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I've been there, done that, but it appears Greensboro Police continue to serve and protect:
From Rob Posi:
Quote:
I'm going to share a ridiculous story with you guys that supports the ideal that power corrupts. my confrontation with the GPD on Tuesday (9/12/06) spanning to Wednesday night only strengthens my socialist beliefs that the police state we live in is an unnecessary evil...
Tuesday night Scottie, Jordan, kimber, and i all went to the open gym at Jim-Nastics in High Point. We left there around 12am and got back to Lee St in Greensboro around 12:25am. I was really craving a little Debby cake donut so i decided to stop at the gant station on the corner of Aycock and Lee to get one. We all walked into the gas station acting totally normal. The counter was right at the entrance and I looked at the old man behind it when we walked in and asked him how he was doing, in which he didn't answer. We walked around for all of about 45 seconds until i found the little debby section, got my cake donut, paid for it, and left.
There were a few police officers present at the gas station protecting Greensboro by sipping on coffee and talking on their cell phones. One of the cops, i noticed, had been staring at us the entire time we were there. when we walked out of the gas station the police officer walked out directly behind us. so close that you would have thought he was in our group. we got in my car and the police officer got in his (which was 2 parking spots to the left, the one in-between us was empty). i started my car and ate my donut while we sat there and talked. while i was eating my donut the cop pulled out of his parking spot and pulled into another one on the opposite side of us facing my car. when he stopped he turned off his lights. after i finished my donut i said to Scottie "i will bet you anything this cop follows us back to UNCG." so i put on my seat belt, put my car in reverse, backed out, turned on my head lights, and went to turn left on lee st. i couldn't turn left because of a median, so i decided to turn right, then turn into a parking lot across the street when the median broke, and then turn back in the direction i should be going.
when i turned into a restaurants parking lot across the street, the cop flew up behind us with his lights on and cornered us in the parking lot.
he got out of his car with his flashlight and came up to my window, i rolled it down, and this is how our conversation went, word for word to the best of my memory...
Cop: what were you guys doing tonight?
Me: we went to...
Cop: licence and registration
Me: is it OK if i open the glove box to get the registration?
Cop: yes
at this point he took my ID, as well as everyone else's in the car...
Cop: why were you avoiding me in the gas station?
Me: (kind of laughed and shook my head) sir, i don't know what you are talking about, we weren't avoiding you
Cop: when you left the gas station you came and got in your car, pulled out of the parking spot, pulled back in, and then waited for me to leave before you moved again.
Me: sir, that didn't happen. i didn't move my car until we left. i got in my car and ate my donut (showed him the wrapper) because i didn't want to drive and eat at the same time because i drive a stick shift
Cop: why did you pull into this parking lot
Me: because we are students at UNCG and are headed back that way, and i couldn't turn to that side of the road from the gas station
Cop: you could have done a u-turn in the road
Me: i was unaware that i could legally do that
Cop: you can if there is no sign.
Me: i didn't know that.
Cop: which one of you has been drinking tonight? (while he shines his flashlight in all of our faces)
Me: none of us, sir. i am straight edge. no one in this car even drinks.
Cop: well, who tried to buy alcohol in the gas station?
Me: (kind of laughed and put my hands up) none of us.
Cop: The clerk told me that one of you tried to buy alcohol
Me: that didn't happen
please remember that i said the police officer walked out of the gas station directly behind us, so it was impossible for him to have talked to the clerk long enough for him to tell the officer that we had attempted to buy alcohol. not to mention the police officer was standing next to the counter the entire time we were in the store...
the cop, at this point, goes back to run our IDs and somewhere in the middle of our talking, there are all of a sudden 3 officers there. the officers make a circle around my car, staring at us the entire time.
Jordan, who was sitting in the back left seat scratched his knee cap.
this causes one of the officers to run around the car, whip the door open, and ask Jordan what he was reaching for. Jordan puts his hands up and says he was just scratching his leg. the cop pulls Jordan out of the car and pushes him against my car and pats him down.
another cop proceeds to get me out of the car and makes me pull my shirt up and spin around in a circle. why you may ask? he was "searching me for weapons". the other cop gets Scottie and kimber out of the car and pat them down as well. we are all told to go sit on the cop's car hood. the original cop from the gas station pulls me to the side...
Cop: is there anything in your car that i need to know about?
Me: no
Cop: no drugs, alcohol, firearms, knives?
Me: there is nothing in my car like that
Cop: would you have a problem with me searching your car?
Me: you need my permission to search my car, am i right?
Cop: i can do whatever i want
Me: i mean, there is nothing in my car and i don't understand why you would need to search it
Cop: i...
Me: there's nothing in my car, i don't have a problem with you searching it
Cop: are you giving me permission to search your car?
Me: yes, you can search my car
2 officers proceed to check my car for at least 15 minutes. within this time it starts raining, and we are all still sitting on the hood of the car.
the cop starts trying to make small talk while he is finding stuff in my car. he asks me what is under the floor compartment in the back of my car. i tell him that it is extra storage and it has 2 unlock knobs you have to twist for it to open. he pulls it up hard as crap and pops it open and i tell him that he just broke it.
after all this, they give us our IDs back and tell us we can go.
We all had our wallets with us, except for Scottie. He had left his on the dashboard of my car on the passenger side. when we got back in the car his wallet was laying open on the passenger seat and one of his bank receipts was pulled out sitting beside it. Scottie picks it up, looks through it, and finds that his UNCG ID/debit card is gone. the cops had already left and we tore my car apart searching every where. under floor boards, in our own pants, everywhere looking for his card.
we didn't find it.
we then saw the cops on the opposite side of the parking lot, we went over to them and asked them "have you guys seen a UNCG ID?" the cops all said "no, nope, we haven't seen one... we didn't even touch your wallet, but i mean, hey man if we find it somehow we'll be sure to turn it in." Scottie got back in the car. notice we didn't say anything about touching Scottie's wallet, but the cop was quick to say they never touched his wallet.
at this interaction Scottie got his badge number. GPD badge number 532.
Scottie and i get back to our dorm, he calls and cancels his debit card, we are both very mad.
Wednesday night, Scottie is walking out of our dorm room and our CA stops him and says "Scottie I've got your university ID"
She then runs up to him, gives it to him and says "yeah, some cop brought it by tonight"
The rest you can infer yourself.
Police are ridiculous.
of the very very little respect or hope that i had in the police, it is all gone. police should be here to protect. not harass and steal and lie and hassle.
As ridiculous as this story is, it is nothing compared to what others can share about police.
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