You can really be arrested for drinking ice tea?

[NDAlum]

Re: You can really be arrested for drinking ice tea?

I enjoy the "what if" game you just referenced. I play it all day long. I think about how people want to kill me all the time. About how bad they hate me. About how I have to take away their freedom and maybe this is the day they don't want to go to jail. Maybe they just don't care any longer if they live. Maybe they want to take somebody with them and I'm an easy target because it's my job to challenge them.

I can assure you those officers would've not only ruined your life but their own had they made a mistake. It's a dangerous profession and the decisions need to be made quickly and have can ultimately take or save lives. Mistakes happen in all walks of life and law enforcement is no exception.

[Cusefan]

I went ahead and checked out infowars

This stuck out to me

UPDATE: Infowars contacted the Fayetteville Police Department. We were informed the security officer who made the arrest was not affiliated with any official law enforcement outfit.
However, since liquor stores in North Carolina are run by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, the hired security guard would be considered an agent of the state.

__________

I'm happy it wasn't a police officer, it was an over zealous security guard. His actions were questionable from the video as I originally posted.

__________

This also stuck out:

Hopefully, thanks to his friend filming the event, Beatty will have the evidence he needs to have his charges dismissed as the officer, if it turns out he actually is one, clearly had no initial probable cause to begin harassing him.

That shows the author of the article does not understand basic law terminology. Reasonable suspicion and probable cause are two very important phrases to understand when dealing with law enforcement. Neither is necessary to make a voluntary contact (or as this author puts it: harassment)

Correct me if I am wrong but since this "arrest" was illegally done by a civilian, that is essentially kidnapping and this guy committed a felony. Either way, this man who was arrested is going to get a nice settlement.

[Cusefan]

I enjoy the "what if" game you just referenced. I play it all day long. I think about how people want to kill me all the time. About how bad they hate me. About how I have to take away their freedom and maybe this is the day they don't want to go to jail. Maybe they just don't care any longer if they live. Maybe they want to take somebody with them and I'm an easy target because it's my job to challenge them.

I can assure you those officers would've not only ruined your life but their own had they made a mistake. It's a dangerous profession and the decisions need to be made quickly and have can ultimately take or save lives. Mistakes happen in all walks of life and law enforcement is no exception.

Cops actually have a better chance of getting killed by falling or slipping than getting shot. Most work place accidents happen on the road so truck drivers actually have a far more dangerous job(even though the dept. of labor does not have a classification for truck drivers). As a safety supervisor for drivers in a major delivery company, I get super annoyed when cops think they have the most dangerous job because bad drivers are 4x more likely to kill you than some dude with a gun.

As a former soldier, I do not like the apparent militarization of the police. I do not like thinking like I am back in Hawijah when I look at a cop.

All that being said, I totally understand it can be a stressful job so I will give a cop the benefit of the doubt in most situations. Unless you have actually had to raise a gun with the intention of taking a life, you will never know how you will deal with it.

[Burns11]

Re: You can really be arrested for drinking ice tea?

Cops actually have a better chance of getting killed by falling or slipping than getting shot.

Not true.

Last year, 38.5% (49) of law enforcement fatalities were from gunshots, second only to traffic related deaths at 39% (50). Falls were 3% (4).

http://www.nleomf.org/facts/officer-fatalities-data/causes.html

[55]

Re: You can really be arrested for drinking ice tea?

You're talking out of both sides of your ***.

You claim we should all be on "equal" ground...but I guarantee you that if you went to strike a P.O. and he beat the ever living snot out of you(a good bet) that you'd be crying about abuse of power.
It doesn't sound like you REALLY want equal ground IMO.

Cute talk from a former cop whom has bragged/joked multiple times on this very forum over the course of nearly a decade about beating suspects/detainees with your nightstick/baton. Shame you'll never get to "discipline" anybody else with another "Motorola shampoo" (an absurd expression, by the way... nightsticks/batons are a solid and shampoo is a liquid) eh?

Anyway, the "cop" in this video is an idiot and deserves all that comes to him, but the "suspect" clearly didn't know his rights, either. Whenever any of you guys are on foot and get approached/stopped by a police officer for ANY reason whatsoever, the first thing you should say to them is this exact sentence:

"Are you detaining me or am I free to go?"

Remember that sentence. Seriously. It could save you a bunch of time and a lot of hassle.

Once you ask a police officer if you are being detained and he responds in the negative, you are no longer required to engage him in conversation and can walk away. If they continue to engage you after telling you that you are NOT being detained, simply say, "Have a nice day/night, officer." then just walk away. They cannot do ANYTHING to you at that point. Hell, in some states (mine included) you aren't even required to carry identification or even identify yourself to a police officer unless you are driving a motor vehicle.

Also, never ever EVER consent to a search. If a law enforcement officer asks to search your vehicle during a traffic stop, do NOT let them do so under any circumstance. Even if you don't have anything incriminating on you... DON'T DO IT! If the police had probable cause to search you and/or your vehicle, they wouldn't ask to search you, they would just do it.

Remember the line I taught you earlier? Good. Now try this one on for size:

"I do NOT consent to any searches."

Now, add it to the one earlier to create a combo:

"I do NOT consent to any searches. Are you detaining me or am I free to go?"

Those two sentences (spoken in an assertive, yet courteous manner) could be the difference between you and a jail cell. Memorize them, friends. Don't let the police abuse their power and most importantly...

STAY SAFE AND KNOW YOUR RIGHTS...

[55]

Re: You can really be arrested for drinking ice tea?

This video has been posted on this site several times that I know of, but it never hurts to review it:

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This breaks down the ways to handle a police stop as a driver, as a pedestrian and as a resident all in one. Watch, learn, memorize and pass on this information. It could be the difference between yourself (or a family member/friend) and a jail cell.

[NDAlum]

Re: You can really be arrested for drinking ice tea?

Correct me if I am wrong but since this "arrest" was illegally done by a civilian, that is essentially kidnapping and this guy committed a felony. Either way, this man who was arrested is going to get a nice settlement.

I'd assume this security guard has the ability to act as an agent through the employer, which at the time was the liquor store. I'd compare it to a loss prevention officer at a store like Target or Food Lion. They detain people who commit a crime and then call police to come arrest the person.

There are definitely some issues with this video. My biggest issue is his lack of uniform/presence. If it's determined he wasn't appropriate uniformed it will get dismissed in court. I'm not so sure about a "nice settlement" though. It might happen but I don't see anything grossly aggravating in the video.

Cops actually have a better chance of getting killed by falling or slipping than getting shot. Most work place accidents happen on the road so truck drivers actually have a far more dangerous job(even though the dept. of labor does not have a classification for truck drivers). As a safety supervisor for drivers in a major delivery company, I get super annoyed when cops think they have the most dangerous job because bad drivers are 4x more likely to kill you than some dude with a gun.

As a former soldier, I do not like the apparent militarization of the police. I do not like thinking like I am back in Hawijah when I look at a cop.

All that being said, I totally understand it can be a stressful job so I will give a cop the benefit of the doubt in most situations. Unless you have actually had to raise a gun with the intention of taking a life, you will never know how you will deal with it.

I'm not changing my attitude when I deal with the public. I have had many encounters where I go home at night thinking how I was lucky to make it home. The day that I no longer possess the mindset that a car I pull over has a subject inside who wants to kill me is the day I should no longer be in this profession. It's mental preparation for survival.

Although I have this mindset, I can still effectively communicate with the community.

Anyway, the "cop" in this video is an idiot and deserves all that comes to him, but the "suspect" clearly didn't know his rights, either. Whenever any of you guys are on foot and get approached/stopped by a police officer for ANY reason whatsoever, the first thing you should say to them is this exact sentence:

"Are you detaining me or am I free to go?"

Remember that sentence. Seriously. It could save you a bunch of time and a lot of hassle.

Once you ask a police officer if you are being detained and he responds in the negative, you are no longer required to engage him in conversation and can walk away. If they continue to engage you after telling you that you are NOT being detained, simply say, "Have a nice day/night, officer." then just walk away. They cannot do ANYTHING to you at that point. Hell, in some states (mine included) you aren't even required to carry identification or even identify yourself to a police officer unless you are driving a motor vehicle.

Also, never ever EVER consent to a search. If a law enforcement officer asks to search your vehicle during a traffic stop, do NOT let them do so under any circumstance. Even if you don't have anything incriminating on you... DON'T DO IT! If the police had probable cause to search you and/or your vehicle, they wouldn't ask to search you, they would just do it.

Remember the line I taught you earlier? Good. Now try this one on for size:

"I do NOT consent to any searches."

Now, add it to the one earlier to create a combo:

"I do NOT consent to any searches. Are you detaining me or am I free to go?"

Those two sentences (spoken in an assertive, yet courteous manner) could be the difference between you and a jail cell. Memorize them, friends. Don't let the police abuse their power and most importantly...

STAY SAFE AND KNOW YOUR RIGHTS...

You bring up some very good, basic points. It is alarming how many people are uneducated and consent to searches to not only of their vehicle and person, but of their residence. I appreciate those citizens who know their Constitutional rights and utilize them. I absolutely respect that. I would never consent to a search if an officer came into contact with me.

I will say that even if I have PC to search a person, vehicle, or residence; I will ask for consent first. It just makes my job easier. If they deny consent I'll take the necessary steps to search anyways.

Vehicle & person = no search warrant
Residence = search warrant unless exigent circumstances exist

To also bring up one point about knowing your rights: actually know when they apply to the situation. Many times I will have PC to search/arrest and somebody wants to say that I did not. They are in the wrong and start spouting out injustices because they think they know their rights.

[kehlis]

Re: You can really be arrested for drinking ice tea?

Butthurt?

Geez, its a discussion and it's pretty relevant and not against TOS...

Actually it is because of posts like this.

We have said on multiple occasions we do not allow "cop" threads because they cannot be handled because of posts like this...

Closed.