Try to file a police complaint..yeah, right..

[Dave Hume]

Of course, as always, the police DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU. THEY ARE ABOUT THEM. You are an outsider....they stick up and will defend their 'brother' oinkers...(called 'oinkers' because they do not deserve to held in respect; a trail of abuse, collusion, and corruption deserves no respect. Those of you that think they DO deserve respect are ignorant beyond the pale.)

http://videocrank.net/a-man-tries-to-file-a-police-complaint/

[Thorack]

Hmm,

Interesting, I wonder what would happen if you asked a DA for a Police Complaint form.

Thorack

[Aifwikir]

Hmm,

Interesting, I wonder what would happen if you asked a DA for a Police Complaint form.

Thorack

You'd never be heard from again!

:D
Aif

[sf46]

In order to file a formal written complaint, which is what you want to do if you actually expect for anything to happen, you do have to give your name, and you do have to be interviewed and questioned about the incident. No department will take anonymous complaints. Just like you have the right to due process, so do the police. If you just want to go in there to gripe and vent, they'll listen, but no action can legally be taken against the officer without a formal written complaint. Also understand, that a police department is not Sears or Wal-Mart with their "satisfaction guaranteed" policies. When you go and file a formal written complaint, make sure that your complaint is about a police officer breaking a law or violating a policy of that police department. If it's not one of those two, it is NOT a legitimate complaint, and yes you can be arrested for filing a false complaint or sued by the police officer or police union for slander. If you do have a legitimate complaint, do not be afraid to file a formal complaint. They can not retaliate against you just for filing a complaint, as it will get them in more trouble. That being said, don't expect them to cut you any breaks if they happen to catch you violating any laws in the future.

[SWOHFAL]

In order to file a formal written complaint, which is what you want to do if you actually expect for anything to happen, you do have to give your name, and you do have to be interviewed and questioned about the incident. No department will take anonymous complaints. Just like you have the right to due process, so do the police. If you just want to go in there to gripe and vent, they'll listen, but no action can legally be taken against the officer without a formal written complaint. Also understand, that a police department is not Sears or Wal-Mart with their "satisfaction guaranteed" policies. When you go and file a formal written complaint, make sure that your complaint is about a police officer breaking a law or violating a policy of that police department. If it's not one of those two, it is NOT a legitimate complaint, and yes you can be arrested for filing a false complaint or sued by the police officer or police union for slander. If you do have a legitimate complaint, do not be afraid to file a formal complaint. They can not retaliate against you just for filing a complaint, as it will get them in more trouble. That being said, don't expect them to cut you any breaks if they happen to catch you violating any laws in the future.

I doubt most people expect breaks from LE, especially if they've been around for a while.

[FUUN063]

I give a LOT of breaks and always have. Also complaints, as of late (here anyway), carry a lot of weight. If anything, I believe it depends on the department, the complaint needs to go to that Officer's direct staff.

Leland

[Rick]

Geeze where's the ACLU when you need them! I didn't think you were required to identify yourself unless diving?

[the gman]

I give a LOT of breaks and always have. Also complaints, as of late (here anyway), carry a lot of weight. If anything, I believe it depends on the department, the complaint needs to go to that Officer's direct staff.

Leland

+1 on everything Leland said. If there is a way to cut a person a break, I will do it. Headlight out? I give the person 3 weeks to get it fixed and show proof to the clerk of the court of the headlamp being fixed. They get it fixed, no penalty and the ticket is dismissed. Stopped some guys from out of town with a headlight out the other night and gave them a warning ticket so they could show any other cop that might stop them that they were aware of it and had it under control. Might not stop them getting a ticket in another jurisdiction but I tried to help them out.

Speeding tickets? I usually write warnings. I don't have a quota or get a bonus for writing penalty tickets. I know what it is like to have a $100 speeding ticket and trying to decide what you aren't going to eat in order to pay for it. If the speed is egregious or results in a very dangerous situation, sure, you will get cited. Other than that, most folks just need a reminder that the limit is there for a reason.

Last penalty traffic ticket I wrote (other than DWI) was for running a red light and if he had owned up to the offense, he would have got a warning. However, we both knew he had clearly run the light but he completely denied it, even when my video showed he had and he just flat out refused to admit he was ever close to running it. He just lied to my face and I really don't like that.

DWI drivers get no breaks. Came back to full duty after 3 months off after hernia surgery and the first 4 nights of graveyards I catch 5 DWI drivers, 2 in one night, only 10 minutes apart! Of those two, I gave the 1st one to my friend on DWI overtime and the 2nd I took. Not a single driver blew under a .13 and the highest was a .19.

No doubt Leland and I could tell story after story of where a fellow citizen got a break and equally, where others could have had the same thing if only they would tell the truth.

Complaints at my dept are taken very seriously and investigated thoroughly. It often seems the officer is presumed guilty until proven innocent as IA is very concerned the process is as independent and transparent as possible. Other departments and jurisdictions may be different so I can only speak for where I work. Speeding and poor driving complaints can be called in anonymously and a supervisor deals with them informally (presuming the unit can be identified) unless they are egregious. Formal complaints require the person to identify who they are, what happened, when, in what situation and what the complaint is about. How can you possibly expect to have it thoroughly investigated otherwise? :rolleyes:

Mr Hume can call me what he chooses; I know what I do for a living makes a difference and I try to treat every citizen with respect, decency and equality, regardless of their social standing or offense. YMMV

[brunop]

I wish every officer took the same approach.

:beer:

[FUUN063]

I cannot remember the last time I actually wrote a citation, gman. Maybe like 2 1/2 years. But, anyway, more and more municipalities are going to the E-Ticket and doing away with the standard hand written ticket. They say there is less paperwork and transcribing does not have to enter the information, the computer at the scene does. It's also cheaper because they say that those citation and warning books are not cheap. I, personally don't like the electronic method. For one, once the citation is sent, there is no getting it back, the state already has it and, after a very, very short period of time (maybe even within the shift), there is no dismissing it or "tearing it up" like I have so many times in the past. This method takes the power out of the hands of the Officer. There are no "deals" to be made such as the headlight fix as listed above. I used this a lot. My Chief liked when I did it. His words were "after all, all I want is compliance", so I took this and ran with it. Some guys did not like that I did it, but who cares. Anyway, I don't want to hijack this thread. Be careful out there.

Leland:shades:

[Abominog]

I cannot remember the last time I actually wrote a citation, gman. Maybe like 2 1/2 years. :

That's because Converse, Indiana only has 674 people between the ages of 18 and 65! :rofl:

[SWOHFAL]

That's because Converse, Indiana only has 674 people between the ages of 18 and 65! :rofl:

Marion has more.

[FUUN063]

I don't live in Marion and don't work in Converse!:biggrin: Vice versa. Marion is about 30,000.....give or take.

Leland:shades:

[SWOHFAL]

I don't live in Marion and don't work in Converse!:biggrin: Vice versa. Marion is about 30,000.....give or take.

Leland:shades:

I think we've figured that out from previous details. ;)

[FUUN063]

Love, nothing but love here!!:biggrin::biggrin::rofl:


Leland:shades:

[Abominog]

Love, nothing but love here!!:biggrin::biggrin::rofl:


Leland:shades:


I'm still trying to figure out where Indiana is. Heck, I've seen photos of Montana and the Dakotas, but I don't think I've ever seen a photo of Indiana. Damn, that's a whole state? Think..think...think...Muncie! Right? Wow, geography came back to me. Still, I don't even think I've met somebody from Indiana. Hmmm...perhaps some day I should go there. Wonder what it's like.

[the gman]

I'm still trying to figure out where Indiana is. Heck, I've seen photos of Montana and the Dakotas, but I don't think I've ever seen a photo of Indiana. Damn, that's a whole state? Think..think...think...Muncie! Right? Wow, geography came back to me. Still, I don't even think I've met somebody from Indiana. Hmmm...perhaps some day I should go there. Wonder what it's like.

I went to Indiana once; it was closed...... :p:p:biggrin:

[stonewall]

This is a little off subject, here were I live we just turned down a 1 mill in our tax's that was to increase the funding for our county cop's, all of a sudden there are cops all over the place looking for any reason to write a ticket, they claim they will have to lay off 4 to six cop's because of the millage defeat, no more 24 hour road patrol, ect.
What part of loss of jobs, layoff, reposesions, loss of income from every corner, do these government officials not understand, there just is no more money to spare, they holler it is only one mill, sure but combine that with the other one or two mill's we are charged for this and that for each individual department, school's so on and so forth pretty soon you are payingso many tax it is unreal.
While im at it I think once someone purchase's property there should not be any tax on it, you scrimp and save and then purchase your property, then you have to rent it from the government, land of the free my ass!!!!!!!!!!

[shlomo]

This is a little off subject, here were I live we just turned down a 1 mill in our tax's that was to increase the funding for our county cop's, all of a sudden there are cops all over the place looking for any reason to write a ticket, they claim they will have to lay off 4 to six cop's because of the millage defeat, no more 24 hour road patrol, ect.
What part of loss of jobs, layoff, reposesions, loss of income from every corner, do these government officials not understand, there just is no more money to spare, they holler it is only one mill, sure but combine that with the other one or two mill's we are charged for this and that for each individual department, school's so on and so forth pretty soon you are payingso many tax it is unreal.
While im at it I think once someone purchase's property there should not be any tax on it, you scrimp and save and then purchase your property, then you have to rent it from the government, land of the free my ass!!!!!!!!!!

Historically, people with guns are the last to go hungry.

I'm just sayin'.

[tdb59]

I'm still trying to figure out where Indiana is. Heck, I've seen photos of Montana and the Dakotas, but I don't think I've ever seen a photo of Indiana. Damn, that's a whole state? Think..think...think...Muncie! Right? Wow, geography came back to me. Still, I don't even think I've met somebody from Indiana. Hmmm...perhaps some day I should go there. Wonder what it's like.

Like this, I think...

http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/5796/bobscountrybunker.jpg

[FUUN063]

I know Bob and his place is just down the street!!:biggrin::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Sorry, there's no Country Bunker here, but I bet I could find a place just like it, chicken wire and all. But, you probably wouldn't want to eat there. Just sayin'.

Indiana is the place where the race track is, the Super Bowl just was, Notre Dame, James Dean, Ball State University, IU, Little Pink Houses, Crystal Gale and corn!:biggrin:

Although, it is tough forme to come up with some of this stuff, especially since I don't watch sports and am out of the racing circuit for some time. I would rather go through some caves or shoot out back or something.

Leland:biggrin:

[SWOHFAL]

Southern Indiana sorta splits the difference between Kentucky and Ohio on striking a balance between being too hillbilly and perhaps too laissez-faire on regulation, as well as not having their hand too deep in your wallet and not delivering much in the way of government services for what they mug you for come April 15th and having decent scenery and land prices. It would be my choice out of the three states.

[Ricketts]

+1 on everything Leland said. If there is a way to cut a person a break, I will do it.

Sorry George, but in my experience, whenever the cops have intruded into my life, it has not been at all like you say.

I can tell you many stories about how the guy under the hat should have been wearing a king sized rubber instead of a uniform. First one comes to mind was where I wrecked my truck on an icy bridge his city didn't salt. I was cited for 'Failure to Control'.

Judge dismissed the case in court when I went for my appearance.

Why?

He had a wreck in the exact same spot a mere 2 hours AFTER they cleared mine--they still had not salted it. If that didn't happen and the JUDGE was less than honest, I woulda been screwed by the man in blue.

Again.

[the gman]

Sorry George, but in my experience, whenever the cops have intruded into my life, it has not been at all like you say.

I can tell you many stories about how the guy under the hat should have been wearing a king sized rubber instead of a uniform. First one comes to mind was where I wrecked my truck on an icy bridge his city didn't salt. I was cited for 'Failure to Control'.

Judge dismissed the case in court when I went for my appearance.

Why?

He had a wreck in the exact same spot a mere 2 hours AFTER they cleared mine--they still had not salted it. If that didn't happen and the JUDGE was less than honest, I woulda been screwed by the man in blue.

Again.

I hear you Rick, there are pricks in all walks of life but sadly, there are many in uniform. I think the best step that could be taken to improve the quality of police officers is to prevent anyone under the age of 30 becoming a cop. Hopefully, by that point, they may have learned some life skills and had experience in dealing with people.

Not saying that the guys I work with are arrogant and infringe on civil liberties but they often overlook the effect their actions (writing tickets/over charging/looking for extra citations) have on the public. Like I said, I never forget how getting $100 speeding tickets (both here and in the UK) affected my spending plans cuz money was usually tight. I try every day to do the best I can and I know many of my buddies do the same. I know not every cop is like us, mores the pity..... :sad:

[Dave Hume]

I would add that nobody fresh out of the military should be allowed to be a cop....perhaps
military experience should exclude subsequent police employment (at least on the streets). Despite the common misconception, there is LITTLE in common between the mission of the military and mission of the police.

If the draft were constitutional, perhaps people should be drafted to be cops...after all, like politicians or any public office with power, anyone who really WANTS the job should be automatically disqualified from holding it. With very few exception, the people who gravitate towards police work are not the sharpest tools in the box, and have an inherent desire to control the actions of another, albeit IN THEIR OWN MINDS, they are the 'good guys'. The road to hell and perdition, as well as all other government-backed misdeeds and malfeasance, has been in the name of 'good intentions'.

The Vikings had a much better system.