I was harrassed by the police the other night, and I want to know what to do about it.?

Question

I had decided to go get a soda from the machine at von's around midnight. I took my bicycle. On my way back I noticed a police car silently pass me, something in myself said "hm.. I hope not". I stopped for a light, one block from home, when the same car appears behind me. I tense up & see and hear an obvious lesbian dyke-y cop in the passenger side say "are you ok ma'am?". Nothing was going wrong. I say "no, no crimes here".She proceeds to get out of car, ask me get off bike, frisks me, touches my breasts as well, ask me if Im "on drugs", argues that I have an attitude, ask me if I "graduated from high school" and "are you stupid!?". All kinds of insulting, demeaning things. Now they switch their story and say I don't have my bike lite on. I am totally STUNNED, as a carload of gangbangers slow down to watch and the real crime gets away!!! I keep saying "what did I do?". The male cop bellows "we don't like your attitude!!" What can I do. This is harrassment & I was traumatized :(

Answer 1

Traumatized?? Are you serious? Get over it... most run ins with the cops are much worse... you probably sounded nervous when they spoke to you and that's why they hassled you. As for suing them its your word against theirs, no lawyer is going to take your case. Just be more self assured in the future, and be non confrontational, cops will leave you alone if they think you're not up to anything (usually).

Answer 2

Well there is a lot of "reading between the lines here". Before you even answer the officer's question, you have judged that she was a "lesbian"? What! you can tell just by the voice? I think that your answer (with probably your tone of voice and smarts) just peaks the attention of the officers. Yes I can see your attitude just by the way you report the incident. You just say few sentences that the officer told you. What were you saying? Being a smart ***? Oh! did you forget that maybe someone call the police about you and wondering about your well fare or maybe suspicious act? Oh! being search by police for drugs, booze or weapons does involve touching people breast and genitals. Yeah! people do tend to hide shirt in their bra or their underwear. I'm sure no cops like to touch you. And about your light on your bike, it was always there in their mind, but you give a break to nice people but do not use discreation with *** holes. So get a life, move on, go to work, do something productive instead of whining.

Answer 3

You don't say whether you were arrested or not. Was there a police report? Did they let you go?
If you feel that they acted as they did to cause you pain then you should file a report with the police station.
Did they have good reason to suspect you might be engaged in criminal activity? Being out on a bike at midnight might be suspicious. Did you have the soda with you?
Refrain from references to the policewoman's sexual orientation. It's a stereotype that is not pertinent.
If you really are feeling traumatized by the cops you might try to overcome it by becoming more familiar with them. Either volunteering in a police station or as a ride-along.

Answer 4

Really nothing you can do. I used to get stopped all the time because I am white and lived in a black neighborhood and they assumed any white woman must be there for drugs.

I thought about reporting it to their superiors or whatever but I was afraid they'd just get commended for being so vigilant. It is your word against theirs and unless you have video, preferably from an unconnected third party who happens to film the entire encounter from the first moment with multiple camera angles, the police will be believed. All they have to say is "She seemed tense" , as if anyone getting cuffed, frisked and/or purse searched nightly is ever going to sit back and enjoy it. They never did have any cause to arrest me and I stopped carrying a purse and going out late at night. That seemed to stop it.

I never did have an attitude or dress "wrong". At the time I was very conservative looking, usually in business casual dress and moderately short hair.

Answer 5

Did you get the pigs' badge numbers and names? also, examine to work out if there have been any witnesses or any style of surveilance cameras interior sight, like at vons or something, so that you've a way of monitoring them down. yet at the initiating, you should the contact an lawyer, they could maintain the info for you. A pig don't have the right to seek you or frisk you without merely reason, and that i don't believe of that a bicycle undemanding, if what they say is actual, is adequate to justify touching you in any respect. also, the subsequent time a pig starts following you round like that and asks you if something's incorrect, do not look intimidated, merely tell them each thing's tremendous or tell them the shown actuality that a cop is following me round everywhere is making me uncomfortable, and the subsequent time they wrestle to frisk you, push them back and tell them to **** off and take a examine out to create a huge commotion, so that you'll get witnesses and draw interest.

Answer 6

You need a reality check here.
You have a bad attitude and mouthed off to the police, which you shouldn't do. This is what you should have said.
Cop: "Are you OK ma'am?"
You: "Yes, officer I'm fine, on my way home from picking up a soda. I live a block from here."
Then they would have asked your name and let you go on your way.
Instead, you mouth-off to them with your attitude of "no, no crimes here." That just makes you sound like a smart-*** punk who hates police and is likely guility of something. All the other questions the police asked you were proper considering the time of night (near midnight), the area and your poor attitude. Live with it, and improve your attitude, the police are there to help us all. You too.

Answer 7

they said are you ok and you replied no crimes here. hmmmmm...
I would ask if you were stupid too, because you didn't answer the question asked.

Do us a favor, if you do decide to sue, don't tell the jury a "Lesbian dyke-y-cop" harrassed you. You might be the one serving time in jail.

Answer 8

A> file complaint with ethics committee
B> have their supervising officer investigate the matter (ie : where is their probable cause to frisk you?)
C> involve the media
D> go to legal aide/self help organization and persue litigation if counsel will deem appropriate
E>stand your ground; you are a victim...not a criminal

Answer 9

They were probally stunned that you would be out on a bike around midnight in a neighborhood with gangbangers riding around.

Answer 10

Get a lawyer. Tell him what happened. And file a complaint against the police. Make sure this doesnt happen to you or anyone else again.