Questioned by police due to hobby?

Squirgle · #1 (**permalink**) 11-25-2002, 07:45 AM

Yeah how cool is this? Anything like this happen to anyone else? The other night I was driving home at around 9 pm and I get pulled over by an officer. I guess that because I was late getting my emissions tested I had to pay to get my plates reinstated or something like that. In other words since September 25th, when I got the test done, my plates have been 'put on hold' as it were. After we finish with that little spiel (got a ten day warning) the officer asked me to step out of my car. I was like ??? Then he asks me why I have syringes on my dashboard.
>The story behind the syringes is as follows... I work at a pet store, one of the store snakes tried to force its way out of its cage back in October and recieved some injuries. The vet the store took the snake too prescribed Tribrissen (or something like that) for a week. Just then I finished with his injections we recieved a baby redtail with a respiratory infection. My personal vet told me that I could continue using the 'T' med for the next couple of weeks to try and clear up the infection. (note that the store I work with is somewhat of a penny pincher when it comes to meds and they save any unused stuff) Instead of leaving the meds at work I left them on my dash so that I'd remember to go into work every day (when I wasn't working) to give the redtail its shots. So now I had this baggy of syringes with a glass vial of some sort of liquid on my dash.
anyhow he (the officer) starts grilling me on the meds. Questions such as "Why is the date for way back in Oct?" and "Why are they in your car?" Seemed to repeat themselves quite often. After that fiasco he decides that he is going to search my car. So now I'm standing there, outside of my car, with TWO squadcars parked behind me while he searches his car and his buddy pretends to carry on casual conversation with me, even though he kept forgetting what he would say to me if I repeated it.
Finally the first officer gets back out of my car..."Do you do drugs?" is the first thing he says to me, and then he continued by grilling me over the two bottles of superglue that he found in my car that I use for my Warhammer (plastic and metal model soldiers) hobby.
Long and short of it, I got pulled over for my plates, but wound up getting patted and having my car searched all because I didn't think to Hide my animal medications in my car. Half an hour after getting pulled over, he finally let me leave. Had I been a real drug addict I would have hidden the needles out of sight and he wouldn't have even considered searching my car...strange how that works. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]
On the upside, he was too busy searching my car to notice that my front license plate isn't currently on my car, even though it was sitting on my back seat. heh

Anyone else ever have something embarassing or annoying happen due to what you would consider normal day to day behavior?
Squirgle
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JuliusSqueezer · #2 (**permalink**) 11-25-2002, 07:52 AM

No....but you just gave me a great idea for how to transport crystal meth LOL
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1sttimesnakeowner · #3 (**permalink**) 11-25-2002, 07:57 AM

That is such crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img]
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shady1 · #4 (**permalink**) 11-25-2002, 08:05 AM

>>No....but you just gave me a great idea for how to transport crystal meth LOL
hahaahaha Julius, really whats the idea, share your thoughts! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img]
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eddie · #5 (**permalink**) 11-25-2002, 09:59 AM

It ain't crap, it's following procedure.
Needles AND a bottle of some liquid stuff is HIGHLY suspicious, along with the bad tag & inspection gave them reasonable suspicion to search your car.

As for hiding the needles.. you ever watch COPS and see how many stoners and such do NOT hide their goods?

Simple solution, get your car legal and get a tool box for meds and supplies.
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najaboy · #6 (**permalink**) 11-25-2002, 11:36 AM

Definitely ain't a load of crap. The needles in plain sight gave the officer(s) a reasonable, articulatable, suspicion and probable cause to search. On the contrary, if they didn't search, I would view it as deriliction of duty.

_________________
What part of "shall not be infringed" do you not understand?

BadKarma · #7 (**permalink**) 11-25-2002, 11:39 AM

Actually the best place to hide something in plane sight. I work with CID a lot here on post and we can search your car if you have chem lights, candy, and a baggie in your car. You would be really suprised what we can consider parafanalia (sp). We have a real drug problem here on post. I even have permission to #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^& hot if we're doing a sting. I personally catch a lot of flack for some needles and baytril I have around here. This with them knowing I wouldn't use unless I had to and work for them. Go figure. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_cool.gif[/img]
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slaponte · #8 (**permalink**) 11-25-2002, 06:17 PM

If there is one thing you learn from Cops is that criminals are NOT the brigthtest people around. Come on Dude, be honest : they stop you with "expired"/not current licences and you have needles hanging around your dash. Why would they believe the "injections for a pet story"??

Once explained and after the search, they did let you go, right? Seems they did their job, didn't find anything, let you go. Fair enough.

Unfortunately, the police has to work with the clues/hints they can get. Needles on the dash are NOT a common thing and most likely require and explanation. At least until we can get the Pet Psychic to tell the police who the criminals are... [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
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BWSmith · #9 (**permalink**) 11-25-2002, 06:30 PM

I got stopped at a roadblock with a 5 foot Eastern Diamondback Rattler in tupperware ont he passenger seat. One look inside and I hear "Just Go." [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img]
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telefrag · #10 (**permalink**) 11-25-2002, 07:02 PM

>>I got stopped at a roadblock with a 5 foot Eastern Diamondback Rattler in tupperware ont he passenger seat. One look inside and I hear "Just Go." [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img]

That is funny!

I was out herping on a large piece of land (public) and I get a call on my cellphone, it was my wife saying the police were on the phone saying they had found my car (thinking it may have been abandoned or stolen).
I decide to head back to the car to let them know I was there, and show them my ID let them know im the rightful owner of the car, etc etc.
I had a bucket and hooks, and lots of stuff with me, and they ended up wanting to see what I had found (just some racers and a prarie king) and they were pretty cool about it.
Then the usual conversation about rattlesnakes and copperheads followed.

I know I would have been a little nervous seeing some guy with a bunch of metal hooks and buckets come out of the brush towards me.

The police are doing what they are paid to do, and in this case was to look further into a suspicious situation.
I wouldnt take it personally.

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