Tweet
Good afternoon everyone,
I am asking a question here and hope some of you fine folks out there could assist in this incident I'm about to describe.
First let me tell a little about what I do and then what happened. I work as a prisoner transport officer and my job takes me throughout California. When I do this job, time means everything...another words, I gotta be at certain times and certain places to either pick-up or deliver a prisoner to another destination and need to be there at certain times. Example, to court or a medical facility or another jail facility.
Often times, I arrive early and on time, other times, I'm late and when I arrive, the Warden or a Watch Commander and even my own supervisor will ask why I'm late. Most often it's due to a traffic accident or freeway road construction and I developed a habit to grab my phone and take a quick 5-10 second video of the scene of an accident or construction area so as to document and to prove why I'm late getting to and or from my destination.
Now I know that's a no no in law enforcement eyes, but it's my only proof that what I said about the accident that happened on the I-10 or wherever really occurred or the construction crew working wherever. The reason I do this is because we've had officers in the past call a supervisor stating jobs done, we're on our way back 10-19...and then show up an hour later when it only takes 15-20 minutes cause they stopped off at In-N-Out to grab a burger and milk it.
Well, this past Friday night, I was on my way back 10-19 after notifying my supervisor that I was on my way back with all the equipment including multiple firearms in the trunk and one on me. Now, I do have a CCW but it was not being used per say as I was still on-duty and had my issued firearm on my person.
Well, luck would have it that I got stuck in traffic due to a really bad accident and CHP ended up shutting down the freeway for about roughly several minutes. I called my supervisor and informed him I was gonna be late and I could hear the disappointment in his voice as he needed to go check on other duties and I had the firearms that needed to go back into the armory.
Traffic finally got moving and I was going by the accident scene to take a quick 5 second video, you know, just to show CHP vehicles to again, document why I'm now gonna be late getting back 10-19. Now mind you, other drivers are doing the same cause I can see the lights coming from their cellphones.
A CHP officer saw me doing this and yelled almost at the top of his lungs...hey, hey you...pull over right now. He pulls me over onto a limited right shoulder that has little to no room for my car and my tail end sticking out in now, one lane traffic.
To make matters worse, he now has me blocking in, a departing fire engine trying to depart the scene. He comes to my window hollering for my license, registration, and insurance and I told him politely he didn't have to yell in my window. He said...I don't care...license, registration and insurance. I then told him I'm an officer, have a duty belt on with a firearm...he literally said again...I don't care. I didn't say anything else but just look at him to see if he was gonna let that sink in that I just told him I had a firearm on me. He didn't budge and asked again for those items.
I informed him that i was filming because that's going to be my documented proof of why I'm late getting back to station. He then said...I really don't care it doesn't matter. I went ahead and provided what he demanded and not asked politely for. He went back to his patrol vehicle and proceeded to write me a citation.
When he came back, he was even more rude then when he first initiated the contact. He practically shoved his cite book in my face and said I was being cited for having a phone in my hand. I turned around in my seat to look at the oncoming traffic and counted 6 cars with drivers with their phones in hand and ask why he wasn't hollering at the top of his lungs and telling them to pull over. He said...there you go, you have your proof. I said thanks for singling me out. He then said...I don't care, not my problem.
At this point in time, I was about to throw his cite book out into traffic cause he pissed me off with his f***ing attitude but I kept my cool and was also gonna ask for his supervisor. I didn't cause the accident scene was already taking up everyone's effort. He walks away without even another word and I asked why you gotta be so rude about everything. I heard an off hand remark as he was walking away saying to the effect what I thought sounded like looser.
I plan to be at the local CHP office to make a formal complaint against him for his attitude and absolute disrespect to the way he treats the public. Like I said in this thread early on, I know it's a no no, but it's my only proof to provide to my superiors that I'm not trying to "milk" the clock and I was alone this time around.
What would you do in my situation regarding this. Should I make the complaint or just take it like a man and have it out in court. I'm not a bad guy, will be 50 yrs old in a couple months. If this officer had been more professional about all this, I would suck it up in court and would not even bother with a complaint. So again, how should this best be handled .
Thanks for reading and sorry for it being so long.
I am asking a question here and hope some of you fine folks out there could assist in this incident I'm about to describe.
First let me tell a little about what I do and then what happened. I work as a prisoner transport officer and my job takes me throughout California. When I do this job, time means everything...another words, I gotta be at certain times and certain places to either pick-up or deliver a prisoner to another destination and need to be there at certain times. Example, to court or a medical facility or another jail facility.
Often times, I arrive early and on time, other times, I'm late and when I arrive, the Warden or a Watch Commander and even my own supervisor will ask why I'm late. Most often it's due to a traffic accident or freeway road construction and I developed a habit to grab my phone and take a quick 5-10 second video of the scene of an accident or construction area so as to document and to prove why I'm late getting to and or from my destination.
Now I know that's a no no in law enforcement eyes, but it's my only proof that what I said about the accident that happened on the I-10 or wherever really occurred or the construction crew working wherever. The reason I do this is because we've had officers in the past call a supervisor stating jobs done, we're on our way back 10-19...and then show up an hour later when it only takes 15-20 minutes cause they stopped off at In-N-Out to grab a burger and milk it.
Well, this past Friday night, I was on my way back 10-19 after notifying my supervisor that I was on my way back with all the equipment including multiple firearms in the trunk and one on me. Now, I do have a CCW but it was not being used per say as I was still on-duty and had my issued firearm on my person.
Well, luck would have it that I got stuck in traffic due to a really bad accident and CHP ended up shutting down the freeway for about roughly several minutes. I called my supervisor and informed him I was gonna be late and I could hear the disappointment in his voice as he needed to go check on other duties and I had the firearms that needed to go back into the armory.
Traffic finally got moving and I was going by the accident scene to take a quick 5 second video, you know, just to show CHP vehicles to again, document why I'm now gonna be late getting back 10-19. Now mind you, other drivers are doing the same cause I can see the lights coming from their cellphones.
A CHP officer saw me doing this and yelled almost at the top of his lungs...hey, hey you...pull over right now. He pulls me over onto a limited right shoulder that has little to no room for my car and my tail end sticking out in now, one lane traffic.
To make matters worse, he now has me blocking in, a departing fire engine trying to depart the scene. He comes to my window hollering for my license, registration, and insurance and I told him politely he didn't have to yell in my window. He said...I don't care...license, registration and insurance. I then told him I'm an officer, have a duty belt on with a firearm...he literally said again...I don't care. I didn't say anything else but just look at him to see if he was gonna let that sink in that I just told him I had a firearm on me. He didn't budge and asked again for those items.
I informed him that i was filming because that's going to be my documented proof of why I'm late getting back to station. He then said...I really don't care it doesn't matter. I went ahead and provided what he demanded and not asked politely for. He went back to his patrol vehicle and proceeded to write me a citation.
When he came back, he was even more rude then when he first initiated the contact. He practically shoved his cite book in my face and said I was being cited for having a phone in my hand. I turned around in my seat to look at the oncoming traffic and counted 6 cars with drivers with their phones in hand and ask why he wasn't hollering at the top of his lungs and telling them to pull over. He said...there you go, you have your proof. I said thanks for singling me out. He then said...I don't care, not my problem.
At this point in time, I was about to throw his cite book out into traffic cause he pissed me off with his f***ing attitude but I kept my cool and was also gonna ask for his supervisor. I didn't cause the accident scene was already taking up everyone's effort. He walks away without even another word and I asked why you gotta be so rude about everything. I heard an off hand remark as he was walking away saying to the effect what I thought sounded like looser.
I plan to be at the local CHP office to make a formal complaint against him for his attitude and absolute disrespect to the way he treats the public. Like I said in this thread early on, I know it's a no no, but it's my only proof to provide to my superiors that I'm not trying to "milk" the clock and I was alone this time around.
What would you do in my situation regarding this. Should I make the complaint or just take it like a man and have it out in court. I'm not a bad guy, will be 50 yrs old in a couple months. If this officer had been more professional about all this, I would suck it up in court and would not even bother with a complaint. So again, how should this best be handled .
Thanks for reading and sorry for it being so long.
Comment