Elderly couple pulled over after their Buckeye car decal is mistaken for a marijuana leaf

[Guest AmericanWorkMule]

They're even fighting each other to make these stops.

 

Then, there's a 2008 video where a unit from the 23rd cuts in front of a DICE unit on a stop, prompting this heated exchange:

23rd DTF Officer: "Leave me the f***k alone!"
DICE Officer: "Let me tell you something..."
23rd DTF Officer: "Punk!"
DICE Officer: "You ever come up [on] me and try to wreck me out again, it will be your last time. You understand?"

http://www.newschannel5.com/story/14643085/police-profiting-off-drug-trade

[Guest AmericanWorkMule]

Having a marijuana leaf decal is reasonable suspicion now?  I'd tell those cops to get f***ked.  What kind of retard cops think that someone trafficking large amounts of illicit drugs is going to put a sticker on their car that advertises it?

 

If I could get over my contempt for Ohio, ought to go around with a bunch stuck on our cars...

 

[vontar]

If I could get over my contempt for Ohio, ought to go around with a bunch stuck on our cars...

 

 

 

Well how about this just put some Marijuana leaf stickers on your car.  After all it would be protected under the 1st. 

 

Unless they try to use that law against offensive bumper stickers.  http://www.wkrn.com/story/15009792/stricter-offensive-bumper-sticker-law-takes-effect

Edited February 17, 2013 by vontar

[Major Kong]

What I don't understand for the life of me, is WHY a real, America loving, freedom loving LEO would allow another LEO to do anything that they know is unconstitutional, or morally wrong. I mean, they live here too and many have families.  Is this the America you want for them? I do admire and am thankful for those that are REALLY out protecting our lives and property and take the job seriously.  I know that the percentage of the LEO's that appear in these stories is not large. However, the way I see it is this.  If I'm an LEO and I see one of my peers stepping over the line, then he is affecting my job and my perception and standing with the community.  If he is obviously on a power trip and looks for ways to entertain himself by abusing this power he has been bestowed, then I'm gonna call him on it.  I'm going to report it to the powers that be to get him removed. Not everyone can handle authority over others.  If they don't take their jobs and the limits of their authority seriously, then they need to be removed. To turn your head and allow it to continue, is being an accomplice to a crime in my book. Just like any other crime.

 

Insert Christopher Dorner reference here...

Edited February 17, 2013 by Major Kong

[Pain103]

Is it whine about cops day or something?

[TMF]

Is it whine about cops day or something?

 

Sorry I've been contributing, but these stories really are redonkulous.  If I was an LEO I'd likely be more annoyed at these type of officers than I am now.  It's morons like these that make the public distrust the very people they are there to serve.

[DaveTN]

Sorry I've been contributing, but these stories really are redonkulous.  If I was an LEO I'd likely be more annoyed at these type of officers than I am now.  It's morons like these that make the public distrust the very people they are there to serve.

True, but it’s like the gun haters taking every case they can find of armed citizens breaking the law or doing something stupid with guns; those stories aren’t hard to find. So should we all line up and call for the disarmament of citizens? Of course not.

We get one side of a story, that may or may not have happened, and it turns into a cop bashing thread. As you know, I’m all for outing bad cops and have explained to some how to do it. But I also want to hear both sides before making a decision; that’s what reasonable people do.

I would like to hear why the cops pulled them over. As far as that story saying they don’t know where those Officers were from; that would be pretty easy to find out. Is anyone going to try to find out? Probably not, getting pulled over for a MJ leaf makes a much better story. The MJ leaf may have simply been small talk; we don’t know.

 

 

[TMF]

True, but it’s like the gun haters taking every case they can find of armed citizens breaking the law or doing something stupid with guns; those stories aren’t hard to find. So should we all line up and call for the disarmament of citizens? Of course not.

We get one side of a story, that may or may not have happened, and it turns into a cop bashing thread. As you know, I’m all for outing bad cops and have explained to some how to do it. But I also want to hear both sides before making a decision; that’s what reasonable people do.

I would like to hear why the cops pulled them over. As far as that story saying they don’t know where those Officers were from; that would be pretty easy to find out. Is anyone going to try to find out? Probably not, getting pulled over for a MJ leaf makes a much better story. The MJ leaf may have simply been small talk; we don’t know.

 

 

 

True, could be all the makings of internet fiction.  If true, the cop involved needs to sit in time out for a few minutes while the adults take away his driving privilages.

[Dolomite_supafly]

I have a unique perspective on things like this. I have worked LE and seen it from the inside. I have worked with bad officers and I have worked with good officers.

 

LE has gone from a point of the officer being there to help like most officers were doing 20+ years ago to a "us" vs "them" mentality we see today. That is the reason why most officers will cover for fellow officers or at least look the other way because they are on the same side, the "us" side.

The reason this has happened is because there was a shift about 15-20 years ago to hire military over those who weren't. Along with those military personnel came the military mindset that many had. And then with the influx of military personnel came the influx of military tactics, ways of training as well as the "us" vs "them" mentality. This is the reason there has been a militarization of most police departments as well.

The "us" vs "them" mentality is how the military trains. There is always an enemy in the military and then when they transition to civilian jobs they keep the same "us" vs "them" mentality except those not in law enforcement are now the enemy. This is why the officers choose to cover up or look the other way because they do not want to help those that are now their new "enemy".
 

And although we would love to hate this officer for what he did it is not entirely his fault. His actions are the result of his continued training, his peers, his supervisors as well as the administration. They have allowed other incidents to go unpunished which only empowers officers like this. It is a rare that an officer goes from being an outstanding officer to a crappy officer in one step, it happens gradually and usually in front of their peers and supervisors.

Officers tend to take care of their own even when the bad officer brings a bad light to the good ones. I never understood this, the good officers should be very angry with the bad officer but it rarely happened from what I witnessed. I know any time I had an officer screw up enough to warrant being fired I tried everythig in my power to fire them but in most cases the administration allowed them to resign because it was easier. And in a lot of cases the resigning officer received a letter of recommendation upon exit as well as a glowing review because he didn't try to fight it.

Another thing that contributes to things like this is that officers are afraid of being labeled a rat if they tell on other officers. I have known several officers who did the right thing in by turning in bad officers only to be ridiculed and threatened until they finally resigned. In most cases the bad officer would be treated better than the good officer. And when the good officer resigned they would rarely get letters of recommendation. I have even sat in front of supervisors as they called all the surrounding jurisdictions to tell them the officer who just resigned is a rat. They would joke saying the rat officer has been blackballed and will never work LE again. Stark contrast to the way they treat bad cops.
 

Not all officers are bad. In fact just the opposite. But I have seen both sides and for this reason I view most officers with a bit of distrust unless I know them. Again, very few officers are bad but one bad one can ruin your day, year or life.  

Dolomite

[DaveTN]

I have even sat in front of supervisors as they called all the surrounding jurisdictions to tell them the officer who just resigned is a rat. They would joke saying the rat officer has been blackballed and will never work LE again. Stark contrast to the way they treat bad cops.

That’s grounds for one heck of a civil suit by the good Officer. Did you do everything in your power to see those bad Command Officers fired? Did you notify the good Officer and volunteer to testify against those Command Officers?

[Guest AmericanWorkMule]

dunno?
but it must be whine about folks making fun of overzealous thugs day

 

Is it whine about cops day or something?

[Major Kong]

Is it whine about cops day or something?

I'm sorry, do you have an approved format for the "General Chat" section of the forum?

[Guest AmericanWorkMule]

Have you seen the unmarked 23rd DTF  or DICE vehicles?

How would anyone traveling through TN know where those units are really from. Perhaps that's part of the shell game when trying to get your property back.

Even though the 21st Judicial District Drug Task Force is out of Franklin they are all over the state.
There won't be any fights on the side of the road between agencies as long as a third of any cash seizes is given to the agency that owns that stretch of road.

 

As far as that story saying they don’t know where those Officers were from; that would be pretty easy to find out. Is anyone going to try to find out? Probably not, getting pulled over for a MJ leaf makes a much better story. The MJ leaf may have simply been small talk; we don’t know.

 

 

[Dolomite_supafly]

That’s grounds for one heck of a civil suit by the good Officer. Did you do everything in your power to see those bad Command Officers fired? Did you notify the good Officer and volunteer to testify against those Command Officers?

 

Everyone knew about it, especially those well above those command officers. Those I would have told already knew about it. 

 

And honestly it would have been an entire administration saying it didn't happen to me saying it did. And in the end I would have found myself without the ability to prove it. And without a doubt I would have been forced to resign or be fired leaving myself without the ability to provide for my family.

 

Trust me when I say if I could have done something I would. Stuff like this is why I left LE. I had a conscience and it would upset me to see stuff like that happen good officers.

 

Dolomite

[DaveTN]

Everyone knew about it, especially those well above those command officers. Those I would have told already knew about it. 
 
And honestly it would have been an entire administration saying it didn't happen to me saying it did. And in the end I would have found myself without the ability to prove it. And without a doubt I would have been forced to resign or be fired leaving myself without the ability to provide for my family.
 
Trust me when I say if I could have done something I would. Stuff like this is why I left LE. I had a conscience and it would upset me to see stuff like that happen good officers.
 
Dolomite

With all due respect you posted a lengthy reply chastising cops for not stepping forward. Then you did the same thing, for the same reasons.

[TripleDigitRide]

I have a unique perspective on things like this. I have worked LE and seen it from the inside. I have worked with bad officers and I have worked with good officers.

LE has gone from a point of the officer being there to help like most officers were doing 20+ years ago to a "us" vs "them" mentality we see today. That is the reason why most officers will cover for fellow officers or at least look the other way because they are on the same side, the "us" side.

The reason this has happened is because there was a shift about 15-20 years ago to hire military over those who weren't. Along with those military personnel came the military mindset that many had. And then with the influx of military personnel came the influx of military tactics, ways of training as well as the "us" vs "them" mentality. This is the reason there has been a militarization of most police departments as well.

The "us" vs "them" mentality is how the military trains. There is always an enemy in the military and then when they transition to civilian jobs they keep the same "us" vs "them" mentality except those not in law enforcement are now the enemy. This is why the officers choose to cover up or look the other way because they do not want to help those that are now their new "enemy".

And although we would love to hate this officer for what he did it is not entirely his fault. His actions are the result of his continued training, his peers, his supervisors as well as the administration. They have allowed other incidents to go unpunished which only empowers officers like this. It is a rare that an officer goes from being an outstanding officer to a crappy officer in one step, it happens gradually and usually in front of their peers and supervisors.

Officers tend to take care of their own even when the bad officer brings a bad light to the good ones. I never understood this, the good officers should be very angry with the bad officer but it rarely happened from what I witnessed. I know any time I had an officer screw up enough to warrant being fired I tried everythig in my power to fire them but in most cases the administration allowed them to resign because it was easier. And in a lot of cases the resigning officer received a letter of recommendation upon exit as well as a glowing review because he didn't try to fight it.

Another thing that contributes to things like this is that officers are afraid of being labeled a rat if they tell on other officers. I have known several officers who did the right thing in by turning in bad officers only to be ridiculed and threatened until they finally resigned. In most cases the bad officer would be treated better than the good officer. And when the good officer resigned they would rarely get letters of recommendation. I have even sat in front of supervisors as they called all the surrounding jurisdictions to tell them the officer who just resigned is a rat. They would joke saying the rat officer has been blackballed and will never work LE again. Stark contrast to the way they treat bad cops.

Not all officers are bad. In fact just the opposite. But I have seen both sides and for this reason I view most officers with a bit of distrust unless I know them. Again, very few officers are bad but one bad one can ruin your day, year or life.

Dolomite

Probably the most honest and accurate response on the topic, especially from someone who knows how things work n both sides. And as much as some current and former LEOs would like to believe, it doesn't take someone on the inside to know how the inside works.

It's funny how us regular folks aren't supposed to be profiling or assume every LEO is bad (we know they're not), but it's perfectly acceptable for LEO to assume we're guilty until proven innocent. And that's exactly what we're talking about when it comes to these stops made by the drug task face or whatever fancy name they give themselves. They are somehow allowed to steal your money first, then leave it up to you to prove you have a legitimate reason for carrying that particular amount cash. This goes completely against the wives tale "innocent until proven guilty". In order to be proven guilty, one would need to go through the courts. Problem is, many of these people are never even charged with a single crime. The cops simply steal their money and/or possessions and send them on their marry way.

I don't recall if it was this head or a similar one, but someone mentioned how these people must be guilty because many don't wade through the court system to get their money back. First of all, as someone who's been wrongfully accused of a crime, I can tell you firsthand how damn expensive it is to clear your name. And I lived 10-minutes from the courthouse.

Most of people who've had their money stolen live several states away. Between attorney fees, travel expenses for the multiple court dates, lost wages, etc., a person could easily burn through $10,000 - $20,000 trying to get their $10,000 - $20,000 back. In many situations, it's simply not feasible to fight for the money, and the LEOs know this. As a matter of principal, I wish every single one of them would fight to have their possessions returned.

It's easy to brush it off and label it as "cop bashing", until it happens to you or someone you know. And I sure as hell wouldn't expect a LEO to agree. Like Dolomite said, it's that "us vs. them" mentality.

I try very hard to keep an open mind and not lump all LEO into the same group, but as someone who was forced to go through the system to clear their name, it's not a very easy thing to do. The rest of my life could have been ruined over some of the biggest bunch of bullshit you've ever heard, yet some expect me to brush it off, as if nothing ever happened. I've come a long way over the last 12-14 years, but it's always in the back of my mind.

[Dolomite_supafly]

With all due respect you posted a lengthy reply chastising cops for not stepping forward. Then you did the same thing, for the same reasons.

Oh but I did step forward on several occassions and it cost me. In the end I walked away.

 

Dolomite

[1morethan8]

In life, I try to fly just under the radar. No, I don't put any stickers on my vehicles. I try not to draw any trouble from any source.

Sometimes you'll find yourself in a situation where you need to use a little tact... and it's easy to let your big mouth overload your butt and even if you win... you loose.

If you go looking for trouble you will find it. I know it's hard to believe but many people like to express their authority over others...

most have a mental condition and in their mind this puts them on a higher level. You need to realize this and always play the "game" in your favor.

It's easy to get into trouble with the LEO or the common man. And many times you may find yourself in a situation where you didn't see a problem coming. Maybe something you said... or an action on your part that wasn't meant to be aggressive? You need to diffuse and correct the situation as soon as possible. This IS the higher road to take. Many can't say "I'm sorry"... or "I apologise"... or "I made a mistake". And this can get you in deeper trouble! Sure, it's a hard thing to back-down over someone who has threatened to "beat your as*

over a few misplaced words... but in my 65 years I have found this the best way... besides, I don't want to kill anyone else!