What are police officers allowed to do?

[bowaqy]

I will try to make a long story short, but here it goes. I was with my girlfriend coming back from a beach on memorial day. I passed a cop parked on a corner. He went after me and pulled me over. He came up to my car and before saying anything looks and smiles at my girlfriend and says how old are you? (22) then asks are u guys related? she says no he is my boyfriend. He tells me i didnt make a complete stop at a stop sign and takes my licence. He comes back because apparently i have a suspended licence since Dec(which i paid and have documentations that i did so, but not on me). So he tells me to come outside the car cuffs me and put me in the back of the police car. came up to my girlfriend and told her to follow us to the precinct. Puts me in a cell, came outside to my girlfriend with my driving record and shows her my record and says "why would you be with a person like that, i know he is your boyfriend but if you want to give me your number you can do so". After she says no he goes inside and writes me 3 tickets for a stop sign, seatbelt( idk where he got that from) and driving with a suspended license. My question is... is he allowed to reveal my driving record to someone who has no business looking at it and was he allowed to ask my gf out even though she already informed him i am her bf. And most important is there anything we can do to bring justice to what happend. I spent 13 months in iraq fighting for this country and this made me lose any faith in what i did oversees. I have never been more disappointed as i was that day. This has nothing to do with the tickets i am just disgusted that i paid with my tax dollars to get myself put in a cage like an animal so the police officer can ask my gf's number.

 

[army judge]

If you believe the police officer was not as officious as he should have been, you can speak to the chief of police about the officer's purported conduct.

You are also free to file a complaint with the internal affairs division (or officer, depending on how small the police department is) of the police agency in question.

You can even write letters to the mayor and city council representatives.

You're right about one thing, his behavior doesn't diminish one iota what you've been cited for allegedly doing.

In that regard, I suggest you plead not guilty, and make the state prove their case against you.

 

[bowaqy]

Thank you very much for your advise. I will do exactly so.

 

[bowaqy]

also would you know if he was allowed to reveal my driving record to her? not that it matters since she knows about any of the tickets i got but for legality purposes did she have the right to be shown my driving record?

 

[army judge]

You would have to prove that she was shown the driving record.

You didn't observe it, so you don't know.

It'll be his word against hers.

Do you really want to fight this fight?

 

[bowaqy]

Well, the only reason why i dont believe its my word against his is because he did it right in the precinct. Shouldn't there be cameras? i seen the monitors when i walked in.

 

[army judge]

Well, the only reason why i dont believe its my word against his is because he did it right in the precinct. Shouldn't there be cameras? i seen the monitors when i walked in.

What you believe is not relevant.


What you can prove is all that matters.

Okay, file your complaint with internal affairs or the chief.

You'll be told what their departmental protocol is.

 

[bowaqy]

Thank you, and i understand that this is something that i should let go, but if i do i will just be part of a problem. Thanks again.

 

[mightymoose]

I will try to make a long story short, but here it goes. I was with my girlfriend coming back from a beach on memorial day. I passed a cop parked on a corner. He went after me and pulled me over. He came up to my car and before saying anything looks and smiles at my girlfriend and says how old are you? (22) then asks are u guys related? she says no he is my boyfriend. He tells me i didnt make a complete stop at a stop sign and takes my licence. He comes back because apparently i have a suspended licence since Dec(which i paid and have documentations that i did so, but not on me). So he tells me to come outside the car cuffs me and put me in the back of the police car. came up to my girlfriend and told her to follow us to the precinct.

Up to here everything is probably ok... however here in CA you would not have been taken to jail and would have likely only received a citation. This may be perfectly normal in NY though.

Puts me in a cell, came outside to my girlfriend with my driving record and shows her my record and says "why would you be with a person like that, i know he is your boyfriend but if you want to give me your number you can do so".

You were inside, so I assume this is what your girlfriend told you happened. If it happened it was unprofessional, and if he showed her your driving records he may have been in violation of some privacy laws as well as state laws regarding the use of the information. If you want to you can make a complaint to the department and try to get it investigated, but you would have to heavily rely on your girlfriend in this case since you were in the cell and don't really know what went down.

After she says no he goes inside and writes me 3 tickets for a stop sign, seatbelt( idk where he got that from) and driving with a suspended license.

You will have your opportunity to address these in court.

My question is... is he allowed to reveal my driving record to someone who has no business looking at it

Probably not, but I can't cite the state statute regarding this.

and was he allowed to ask my gf out even though she already informed him i am her bf.

Yes, but it is unprofessional to do so.

And most important is there anything we can do to bring justice to what happend.

Make a formal written complaint to that agency's internal affairs division. You can also speak with a local attorney. You really don't have much to gain from any of this, but you could cause disciplinary action against the officer if he is found to have done something wrong.

 

[mightymoose]

Well, the only reason why i dont believe its my word against his is because he did it right in the precinct.

Unless your girlfriend is able to accurately describe what she saw and the investigator can identify it as a controlled document of some kind, the claim probably won't go far.

No, there are not necessarily cameras, and even if there are, they won't conclusively show what was on the paper. It could have been a lunch menu for all anyone knows.

Did she actually see the information or did he just say what it was and she believed it?

I would expect this argument to fall flat... not because it didn't happen, but becuase it probably can't be proven. That does not mean you should not report it though.