Cops

[Fino]

I was driving to work, slightly more anxious than usual for some reason, and my lips were dry. When I don't have chapstick, I tend to sorta lightly rub a finger across them. I don't know if it helps my lips or what, or if it's normal, but it keeps me from licking them, for the most part. And since I was nervous, I was rubbing very fast, basically combining my dry lips solution with stimming. Also, driving already makes me nervous, so I tend to be constantly scanning my surroundings like frightened prey.

And while doing all this, I drove past a cop who was parked and facing the opposite direction. Since I was scanning my surroundings, I saw him and I think made eye contact but looked away too quickly to be sure. But he zoomed into action and jolted into a big u-turn that landed him behind me. He followed me for several miles, about half the way to work then finally stopped. I always drive carefully, but I drove even more carefully then! Or maybe just with more tension.

So nothing really happened, sorry if anyone got scared at any point during that! It just made me wonder if anyone here has any experiences like this or actual encounters with cops for reasons that were likely or definitely due to something ASD-related.

I also have a mohawk and drive an old, rusty car that people have called "a mexican car." So maybe those were factors too.

 

[Pats]

Always. lol

 

[tlc]

Thankfully he ran your plate, saw you didn't have a dangerous record, and moved on to better things.

Every time they see me they find a reason to stop me. Even coming up with lies like saying my taillight is blown out with white showing to the rear, it was perfectly intact when I got home. I don't drink or smoke or have a criminal record. Nor am I speeding or have any defective equipment on the vehicle, always have a license and insurance. Maybe just wishful thinking that just one of these times they'll find something on me. One time they pulled over my GF who was driving and going 20 over the limit, and wanted nothing to do with her, but they wanted to run all MY info as I was sitting in the passenger seat. One time I even took my daughter to the park and got accused of being a kidnapper.

And people wonder why cops always make me nervous. Just wondering if sooner or later they're going to fab up some reason to take me away. Another reason to live away from people and spend most of my time home.

 

[BraidedPony]

Cops ignore me like everyone else. One good thing about being an old lady.
And I’m nervous when I drive and rub my lips! (While driving over curbs just a bit,lol)
Note to self: longer wheelbase requires more space when making right turn.

 

[Tom]

I had cops pick up my trail when younger. They run your plate and if nothing shows up drop off. Yes certain things attract attention. Called profiling.

Later on I would keep military items/uniforms obvious. Show them military ID with License. Rarely got ticket then. Profile can be to your advantage too.

 

[Book]

@Fino,

He's just doing his job. That's one of the things they do - look for violations. You didn't break any laws, so he looked elsewhere.


@BraidedPony,

I'm an old lady too and I drive like a fudd because my reflexes aren't what they used to be.

Book

 

[Joshua the Writer]

Cops ignore me like everyone else. One good thing about being an old lady.
And I’m nervous when I drive and rub my lips! (While driving over curbs just a bit,lol)
Note to self: longer wheelbase requires more space when making right turn.

Maybe try slowing down. Your vehicle will turn faster at slower speeds.

 

[Mattymatt]

I was driving to work, slightly more anxious than usual for some reason, and my lips were dry. When I don't have chapstick, I tend to sorta lightly rub a finger across them. I don't know if it helps my lips or what, or if it's normal, but it keeps me from licking them, for the most part. And since I was nervous, I was rubbing very fast, basically combining my dry lips solution with stimming. Also, driving already makes me nervous, so I tend to be constantly scanning my surroundings like frightened prey.

And while doing all this, I drove past a cop who was parked and facing the opposite direction. Since I was scanning my surroundings, I saw him and I think made eye contact but looked away too quickly to be sure. But he zoomed into action and jolted into a big u-turn that landed him behind me. He followed me for several miles, about half the way to work then finally stopped. I always drive carefully, but I drove even more carefully then! Or maybe just with more tension.

So nothing really happened, sorry if anyone got scared at any point during that! It just made me wonder if anyone here has any experiences like this or actual encounters with cops for reasons that were likely or definitely due to something ASD-related.

I also have a mohawk and drive an old, rusty car that people have called "a mexican car." So maybe those were factors too.

Anyone that tells you cops don't profile is naive. Yes, you might have fit his particular stereotype as to what constitutes a suspicious person. A friend of mine in Seattle had a 1982 Camaro Berlinetta that was in really bad shape. He would draw attention from the cops quite a bit.

 

[Fino]

Ohhh he ran my plates!? The only thing I could think of was that he was following me to see if I did anything suspicious. I didn't consider that he was running my plates. Thank you!

One time, I was parked in a lot at night and on the passenger side of the car, rummaging through the crap on the floor because I just throw stuff there, and suddenly I hear, "BACK SLOWLY AWAY FROM THE CAR WITH YOUR HANDS UP" then he had to gradually discover that it was my car.

I thought being white prevented these things! I guess it just prevents the assaulting and murdering.

 

[Pats]

I had cops pick up my trail when younger. They run your plate and if nothing shows up drop off. Yes certain things attract attention. Called profiling.

Later on I would keep military items/uniforms obvious. Show them military ID with License. Rarely got ticket then. Profile can be to your advantage too.

Yes, they often let me go with a "I may need you one day."

 

[Pats]

Ohhh he ran my plates!? The only thing I could think of was that he was following me to see if I did anything suspicious. I didn't consider that he was running my plates. Thank you!

One time, I was parked in a lot at night and on the passenger side of the car, rummaging through the crap on the floor because I just throw stuff there, and suddenly I hear, "BACK SLOWLY AWAY FROM THE CAR WITH YOUR HANDS UP" then he had to gradually discover that it was my car.

I thought being white prevented these things! I guess it just prevents the assaulting and murdering.

I think being cooperative prevents these things for the most part.

 

[Sherlock77]

The mohawk and old rusty car might have caught their attention... Then again I'm a guy with long hair and long beard who always wears a fedora or cowboy hat in public...

I've been doing street photography for well over 10 years in downtown Calgary, I always try to approach street photography with respect, I have a feeling the police know me quite well, but I've never caused trouble and I have never been bothered by the police...

 

[Fino]

I think being cooperative prevents these things for the most part.

I mean from starting in the first place! Me looking through my car wasn't uncooperative because we hadn't interacted yet.

I've never had a bad experience with a cop, and I like cops, so I don't mean any of this to come off as complaining. None of these things I'm describing I consider to be bad experiences. The one in my first post I only explained because it's what made me think to ask other people about their experiences, and both experiences I like to share because I find them funny. And my funny experiences made me wonder if anyone else has had any experiences, good, bad or funny. That's all!

Not that you or anyone implied otherwise, I just felt the need to explain all that..

 

[Fino]

The mohawk and old rusty car might have caught their attention... Then again I'm a guy with long hair and long beard who always wears a fedora or cowboy hat in public...

I'm also very pale! I imagined it from his perspective and saw a crack-head tweaking in a stolen car LOL Or if not stolen, in his own car with needles and plastic bags littering the floor of it.

 

[TempeFan]

I was an EMT, dated cops, went through some academy training & attended roll call. Everything about it is profiling. When it comes to traffic detail, it's not just the driver colors that are targeted, it's the car colors makes and models. The sergeant who gives the days assignments will say things like: "Target the red cars today." or "Harass the drivers of those broken down jalopies." or "We need to increase revenues. Crackdown on the BMWs and fancy SUVs." Out of state tags are always fair game, as are cars the individual jealous police officer wishes he had but can't afford. Little blue economy and family cars don't get much notice. In some places the traffic stops are the second most dangerous behind domestics, so officers think twice before stopping a pick up truck with a gun rack and a bunch of drunken Bubbas. If you drive the same kind of car as whoever is dating the cop's ex, you're in for it. Sometimes a call comes over the radio for a specific car that was spotted at a specific crime scene and they don't have a plate so they stalk all the cars fitting that general description in the bolo. Not all jurisdictions have "quotas" but most have some kind of incentive programs. For example, if you are the top ticket writer of the month, you get to pick your shifts or assignments, including some with triple pay.

 

[SusanLR]

@TempeFan I had an Uncle that was a cop, The Chief in fact, and I learned from him that what you say is
true. They need to meet a quota, want revenue, and are told to look for certain colours, types, the driver's looks and all those personal reasons on top of it.
And the guy I live with is a retired cop.

I've never gotten a ticket once in my life. Pulled over once when I was facing one at a stop light at dusk and discovered my lights were on bright right in his face. He flashed his off and on to my dismay mine would not
go off bright. What a time to get a stuck switch!
I was polite and co-operative and he let me go with a warning to get them fixed the next day as I told him
I was heading home not far away.

I was tailed by one on highway 19 for about 2 miles just last Tues.
I made sure I was in the speed limit, (while other cars passed me like I was sitting still), then when we
got to a major intersection where I had to make a turn under a bridge, he pulled off into the median.
I knew I had done nothing wrong so I hoped he was just running my tag. Guess that was it.
My car is pretty non-discript. A deep blue Jeep SUV. Fairly new and clean.
Who knows why he seperated that type of vehicle out.

 

[Fino]

I'm glad I made this! Thanks, everyone!

 

[Progster]

I've been stopped and checked on several occasions, another time I got a speeding ticket.

 

[clg114]

I haven't had much interaction with the police. When I was in my early twenties, I had a 1957 Corvette. I did not have to do anything wrong to get stopped in that car. A young guy in a fast car is a cop magnet. Since then I rarely get stopped. When I do get stopped it is usually for some sort of equipment problem. In these few encounters, I am polite to them and they are polite to me. If I am armed, I always show them my carry permit with my drivers license. This prevents any unpleasant surprises. Overall, my interactions with the police have been OK.

I do have a problem with some of the profiling that is done by the police and others. My middle son is 38, a family man and makes a good living. The police treat him like a criminal, the doctors treat him like a drug addict and a lot of people are afraid of him. Why? Because he is a big guy with tattoos. I know that he bought a lot of this on himself with all the tattoos. However, judging someone by how they look is almost always wrong.

 

[Hedgehog Instigator]

I was driving to work, slightly more anxious than usual for some reason, and my lips were dry. When I don't have chapstick, I tend to sorta lightly rub a finger across them. I don't know if it helps my lips or what, or if it's normal, but it keeps me from licking them, for the most part. And since I was nervous, I was rubbing very fast, basically combining my dry lips solution with stimming. Also, driving already makes me nervous, so I tend to be constantly scanning my surroundings like frightened prey.

And while doing all this, I drove past a cop who was parked and facing the opposite direction. Since I was scanning my surroundings, I saw him and I think made eye contact but looked away too quickly to be sure. But he zoomed into action and jolted into a big u-turn that landed him behind me. He followed me for several miles, about half the way to work then finally stopped. I always drive carefully, but I drove even more carefully then! Or maybe just with more tension.

So nothing really happened, sorry if anyone got scared at any point during that! It just made me wonder if anyone here has any experiences like this or actual encounters with cops for reasons that were likely or definitely due to something ASD-related.

I also have a mohawk and drive an old, rusty car that people have called "a mexican car." So maybe those were factors too.

I had a cop follow me in an unmarked car and when I got home I was too scared to get it off my vehicle so I locked my doors and say there. I lived on a dead remember Street so having a black car follow me to the end of it was terrifying, this was also after I got off a night shift so it was late at night. I locked my doors and grabbed my pepper spray, I've been raped before so I didn't want a repeat. It was at that point he turned on his lights.