Was this standard procedure or discrimination?

So I missed the bus today and was walking to school (it's a long way), then a police cruiser zooms down the road, makes a u-turn and when I get to an intersection theres the 2 deputies waiting.


They ask me to come to them and start asking all sorts of questions like where I'm going and why I'm there, how old i am and what my name is and if I do drugs. Then one deputy asks if I have a bazzoka on me, wtf?


After that he does a pat search, appareantly thinking I'm straped with a weapon, then he asks if I have any I.D.. I offer to get him my student I.D. but then he freaks out as I reach for my backpack, saying he'll get it himself, I geusse he was afraid I was gonna' pull something on him!


Finally they called my mom and gave me a ride to school, they even came into the office with me!


I have kinda longish hair and was wearing a special forces jacket w/boots, if I was dressed diffirently or had shorter hair do you think they would have even bothered to pull me over in the first place?

Was this standard procedure or discrimination?
The cop was joking about the bazooka. They probably just wanted to give you a ride to school (to be nice to you), but most agencies have strict policies about putting ANYONE in the vehicle without patting them for weapons. I don't think they were trying to harass you, they were trying to help you. Sorry you took it the wrong way. If the cops had not given you a free ride to school, and made you walk which would have resulted in your being late, would you have complained about how the cops just left you there? Aren't they supposed to be there to help people, yet they refused to help you? Yet when they do stop to help you, you complain that they are discriminating against you. I don't think it matters what cops do or don't do, it's always going to be seen as wrong by some members of the public.
Reply:I don't think it's a case of discrimination but a case of "profiling". I don't think the police had to right to stop you and especially search you just for walking down a street although it's very common in certain neighborhoods. You probably have no recourse but you can make a complaint with the public relations officer at the police department.
Reply:It probably was not discrimination, more along the lines of profiling. Young people dressed like militants, when they are supposed to be in school, are either truant, or up to no good, or just missed the bus. They had every right to check you out. Especially since 9-11. Be glad your local police are doing what they are paid to do, which is protecting the citizens of your community. It seems to me that many do not.
Reply:Everyone is a potential "pistol packing pothead". The cops who take it for granted that someone is a "nice guy" and therefore is not armed and pose no threat, are usually the ones that wind up dead after being shot by that "nice guy". You think the cops were discriminating against you for having long hair? What is this; 1967? I think the cops have seen people with long hair before and know that not all of them are necessarily "pistol packing potheads"; though they could be.
Reply:um idk actually..i've been seen on the street at like 10am, and this place is CRAULING with cops, never been stopped for any reason





i think they were a little edgy, but i guess they had a reason...'specially in cali
Reply:**** thats bullshit!!...the same thing happened to my brother ae....cops did the whole u-turn thing as well but they didnt thin he was packin stuff they just cme up to him and gave him the harrrd 21questions ae...uuughh! it really infuriates me though....discrimination hard!!
Reply:sounds like standard discrimination to me.
Reply:Sounds like they did nothing wrong.
Reply:Police by virtue of their employment are suspect of everybody. If there was a recent local event, they are doing their job by stopping you, as a pedestrian or driver to question you. If you were a law enforcement officer, would you feel comfortable allowing someone who may be suspect, to reach into a bag to get anything? I am not a cop. I do understand their mentality in some situations. Your incident almost sounds like you were being targeted though. Police still need a reason to stop you, if you have done nothing to provoke suspicion, unless a recent local event took place, I suggest you may have been harassed. It seems to me, unless you have left something out, they had no legal right to escort you into the school unless you were truant. As you know, today, police need to be very aware of terrorist. If what you wear draws their attention, I would not get angry, but be thankful that they are looking out for all of us. Best of luck to you.
Reply:I think they had the right. Unfortunately, your looks made them think you were a pistal pointing druggie. You can't blame them, with all of the school shootings and massacres everyone is just trying to be cautious and prevent the next one. I would have been mad too but ...No offense, it's reassuring to know that they are being overprotective. If you were wearing boots, SF jacket, what would one think. It's over with. Our area is targeting alot of truancy, too.
Reply:coming from a cop.....it depends on the situation. cops have alot of power, and yes many abuse it. the real word in this situation is ARTICULATION. 95% of cops are there to help you out and help the community. they will be hard asses, but the goal is the same. everyone most of the time is considered a suspect, they deal with the lows of society day in and day out....its hard to have finess sometimes. things you can ask yourself. how were you dressed, what part of town were you in, (you wouldnt know but...) were they looking for someone that matched your description at the time, what time of day was it, your attitude towards the cops when they stopped you, your answers....all of them play out into the big scheme of things. a good cop will see right through you if you lie and if you are guilty of something. ultimately a cop can do alot, and most people dont know what power the police have....but by law you have to cooperate....if you feel you've been wronged, then contact a lawyer and sue the department.......IF YOUR STORY IS TRUE THEN READ THIS====you were stopped by one of two things, reasonable suspicion or consentual contact, both of which have to have enough to establish probable cause to lead to an arrest, which they were not able to establish obviously. OR someone called the cops on you becuase you missed the bus...consider that too....why do you think they called your mom and took you too school.....you may have been ratted out.
Reply:They conducted a form of profiling. Cops do it all the time. They will size everything up. You were an easy target because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time or hour.





Did you not have a backpack or a folder???





I guess the fact that you were on the way to school but didn’t have a backpack or folder set them off to conduct a full check on you.





You did the right thing by doing what they asked. Look they even gave you a free ride, Lol..





Take it as a learning experience and dress for success. They were in the right.





If you looked like a kid that was ditching out on school chances are you are one that ditched school. It is always better to be proactive in policing.
Reply:It is not unusual for a person looking for a house to break into to be a kid who is skipping or kicked out of school. Unfortunately for you, you happened to be a kid out of school and the police have every right to know why. As for being discrimination, there are certain indicators that police use to determine what you may be up to, and if you fit the "profile", so be it. Your rights were not violated, and with all the complaining about how the police don't do their jobs correctly, you should be thankful. The next person they stop may have just left you Cuse, carrying the belongings of you and/or your family.
Reply:You may have looked suspicious to them. What they did is known as a Terry Stop (see 1st link).





They can ask certain things like who you are and such , but here is a kicker only in 24 states did you have to tell them your name and maybe your address this is known as Stop and Identify (See 2nd link).





In all other states you are required to tell them nothing according to the 5th Amendment (see 3rd link).





He was not allowed in any state to go into your backpack to retrieve your ID unless you have given him permission (do not do this), or have been arrested according to the 4th Amendment (see 4th link).





The best advise is to never ever never talk to the police unless you have a lawyer present. Remember anything you say can and will be used against you.


You may have said something very innocent and the next thing you know you could have been arrested for a crime that you knew nothing about.


Always tell them that you do not consent to a search (see 5th link).





As far as your dress or appearance this is not a reason for stopping and questioning you.





The two things a cops hates the most are an honest cop and a citizen that knows their rights.



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