Arrested over weekend, court tomorrow, what do I expect ? - Page 6

xenthebrain · #51 09-04-2007, 05:48 AM

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How could you not have just talked your way out of this?

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He came up with it after he was home again.

Milo · #52 09-04-2007, 06:01 AM

Get a lawyer. If you do not have one, go to court and ask for a continuance so you can get one. Admit nothing.

Milo · #53 09-04-2007, 06:08 AM

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Cops are [censored] dicks. If you don't think so, there's a solid 90% chance you're a cop or come from a family of cops. I'm a quiet, polite, and respectful citizen every time I have to deal with the police and they always treat me like [censored]. Ever since I was a kid, every single dealing I've ever had with a cop has been unpleasant.

SpaceAce

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QFT.

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I've had some pretty good interactions with cops, and no, I'm not related to any and know only one personally (although I've treated a few in my private practice). Bottom line, most are just doing an honest job and are sick and tired of jagoffs acting like, well, jagoffs all the time. I've been pulled over LOTS and rarely ticketed.

My last time I got pulled was at 3:30 am. I was 1) speeding, 2) without a seatbelt, 3) in a car not registered to me but that I'd bought 3 months earlier, 4) with out of state tags, and 5) without proof of insurance. Nice chat with the cop, who I treated with respect and good humor, and I get off with a warning. Standard.

jtr · #54 09-04-2007, 07:56 AM

SpaceAce, I have some sympathy with your position and I believe you when you say you've had bad experiences. But honestly, there seems like the same amount of variance in the cop population as in the wider world.

I've had extremely good and extremely bad experiences with cops in different countries. Examples: I've just moved into a house where one of my neighbours is a retired cop who was in forensics. He's a great guy and I'll be glad to have him watching over the place when I go away. Towards the bad end: as a tourist, I once crossed a street against the light in Hollywood and nearly got a baton to the head for my troubles.

I think I have some second cousins who are cops, does that count?

SpaceAce · #55 09-04-2007, 08:48 AM

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SpaceAce, I have some sympathy with your position and I believe you when you say you've had bad experiences. But honestly, there seems like the same amount of variance in the cop population as in the wider world.

I've had extremely good and extremely bad experiences with cops in different countries. Examples: I've just moved into a house where one of my neighbours is a retired cop who was in forensics. He's a great guy and I'll be glad to have him watching over the place when I go away. Towards the bad end: as a tourist, I once crossed a street against the light in Hollywood and nearly got a baton to the head for my troubles.

I think I have some second cousins who are cops, does that count?

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All of my experiences with cops have been in the USA, but in at least half a dozen different major Metro areas.

One of the cops who gave me the hardest time and left one of the bitterest memories was a good friend of the family. I recognized his name on some paperwork he was filling out, told him who my parents were and suddenly he was all smiles. Up until then, total shitheel. I hated that double for its sheer hypocrisy and the proof that, hey, it's who you know and you simply can't expect fair or decent treatment if you're "just" a citizen.

Again, I am talking entirely of situations where I was either a victim or, at worst, a neutral party. I certainly haven't deserved the treatment I've received from the police in my life, right down to some straight violations of my rights when I was homeless. Before some [censored] comes in here spewing [censored], I'm not talking about getting rousted for panhandling or something like that.

SpaceAce

SpaceAce · #56 09-04-2007, 08:59 AM

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Standard.

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Maybe for you, not for anyone else I know.

Anyway, I am not talking about traffic infractions, I really haven't had any particularly bad experiences with cops in that sort of situation, but I guess that's because I've only gotten one ticket in my life. On the other hand, I've been held at gunpoint for the crime of being in a "brown" car. The dozens of incidents themselves are bad enough, but when you throw in the fact that the cops have never once made anything even resembling an apology after sticking a [censored] gun in my face or kicking me out of a cot at 3:00AM, well, let's say I don't feel very inclined to feel charitable toward cops.

SpaceAce

jtr · #57 09-04-2007, 09:18 AM

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Standard.

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Maybe for you, not for anyone else I know.

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Yeah, to be fair Milo, that scene does kind of recall "These aren't the droids you're looking for."

SpaceAce, sorry to hear you've had a tough time. I was trying to avoid the speculation that the dick to good-guy ratio was worse amongst American cops than it is in some other countries, and I really shouldn't raise it because I just don't have enough data. Perhaps it would be more true to say that in the UK, where cops are in the unenviable position of generally not carrying guns, they tend to be a more reasonable class of person.

niss · #58 09-04-2007, 09:59 AM

Does anyone ever bother to look at it from the police officer's perspective? They aren't working in a freaking hardware store where they are hoping you'll become a repeat customer. You could be the nut who has a gun and turns a relatively innocent stop for speeding into a bullet wound to the chest.

I'm not saying that some cops are not nasty, unnecessarily so. But Jesus Christ be fair and put things in perspective.

I am not a cop and no family member is a cop.

jtr · #59 09-04-2007, 10:19 AM

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Does anyone ever bother to look at it from the police officer's perspective? They aren't working in a freaking hardware store where they are hoping you'll become a repeat customer. You could be the nut who has a gun and turns a relatively innocent stop for speeding into a bullet wound to the chest.

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I completely agree with you that the reasonable concern that the suspect may be an armed psycho is one reason why American cops may be slightly grumpier than those in some other countries. This is unfortunate, but completely understandable, sure.

bearwiredpair · #60 09-04-2007, 03:14 PM

Talk to a lawyer 50 to 100 bucks vs. getting a lawyer 1 to 2k.

Talk to a lawyer and weigh options. Focus on how you should plead so you will be able to expalin.

Do not, repeat, do not tell the court you were drunk.

This is only a misdemeanor, kinda like jaywalking. Not guilty = Trial. Trial = time. Time = money. Though it may have been a mistake technically you are guilty. It may be to your benefit financially to pay the fine and take your lumps.