So what happens when you get the ACLU, The Constitution, and The Virginia State Police in the same place? Civil Rights abuses without much word in regards to even an apology.
I was in the district this weekend taking my girlfriend to her house so she could get to work Monday, pack up get things situated and get ready to move into the townhouse with me when everything's organized and ready to go. I'm the Network Manager for a 'non-mainstream' media organization, owned by a mass-media organization ;). My girl friend is a first grade school teacher at a charter school in the district. She drives a 2006 Mazda3 - 10,000 Mi.
GF doesn't smoke and is extremely clean. This is all very important.
So I'm leaving her house after we hit chipotle, and it's about 1:00~ or so and I decide to drive by the observatory, cause I always hope to see dick one day, and cruise up mass to 14th street down 395, and blammo- south bound VA state trooper pulls out of the median. Upon seeing him pull out of the middle of the road, i turned my signal on, and moved from lane #1 -> lane #2. Drove approx. 200ft Lane #2 -> lane #3 repeat.
I'm approaching the exit, and he turns his lights on and proceeds to pull me over. i stop, get the registration my license, and place my hands on the steering wheel as he walks up to the car. I wait until he knocks on the window because i didn't want him to think i was all jittery or anything, I mean the entire way down the car he's leering into the vehicle with his flashlight in one hand, and hand on the pistol with the other.
After knocking on the window I roll it down and place my license + registration on the window sill. He states, 'I'm stopping you this evening because you entered my radar at 74mph in a 55mph posted zone. Why were you going that fast this evening?'
I said, 'Well it's not my car to be honest, it's my girls i don't normally drive automatics and i'm just not used to it, probably not paying as much attn to speedometer ...' whatever exact quote not remembered regardless, i was co-operating. When you are stopped by the police you're not required to say anything to them except your name and home address ( so long as there's no warrants outstanding ). If you're stopped for a speeding ticket, typically depending on the "occasion" of the stop, if it's a speed trap, suck up the ticket, shut your mouth, don't tell the cop why you were speeding or how fast you thought you were going, let him write the ticket, tell him you didn't know you were speeding blah blah sorry thank you, have a nice day.
His second question was more direct. Do you have anything illegal in the car. I immediately said "no". He asked if i had anything illegal like guns or drugs in the car. I told him guns weren't illegal if registered properly but no, and no i don't have any drugs in the car. I said sir, I'm on my way to the office to fix a broken network and my house is just down the road aways, i'm kind of in a hurry. he then says, so if i brought a dog out here this evening would he hit on your car at all sir?
I said, "no sir he would not. I do not consent to a search however i would like to know what basis of probable cause you have this evening."
he said, "Sir you seem to be double talking when im asking you about the search here tonight." <-- that statement confused me.</p>
I said, "Sir, I have given you my license, registration, informed you i did not consent to search, i do not with to be held. he said hold on one minute and walked away. I've been arrested before, for various things, and on principles. I immediately called GF and told her, if she didn't hear from me in 30m to call the VA State Police and ask them where I would be taken... The time was now 1:30am.
I waited 45mins. The officer then approached my vehicle with another officer on the passenger side. When they got to the car their hands were on their weapons. and i rolled down the windows on both sides of the car. The first officer Trooper Whitt stated that upon approaching my vehicle he smelled the aroma of marijuana and informed me that he was going to search my vehicle. I said, I do not consent to search am I free to leave?
He said again to step out of the vehicle and i repeated my statement. The 2nd officer opened my passenger door, stuck her head inside the vehicle and told me that it would essentially be in my best interest to step out of the vehicle. So i co-operated. They walked to the back of the car, and i placed my hands on the top of the vehicle, and spread my legs at the back. Both officers instructed me to walk to the guard rail. I said no. I'm standing right here, because you're going to arrest me if you're going to search that vehicle.
The 2nd officer instructed me to walk to the guard rail. I said, No he wants a show i'm going to give him a show so the people driving by can see him searching a school teachers car on the side of the highway looking for the big bad drugdealer. they again instructed me to step to the guard rail. I said again no. the 2nd officer informed me she would charge me with disorderly conduct at some point, either directly before me walking away from the back of the car, or directly after that's moderately hazy.
I sat on the guard rail and lit a cigarette. she informed me she was there out of safety for myself while he searched my car. I saw hir shirt said K-9. I said "I do not consent to a search, and he's searching my car I also do not smell marijuana around me, or my vehicle, the vehicle smells new; there's not even a speck of ash on the dashboard. If i smoked a cigarette in her car, i'd be dead because she'd have my ass."
I asked her, "Did you smell marijuana in my vehicle officer?"
she replied, "I can not comment on another officers observations."
i said, "So no."
she said, "I can not comment on another officers observations."
I said, "if you did you would have gotten your dog, you don't smell anything, b/c you know he's just searching thru a school teacher's car at 2am."
she said, 'School teachers smoke out too.'
I said, 'Not this one. and not me.'
after that she began to inform me again to be quiet. I watched her partner for a minute rifle through the couple CDs that were in the car, and my Mc Donald's Cup. he went through the trunk and glove box and came back to me. I asked him immediately if he felt like a big man searching through a school teacher's car based upon a lie. he told me he was doing his job. i told him to finish it and give me my damn ticket so i could leave and head to the sub-station and file a complaint immediately for civil rights violations. I asked both officers for their badge #'s and/or cards and they informed me their badge numbers were on the ticket. I still to this day know not who the 2nd officer was.
i immediately left, and called my lady back. It was 2:20am. I went home.
I'm kind of tired, this is what i wanted to say. I called an attorney he said because i wasn't black and i didn't goto jail when they threatened to take me, i could do nothing but waste thousands of dollars in attorney fees. So instead i call the police and file a report, so they can investigate their own, and immediately think i'm the liar. silly system.
thanks for reading the rant.
-i