Do The Police Have Too Much Power? Random Pullover

jesho on 02/02/2019 - 17:59
Last edited 02/02/2019 - 18:20 by 1 other user

Hi all,

I was driving down to Melbourne for the long weekend with my partner when we get pulled over by a highway patrol car in Stawell. The officer said it was a random stop and breathalyzed me. It came back clear. He asked for a license and asked a few questions - where do I live/ where am I going/ why? In the meantime, and this part worried me, his partner was checking every corner of my car. It almost felt at this stage as they were looking for something to get me on.

Bit strange but fair enough I suppose. He takes my license back to his car and does some checks. He comes back and checks that my car is an automatic which is a condition of my license - yep all good.

He eventually hands back my license and doesn't really say anything. I ask him if I did anything wrong to which he says as he's walking back to his car "No why", I said well you pulled me over and he says "I can pull over anyone at any time, anywhere" and heads back to his car.

I guess what really concerned me about this interaction was his tone/demeanor - he was very aggressive, and he didn't really explain anything. Interacting with police is intimidating enough but when they seem to have an attitude it really makes you defensive. I don't want to imagine what the experience would have been like if it was just my partner in the car.

It was also quite strange that they singled my car out of all the others on the highway. The cynic in me would say it's because I drive a 20-year-old car - I rarely see nice cars get pulled over for 'random' checks and also because I am growing a beard at the moment, not a nice combination with my middle eastern background.

I did some research and yes police now have the power to pull anyone over at any time without any reason as long as they conduct a breath test.

The incident made me think of a time when I was driving home with a friend and we enter an RBT area. I wasn't drinking so all good and the cop was actually really friendly and had a joke with us about our Halloween costumes. Afterward, my friend remarks that he's surprised they didn't defect my car. Granted my car is old but there's nothing wrong with it and has roadworthy/is regularly serviced etc. His point was more so that the police are a law unto their own and if for some reason they don't like you, there's not much we can do.

For what its worth, I am a big fan of the police. I live in a lower socio-economic area and I see what they have to deal with. They do a great service to the area. My issue is more with the laws, police being able to pull you over for no reason seems excessive. How can we defend ourselves without making things worse?

Would love the community's opinions/experiences.

Jesho

Automotive Police

Comments

          • Baysew on 05/02/2019 - 16:40

            @jesho: No wonder you got pulled over, your number plate is obscured.

      • terrys on 03/02/2019 - 09:15
        +8

        From above in MSPaint is the traditional method.

  • HardlyCharly on 02/02/2019 - 19:07
    +9

    It's always a 50/50 chance you'll get an ***hole, I've experienced both sides, and also known good people who are training to be or were cops. But the profession just attracts douchebags and always has. A fat stupid cop once accused me of wearing the sign of the devil when he saw my Celtic necklace, if they're letting people like that into the force the bar isn't exactly high.

    • [Deactivated] on 04/02/2019 - 22:45

      So what did the fat cop reply with when you told him that wearing the sign of the devil is not against any law in this country?

  • Toons on 02/02/2019 - 19:14
    +4

    Yeah they can be a bit off at times or inconsistent, I was pulled over for speeding, I knew I wasn't so I asked to see the reading he said no it's not important

    so I argued back and said it kind of is if I'm being pulled for an offence I didn't believe I was committing.

    he barked back "that doesn't matter this is a random vehicle inspection anyway" he wanted his pound of flesh.

    Poked and prodded around everything on the car I could have picked out a few questionable items that didn't come with the car but everything was mechanically sound it was hand built by the Ralliart team while they were here. Full spare factory built group N engine and drivetrain transplanted into a 2 door coupe for a laugh, after 40 minutes of searching and testing everything yanking seatbelts pulling on some hoses in the engine bay which I had to warn him the next one is hot he looked at me and said these WRX's can shift can't they, wouldn't know pointing to the the large white Mitsubishi sign on the rocker cover, that's when he closed the engine bay sat back inside the car and said that steering wheel isn't standard on these cars, I so badly wanted to say the only thing standard is the shell, so rather than lie I said no however it is compliant to regulations and fully functional, the one thing I could be certain of.

    So he wrote me up a ticket to have it examined at the pits.

    Went to the pits expecting to have to return the car to original, The guy who took my keys said what did they say was wrong with it, I said steering wheel didn't come with the car.

    His response &(^)^)%%)))%%)$)#^# think we have nothing better to do the stupid (^(^##*@%% (further proof they can just abuse power came as we spoke)

    He was so annoyed, he overlooked everything that should have made him question the car during the mechanical inspection, then when he drove it the red flags, like "it crabbing into the other lane when he put his foot down" in second and breaking traction in 3rd had him puzzled but amazed with the car.

    Pulled back into the pits and he signed it off as all clear.

    Had the cop actually known what he was doing and talking about instead of trying to intimidate me Into a confession, he would have got his pound of flesh.

  • garetz on 02/02/2019 - 19:21
    +4

    There is no IQ test to become a police officer, you just need to pass the physical exam, and an easy written exam.

    • Milk tea on 02/02/2019 - 22:28
      +3

      I wouldn't say the written exam is easy hence a lot of them fail and become ticket inspectors.

    • johnno07 on 04/02/2019 - 07:30
      +1

      There's also six months of recruit training and psych evals etc. But sure, just a physical and written exam.

  • owli on 02/02/2019 - 19:23

    How can we defend ourselves without making things worse?

    Just keep asking 'Am I being detained?' followed by 'Am I free to go?' and make sure you're filming too.

    • Save Medicare on 03/02/2019 - 13:52
      +3

      are you a federal officer of the law?

      • rawm on 03/02/2019 - 19:11

        Didn't answer because he is busy waiting for a mate.

    • Daabido on 04/02/2019 - 10:19
      +1

      Throw in a "I'm a sovereign citizen!" while you're at it ;-)

  • owli on 02/02/2019 - 19:25
    +6

    I drive a 20-year-old car

    my middle eastern background.

    It's a Camry, isn't it?

    • jesho on 02/02/2019 - 21:12
      +5

      This will get me in trouble but I'm Middle Eastern, not Indian. 2000 Hyundai Accent that my late father passed on. Only 40k on the clock!

      • owli on 02/02/2019 - 21:17

        Ha ha, you're right, it's Indians not all brown people.

  • JimmyF on 02/02/2019 - 19:38
    -1

    The officer said it was a random stop and breathalyzed me. It came back clear. He asked for a license and asked a few questions - where do I live/ where am I going/ why? In the meantime, and this part worried me, his partner was checking every corner of my car.

    Thats what they do, its their job. One checks your licence, one looks at the car.

    and as you said, it was a LONG weekend. So stop being paranoid. Police can pull you over at any time with no reason at all. Its the law. Deal with it and move on.

    he was very aggressive, and he didn't really explain anything.

    i think you had been aggressive in what you said myself, they don't need to explain why they pulled you over, but they did, remember you saying this

    The officer said it was a random stop and breathalyzed me

    • jesho on 02/02/2019 - 21:27
      +4

      I actually referred to the cop as 'Sir' in the first interaction. I'm not a prick and respect authority but once I realised he had an attitude I dropped it. Makes you not want to cooperate when it feels like they're out to get you rather than the whole 'serve and protect' thing. I've clearly been too engrossed in American culture as I thought they would have had a reason to pull you over. I.e. random breath test because you were driving erratically. But no, no reason needed. It falls down to the whim of the officer.

      Like I said, they do a great job on the whole but with all the power they seem to have, you could see how it could turn bad if you catch one having a bad day.

      • JimmyF on 03/02/2019 - 04:53

        I've clearly been too engrossed in American culture as I thought they would have had a reason to pull you over. I.e. random breath test because you were driving erratically.

        The RANDOM part of that statement should give it away. No reason needed.

        But no, no reason needed. It falls down to the whim of the officer.

        Correct, the officers job on that shift for that long weekend might have been to go out and RANDOM breath test and check 50 cars over this shift to make sure they are legal.

        I travel through Stawell often and have been pulled over as well over the years, I drive a boring newish car. So I don't think you had been singled out with your car, just the luck of the draw.

        100% of the time its a breath check, sometimes check your licence, sometimes not, and always a walk around the car looking to see if the tyres are legal.

  • BertieBrown on 02/02/2019 - 19:38
    +6

    Try not to worry about it too much mate. You get all stripes in this life, sometimes people are just having a really shitty day, sometimes folks just need a holiday, or people have stuff going on at home.

    It could be that the supervisor just breathed down his neck about not checking enough cars. Could be that they were aware of an incident with the same colour, model of car, or could just be that the cop was a bit of a grumpy old bastard who likes to push his weight around, ultimately they’re just people.

    As for whether police have too much power, I mean I’m not sure. I think cops should definitely be able to pull someone over if they’re concerned that they might be under the influence, and I suppose part of that is a judgement call for the cops who might just have experiences that indicate to them that x is likely to be y.

    I mean cops have a shit job, let’s be honest. Dealing with arseholes, criminals, obnoxious idiots who give them a hard time, drunks, and of course having to deal with domestic violence, or road deaths would be a really crappy experience, so I’ve had a few fairly coarse police officers give me a bretho, but as much as I might be a little irritated in the moment, I try and remember that they might have come from an accident, somebody might have been swearing and carrying on belligerently, or maybe they just broke up with their missus/mister, shit happens and sometimes people are rude. :/

    It sounds fairly standard if you ask me, and methinks that probably they’d been told about something to be aware of, that’s why they were asking about what you were up to.

  • kahn on 02/02/2019 - 19:41
    +3

    Reminiscent of Steve Sax and his run-in with the law.

    • borrisz0r on 03/02/2019 - 10:32
      +2

      You don't know to keep your mouth shut, do you saxy boy

  • p1 ama on 02/02/2019 - 19:54

    Ultimately the moral of your story is that if you don't do anything wrong and if there are no issues, then they can't get you for anything even if they are looking to.

    Yes, I agree that some HWP officers love the power trip (I've certainly met some who are like that), but there are also others who are just going about doing their job. Like with any profession, you will come across people of all stripes. There are also a multitude of reasons why they might have decided to pull you over specifically - it might have been your car (as you agree, it's an old clunker), they might have been concerned that your car was unroadworthy, they might have been concerned that you were under the influence from the way that you were driving…etc. We'll never know.

    Apart from that, it does seem that your interaction was rather standard. He asked you a few straightforward questions (usually to check that you give the same response as what's on your license to verify that it's actually you), he took a look around your car (which signifies that they were probably looking for a defect, fair enough, we don't want defective and dangerous cars on the road) and they were honest when you asked them if you did anything wrong. Maybe their tone could have been better, but some people are naturally like that.

    Whether police have too much power, I'm not too sure. I always hear stories about the police, but what I find is that in the overwhelming majority of cases, there is absolutely no problem. Sure, I used to dislike HWP as much as everyone else when I was a kid driving modified cars trying to avoid a defect, but those days are behind me now and I've only ever been pulled over once since. I was actually speeding, so fair game I guess.

  • Euphemistic on 02/02/2019 - 21:24

    I want the police to be able to pull over and check any vehicle and driver at any time. There are too many drivers under the influence and too many unroadworthy cars out there. These make it too dangerous for other road users (motorists, cyclists and pedestrians) who maintain their vehicles and drive safely.

    For the record, I’ve been pulled over many times in my younger days and cop it on the chin. You know, do the crime do the time.these days I’m happy to see and stop for RBT.

  • AdosHouse on 02/02/2019 - 21:34
    +1

    I'm not saying OP was doing anything, but every time I hear people saying cops are out there and abusing their power and pulling them over for random shit, I want to know the cops side too.

    I used to drive a modified Commodore with a medium loud exhaust as a teenager, living in a low demographic suburb, but didn't speed or do stupid stuff in my car, and I was pretty much never pulled over for a "random check" (Not including RBTs where they pull everyone over).

    • jesho on 02/02/2019 - 21:56
      +2

      I drive a 2000 Hyundai Accent. Never had a speeding fine. Not a hoon. I guess that's why I feel somewhat aggrieved, I'm pretty square lol. May have just been bad timing for me. I guess the problem is, you don't really know what their side is when they hide behind 'random pullover'.

  • Windows98 on 02/02/2019 - 21:35

    What was the car? Is it modified or popular with the modified car scene? Ie skyline, 180, Sylvia, WRX, Evo etc?

    Its a daily occurrence if you drive the above

    • jesho on 02/02/2019 - 21:58

      2000 Hyundai Accent, so basically the opposite to a souped-up car.

  • happirt on 02/02/2019 - 21:38

    im guessing, first time being pulled over?
    ive had police go through everything in my vehicle leaving it a mess, on a couple of occasions. you got off very lightly. not all cops are the same, there are also bad cops. also cops that make mistakes.
    get a dash cam and record everything if you're that paranoid…
    they probably saw something they thought was worth while pulling you over to check.

    • jesho on 02/02/2019 - 21:59

      First time by highway police. Not a problem if they saw something they wanted to check, my issue is that they don't have to have a reason to pull anyone over. Seems a bit excessive.

      • happirt on 02/02/2019 - 22:58

        like I said, they probably saw something they "suspected" was worth while pulling you over to check. that's their reason. erratic driving behavior, broken tail lights, I don't know. or maybe you were just a random choice as they said.
        they don't go pulling everyone over, there's just not enough time in a day.

        also what do you need to defend from? nothing happened…

  • DiscoJango on 02/02/2019 - 22:08
    -2

    highway patrol aka revenue patrol

    try driving a modified sports car in melbourne, you will be their best friend!

  • Drewbo on 02/02/2019 - 22:09
    -6

    My opinion is that you need to get over yourself.

  • field1985 on 02/02/2019 - 22:12
    +2

    Pretty standard behavior for highway patrol officer. They are bored out of their minds and have quotas to reach. The end result is aggressive officers looking to catch you out.
    At the same time, its their job. In Victoria their are no compulsory checks to keep your car registered (except when its sold). A 20 year old car could be a death-trap, bald tyres, rusted chassis, etc, and the police are the only ones who actually inspect vehicles for compliance in Victoria. That's why they looked over your vehicle.
    It is very common for P-platers to be put through this sort of treatment, partly as a lesson, partly because they often own older vehicles.
    I wouldn't take it personally. Just obey the road rules/regulations and you'll have nothing to worry about.
    I'm pretty sure most people have had similar experiences.

  • chumlee on 02/02/2019 - 22:25
    -1

    Us so called Mexicans are getting tired of you North American's coming down here and trashing the place, bringing your "I'm an American" attitude and taking our drugs back over the border to sell at great profit.

    Glad the cops pulled you over

    • johnno07 on 04/02/2019 - 07:33

      Do you need a hug, mate?

  • bmerigan on 02/02/2019 - 22:47

    I don't like traffic cops but I don't think there's anything wrong with what happened.

  • Ryanek on 02/02/2019 - 22:49
    +5

    tldr: OP didn't appreciate policeman's tone.

  • bargainhunter87 on 02/02/2019 - 23:14
    +4

    Police have these powers for a reason. If you're not doing anything wrong I can sort of understand why one would think of this as an abuse of power. But if you think about it from another perspective - they could have been looking for that same car? Maybe it wasn't random and they thought you looked younger than what it says on record (i.e. it was your late fathers car). And you said yourself

        For what its worth, I am a big fan of the police. I live in a lower socio-economic area and I see what they have to deal with. They do a great service to the area.

    The powers they have is the reason police can protect us.

    End of the day - if its not hard to comply and you didn't feel violated or harassed by them - leave it, move on and be thankful we live in such a beautiful country where we have protection

    • cashews on 03/02/2019 - 13:22
      +2

      Yep. Recently a friend shared a video of a guy getting arresting for carrying gel blasters in public. They included a comment about how all cops are dogs and that they abused their power in tackling him and threatening him with force when he didn't comply with their instructions.

      I don't understand this viewpoint. The guy is carrying what looks identical to a real firearm in public, and refuses to comply with police. In other countries the police would have just shot him.

      Some people just don't like that police can tell them what to do I guess.

    • jesho on 03/02/2019 - 17:27

      If I had been pulled over and the officer says just doing some checks because we had a report on a similar vehicle, hunky dory no issues there. Again, I'm not a prick. In my eyes that would classify as a 'reason' to pull someone over.

      • bargainhunter87 on 03/02/2019 - 23:07

        Makes sense - from the cops perspective however I'm sure they don't want to set a standard that they have to explain why they are pulling people over. Sometimes it will be based on fact, other times gut instinct (which is what they are trained to do).

        You don't seem like a prick at all, I do see where you're coming from. But the police are out there doing a job to keep us safe.

  • Lockieasy on 03/02/2019 - 00:18
    +1

    It's not cost efficient for police to pull over people without issuing some type of fine, so it sounds like they were just nitpicking in order to make pulling you over worth their while.

    • Daabido on 04/02/2019 - 10:25

      Untrue. Try again.

    • Porker on 08/02/2019 - 17:08

      @Lockiez Not necessarily true.

      The cost of road trauma can be millions to the tax payers, so they run the numbers in terms of what it costs to patrol and make sure people are safe vs what the eventual people would pay in a car crash.

      Eg. booze bus may cost (arbitrary figure) $10,000 each time to operate and even if they run that 30 times a month at a cost of $300,000, provided they stop a few drunks from injuring or crashing, its a cheaper cost of $300,000 vs potentially millions (being TAC and on-going payout if the person/s has/have permanent injury for life and requires care 24/7, legal fees, for example).

  • tassieeagle on 03/02/2019 - 00:23
    +1

    To answer your op, no they don't. Move on with your life and be grateful there are people out there trying their best to protect us, warts and all.

  • haemolysis on 03/02/2019 - 00:51
    -1

    I have two answers to this question. Do cops have too much power: yes. Does that include highway patrol? No.

    Highway patrol don’t have much power except to simply enforce the well known law, in an area (road safety) in which compliance is extremely important to our safety. If you’re not doing anything wrong, then you get to go, as you did.

    I think most concerning to me from police at the moment are riot squads and venue control. And in part, that’s because police aren’t just enforcing the law, they’re in effect making it too, by using perverse powers assigned to them. For example, they have the right to determine what level of police must be present at an event for safety, such as a music festival, a protest, or even just things like construction works - at the organisers expense. They provide a hire service, which has to be paid for, but THEY get to decide who you MUST hire. Naturally, they overquote always.

    In effect they have used this to discourage polictal acts, for example, they took the Keep Sydney Open protest organisers to The Supreme Court, to argue that protests are not allowed to proceed because their assessment determined there is “no safe capacity” and that they can’t hold a protest. In that case the protest was against lockout laws which the NSW Police are strongly, vocally in favour of, and enforce. Conflict of interest. Another example is that Milo Yiannopoulos guy’s events a year or so ago, which apparently they’ve been trying to collect a $50k debt from him for their services. There were no reports of violence at that event, but there was a whole squadron of riot police sipping coffee.

    Even big, government run events, they have huge, huge powerful control over. If you’ve tried getting to the New Year’s Eve fireworks I’m recent years you’ll find it remarkable just how much of the city they lock down behind barricade by 7pm. It causes crowd congestion and they turn people away from public land based on things like the contents of their private baggage like the CBD is a licensed venue.

    Anyway. I rant, I rant. But do you really want a highway patrol that DOESN’T stop vehicles for checks now and again?

    • Diji1 on 03/02/2019 - 02:10
      +2

      Agreed.

      And the higher you go the worse the police in this country become. We have courts where not answering questioning is an offense for example. Or the fact that Australia's Intelligence agencies illegally monitor all citizen's by bypassing the law

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Eyes

      And enforce the collection of every single citizen's metadata - which is more intrusive than content. You see, they already have the content via Five Eyes.

      While it monitors everything it's citizens do legally and illegally dimwitted idiots in Australia dribble idiocies about China being a police state and how much better Australia is because it isn't.

      • Ughhh on 03/02/2019 - 08:53
        +2

        While it monitors everything it's citizens do legally and illegally dimwitted idiots in Australia dribble idiocies about China being a police state and how much better Australia is because it isn't.

        Do you even know how many cameras there are in China? Do you know the extent of censorship? Have you even been to China or talked to someone from China? Or has the liberal labour party brainwashed you?

  • fantombloo on 03/02/2019 - 01:19
    +2

    I can't believe the seemingly unconditional cop love in this thread.

    If you are doing nothing suspicious then there should be no reason to be stopped. To those who say maybe the cops have some unknown lead: well then if that lead is stray and inconveniences you the least they should do is be polite and courteous with you. RBTs should be BTs, not full interrogations. If they aren't capable of determining that they're intimidating innocent people and regulating their approach accordingly then they are lacking important people skills that should be mandatory for such a job.

    People here are talking about cops as if they are high priests beyond reproach. Remember too that they uphold the power of the state and the state often does crook things. For recent examples look at the way some cops have treated indigenous people.

    Sure, they may also serve usefully, but they require continual scrutiny like any other authority.

    • Roll Eyes on 03/02/2019 - 09:03
      -1

      I can’t believe the amount of people who have an inferiority complex towards the police or a chip on their shoulder. I really couldn’t give a stuff where they are, what powers they have blah blah. But that’s probably down to being able to live my life within the law. That’s probably also why I don’t feel intimidated. They uphold LAWS, every law is available to be read by the public so the little poppets know beforehand.

      • fantombloo on 03/02/2019 - 13:24
        +1

        That's good for you, not so for the OP, their partner, and many others. And that's the point - "they aren't capable of determining that they're intimidating innocent people."

        • johnno07 on 04/02/2019 - 07:39
          +1

          The OP was inconvenienced for a couple minutes. You're going on like he was strip searched on the side of the highway.

  • Windows98 on 03/02/2019 - 01:45
    +5

    We live in a country where murder, theft and violence is so low that traffic offences are the police's main concern. I guess we should be happy?

    • Antikythera on 03/02/2019 - 02:22
      +3

      I sure am.

      I've also never had a negative interaction with the Police. hell i've been driven home a couple of times in the back of the divisional van. but both of those times were in country towns.

      be open and honest when you talk with them, and most importantly don't do stupid shit before you have to talk to them. they are just doing their job. I work in hospitality industry and I have a great respect with what the police have to deal with. even the traffic cops have a very hard job, imagine starting your shift knowing you have a 50% chance of attending a fatal accident scene.

    • Roll Eyes on 03/02/2019 - 08:54

      We also live in a country where the police work in different departments, that work on different crimes/offences :-o

  • Melb69 on 03/02/2019 - 08:34

    Police need to keep busy. Nothing worse than sitting in a car all day and not getting any action. Pulling you over gives them a chance to write you a ticket especially it being an old car. They were probably tying to get you on an unroadworthy fine. They would have already checked to see if your rego is up today as that's the first thing they can check as with any outstanding fines when they check rego details.

    To all pay your rego and put in your phone calender renewal. Especially in VIC as we don't have the stickers anymore. I think they do send you emails or the like, but if you miss payment and they pull you over youll get a fine for driving an unregistered car.

    Your car was probably singled out just because it was old. You did well to get away with no tickets.

  • JIMB0 on 03/02/2019 - 08:47
    -4

    Should have reminded him that your taxes pay his wage.

    • jimmyzzzzz on 03/02/2019 - 20:08
      +1

      I have a friend on centrelink who says that to me

    • johnno07 on 04/02/2019 - 07:42
      +2

      And what will that little nugget of boganism achieve? "oh sorry, milord - I didn't realise you paid my wage - you're free to go. Just let me kiss your feet before you leave".

      Almost certainly they'll find a reason to keep you around longer, because, well, you're being a dick.

  • Roll Eyes on 03/02/2019 - 08:50

    Get over it. You’ve got no idea what they were looking for or what they were thinking, so move on with your life. Last time I was randomly pulled over it was because I did a (legal) u turn a few hundred metres from a rbt set up (I didn’t see it or know the area). He asked me the exact same questions he asked you. Another time was, I assume, looking for a certain car (same as mine). I couldn’t care less and don’t feel inferior to “police powers”, and their presence doesn’t negatively impact my life.

  • klaw81 on 03/02/2019 - 09:35

    Not sure if this was mentioned above, but it's entirely possible your car matched the description of a stolen vehicle, or perhaps a vehicle that was involved in a recent crime.

    I've had that happen once - a car of the same make and model was involved in a violent crime nearby, and I was pulled over and checked by 2 policemen who we're visibly nervous and aggressive. But they were good enough to explain what was going on, once they had confirmed I wasn't the fugitive they were looking for.

    I think it's fair enough that the police can pull you over for any reason, but I agree that it's not much fun at the time.

  • Jamesk811 on 03/02/2019 - 09:35
    +1

    I have a beard and look middle Eastern and I have never been pulled over. I live in NSW and drive quite regularly. I don’t think you can just say you’re being pulled over because you look middle eastern. Police can random breath test anyone to make sure they’re not over the limit and also have the power to random drug test anyone and also power to search a vehicle for defects to make sure they’re roadworthy.

    This ensures we don’t have drugged up or intoxicated people and roadworthy vehicles on our road so we are all safe.

    I think your own insecurities about being middle eastern and your perception of Police contributed to feeling targeted whereas normally if you get pulled over I think the normal reaction should be “great they’re doing their job and looking after our roads”.

    You can’t link his attitude towards you to the fact that he’s conducting random stops on people, once again that’s a perception thing. You don’t know if he’s just been to an accident where he saw a kid in a mangled car, or just had someone threaten him just for doing his job.

    It’s 5 minutes of your life, just deal with it and move on. I bet you probably won’t get pulled over for at least another year, so does it really matter??

  • Micko179 on 03/02/2019 - 09:41

    What part of RANDOM Breath Test do you have trouble understanding?! 🤔

    • R-Man on 03/02/2019 - 12:30
      +2

      Probs this part Mick?

      cop asked a few questions - where do I live/ where am I going/ why?

  • DiscoJango on 03/02/2019 - 09:52

    seems to be every comment here about the revenue patrol guys gets negged

    i wonder how many ozbargain users are in the police department

    neg away crooked cops :)

    • whooah1979 on 03/02/2019 - 10:41

      Consolidated revenue helps to pay for state infrastructure and services. The alternative would be higher taxes.

    • UFO on 03/02/2019 - 14:30
      -2

      seems to be every comment that is negative to police gets negged.

      I wonder how many ozbargain users have a massive chip on their shoulder because they got booked for doing something illegal in the past, and sook about cops just doing their job.

      But they would also be the first to cry for a cop when they need them in an emergency.

      You are coming across as ungrateful, immature, and disrespectful.

      You don't wear the badge (or you can't get one in the first place), so you choose to sit on your office chair critique these special people that put their lives on the line FOR YOU every single day and night of their lives.

      That's why people like you get negged here. Not because we are all cops, but because most of us understand and are grateful that we don't have to do what they do, and what they have to give up to do it.

  • katz on 03/02/2019 - 10:22

    “The officer said it was a random stop”

    That’s all. Move on.

  • OzzyOzbourne on 03/02/2019 - 11:00

    Too much power over easy targets with money… Ie commuters

    Little power (or incentive) over criminals and gangs, particularly those of African appearance.

  • DarkOz on 03/02/2019 - 11:32

    You probably matched their search profile for something specific. Nothing personal and honestly that’s what I prefer them to do.

  • Indomietable on 03/02/2019 - 11:53

    I would say you get picked because your accent.

  • vkze on 03/02/2019 - 12:19

    Had this before however the cop car was tailgating me on for a good 10 minutes before they flicked the red/blue lights.

    However, they discovered my front headlght was out and gave me a caution to get it fixed within a week. (they actually didn't tell me until about 5 - 10 minutes after pulling me over and questioning me).

    They are hedging their bets to see if they can find something on you, whether it be a defect or some form of non-compliance with the road rules.

    My guess is (if mine is anything to off) is that the cop that questioned you was a new officer on the force and doing it to build his experience (and likely on instruction from his partner who was likely his senior)

  • Kranbone on 03/02/2019 - 12:24

    If you're unhappy with how things went or felt targeted you can put a complaint in.

    I have no issue with random breath testing provided it's fair and random.

    • duluxe2000 on 03/02/2019 - 15:07

      Where to complain and how to get the PO names or whatever to identify them?

  • R-Man on 03/02/2019 - 12:31
    -1

    Random breath test, licence check and roadworthy check is all fair.

    But don't ever answer these questions:

    where am I going/ why?

    • UFO on 03/02/2019 - 14:40
      -1

      You're wrong.

      Where you are going an why can be completely relevant. I can think of two examples straight away, but there are many more.

      1) If after stopping you, they do their checks and find the car is unregistered. They've already asked you where you are coming from and going to… so lying after the fact and telling them you are now on your way to sort out rego won't work.

      2) You told them you have come from Suburb A to Suburb B, but after checks on your rego your car is noted of interest for something down the road in Suburb C 10min ago.

      Then you have drink driving and a while stack of other reasons why POLICE CAN ASK YOU WHERE YOU ARE GOING/WHY.

      • R-Man on 03/02/2019 - 15:59

        You have only described reasons why they could ask. Yes of course they can ask that.

        But I shouldnt answer. They can fulfil their burden of proof and arrest me first.

        • UFO on 03/02/2019 - 16:28
          +1

          When the burden of proof is suspicion, not answering their questions only heightens it and then delays your departure.

          Being cooperative and listening to directions is a simple rule to follow worldwide when dealing with police. I'm not saying suck up to them, and simply saying let them do their job quickly and efficiently. Being difficult, argumentative, or plainly following simple directions will save you a lot of time, and in some countries your very life.

  • dreamscene on 03/02/2019 - 13:12
    -1

    Are you Indian with dark skin? If so, you are the Mexican or African American of Australia but in 20 years it will be ok.

    • cashews on 03/02/2019 - 14:01

      In 20 years it'll be OK because there'll be less racist people?

  • Kamsi on 03/02/2019 - 13:26
    +1

    I reckon they miss took you as el chapo .

  • 2ndeffort on 03/02/2019 - 13:59
    +3

    Try watching some of the reality Police shows on TV. Normally cops are treated incredibly badly by people, spat at, sworn at and abused. I can forgive the cops fpor being a bit gunshy when dealing with people, they might expect aggresive responses as standsard.

  • riitiir on 03/02/2019 - 14:14
    +1

    Some police are just assholes - like every other profession they are just people and assholes exist.

    I once was driving a friend home after drinks at around 1:30am. A pair or lights lit up my rear view mirror and I was stopped at a railroad crossing - the car was a few blocks back and caught up to me within 50 metres.

    It was an unmarked police car - it flashed me and pulled me over 40metres from my address - the officer asked what I was doing out at this time of night. I told him dropping my girlfriend's friend home, then he asked is that all we did and how my partner would feel about it - I just said "pardon?" After every inappropriate comment.

    He then checked my licence and said I almost got home - he was a rude piece of shit the whole time. He went back to his car and left me waiting for 10mins then just drove off.

    So yup, some officers are just bullies intimidating people for their own thrills.

  • diddy50 on 03/02/2019 - 14:25

    You're not a P plater. But it's the weekend, holidays, and summer. Simples

  • SpaceNinja on 03/02/2019 - 15:50

    OP, is you a brother?

  • netsurfer on 03/02/2019 - 16:10

    Guessing the police was trying to get you on vehicle road worthiness (hoping to give you a ticket). However, they couldn't find anything. Bear in mind that Victorian police don't tell you the whole conversation is being recorded (NSW police tend to tell you this right away).

    One of their performance assessment could be number of tickets issued. It could be strictly business, nothing personal.

  • eggles01 on 03/02/2019 - 16:21

    you say nothing was found to be dangerous,you received no fines etc,how would you feel if you were in an accident and seriously injured and while you are being cut out of your car and the person next to you had passed away before they could get you out and you heard the police officer said to the other officer "I had a feeling that we should have pulled that vehicle over back at the checkpoint"
    always note that if you had not broken the law you have nothing to worry about all you had lost was about 15 minutes which could be a life time with what could be around the next corner,thank the police for pulling you over and doing things to help keep everyone safer on our roads and getting rid of the dangerous drivers off the road

  • UFO on 03/02/2019 - 16:32
    +3

    What a laugh.

    People expect coppers to be sunshine and moonbeams with them all the time. They can never be cranky or tired or under-resourced at work. Never mind that they work terrible hours, with a constantly changing roster going from day to night on a regular basis, completely stuffing up their sleep cycle and quality of sleep. Most people call this jetlag, coppers call this normal life.

    If you come across a grumpy copper, give him some slack. This is not Myers or McDonalds, would you like fries with that sir? Answer their questions and let them do their job. Making things more difficult for them only delays your time in getting out of there.

    • Cartman2530 on 03/02/2019 - 17:06
      +2

      So its ok to be an (profanity) at work if you're tired? Sweet, I'm going to try that tomorrow, lets see how I go.
      I have a constantly changing 12 hour day/arvo/night shift too and deal with shitheads.

      That behaviour wouldn't fly in ANY public service job. Some people are just jerks.

      • UFO on 03/02/2019 - 17:20
        +1

        You've taken a very simplistic view, and assumed that no one in ANY public service job is allowed to be cranky.

        You mentioned you have a 12 hour rotating roster… but didn't mention your level of happiness some days?
        I bet you that you are a cranky sod some days! No way you can sit there and tell me you're sweet as roses every single day.
        It's the nature of the beast. Lack of sleep, high pressure, thankless job where 'everyone' seems to be against you… ahuh, roses and sunshine 100% every day? Yeah right ;).

        And news flash, you ARE allowed to be cranky!
        Been to the RTA recently? or the Council? Or a school admin block?
        Just because you are public service, doesn't mean you aren't human.

        People are allowed to be cranky! Police are no different.
        But as soon as someone gets a cranky cop, it's "What the hell?!? This is unacceptable!".

        Rubbish.

        Whilst being cranky or short with someone is rude (if undeserved) its just a part of life. Have a cup of concrete and toughen up.
        Cops aren't there for Customer Service Awards. They are there to clean up the crap off the streets at 3am, rain hail or shine.
        Christmas Day, Kids Birthdays, Public Holidays etc… sorry, you gotta work!
        Cops don't close over Christmas holidays. In fact, their work increases! How awesome is that!

        You're coming home from holidays with every other Tom Dick and Harry down the HWY, and copper is there… watching to make sure you get home safe.

        Whilst I'm sure your 12 hour shift job is very important too, Police are an ESSENTIAL service.

        When everyone else is running away from something bad, they are the only ones going towards it. That deserves complete respect- regardless of whether they are cranky with you during a traffic stop.

        They kiss their kids goodbye every day, not knowing if they'll see them again. These types of people actively look for trouble and danger, so others don't run into it accidently. If that means asking a few extra questions of you during a routine traffic stop, don't be difficult/disrespectful because they are short with you. Just thank them for the their service and move on! Otherwise go get a badge and join them! No? Not for you? Well then.

        • Cartman2530 on 03/02/2019 - 17:48
          -2

          You have assumed a lot about me and my position, all of it wrong.

          I'm not rude to anyone on ANY point in my shift despite the fact that I'm tired or whatever. That's my integrity towards my job, essential (or not - in your opinion ONLY.)

          The fact that I'm NOT A JERK means that I'm not going to be a jerk to others, despite how tired I am or how much attitude I receive. If you can't deal with it, CHANGE YOUR JOB! No-one is holding a gun to your head!

          Oh and by the way, nice to assume I'm not married and have no children and don't work public holidays or weekends. Nothing could be further from the truth.

          And yes, I have family that are in policing, and they agree with me. They have encountered puffed up, self important d!ickhead colleagues many times, as have I.

          • UFO on 03/02/2019 - 19:22
            -1

            @Cartman2530: Wow.

            I think you skipped a few chapters, or even changed books without telling anyone.

            I wish you well.

  • eggles01 on 03/02/2019 - 16:42

    UFO I couldn't have said it better,at least some people see life as it is not as they want it to be,clap clap

  • Cartman2530 on 03/02/2019 - 16:57

    Yep, welcome to Australia, just be glad you aren't in NSW, they are even worse there. Much worse nanny state than Vic.

    Just be polite and ignore any comments that they make that fire you up and you'll be fine.

  • Downvoter on 03/02/2019 - 19:14
    +3

    Wish I had more than 5 negs to give from reading some of the absolutely drivel comments provided so far.

    • UFO on 03/02/2019 - 19:23

      I know!

      I ran out the first page and noticed more worthy ones on the second :).

  • conservative on 03/02/2019 - 20:31

    it's warranted. Too much scum in Melbourne and Sydney.

  • LUTSlit on 03/02/2019 - 20:53

    Declare your a sovereign citizen, that you do not consent to a search, you are simply travelling, and continue to repeat 'am I under arrest'

  • ShaneWSmith on 03/02/2019 - 21:13

    I don't know enough to comment either way, but is it possible that they'd had a report earlier of a hit-and-run by a vehicle not unlike yours? The partner might have been checking for scuffs, scrapes, or other telltale signs of an accident.

    Not trying to deny that profiling is a thing (because it sadly is), or that ticket quotas might be a factor. But just wanted to float this other possibility.

  • seedyrom on 03/02/2019 - 22:05

    (profanity) the Blice

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