway connecting Houston with several popular gambling destinations in Louisiana, say they are engaged in a battle against drug trafficking, and they call the search-and-seizure practice a legitimate use of the state's asset-forfeiture law. That law permits local police agencies to keep drug money and other property used in the commission of a crime and add the proceeds to their budgets.

"We try to enforce the law here," said George Bowers, mayor of the town of about 1,100 residents, where boarded-up businesses outnumber open ones and City Hall sports a broken window. "We're not doing this to raise money. That's all I'm going to say at this point."

But civil rights lawyers call Tenaha's practice something else: highway robbery. The attorneys have filed a federal class-action lawsuit seeking unspecified damages and a halt to what they contend is an unconstitutional perversion of the law's intent, used primarily against African Americans who have done nothing wrong.

Tenaha officials "have developed an illegal 'stop and seize' practice of targeting, stopping, detaining, searching, and often seizing property from apparently nonwhite citizens and those traveling with nonwhite citizens," asserts the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Texas.

 

[alwayssplitaces]

Being pulled over 3 times in 2 years isn't that much. I can just explain that I have a gambling addiction to the officer and the money is my own money. Having a gambling addiction isn't illegal in itself. But since we're addicted to a positive expectation game, we don't lose everything.

 

[Sucker]

I travel extensively and carry a lot of cash, so I follow these cases closely. The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling a few years ago, in which they stated that law enforcement could no longer seize property WITHOUT charging someone with a crime. And I'm not one bit surprised that there still are cops that are ignoring that ruling, or at least pulling off stunts like this to get around it.

This is a problem that is not at ALL limited to race, although by the attorneys in that lawsuit making that claim; it WILL enhance the case, and for this reason I commend them.

I have personally been pulled over with large amounts of money, and had the officer ask me how much money I had on me. I ALWAYS answer "A couple hundred bucks". Think about it: Why on Earth would he even ASK such a question, unless he was planning on taking it away from you?

As far as letting them search the vehicle, I will always bite my lip and let them; ONLY because I know that if I DON'T, it can easily get very ugly, such as in the OP's friend's case; where they'll bring in a dog and claim (rather LIE) that the dog smells something. Then you have to also worry about them PLANTING something. "Hell has no fury as a woman scorned?". I think it's safe to say "Hell has no fury as a woman OR A COP scorned". :whip:

 

[prankster]

I have great respect for police officers and I'm grateful they keep the world somewhat civilized by doing what they do. That said,why in the world should a law abiding citizen have a problem over possessing money? Assuming I didn't get the $$$ by robbing a bank 30 minutes ago-it's my money-no ones business how I got it! It's mine-over and out.:joker:Almost makes me want to rejoin the Libertarian Party!

 

[Automatic Monkey]

I have great respect for police officers and I'm grateful they keep the world somewhat civilized by doing what they do. That said,why in the world should a law abiding citizen have a problem over possessing money? Assuming I didn't get the $$$ by robbing a bank 30 minutes ago-it's my money-no ones business how I got it! It's mine-over and out.:joker:Almost makes me want to rejoin the Libertarian Party!

I don't respect cops. I realize there are some good ones, but being all cops either commit wrongdoing or tolerate it in their peers, they all have to be tarred with the same brush. I do not cooperate with police or give them information, and do not talk to them at all unless I'm the one who called them. Your life and your freedom is not a priority for any police officer. They are the weakest link in American society.

When carrying cash, I keep my players cards (real name only!) folded in with the cash so if a cop does find it, his peanut brain will make the association between having the money and going to the casino and will be less likely to make the leap to drug trafficking, but that still won't stop him from stealing the money. Best advice is to stay on well-traveled roads and avoid contact with police, and limit non-AP activities when you are on a mission. No sidetrips and no hanging out with your BR on you.

 

[prankster]

Yo Monkey!
So you were raised in the burbs,right?:joker:

 

[Sucker]

When carrying cash, I keep my players cards (real name only!) folded in with the cash so if a cop does find it, his peanut brain will make the association between having the money and going to the casino and will be less likely to make the leap to drug trafficking, but that still won't stop him from stealing the money.

A close associate of mine was recently stopped and his car was searched. The cop found, and confiscated his money (more than $10K), which was wrapped around his player's card, exactly as you described. The excuse that Mr. Peabrain Cop gave: "Most drug dealers use casinos for laundering the money". Now; I'm not a drug dealer and I don't KNOW any drug dealers, but I got to thinking - perhaps he's right about THAT statement.

 

[Blue Efficacy]

I don't respect cops. I realize there are some good ones, but being all cops either commit wrongdoing or tolerate it in their peers, they all have to be tarred with the same brush. I do not cooperate with police or give them information, and do not talk to them at all unless I'm the one who called them. Your life and your freedom is not a priority for any police officer. They are the weakest link in American society.

When carrying cash, I keep my players cards (real name only!) folded in with the cash so if a cop does find it, his peanut brain will make the association between having the money and going to the casino and will be less likely to make the leap to drug trafficking, but that still won't stop him from stealing the money. Best advice is to stay on well-traveled roads and avoid contact with police, and limit non-AP activities when you are on a mission. No sidetrips and no hanging out with your BR on you.

What do you think would happen if there were no cops? I am just curious what your answer would be.

Certainly many are corrupt, and that is unavoidable with a position like that, human nature being what it is. US police are cleaner than cops in many other places. Weakest link in American society? If you call the people who protect society from dissolving into lawlessness the weakest link, what would you consider criminals to be?

Using such an absolute viewpoint that ALL cops either condone or partake in wrongdoing is unfair. The only way one could confidently state that ALL cops are bad is if you have dealt with every single one. Have you done that, AM?

Perhaps you've had some bad experienes. It sounds like your attitude wouldn't help matters, either.

One of my best friends growing up is now a cop. And I had no idea he is okay with wrongdoing, and that he is a bad person, despite growing up with him. But thanks AM, you cleared it all up for me.

 

[Automatic Monkey]

What do you think would happen if there were no cops? I am just curious what your answer would be.

Certainly many are corrupt, and that is unavoidable with a position like that, human nature being what it is. US police are cleaner than cops in many other places. Weakest link in American society? If you call the people who protect society from dissolving into lawlessness the weakest link, what would you consider criminals to be?

Using such an absolute viewpoint that ALL cops either condone or partake in wrongdoing is unfair. The only way one could confidently state that ALL cops are bad is if you have dealt with every single one. Have you done that, AM?

Perhaps you've had some bad experienes. It sounds like your attitude wouldn't help matters, either.

One of my best friends growing up is now a cop. And I had no idea he is okay with wrongdoing, and that he is a bad person, despite growing up with him. But thanks AM, you cleared it all up for me.

Look I knew a lot of bad kids growing up. Always in trouble. The ones who came clean and took responsibility for their actions, and wore their suspensions and detentions like a badge of honor, grew up to be what society would call criminal. Petty theft, drugs, etc. Then there was another class of bad kid, they did the same things as the other kind, but who would stick to their story no matter what, blame others, and either brownnose, bully, or lie their way out of whatever they go into. Guess what they became.

A cop's loyalty is to cops. Not his country, not society at large, and certainly not you. This may be difficult for some, but if I had to pick either a drug dealer or a cop to trust, I would pick the drug dealer. The reasons are straightforward to me: the drug dealer is more likely to see me as an equal than the cop, and to reciprocally rely on my trust. If a drug dealer comes up to me and starts asking me questions, he's just being friendly, I can be sure he's not trying to trap me into incriminating myself. If my neighbor is a drug dealer, I'm not going to bother him and he's not going to bother me. Being I don't buy or use drugs our paths and interests will likely never cross.

I realize they have a role in society. I suppose casino security guards have a role too. But in my observation they both fulfill their roles very poorly, and because we as civilians/AP's have irreconcilable differences we are best served by steering clear of them.

 

[21forme]

I have a relative who works as an ADA in a mid-sized city. She refers to cops as criminals with badges.

 

[prankster]

The simple truth is that if everyone involved in law enforcement were to quit right now the world would turn into absolute garbage in less than 24 hours.

 

[shadroch]

In this day and age, why travel with cash? You can get FREE travelers checks as a AAA member, or if you have a premium AMEX card.

 

[prankster]

In this day and age, why travel with cash? You can get FREE travelers checks as a AAA member, or if you have a premium AMEX card.

Good point!:joker:

 

[Sucker]

In this day and age, why travel with cash? You can get FREE travelers checks as a AAA member, or if you have a premium AMEX card.

Because I'm a gambler. It would fill up the rest of this thread if I were to try to list all the reasons why I might HAVE to carry immediately available cash. Suppose I were to go into an Indian casino at 3:30 AM in Somewheresville, USA; walk up to a blackjack table and discover a fantastic situation that has to be taken advantage of right NOW. It's not as though I can pull out 10K in traveler's checks and expect the dealer to hand me chips. Besides, even if I COULD; that would mean that I'd have to show I.D. in order to cash the travelers' checks. VERY bad idea for someone who's name and photo are in just about every edition of the Griffin book (Yes, the casinos still DO keep copies of the book). Besides; suppose I were to WIN. Suddenly I'm left with my original problem of traveling with huge amounts of cash!

Unfortunately, a professional gambler is pretty much FORCED to carry around large amounts of cash, whether he likes it or NOT!

 

[aslan]

I travel extensively and carry a lot of cash, so I follow these cases closely. The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling a few years ago, in which they stated that law enforcement could no longer seize property WITHOUT charging someone with a crime. And I'm not one bit surprised that there still are cops that are ignoring that ruling, or at least pulling off stunts like this to get around it.

This is a problem that is not at ALL limited to race, although by the attorneys in that lawsuit making that claim; it WILL enhance the case, and for this reason I commend them.

I have personally been pulled over with large amounts of money, and had the officer ask me how much money I had on me. I ALWAYS answer "A couple hundred bucks". Think about it: Why on Earth would he even ASK such a question, unless he was planning on taking it away from you?

As far as letting them search the vehicle, I will always bite my lip and let them; ONLY because I know that if I DON'T, it can easily get very ugly, such as in the OP's friend's case; where they'll bring in a dog and claim (rather LIE) that the dog smells something. Then you have to also worry about them PLANTING something. "Hell has no fury as a woman scorned?". I think it's safe to say "Hell has no fury as a woman OR A COP scorned". :whip:

You're right about all of that!

I once had to bail a friend out of jail and I took $35,000 cash down to the courthouse. I mentioned to the justice that I almost requested a cop to escort me. He exclaimed, "No! Don't do that! Better you put it in a dilapidated old briefcase." I knew his inference was that you cannot trust some cops with such a large sum of cash. And this was a large suburban police department.

 

[Jack_Black]

The simple truth is that if everyone involved in law enforcement were to quit right now the world would turn into absolute garbage in less than 24 hours.

Are you SURE its not like that now???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoSD79o0cOc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAfLm7Q8Ork&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEtVPvwn4LQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KluItc365hU&feature=related

My favorite is the last one. Cop stops an ambulance enroute to a hospital for failing to pull over. then he chokes the EMT for talking back. With the advent of dash cams, cell cams, and youtube. the whole world can now judge for themselves.

 

[collegebj]

I play hockey and every now and then i play on my bosses old mens team, half the team, and league, are cops. Everytime ive been there ive witness many of the cops chug 5-6 beers after the game then drive home, alot in squad cars.

Also my grandpa has worked every level as a cop. Hes now retired and does alittle detective work on the side but he always says you wont believe how corrupt the big city police department are. He wroked in the murder capital so i think he had a pretty good understanding.

 

[aslan]

I play hockey and every now and then i play on my bosses old mens team, half the team, and league, are cops. Everytime ive been there ive witness many of the cops chug 5-6 beers after the game then drive home, alot in squad cars.

Also my grandpa has worked every level as a cop. Hes now retired and does alittle detective work on the side but he always says you wont believe how corrupt the big city police department are. He wroked in the murder capital so i think he had a pretty good understanding.

Murder capital? Which one? Seems like a number of cities are vying for that title, which seems to pass from city to city each year.

 

[zengrifter]

Are you SURE its not like that now???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoSD79o0cOc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAfLm7Q8Ork&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEtVPvwn4LQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KluItc365hU&feature=related

My favorite is the last one. Cop stops an ambulance enroute to a hospital for failing to pull over. then he chokes the EMT for talking back. With the advent of dash cams, cell cams, and youtube. the whole world can now judge for themselves.