Police called on me for "trying to steal a Tesla"

[wk057]

Police seems to only do this to African Americans, embarrassing for this country !

Well yeah, of course. If you're not white and you get within about 20 feet of a nice car alarms are supposed to automatically go off all over the place and the police are supposed to make it a top priority. A whole squad, guns at the ready, just for looking. The feds get called in if the car gets touched. That's how it's supposed to be, right? Right?

(Just in case the sarcasm dripping from the words above wasn't clear... I'm being sarcastic. It's a joke)

 

[deonb]

Well yeah, of course. If you're not white and you get within about 20 feet of a nice car alarms are supposed to automatically go off all over the place and the police are supposed to make it a top priority.

Don't forget the penalty for driving without a front license plate (which a lot of us on the forum does).

 

[Vger]

I have to say, between this story, and the whole thing about people being hassled (up to and including handcuffs) for simply using the rear-facing child seats, I am amazed and deeply disturbed by how low our civil society has descended. Now admiring a compelling car and making a wish to buy it is "suspicious behaviour." Shameful.

 

[AMPUP]

Don't forget the penalty for driving without a front license plate (which a lot of us on the forum does).

That's worthy of a SWAT team..

What's worse, the overreaction of media and the general public or cops..... It's the former folks

 

[deonb]

That's worthy of a SWAT team..

What's worse, the overreaction of media and the general public or cops..... It's the former folks

The cop on the front license plate stop that I linked to was actually charged with murder. I don't think it's a overreaction of the media or public to think that "they shouldn't be doing that".

 

[AMPUP]

The cop on the front license plate stop that I linked to was actually charged with murder. I don't think it's a overreaction of the media or public to think that "they shouldn't be doing that".

Sorry, but one off offenses don't make this an epidemic that clearly the media and folks buy into. I'm a big supporter of police and what they have to deal with in this day and age.

 

[deonb]

Sorry, but one off offenses don't make this an epidemic that clearly the media and folks buy into. I'm a big supporter of police and what they have to deal with in this day and age.

No, but statistics make an epidemic. When the number of people being shot by police in the U.S. is by a factor of 40 per capita higher than Europe, it says something.


I grew up in South Africa - one of the most violent places in the world. I go back regularly still. But the only person I've ever known personally to have been gunned down & killed was in the U.S. By police. On account of failure to speak English, and not understanding what they meant with "Raise your hands". Happened in Redmond, WA of all places.

What they have to deal with in this day and age has a lot to do with a ever more distrusting situation between the government and the citizenry. And their actions aren't helping. I would have never in my live thought about owning a gun - always knowing I'm less than a minute away from a police response. But knowing that a call always puts my family and pets at risk, I'm not so sure anymore.

 

[Auzie]

Sorry, but one off offenses don't make this an epidemic that clearly the media and folks buy into. I'm a big supporter of police and what they have to deal with in this day and age.

I am also a big supporter of the police, they are public servants doing a difficult job.

I have doubts that the bizarre US police behavior that is making news recently is an aberration. I find it more likely that the emergence of body cameras is showing how reality looks like for some citizens.

The way it comes across to me from these videos of police encounters with some members of the public in the US is: Person with a badge and a gun has all the power in the encounter. That person demands and expects the other party to follow some required script. That script may include looking the certain way, behaving the certain way, responding to questions the certain way. Any deviation from the script may cause the person with all the power to feel threatened and justified in using his power in self-defense.

There seems to be an expectation of the other party being hostile and dangerous, the abundance of fear. If a bit of a bullying righteous personality is overlayed on that fear, that seems to be a recipe for police shooting at citizens.

OP did not follow the script in someone else's head, consequently the police were called on him. Again, the fear and the expectation of some sort of misbehavior.

Most likely, OP was not too much off someone else's script.

 

[dsm363]

Police called on me for "trying to steal a Tesla"

Remember. The officer knew he had a body camera on and still acted this way.

 

[Khatsalano]

Ok, this behavior of standing near a Model S and staring at it because it's gorgeous is just ridiculous. People probably think I'm stealing my own car at least once a day.

 

[Fiver]

I'm calling BS on this whole story. Only because who in their right mind is awake and playing pickup basketball at 7am on a Sunday?

 

[Auzie]

Remember. The office knew he had a body camera and acted this way.

That suggests that they either feel entitled to such behavior, or they are unable to control their impulse to kill, or perhaps a bit of both.

They look like dangerous power hungry nuts with badges and guns to me.

Public exposure thanks to cameras and public condemnation might help to weed them out.

 

[jerry33]

That suggests that they either feel entitled to such behavior, or they are unable to control their impulse to kill, or perhaps a bit of both.

They look like dangerous power hungry nuts with badges and guns to me.

Public exposure thanks to cameras and public condemnation might help to weed them out.

The problem is that in the U.S. each city and town has to fund, recruit, and train their own police force. There are limited funds and little or no career paths for the officers. Contrast this to Canada where cities have the option of renting a Mounty. The officer has a career path, proper training, and oversight. It also raises standard for cities that don't use the RCMP.

 

[Auzie]

The problem is that in the U.S. each city and town has to fund, recruit, and train their own police force.

Local councils here are quite effective in raising revenue from motorists - speeding and parking fines are the favoured ways to raise revenues. The speed cameras positioned on roads with illogical unexpected speed limit changes are like licences to print money and can easily fund and train an army.

There are limited funds and little or no career paths for the officers. Contrast this to Canada where cities have the option of renting a Mounty. The officer has a career path, proper training, and oversight. It also raises standard for cities that don't use the RCMP.

Perhaps that may be a contributing factor. I find it disturbing and chilling to see all that hostility that underlies these encounters, all that unnecessary humiliating frightening physical overpowering and impulse to reach for a gun.

 

[jerry33]

Local councils here are quite effective in raising revenue from motorists - speeding and parking fines are the favoured ways to raise revenues. The speed cameras positioned on roads with illogical unexpected speed limit changes are like licences to print money and can easily fund and train an army.

Only assuming that the fines are only used to support the police. I doubt if that's the case. Similar to how gas and road taxes don't really go for road maintenance and construction.

 

[baytechguy]

I'm calling BS on this whole story. Only because who in their right mind is awake and playing pickup basketball at 7am on a Sunday?

Ha, early bird gets the worm. Being up at 6 am on Sunday, It's success thing.

 

[FlasherZ]

Only assuming that the fines are only used to support the police. I doubt if that's the case. Similar to how gas and road taxes don't really go for road maintenance and construction.

One of the most critical problems with Ferguson, MO (and its neighbors) is that well over 25%, and sometimes as high as 40%, of the city's overall budget is supported through fines and traffic tickets, LOTS of incentives to bust people for small stuff. I-70 between St. Louis and its airport is a "safe travel" area with double fines, and the police crawl it *daily*.

 

[TesAus]

..... Maybe a historian can explain the real story about that, since I doubt anybody is still alive who remembers that. .......

What? They shot people for looking at ground breaking new vehicles back then as well? :wink:

 

[tkizzy]

Way for the system to self correct:

1. Make sure officers don't get credit for busts/tickets in any way and are constitutionally compelled to never be encouraged to meet any sort of quota.

2. Funding should be budgeted by the city and that's that. Any fines and citations do not go to the department, but perhaps to a local nonprofit maybe rehab or other facility. Decoupling revenue from enforcement would prevent society's criminalization of pretty much everything.

 

[bwa]

Way for the system to self correct:

1. Make sure officers don't get credit for busts/tickets in any way and are constitutionally compelled to never be encouraged to meet any sort of quota.

2. Funding should be budgeted by the city and that's that. Any fines and citations do not go to the department, but perhaps to a local nonprofit maybe rehab or other facility. Decoupling revenue from enforcement would prevent society's criminalization of pretty much everything.

Problem is, everybody knows that. The government violated that anyway. The incentive is too great. Something more fundamental should be removed to make it harder to do those things in the first place. For example, a law that says the officer has to match every fee out of their own pocket, and same for the DA, ADA, and council members who vote for the legislation. They can't as easily counteract a law like that that counteracts their incentive to begin with.

Regarding funding: police work, and all government work, should be volunteer work in the first place, including elected positions, clerks, functionaries, fire, police, projects, etc. If we (the citizens) want more of something, either we pay for it ourselves privately in our own personal lives and capacity, or we seek permission to volunteer it ourselves as members (all volunteer) of the government, for which taking any money is a serious felony. Government would automatically shrink to the exact correct size and function. The government budget should be 0. $0. US$0.00. None. Nil. Nada.