As the events of Ferguson play themselves out it bears repeating that racism is alive and kicking, but there are some ways to combat it. Although most cops are not part of the problem, and actually do a great job at it, with some going above and beyond the call of duty, there are still a lot of cops that bring their issues to work. An encounter with that cop at the wrong time could end with you in a bad position and possibly dead. However, it is possible to deal with the situation and be around the next day. Here are some tips on how to survive a encounter with a racist cop, or even one that is having a really bad day.
1) Travel in packs. I know it's a horror movie cliche, but by yourself you present an easier target than if you are with friends. If the cop is looking for an easy target, he's looking for an individual, not a group. Even a pair presents a challenge that may not be worth it. More to the point, if something bad does goes down, the other person can run and get some help. So when possible, travel in a goup.
2) Drop the attitude. This is one time you need to be respectful of the cop, and preferably without sarcasm. Most cops are just doing their job, and the sooner they are done with you the quicker they are going to move on to someone else. Also, if you get a reputation for being nice to the cops, if something goes down you may get a little leeway and questions may get asked that act in your defense. If the cop is there looking for a reason to bust you, being respectful and meaning it is the best way to defuse him. On the other hand, if you act disrespectful and goad him, odds are good that he will respond in kind and that will usually not end good for you.
3) Do what he says. Most cops know the limits, legal and courtesy, of the situation and play to those limits. However, some cops abuse their power and will do things they know are illegal just to show that they can. The best you can do is play through the situation and let the bully do what he wants. Once the situation is over and the cop leaves, the situation changes. You want to survive it, preferably uninjured, and the only way to do that is to do what the cop says. And, yeah; that starts when he shouts "FREEZE!"; do not move.
4) After the situation: Tell an adult what happened immediately and let them handle the situation, even if you have to push a little. Even if the situation is ignored, you want it on the record and the easiest way to do that is to phone it in. At the very least, unless the precinct commander is an idiot or corrupt himself, eventually enough complaints will come in that they will hit a critical mass and something will be done about the cop, even if it's just putting him at the desk. Also, if the cop is sued or prosecuted, you then have a record of the abuse. But those complaints need to be raised first for anyone to do anything about them.
5) Be able to hit record in one motion, or at least remember to tell the phone to record as the cop pulls up. You need to realize that the more evidence you have against a cop or a group of cops, the more solid your case is. Being able to hit the record button as you are puting the phone down gives you two advantages: You can get at least an audi recording of the event that can be used later, and you start the encounter by giving the cop some respect by showing you are focusing on him. As most cops will ignore the phone it has the potential to be a great evidence collector. And if you happen to be on the phone with someone when the cops show up, have that someone start recording and don't hang up. Yeah; A lot of jurisdictions have laws against recording a private conversation, but a conversation with a cop is considered public record and therefore not covered.
Remember to travel in packs, treat the cop respectfully and do what he says, record everything a cop says, and make sure you tell someone later: This advice should help you survive an encounter with a bad cop and put him away if something happens. But may you not require it!
1) Travel in packs. I know it's a horror movie cliche, but by yourself you present an easier target than if you are with friends. If the cop is looking for an easy target, he's looking for an individual, not a group. Even a pair presents a challenge that may not be worth it. More to the point, if something bad does goes down, the other person can run and get some help. So when possible, travel in a goup.
2) Drop the attitude. This is one time you need to be respectful of the cop, and preferably without sarcasm. Most cops are just doing their job, and the sooner they are done with you the quicker they are going to move on to someone else. Also, if you get a reputation for being nice to the cops, if something goes down you may get a little leeway and questions may get asked that act in your defense. If the cop is there looking for a reason to bust you, being respectful and meaning it is the best way to defuse him. On the other hand, if you act disrespectful and goad him, odds are good that he will respond in kind and that will usually not end good for you.
3) Do what he says. Most cops know the limits, legal and courtesy, of the situation and play to those limits. However, some cops abuse their power and will do things they know are illegal just to show that they can. The best you can do is play through the situation and let the bully do what he wants. Once the situation is over and the cop leaves, the situation changes. You want to survive it, preferably uninjured, and the only way to do that is to do what the cop says. And, yeah; that starts when he shouts "FREEZE!"; do not move.
4) After the situation: Tell an adult what happened immediately and let them handle the situation, even if you have to push a little. Even if the situation is ignored, you want it on the record and the easiest way to do that is to phone it in. At the very least, unless the precinct commander is an idiot or corrupt himself, eventually enough complaints will come in that they will hit a critical mass and something will be done about the cop, even if it's just putting him at the desk. Also, if the cop is sued or prosecuted, you then have a record of the abuse. But those complaints need to be raised first for anyone to do anything about them.
5) Be able to hit record in one motion, or at least remember to tell the phone to record as the cop pulls up. You need to realize that the more evidence you have against a cop or a group of cops, the more solid your case is. Being able to hit the record button as you are puting the phone down gives you two advantages: You can get at least an audi recording of the event that can be used later, and you start the encounter by giving the cop some respect by showing you are focusing on him. As most cops will ignore the phone it has the potential to be a great evidence collector. And if you happen to be on the phone with someone when the cops show up, have that someone start recording and don't hang up. Yeah; A lot of jurisdictions have laws against recording a private conversation, but a conversation with a cop is considered public record and therefore not covered.
Remember to travel in packs, treat the cop respectfully and do what he says, record everything a cop says, and make sure you tell someone later: This advice should help you survive an encounter with a bad cop and put him away if something happens. But may you not require it!
No comments:
Post a Comment