Fucking fuck cops, man. People always say that there are just a few bad eggs spoiling it for everyone, but I've had probably 10 encounters with cops in my life, and they have all been SHIT. Super disrespectful bullies itching for a reason to fuck you up, and I'm a very normal looking, well-presented and peaceful person. I was never impolite to them and never even gave any trouble, simply seeking to end the interaction peacefully, without anger or incident.

The "most cops are good" idea is so cognitively dissonant for me it sounds like a piano falling onto the sidewalk.

The individual officers aren't the problem, it's US law enforcement culture as a whole.

To be fair, it's both. The law enforcement system is wrong for treating the public as the enemy, and wrong for seeking out and hiring uneducated, aggressive, corruptible thugs to keep that enemy in line. The individual officers are given free rein to be themselves.

It doesn't have to be this way.

The kind of people the police force attracts aren't the most educated or peaceful types. Its usually the people who don't have any other option in life.

It attracts sociopaths and psychopaths. I mean think about it. If you enjoy: seeing people in pain, hurting people, blood etc. then you would either join the military or police. And a lot of officers are vets. Which I think is a HORRIBLE idea. Police officers should be hired from social services type people. People who want to HELP.

The individual officers aren't the problem, it's US law enforcement culture as a whole.

Any individual officer that doesn't embrace the "culture" will soon be unemployed - or dead.

There's a reason that vegans usually don't apply for jobs in slaughterhouses.

Yes but each individual is a part of the whole. So the change starts with the individual. Similar to "Be the change you want to see in the world". But this isn't happening. So we need to MAKE change. That's why those "constitutional audits are so important during traffic stops. It reminds these officers of the duty they have whether they like it or not. If they want no holds barred policing, where they can be as corrupt as they want, we've got a beautiful third world country to the south of us. Where bribes are common and no one complains about this.

So, what happens when you start holding elected officials accountable for the actions of the police department? If the culture sucks, can the elected officials actually start firing police chiefs?

I've been lucky and haven't had a bad encounter with cops. About 3 years ago I got pulled over one night around 3am because I had out of state plates, assholes, I had been drinking and stupidly decided to get out of my car and walk over to the cop. At that point if I would have been anything other than a white woman that cop probably would've pulled out his gun. He told me about my plates and I just played stupid and told him I'd take care of it and he let me go, no sobriety test. I wouldn't try that shit now, I'd probably get shot.

Rules of safely engaging police officers

Rule number 1- never get out of the car

Rule number 2 - Be a white female

I don't think I've ever had a bad experience with a cop. I've seen cops turn on their lights just to get thru an intersection, or park on the sidewalk in front of an office supply store - right where people are walking - but I've always had pleasant interactions with cops. In fact, when I lived in Washington, a cop pulled me over for a sticker I had on my car from a ski resort he'd been to, and wanted to give shouts out. Another time recently, I got a warning for not having a plate on the front of my car, and having an eighth in my car. And when I got pulled over for no plate (just recently) it was in a town that supposedly has no tolerance for weed.

There are a lot of shitty fucking cops out there, and they're trained more aggressively now, but they are still human. It almost seems like the many ruin it for the few [cops who are actually good]. But there are good cops out there.

I had a similar situation happen with me and a couple friends who were smoking weed on a beach in RI. A cop came along, at this point everything was in my backpack, and he told me that he was going to search my bag under probable cause of possession of marijuana. Since RI had decriminalized marijuana, I told the cop that he had no probable cause of a crime being committed rather a probable cause of a civil offense which does not constitute a search, only a ticket if he had evidence to support it. He seemed really annoyed when I said this, and he tried to work me into allowing him to search my bag. At this point I told him to call his Sergeant and confirm with him what I had told him, he did, and came back over to us and told us to have a good night and left. I turned around to my friends, whose jaws were collectively on the floor at this point, and said one thing "Know your rights".

I hate how you have to be a lawyer just to have a chance at not getting illegally fucked over by cops. So backward.

Next time ask, "Am I being detained?" Answer all of their questions with the same phrase or simply "I don't answer questions." Do not chit chat with them. If they say your detained they must be able to articulate the crime they suspect you committed and the readily apparent evidence which they are basing the suspicion on. If they say your free to go, GO.

By giving them permission, you relinquished your rights. They were bluffing about the warrant and you failed to call them on it. They were fishing for consent and they'll use any lure to get it. If they search you without consent or "reasonable articulable suspicion" of a crime, even if they found your paraphernalia, you could have had the charges dismissed.

I'd suggest reposting to /r/amifreetogo.

grits teeth what state out of curiosity?

Also consider /r/legaladvice

Holla!

If your state doesn't have a 'stop and identify' law simply refrain from speaking to them completely. It is never advised that you speak to a police officer at any time. The most you might have to ask is "Am I being detained?"

'stop and identify' law

See here

Welcome to the Peoples Republic of America

USSA

They absolutely could not have gotten a warrant, it was just to get you to "admit" to your "crime". All to fulfill ticket quotas.

If they have to keep asking for convent, that is a big sign that they do not have probable cause. If they had PC, they will still ask, because the need for PC is removed when you agree to the search. If you agree to the search, it is much more difficult to come back later and claim there was no PC and the search was illegal.

I'd say your friend's been had on one of their 'fishing expeditions'.

NEVER ADMIT TO SHIT.

They said it was a red flag...

Bulls tend to be attracted to red capes and flags. Not much brains though.

Without asking "am I free to go" over and over and over again you guys pretty much did yourselves in.

They had no probable cause, and the 4th amendment still stands. They can threaten all they want; without probable cause the 4th amendment says that they can't touch your stuff and the 5th amendment says that they can go fuck themselves; none of you had to talk to them at all except to ask if you were free to go and, if not, what you were being detained for.

MORAL: You brought it upon yourselves. NEVER EVER TALK TO THE PIGGIES. PERIOD.

Don't even answer them next time. Just say I don't consent to any searches or questions and let them do the talking. If they have the right to do something they will not request it, they will do it.

Get a lawyer, and talk to some journalism students. Write a long article and submit it everywhere.

The cops' job is to catch people committing crimes, which you were. They know you don't want to be caught, so of course they will try to psych you into consenting to a search. Getting butthurt about that does not change the situation.

Actually it's their job to protect the community. Using violence to coerce money out of people for victimless acts is not what they exist for.

let's all down vote the messenger due to how the deliver the message

and all that could have been avoided if they just could have a look in the bag.

How do those boots taste? Mine taste like apples.

'stop and identify' law

See here