What do you do if a cop approaches you and starts questioning you while you're sitting in your car in a public parking lot?
What do you do if a cop approaches you and starts questioning you while you're sitting in your car in a public parking lot?
Unfortunately, I drive a ghetto minivan which causes the police to profile me and has caused people in small towns to call the police on me if I am in a public park or in their neighborhood. I even had someone call the police on me at campground that I had pre-paid for and the police were not sympathetic at all to my right to just exist.
I am aware of stop and identify laws and know that a cop needs reasonable suspicion to demand to see your ID. However, can't the cop just make up some lies about reasonable suspicion?
If a cop approaches me can I immediately start with: "Officer, do you have reasonable suspicion that a crime has occurred, is in the process of occurring, or is about to occur?" It seems like that will immediately escalate things even if technically the law is on my side.
I just want a damn right to exist law and to not be a target for an overactive imagination by the police which treats me like a criminal until they can check me for warrants.
Honestly, I want to tell them to fuck off right away but I also don't have money for a lawyer.
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When cops don't know the laws they are enforcing and thus telling your rights is not only seen as demeaning since it's their job to know, but makes them actively hostile and more likely to violate those rights out of embarrassment, it's a no win scenario. Better to just go along with their security theater and say as little as possible outside of answering direct questions.
You only have rights if you survive the encounter first.
A few years ago, I was pulled over after waving at a cop as we locked eyes while still stopped at an intersection. He said it was because my seat belt wasn't on, even though it was and I was in a lime green shirt so the dark gray belt should have been pretty visible across my chest and he wanted to argue that I put it on as he was pulling me over. To which I pointed out my dashcam system, said my belt was on the entire time and I could show him the video right now if he wanted. He just got pissed and gave me a ticket anyway. "Ok, but I have proof that you're wrong so this is just a huge waste of everyone's time," I said as he walked away.
Fucker didn't even show up to court so it was thrown out. Really was just wasting everyone's time. Mine. His. And the courthouse's.
Should have been a black mark on his record.