By: Eric Pierson
Recently I drove from work to my home to find multiple officers sitting half a block from my home in different directions at approximately 2:45 am. I had broke no laws to warrant being pulled over. I tried to record the conversation with the officer that talked to me, but the audio wasn’t clear. At first, he said he pulled me over because he recognized me. All the windows on my vehicle are tinted, no possible way the officer could make me out in the dark. After I questioned that he said he recognized my white stalking cap from when he drove by my work and I was outside smoking. I explained to him that the stalking cap was in the truck all night and I was wearing a black ball cap all night.
Then he tried to tell me that he had a report from last week that I drove a black truck to work. This was the first time I had ever even drove the truck. Though I have no way of proving this, my work is an after hours club on the weekend and opens Wednesdays for 18 & up college parties. It is regularly harassed by the local police and they have openly said they want it shut down. I am the manager of this establishment and an obvious target.
They asked me many times to come out of the club for an alcohol test that I have never failed. This time being pulled over I demanded a legit reason for being pulled over and got none. I was told they were parked there waiting for me to come home though. I said the whole situation was ridiculous and they refused to do any alcohol tests. Instead, they charged me with DUI, on the bases that I had bloodshot eyes. Since then, all that accomplished was an increase in police traffic on a non-busy street around my start and end times. Their only other reason was that the officer said I smelled like alcohol. I showed him where a patron of the after hours club spilled his drink down the outside of my leg and agreed that I could smell of alcohol, but my breathe certainly does not.
Any thoughts or help on a way to beat this and get the harassment to stop?
This post was sent to CopBlock.org via our ‘submit a post’ tab, please consider sharing your encounters, ideas and tactics to hold police accountable by clicking here.
Eric, sadly when the police target you there is no other way to protect yourself than to record it, IMO, because if it comes down to your word against theirs, you’ll lost every time. I’d suggest keeping a camera in your car, getting some sort of live streaming app on your smart phone and submitting those video/audio recordings to CopBlock.org. This way those who feel the same way as you do about your harassment can par take in call floods, as well as sharing your content, to help you win in the court of public opinion. Or, even if they don’t back off, you’ll have peace of mind knowing you didn’t let their actions go unnoticed.
Which is my second suggestion, not only for you but those who submit post in the future, be sure to get as much information about the officer as possible. Using the above story as an example, the reader has no idea what department this was, which officer or any information at all. Be as detailed as possible. If some of this information was there I’d consider calling the department to inquire about your treatment, but I can’t do what I don’t know.
What suggestions do you have for Eric?
[Text in italics was written by Ademo]
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i suggest that you have a third party professional investigator video tape your encounters.. and that you video tape your encounters.
I also suggest you go to the City council directly including your specific councilman with written complaint.
And go after them in the city budget.. process.. Show up and show your power have your patrons sign a petitition. etc.. the full court press then sic a lawyer on them.
What was your BAC? Meh, nevermind.
Ah yes, the “someone spilled a drink on me, that’s why I smell like booze” angle. Love it.
If your BAC is .00 and no there was probable cause for the traffic stop, you should beat this, go with public defender & take no pleas.
Jim is correct….take it to the city council and let them deal with the chief (no middle man for it to get lost)and the chief has to report back(not just sweep it under the rug)I would bet the LEO would hear from the chief…
record them in public and post on youtube…let the court of public opinion get them first…
Youtube has ruined the police profession as a whole.
I love the “Sir, I stopped you because you were weaving a bit back there and crossed the white divide so I need to know what drugs or drug monies you may have on you” angle. It wasn’t the weaving as much as it was the I just want to s earch your car as you are out of state!
Beating the DUI should be easy in theory. If we really are innocent til proven guilty, the state needs to prove you were under the influence.
Bloodshot eyes alone is not enough. If I get a bad allergy attack, my eyes get bloodshot. Does your local news station have one of those investigative reporters? Should make for a good story
Plus, if they didn’t have a legitimate reason for pulling you over. I think a lawyer would have a field day with this one.
There’s something the poster is not telling us.
JohnK: Just to clarify this very often wrongly commented on thing; you don’t need PC for a traffic stop (or any kind if stop). The officer only needs RS. Big difference
I agree with @cookie. There is something he’s not telling us.
Oh and author guy….learn what entrapment means.
You didn’t get it on tape it didn’t happen. Maybe if you stop drinking and driving and run your so called “club” better none of this would happen.
Looks like you need to also do a public records request and get the dash cams video of all the cars there that night.
figure it might be entrapment, I think it will depend on how many and how easy it will be for the lab boys to rig the bac test to falsely claim that you are intoxicated.
Son: You need to learn what entrapment means as well. While there is no proof of the police doing anything wrong in this instance…nothing described is entrapment. At least use the right term.
If you want to beat the charges, i highly recommend that you contact luis Ewing at [email protected] hotmail, aol, yahoo, etc will all contact him. he has a pro se winners talkshoe, where they discuss how to deal with the MILITARY TRIBUNAL that all courts in Amerika are!
Sitting in court….sorry, MILITARY TRIBUNAL right now. Author, follow @Waynes advice. He sounds like a level headed dude that wouldn’t steer you to se nut job, snake oil salesman who will just ideas of arguing that the flag has good fri he so the law is invalid. Very funny stuff. But to the tribunal….bet I win
Sounds like you were drunk (or even sober) and refused a blood or breath test. Is that not what happened?