Today was a horrible, humiliating, mortifying day for me!
I am a hardworking mother, wife, business owner, junk dealer. I don't smoke crack, steal, or do anything that is not legal!
So....deap breath... Let me back up a bit. I'ts been six hours and I'm still reeling from a very emotional thing that happened to me earlier today. This is how it goes.... I've been out junkin, found a neat old Procter and Gambles clock for a friend took it to her house had a bite to eat and a cup of coffee then off I go to finish my rounds. I'ts my only free day this week to get in some good junk hunting and I'm a little weather blown, wearing my ripped jeans and having to drive my husbands old mazda, because he needed my truck to go pick up a carport. So ..deep breath.. oh geeze i 've got to get ahold of myself!
So I'm heading to Pacific Run Antique Mall out in Tacoma multy tasking as usual, my cell phone rings and it's one of my customers I'm just about to pull into the mall parking lot and a state patrol drives by me and see's I'm not wearing my seat belt quickly wips a U turn and blue lights follow me into my antique mall parking lot. Here I am right in front of the store thinking omg how embarrassing right? all these people I know are watching me get a ticket! Oh well it's my fault and I'm ready to suffer the consequences right? Mr 25 year old officer asks for my I D and registration, of course I'm in my husbands car so I'm not so familiar with where things are. I open the glove box and everything falls out onto the floor. I can't find the insurance card which I new he had , because I just paid my $425 monthly bill!. Well I find it after what seems an hour (maybe two minutes) he steps away fro my car for about two seconds and comes back and asks me to step out of the car. Step OUT OF THE CAR??? why??? O.K now I'm completely confused? I'm not wearing my seatbelt? I wasn't speeding, my cars not stolen ? wtf? This young very young nice looking police officer is looking at me really intensly? He asks me "what have you been drinking?" What? Nothing! Oh I just had a cup of coffee. He says" what are you doing here?" I'm shopping! wtf? He asks" where did you just come from" I don't know mars??? wtf? ok my friends house! Mr officer asks if I have any weapons on my body, OMG I am ready to have a panic attack wtf? NO NO weapons! Mr young officer takes me to the edge of the hiway and asks me to perform a sobriety test. Feet together head back count to 30 with my eyes closed. I was on a sloped parking lot and this wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, so I start my test he say's "put your head back further!" I'm about to fall over my feet are way too close together and my balance isn't so great with my eyes closed, but I manage to keep it together , because at this point I am really fearing I'm going to JAIL in downtown Tacoma! I complete the test and he tells me to look at him and asks" how did you know you counted to 30?" WHATTTTTTT???? Is this a trick question?? OMG! One onethousand two one thousand and so on. Still not good enough for this guy he asks " what kind of drugs are you on?" Huh? what? I'm not a crack addict? I take lipitor and prilosec! Well he says 'thats a drug", but I say "not a MIND altering drug!!!! WTF? Ok I am shaking now I'm going to the hooskow for sure! Can it get any worse? Well I didn't think so, I've passed my tests (I think) answered his STUPID questions, but no he's not done HUMILIATING me yet in front of a whole crowd of people. Now I have to follow his pen test back and forth back and forth. Done. Nope "why are your eyes so dialated? Huh? what the ???
Now he tells me to go back and sit in my car. I look in the mirror, my eyes are NOT dialated! What is going on? I hurry up and call my husband , because I know I'm going to jail and I may never see my family AGAIN! so I better let them know whats happening. Now he runs my drivers licence, now? why not earlier? before he made me get out of the car? maybe he would have seen I didn't have a rap sheet, that actually I have never in my life had a ticket. an accident, nothing! He comes back gives me a ticket for no seatbelt, never says thanks for your understanding, or sorry to put you through that mam or even have a nice %^$#ing day! I've never been harassed like this before. I've actually been pulled over several times in my life for things like a headlight out or my tabs being expired and not knowing it etc.. and always had the most respectable , decent police officers that treated me like a human being, not a P O S criminal!
So I get home, tell my husband to take me out for a drink (that normally I wouldn't have had on a Wed. night, but OMG this really freaked me out! All I could think of is this is going to be my word against his and he is so out to prove I'm a drunk driver! So yes I will always wear my seatbelt (I usually do, but I do admit I was lacking judgement) Wow sorry I had to get that off my chest!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
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33 comments:
Wow that's insane! I feel so bad for you. My son in law is a sheriff and he tells me about some of the new guys on the force going a little overboard at first but wow, this was overboard on steroids! So glad you didn't get cuffed and hauled away. Hopefully in a week uhmmm no, a year, you can look back and laugh about it.
How horrible! I would have been mortified! Sounds like he was a little overly eager to find something wrong. So sorry Amy!!! :0(
I was out with a friend recently and got pulled over because the tint on my factory tinted windows was apparently too dark. He did all kinds of tests on it and asked me a number of questions before moving on. I think BMW has it down by now as to how dark there windows should be ;0) Not half as bad as yours but still...really??? we got a good laugh out of it. Hopefully you can laugh about yours sometime in the future! :0)
Hoping tomorrow is better for ya!
Blessings,
Katy
wow, thats crazy!
Like you said, it's your word against his, that 's the worst of it.
Love, from Holland
How terrifying! What a jerk! So sorry you had to deal w/ a mean cop who has nothing better to do than harass law abiding citizens. Yes, do buckle up, but a simple ticket would have sufficed as punishment...not public humiliation. And unfortunately it will be your word against his...sucks. Hope today is better! Wear your seatbelt!!!
Hana
the MomTog Diaries
So sorry! That was over the top wrong! Why do they like to give innocent people a hard time and let the guilty run free in the streets? Makes no sense to me. That was definetly harassment. Better days ahead for you. judy
That was a nightmare experiance ! Seriously , like a dream you can't get out of . You had every right to be upset.
So sorry this happened to you. Unfortunately, while he was wasting time on this, crimes were happening elsewhere!
our boarder who is a very nice young man and the manager of a Dominos pizza, was outside his store (in his uniform) as he realized he had locked his keys in the car..as he was looking in , he realized a sheriff had pulled up and was standing behind him....with his gun drawn!!!the sheriff asked him what he was doing and then handcuffed him..put him in the back of the patrol car, ran his plates, license, found nothing of course..got in the car and threatened the young man (he's 24) saying he could take him out in country and shoot him, no one would know....then he let him go..no ticket or anything....of course,the young manager called the watch commander and complained...haven't heard back...
the sheriffs here are very hard on young people..both our own sons have gotten stopped for no reason also..
sorry this happened to you...its not a little scary....
Holy crap. I am so wearing my seat belt and drinking decaf (since apparently coffee dialates your eyes or something?!) That sucks and I am sorry!
I'm so sorry this happened to you! Talk about over the top!
Recently I was driving in Kirkland and I was pulled over for "talking on my cell phone." Huh? I showed the officer the phone was turned off and zipped inside my purse. I think I might have scratched my head or was playing with my hair. (he said my hand was up by my ear). He didn't leave it at that, no, he asked for my registration (I just had the expired one but had the correct one at home) and my license and my insurance. He gave me a hard time. I think Kirkland police don't get enough action! I felt harassed for no good reason. Makes you wish they'd spend their time chasing REAL criminals!
OMG...I seriously thought you were going to say that it was a joke arrest for charity or something! So sorry you had to go through that! Something really good will happen to you now!
yeah you sooo look like a drugie/criminal ;). if it was me i would fight the ticket just on the principle that he was such a jerk!also i would get his name and complaign to his superviser. in the end not good when police cannt have a good relationship with the public. we pay thier salary! i have always felt some folks just shouldnt have any power because they cannt handle it! but i am kind of a rebel. geez. do you think he would want anyone to treat his mom like that?
What a jerk! He obvisouly has issues, the sad thing is he uses his authority to be a bully. I'm glad you didn't get arrested, his mama probably don't let him play "boss" at home, so when he gets out of her sight he goes crazy.Jerk.
well it does make a good story sometimes thats the best it gets ;) and i never miss an opportunity for a good story. his mamma would not be proud.
I would contest the ticket just to go to court and plead your case. I would want someone to know what this guy did. Boy I would be furious. It cracks me up that you live in Tacoma. I grew up there and went to Franklin Pierce High School. My family was transplanted to Toledo, Ohio.
I remember my dad telling us to slow down when we would leave the house around the 8th of the month because the police had to get their ticket quota in. I think this guy was hoping to really make a score with you! Hee Hee.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Blessings,
Shelley
Wow you guys, thanks for your support! I wish I could let it go , but it was really tramatic and humiliating! I'm laughing a little more, but I can't believe how many people have had similar storys! It just baffles my mind that in an area where the crime rate is so high that he would be wasting precious time on someone like me?( a dumb blonde not wearing her seatbelt OMG call the S W A T team!) I am just plain mad now, I will go to court just so I can tell my story not to try and get out of my ticket, because that was MY fault and I totally took resposibility for that.
well i for one am glad you are going to at least tell your story. i get that you take responsibility for not wearing the seat belt, that is absolutely no excuse for him to humiliate you. just know there are many of us in blogland behind you ;)
What a terrible experience for you. As I am sure it will probably not do any good, maybe you should file a complaint against him, that way it is on record and if he continues this behavior it may help someone else in the future. I hope you enjoyed the drink, told all of us and now don't let it get to you anymore because it will only cause stress. I hope your weekend is much better.
I think you deserve a whole chocolate cake too! I would have cried! You were very brave.
Oh dear Lord.....I just dont know what the heck I would have done, I felt your stress right along with u as I read. I think I am going to go have a drik on your behalf, then hop over and read your trailor blog!
I feel for you! I was pulled over doing nothing wrong in Hartford, CT and kept on the highway entrance ramp in evening rush hour for 25 minutes while this young officer harassed me and my boyfriend. I work in a creative business and the inside of my car had a lot of junk in it at the time as we were headed to work. This guy grills me with endless questions and accusations, it was ridiculous. He kept looking in the back of my car and saying, well what kind of drugs do you have back there? And he kept trying to catch us in some kind of lie. And I was just thinking, are you freaking kidding me right now? You idiot. So after almost half an hour of needless accusations, which we even began to question out loud to his face, he justified his disposition by saying we were in a "high drug trafficking area," we got the answer to our demanding to hear why he pulled me over...
He said I had an air freshener hanging from my rear view mirror and that's illegal. Connecticut has even ruled that's not true but the guy still held me there. Then the very next day, I got pulled over in the same place (highway entrance, same ramp) by a different cop who said I was crossing over the white lines, which I was not. It was evening rush hour slow traffic! October 27th and 28th... made me believe in that "end of month" stuff people say...
You said that you were in front of the store and he was doing this in front of a crowd of people. Do you know any of them or is there a chance that anyone who works in the store knows one of them - someone who had just left the store and might have seen this? It would be wonderful if you actually had a witness to this harrassment.
If he keeps this up, he's going to be a worse bully when he gets older. At least make a complaint so it's on his record, even if they can't prove it. Maybe enough complaints will get him removed from the force.
Hi Amy, I have to say I really laughed out loud at your story because you told it so well! My hubs had just come in the door from his night shift~yes he is a cop~ and I read him this tale outloud. WE laughed...but he said now that guy has made us the enemy for life for that girl....I have been in the same position as you before I met hubs, and NEVER thought I could be married to a cop (but they all aren't rotten apples). Glad you are going to court. He needs to be exposed.
I had something similar happen to me in Alvarado Texas and all I was doing was speeding. The police officer was being a real jerk and as he was walking away to run my drivers license he overheard me say "God, what an a-hole!" under my breath. He slung open my car door and screamed at me to get out and come to the rear of the car. He then proceeded to berate me and tell me he was going to take me to jail for being uncooperative and he was going to take my baby (my 6 month old who was with me) and send him to foster care. I couldn't believe it! I was stunned and didn't utter another word to him. He wrote me two tickets that amounted to $600.00. One for speeding and the other for bieng rude to an officer. I'm chalking it up to him having a bad day.
Ugh!! I know your nerves have calmed by now but reading this made my head spin! I would have passed out from mind altering fear for sure!!! What a shmuck. It's really not so bad being pulled over for something you know you did was illegal but he certainly could have been respectful about it!
I just found your blog by googling cottage design blogs and your came up on a list of the Top 10 cottage blogs!! Yay!! I am looking forward to following along your interesting journey and maybe our paths will cross one day. My parents live in Northen Idaho, north of Coure de Lane. I'd love to see all of your goodies in person some time! Best to you! Valerie
rookie jerk, so horrible this happened to you!
i once got pulled over at 12:30 am on my way home from scrapbooking. my lisence light was out. but he was very nice to me. i appreciated that he was looking for drunks.
www.minnesotajunker.blogspot.com
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...........that just doesn't sound like a very good day. YIKES. I think that officer crossed the line. Maybe he's new to the force and just wanted to show you some macho?? I start shaking as soon as I see an officer around.... and I don't have a rap sheet either.......nothing, nada, zip.
Glad you made it without going downtown.
Warm blessings,
Spencer
OMG!!!! What a ass for doing that to you, go to court he may not even show up and you will get it dropped. HUGS MARY
OMG- I can only begin to imagine the humiliation! You poor girl! xxoo Diana
OMG! That sounds so familiar... I live in the Seattle area and I have heard many horror stories like this! The Seattle Police are being federally investigated... finally but I did not think the bad apples tainted all the way to tacoma! Stay calm, fight the ticket in court and know that your blogger friends have your back.
Bless you my Dear!
Sandi
If he's about 25 years old then he is a new cop, and new cops are the WORST. He is new and gung ho. Most of the veteran officers are over that kind of behavior.
I live in Chattanooga and we get a lot of young officers hit the system every time an academy is completed.
Try not to take it personally, they do it to everybody. It's still perfectly awful when it happens, but it's not about you - it's about their newness.
That is insane, and I'm sorry it happened to you!!! One time, when I lived in Virginia - in the rural part of Virginia, NOT the Beltway - I didn't come to a complete stop before making a right on a red. The cop did what is called a felony stop - gun drawn on me and everything ;- And honey I was completely destroyed in a panic and a decent person just like you describe here - in fact, at the time, I was a minister's wife! The cop later said he did that because HE HAD TO PRACTICE ;-
OMG I am just reading this now and giggling. Are you kidding? Sweet lovely you? He probably wanted a date......
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