Teen Rights against harassment by the police?

Question

Is ther someone who can contact me regarding teen rights against harassment by the police? My 14 year old son got off of the bus from school and was walking home when a police officer stopped him and frisked him with no just cause. Can the police do that? My son has never been in trouble before.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, many complaints received about police conduct is because only half the story is obtained. You have numerous options. Contact the school bus driver and see what they know; Contact the officer himself or his supervisor; or as another suggested contact supervisory level representative at the police department. The supreme court allows for police to conduct what is known as a "Terry Frisk" which is essentially a "pat down" for weapons when contacting an individual. Does that mean that a youngster the age of your child is a threat? No necessarily but still youths HAVE been responsible for assaults as have adults. As an officer, I don't wish to offend a person when doing this, I just want to make sure I'm safe from a potentially deadly situation. I certainly hope that my suggestion helps and if not...feel free to contact me via email!

Answer 2

You have no idea if there was "just cause" or not. There may have been a robbery that just occurred, and your son, unfortunately, matched the suspect's description. It is so funny that people always jump to the conclusion that it is police "harassment", but I guarantee if you were just robbed, you would want that officer stopping and frisking anybody that looked like the dude that just robbed you. Give me a break - he was stopped and frisked, NOT arrested, NOT unjustly convicted. Maybe you should try to be thankful that the police care enough about you and your family to be active in your neighborhood to keep you safe.

Answer 3

The police are not supposed to do random select people for searches with no reason. That does not stop them from trying. The officer in question probably had a reason in his head that made it seem alright, but it was more than likely an illegal search. I would suggest sending a letter to the ACLU and describe the entire situation. Let them know when it happened, where it happened, and all parties involved. If you know the name of the police officer it would help. I do not guarantee they can help you but it is a start.

Do not just accept these actions because you believe they were done with the best of intentions. Letting the police have free reign to do searches whenever they want is wrong. This is an abuse of rights and if they get away with it then they will see how far they can go. Would you accept the police randomly picking out houses and searching them with the hopes of finding criminal activity? I do not break the law, but that does not mean that I would be happy if the police showed up to search my place. Do not believe that all police officers have the best intentions either.

Answer 4

The best thing to do is go to the Police department and talk with the Chief of Police, or the highest person you can talk too. first of all, an office has to have probable cause to stop someone.

Your son maybe similar to someone they are watching. A cursory pat down is acceptable, looking for weapons and such. Once they determined that this was not their suspect, they should have taken the time to explain why they stopped him. Just remember, everyone has a boss so, if you get a Sargent, and are not happy about your answers, get a higher ranking officer.

If you talk to the Chief, and are not satisfied, maybe getting a lawyer will get the answers you are looking for. don't take smoke and mirrors for answers, get straight truths and answers from someone. Also, most Chiefs of Police answer to the Mayor and Town Council, just something to remember if they don't give you the time of day.

Answer 5

Teens are protected under the Constitution and specifically under the States' parental law. Harrassment of any kind is against the law in a school environment, governmental properties, and in the public. Law enforcement officials have a overseeing committee reprimanding them for offensive actions on behalf of the States' Ethic Commission. The National-Union feels this will reduce unnecessary lawsuits, which are a burden to the federal budget, http://www.voteprimous.com

Answer 6

There would need to be more specifics about why the officer stopped and searched him. I do not think the officer did it for no reason. I would make sure you are getting the whole story from your son.

Answer 7

They should not have the right to but they do,They did this to my husband because he had a very large beard and they said he looked suspicious,he was shopping!! You can file a complaint at the local precinct and see what happens,you may get an apology!!

Answer 8

Sadly, cops can get away with pretty much anything they want. All they need is probable cause to search or "frisk" someone and probable cause can be just about anything! The cop simply can say he "looked suspicious" and thats that.

Answer 9

no, cannot be searched w/o probable cause to believe a crime was,is, or is about to be committed, would have to believe that your son was armed or presented a threat. if the police were investigating and incident with someone fitting your son's description, he could be stopped on that basis

Answer 10

They can do whatever they want, they are the police. If you have a problem with that, contact your mayor. Chances are your little punk was up to something and they saved him a bullet in the head.