People Share Their Thoughts On A New Arizona Law Making It Illegal To Film Cops Closer Than 8 Feet
In this digital age, nothing stays a secret for long. Every event, whether it's heartwarming or heartbreaking, is recorded for posterity.
One kind of event that has been recorded over and over is that of police activity. Good or bad, bystanders automatically reach for their phone in order to record the order of events exactly as they happened. These bystanders also get as close as they can.
However, in Arizona, that's not allowed anymore and people are NOT happy.
Redditor Wizard_Elon_3003 asked:
"Arizona just made it illegal to record police officers closer than 8 feet. What are your thoughts on this?"
Many people think this rule is absolutely ridiculous and will have severe ramifications for people trying to do the right thing.
What Happened To Protect and Serve?
"The fact that recording them is illegal under conditions, make me feel more threathened than protected."
– Global_Paper4153
And The Point Is What Exactly?
"So what is this law intended to accomplish? To prevent people from interfering with police business by getting in their face to film? That's already against the law!"
"Which leaves the "filming" part that they're trying to stop. Which the supreme court has already ruled is okay."
"In practical terms, this law can only be abused. It serves no legitimate purpose."
"Imagine this scenario: I am parked in a parking lot and pull out my phone to open my shopping list before going inside the store. I hear yelling and see a police office arguing very loudly with someone. Despite that the someone is just yelling and not otherwise making any aggressive moves the officer seems to be getting more and more agitated and aggressive.
"Fearing the officer will unnecessarily violently escalate I step out of my car (but not away from it) to get a better view and start recording."
"The person the cop is arguing with points at me and says "See, even this random person thinks you're being too aggressive!""
"The cop turns, shouts at me to stop filming. I don't say anything, I just continue filming. He has no right to demand that I stop filming. We are both in a public space and the supreme court has ruled that I am perfectly within my rights."
"The cop charges over and the moment he gets within 95 inches of me... I'm a criminal. For the crime of standing still while doing something which is legal. Not just legal, but a constitutionally protected activity."
"That's the point of the law. To turn bystanders attempting document potential police misbehavior into criminals."
– Astramancer_
Some people pointed out the benefits or necessities of recording, and how this law will negatively impact society as a whole.
No More Recording
"It's obvious the cops will exploit this to prevent themselves from being recorded whenever they can."
– nosmelc
Just Too Far
"Keep in mind, this law would have made filming George Floyd’s murder a crime. 8 feet is also too far away to make out a badge number."
– OrphanedInStoryville
Filming Is The Way To Go
"IMO it should be legal to record any public employee while they work. What was the official justification for this?"
"I will say I think 99% of police are good people doing a hard job professionally 99% of the time and I don't think they deserve the amount of hate they get. But boy oh boy does that remaining 1% do a lot of harm."
– andrewclarkson
Others think 8 feet is reasonable and is a lot closer than people think.
Filming Is Within The Rules
"8 feet is perfectly fine for any phone-cam to record what's going on. At least this way they firmly indicate that filming IS in fact allowed."
"Seems like a perfectly fine allowance. If you are a cop wrastling a guy down on the ground you don't want any of his friends any closer than that and have to worry about that other person too."
– TheGarp
Remember Your Safety
"If you were trying to get closer than 8 feet before this, than you’re a f*cking idiot."
– AcetonePeroxideH2O2
I Would Like To Make The Rules
"8 feet is reasonable as a bystander. But if an officer approached me less than 8 feet I should still have a right to record him."
"So if I’m in a traffic stop- I’m gonna have to let the officer immediately know I intend to film so he needs to conduct the traffic stop from 8 feet away then or allow me to set up my camera 8 feet away."
– glitterbomb222
Close Enough Is Good Enough
"8 feet is close enough to film literally anything. But like, It's not a big deal IMO. Could have cascading effects later tho."
– Unlucky_Web3199
Some people think bringing the law to light may be a good thing, or are at least undecided.
Don't Do Anything You Don't Want Seen
"Sounds like something to deter police wrongdoings being recorded, and I'm saying this as someone who supports police."
– ASubwayFootlong
The Good, The Bad, The Neutral
"Couple of abstract thoughts. I actually live in AZ so fairly surprised to hear this."
"1. Benefit of the doubt: prevents the masses from identifying specific officers if anything goes viral online. Based off the last few years I'd be fearful of my face showing up online especially in a less than favorable light."
"2. Pessimistic side: yeah its probably because they don't want people recording every cop they see for 'potential evidence' even though it would increase transparency."
"3. I'm undecided if this actually helps or hurts more. The past several years have shown sh*t blows up fast but the videos that end up online start seconds before sh*t hits the fan. I wish they started at the beginning so you could see the circumstances leading up to whatever incident. Those videos are often only released months after and by then the damage has been done."
– PurpleLink739
Situational Impacts
"Honestly I'm thinking it's a good thing in some ways and a bad thing in others.. alot of people have started recording the police more recently since the big blm movement, which isn't a bad thing, but some people are ignorant and just act rude and dickish about it unnecessarily there's no reason for it, and of course the bad is some cops with abuse this new law and milk it for all its worth. The other thing I don't get is making their jobs a pain in the @ss.. they've asked for ID give them your damn ID instead of getting into a situation where the problem won't be resolved for 50 mins give them your ID and be done with it in 10. Just rude and a stupid"
– SadlyUnmistaken
Ultimately, however, people oppose this law.
The Worst Kind Of Law
"Another step in the direction of not insisting on police accountability. There's no reason to have a law like this passed."
– Chemical_Ad_4029
Should Be Illegal In And Of Itself
"It is fascist and concerning, to say the least."
– princeofallcosmos92
"It is unconstitutional"
– SolaroscopyApollo
Everything Will Get Worse
"police brutality is already an issue, creating laws against recording it is worse. You can't try something really without proof? and also, it's SUPPOSED to be legal to record cops, in case they do any shady sh*t."
– savspitsbars
"Obviously they have sh*t to hide and want to get away with it"
– Kir-ius
We all know we've had serious problems when it comes to police brutality, and that filming these events have helped serve at least the smallest amount of justice.
Will this law erase all of the progress we've made?
Police Officers Share The Funniest Excuses People Have Given To Avoid A Speeding Ticket
I can explain!
For a short time in my life I held a career as a traffic school instructor. I wouldn't teach people to drive, they would come in after a traffic infraction to lessen the fine on their ticket or points on their license. And nine times out of ten... everybody was their for speeding, or a wrong left turn. The answers everyone had for speeding was always comedy gold. Though nobody can top me and my excuse for going 135 in a 50... but I digress; next to me, only the police must have better stories.
Redditor u/CaptainRonny wanted the po-po to tell us a few funny tales by asking.... Police Officers of Reddit, what was the silliest thing you've heard from someone trying to avoid a ticket for speeding?I get it guys....
Season 23 Episode 10 GIF by South ParkGiphyNot a cop but a buddy of mine is and he likes to tell a story about a guy who flipped his car over on I-75 going through Detroit.
Apparently the guy was wasted, looked like he hadn't bathed in weeks, the car was totaled, there were beer cans strewn all over the highway, and while the various officers who responded were debating over who had to take custody of this wreck of a human being he walked up to them and said "Hey guys, I totally understand if you just want to let me go."
Just a small 10 officer...
Not a police officer and not my story, but funny....
From the law firm partner who trained me:
Client is driving home from a court hearing 2 hours away with attorney in passenger seat. Gets stopped for doing 10-15 over the limit on freeway. Cop approaches and client opens with:
"Officer, I'm terribly sorry, I was speeding, probably 10 miles over the limit, you can write me a ticket if you need to, but please do it quickly ... you see, I have my attorney in the car and he's charging me $400/hour until I drop him off..."
Cop said it was the best excuse he'd heard in months, told him to slow down, and get home safely, but let them off with no ticket or write-up.
Such a Turd
Not a cop but my crap-moblie broke so was borrowing my mom's Lexus. Cruising along see police lights, look back at speedometer I'm pushing 80 on a road that is normally a 45 so just pull over. Cop finally catches up goes through the whole ordeal paperwork, do you know why I pulled you over?
Etc. Explain that it's my mom's car and I'm not used to something that can get out of its own way and apologize for going so fast. Describe my car to him and he just laughs, says he has seen it around town before and commented on how it was such a turd. Let me go with a verbal warning.
Oh Grandma....
Old Lady Dancing GIF by MattielGiphyMy friend's 70-year-old mother got pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt. She told the cop she just got breast implants and the doctor advised her against seatbelt use until she healed. Cop let her go.
I Gotta Pee Yo!
I got pulled over when I was 39 weeks pregnant because I didn't signal while turning into a gas station at 2 am.
I was going to pickup a friend who needed a ride and a place to sleep, but baby shifted and I was 10 seconds away from peeing my pants.
I was already unbuckled and leaving the car.
I yelled at him he could give me any ticket he wanted but I have to pee first as a waddled as fast as I could into the gas station.
When I got back he was just standing there looking awkward, asked if I felt better, told me to remember my signal and left.
Thanks, Dad...
Not a cop, but I had one laugh in my face when I was 19 and got caught speeding.
I was doing 75 on the highway at night, in an area that has signs that indicate the speed limit is 70 during the day but 60 at night.
I legitimately didn't know I was speeding because of of this incident when I was a kid... my dad was kind of a speed demon, and I was a snitch of a kid. One night on this same stretch of highway I looked over and saw him driving about 80, and I pointed out that the sign said the speed limit was 60 at night.
My dad told me, not missing a beat, "That rule only applies to 18-wheelers." And I believed him.
10+ years later, this cop pulled me over and pointed out the lower speed limit at night, and I looked him dead in the eye and said, "My dad told me that only applies to trucks?" The cop started laughing. My genuine confusion (and embarrassment) apparently convinced him, though, because he didn't write a ticket.
Thanks, dad.
Back off.....
I'm not a cop but I said something stupid to one and actually got out of a ticket.
It was at night on the highway, one lane due to construction and I was going the speed limit. Some butthole decided to tailgate me pretty bad, as in I couldn't even see their headlight. I sped up and they did as well.
By the time construction ended we were going 90-100mph, I tuned of to my exit and Mr butthole was still following me. Slowing down to stop and blue lights light up.
I told him I thought he was just some fool tailgating me or something, I got chewed out and he left. I never got a ticket.
Haha... got me...
Tom Cruise Smile GIFGiphyMy boyfriend's dad got pulled over once for speeding. The officer said he clocked him going 50mph.
"But officer I was only going 45!!" "Sir this roads limit is 35.."
Needless to say he got a ticket.
The Escort
A friend was given court documents that needed to be presented to judge 200 miles away to stop a deportation that night. Not only did he not get a ticket, the police escorted him and contacted the force in the next county so the escort continued until he got there. At one point he couldn't keep up with them because they were driving too fast for him.
ETA thank you for the awards and up votes.
Leaking....
shots fired lol GIF by Jonas MosessonGiphyA colleague of mine loved to tell how she was pulled over for speeding. She explained to cop she panicked because she began leaking milk and wanted to get home quick to clean and collect (she just had a baby). Cop had an horrified reaction and let her go.
It's not accurate
Was riding with a friend of mine one night on the maiden voyage after he installed a V8 in his Pontiac Fiero Got pulled over and the cop walked up and says " I stopped you because I clocked you doing 76 in a 55"
Buddy says "you should get that radar thing checked, it's not accurate "
Cops says "we calibrate it twice per shift etc etc " Buddy says "no, you don't understand, if it says we were doing 76, it's not working right, cause we were doing just over a hundred"
Cop fell over laughing, said he's been a cop for 17 years and no one has ever argued that they were going faster than he clocked them, and wrote a warning.
I got nabbed for blowing a stop sign, that was in the middle of nowhere and you could see both directions for miles, Cop was upset and says "you're driving an 18 wheeler and just ran that stop sign, what have you got to say for yourself ?"
"All I can say is that it was pretty stupid to run a stop sign in front of you.
Dude wrote me a warning for not lying and saying I didn't run it.
Lead foot
When I was in Driver Ed 30+ years ago, a cop came to class one day to discuss driving safety. At the end he mentioned some of his favorite excuses for speeding, such as "I'm wearing my heavy shoes today" and "I just left the car wash and drove fast to dry it off."
Jason Bourne
Kind of the opposite, but I once had a cop once pull me over for speeding, and he asked me if I had any decent reason at all why I was speeding. The way he said it, it seemed he didn't really want to give me a ticket.
All of my pre-planned excuses went out the window and I kind of stammered "Uh, no...no good reason." I certainly didn't expect a get out of jail free card (so to speak), so he knocked it down to the minimum and gave me the ticket. He actually seemed disappointed in me, lol.
At the time, I couldn't understand why he was so generous. But I found out later that when my plates got run, it came up that I had a Restricted Carry Permit for firearms. I was an armored car guard at the time and where I live the only people that get those carry permits are guards and trappers, who live way up north. Given that I had the permit, it was obvious to him that I was a somewhat law-abiding citizen, besides driving like Jason Bourne in a car chase. I was let off for speeding all the time when working, but that is a different set of circumstances.
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People.... DON'T BE AN AMY COOPER!!! Stop calling the police for stupid reasons. Now this is a comical piece and there are several sidesplitting situations you will read about, but, be more responsible.
With that being said, the results can often be staggering in hilarity with idiocy is ringing.
Redditor u/GenjiKat wanted to know what 911 dispatchers have to deal with on the regular that make them want to pull their hair out by asking.... 911/999 dispatch, what's the dumbest reason someone has called?
The Frivolous.
GiphyLittle old lady would call every morning to ask what the weather was like outside. No matter how many times we told her to stop.
A grown man wanted to press charges against someone who flipped him off while driving. beautnight
Bambi's Eyes.
When they released our city's stupidest 911 calls a few years ago, this was one:
There's a deer in my yard. (A weekly occurrence here)
What is it doing?
It's looking at me. Not_A_Wendigo
it was hilarious.....
Not a dispatcher, but firefighter. We were called out to a residence one very frosty morning mid winter during a very long cold snap... because the homeowner couldn't open his front door and was unable to get out to get to work. We drove up, I got out, ready to force the door open, but tried it first. It opened with minimal effort (frozen a bit). I opened the door and called out "Fire department. Did you still need us?" He was so embarrassed and it was hilarious. gorammitMal
Yogi?
GiphyA guy called because an injured bear was in his front yard for "a few hours." It was a giant landscaping boulder that had been there for years. oneofthesesigns
ROOMBA!
I was doing IT work at a dispatch center when a 911 call came in from a woman who said that she came home and heard a burglar upstairs. This was in a small town that doesn't get much crime. The town sent 5 of their own cops plus they requested mutual aid from two neighboring towns.
A total of about 10 officers cordoned off the area and set up a perimeter. Cops went into the house looking for the burglar.
They found that the noise was caused by a ROOMBA that got trapped in a closet. The vacuum was banging against the walls and the closet door trying to escape.
No arrests were made that day. Fortunately, no one was injured, either. dartdoug
The Rinse.
She got shampoo in her eye while showering. She rinsed it out, and her vision was unaffected, but it, like, really stung for a minute. She was 27 and could not be talked out of having paramedics dispatched. When the medics got there, they couldn't talk her out of going to the hospital.
She was fine, at least until she got word from her insurance company that they weren't going to pay for her "frivolous and unnecessary" ambulance ride. jemmo_
Not a Taxi....
GiphyThere are apparently multiple people each month who think they can call the emergency number asking for the police to give them a ride home because they got plastered at a bar and don't want to drink & drive. ConstableBlimeyChips
Finding the Pro.
I had a guy call 911 and wanted to report that a woman had stolen his money. We were swamped that night so I kept him on the line trying to get further information. Upon asking a few more questions about the woman and her description it was obvious he was describing a sex worker.
He then began to cry and begged me to not judge him for hiring a sex worker. I promised him I wouldn't judge him and I would send him an officer as soon as we had one available. He hung up and I pended the call as the woman was no longer on scene. He called back on 911 less than a minute later and proceeded to want to talk about his hiring her until officers arrived.
My partner and I continued to pick up his call after we had to place him on hold several times to take other 911 calls during the 15 minute period it took for officers to get to him. He ended up getting arrested for disorderly conduct that night as he was extremely intoxicated and decided he wanted to have a go at the officers when they arrived. cycleindiana
So Petty.
Because their electricity went out and they wanted the police to fix it. Then got upset when I told them they needed to call their power company.
I've also had someone call because their neighbors tree was dropping leaves into their yard and they wanted the neighbor to clean it up.
And one of the funniest/most ridiculous: because someone's automatic sprinklers turned on while they were walking their dog and they got wet. Wanted to press assault charges.
People call for the most PETTY things ever. I would always have them call back on the non-emergency line as soon as they told me the ridiculousness. 911 is for emergencies only boys and girls! knewfonewhodis
Find the Birds.
GiphyI will never forget that brief period in early 2018 when KFC ran out of chicken and police in the UK received so many calls about it that they had to put out a notice asking people to stop. PoundshopPrincessJas
"He was so embarrassed..."
Not a dispather, but firefighter. We were called out to a residence one very frosty morning mid winter during a very long cold snap...because the homeowner couldn't open his front door and was unable to get out to get to work. We drove up, I got out, ready to force the door open, but tried it first. It opened with minimal effort (frozen a bit). I opened the door and called out "Fire department. Did you still need us?" He was so embarassed and it was hilarious.
"Caller advised..."
- Elderly male was trying to scoop poop out of his constipated wife's bhole and made it bleed. Had to instruct the caller to not try to scoop anything else out of the patients bhole.
- Caller advised someone dead in her front driveway. Asked for an approximate age, said 40-50 year old male. Arrived on scene to find her pet deceased in the driveway. (No wonder she declined CPR)
- "Drunk falcon". Caller reported someone stumbling into the roadway possible drunk. Asking for a description of "him" as the caller told us, and he said brown. (??) To clarify, African American or Hispanic? Caller said.. "uh I'm not sure, light brown? I mean it's a falcon so the normal falcon brown?" I could go on, but honestly every day gets weirder and weirder.
"I once had a woman..."
Medical dispatcher here:
I once had a woman call for an ambulance because her daughter got her hand stuck between the mattress and the wall and she couldn't pull it out or lift the mattress.
I once had a man call because his 13yo daughter had vaginal bleeding. It was her period. Not even her first. He called without telling the daughter or the mom - who had primary custody and had the daughter at HER house at the time.
I once had a woman call because she choked on her food - a "down the wrong pipe" situation - and requested I stay on the line with her until the ambulance arrived because she was scared. She asked me "Do you think I could still be choking?"
I once had a woman call because she thought she felt a lump in her breast and wanted to go to the ER. We're not allowed to tell people to make an appointment with their doctor in the morning, so I sent an ambulance. The kicker: she lived 1 block down from the hospital. She could've walked and saved a lot of money.
"I had a woman..."
I had a woman recently call in upset that a cashier wouldn't cash her lottery tickets after asking her to leave repeatedly.
"He was advised..."
911 call with the reporting party saying there is a jellyfish stranded on the beach. He was advised not to touch it and asked if anyone needed medical assistance that had been stung. No, he wanted someone to come SAVE THE JELLYFISH. I explained that it was a natural phenomenon and that neither Animal Control nor the Marine Mammal Center will respond for that. He screamed at me that I was an animal hater until I had to disconnect.
"I ha
I have a cousin who is a 911 dispatcher, his first ever call, a woman called to get the phone number of one of the cops who had recently been to her house because she hadn't had sex in over a month and thought he was hot.
"Some dude called us..."
Some dude called us to make a "serious complaint" i asked him what was the problem and he said "They gave me like a medium size worth of fries and I asked for large" I was confused and I asked if this was a prank call. He said no. Dude was really pissed of that he didn't get all his fries.
"I could list off calls..."
I could list off calls all day. Been a dispatcher for 4 years now and I honestly thought maybe 25% of calls would be something pressing when someone called 911. I was very wrong. Maybe 2% on a good day. On 5 different occasions I've had people want us to check the area around their house because "my dog is barking and he never barks." When asked if they saw or heard anything they say no. So we go and patrol the area 100% based on a dog hunch.
"She was called..."
Not me personally, but a friend of mine who works as a call dispatcher. She was called just this week by an adult male wanting the police because his neighbour trimmed his hedges over the property line.
Needless to say they didn't pay him a visit.
"A man calls..."
A man calls about domestic violence but when the police arrived he answered the door with a bowl of spaghetti dumped on his head. He and his wife had gotten into a (food) fight. Some of the other casualties were the cesar salad which was dumped on the wife's head and some garlic bread that she used to hit her husband.
A man could not..."
A man could not get through the Capatcha to request an Uber. He may have been a robot.
"All laugh."
When my wife and I were new parents we called poison control because our daughter, who had just started crawling, ate a grasshopper. (Half a grasshopper, actually.)
The operator was laughing so hard she could barely talk. Put us on speaker phone with a whole room full of laughing people. They reassured us by pointing out that this is a delicacy in some cultures. Said it was good with honey.
It became a family joke. "Remember the time she ate a grasshopper?" "No, it was just half a grasshopper." All laugh. She glares at us.
"My mom..."
My mom was a dispatcher when I was really young and they would always get 911 calls of when will the fireworks start for 4th of July, the summer festival and any sort of event with fireworks.
"One day..."
"Chicken by the coffee pot."
The neighborhood we lived in had random stray chickens. (Word on the street was someone was trying to run a chicken fighting ring and the chickens rebelled and escaped, thus creating a slew of stray chickens running amuck. I don't buy it though.) One was actually roosting in my backyard for five days without my dogs noticing... anyway...
My husband is a police officer in the next town over. One day he called me laughing, because he heard through his dispatch radio that our neighbor called 911 because a chicken had broken into their house and was sitting next to their coffee pot.
"She didn't throw away..."
Because her husband yelled at her. She didn't throw away an empty bottle of shampoo. They were both inebriated and eventually, he got on the line too and started explaining that she's messy. I dispatched an officer right away, because not on my watch Kidding. Kidding! But an officer did go out! Lol it was a small country town.
"I'm gonna add..."
I'm gonna add to the stuff stuck up the butt. I didn't take the call but I got to listen to the recording right after my coworker took the call. Guy calls in asking for an ambulance saying he has a fever that won't go away after a couple of days. In cases like this we try to get a little further just in case it's more serious, although it's not uncommon to dispatch for a fever. He sounds fine, completely coherent. He is being really sketchy about explaining his circumstances. After a brief pause he goes "I got something stuck up my butt a few days ago and I can't get it out. Ok, I said it!" My coworker did everything in her power to keep it professional.
Oh, and I was just mocked and chewed out by a caller because we weren't helping him fast enough. Something to do with his neighbor neglecting her dog. He's been standing in his driveway for an hour even though he just called us 10 minutes ago...
"There was a spout..."
There was a spout of people calling 911 because their order was wrong from a fast food place.
"She had a lady..."
My sister worked dispatch. She had a lady call 911 because her neighbours filled there pool and she thought it was too full. When the neighbours jumped in the pool some of the water would splash out and the caller though some water would go on to her property. My sister told her that this isn't an emergency. The lady replied by screaming "But I have a dinner party tonight!". No cops were sent.
"A guy who phoned..."
I was a 999 operator for an ambulance service in the UK. I have had:
*Idiots calling 999 just to wish us happy Christmas or happy new year with no consideration that they are blocking lines for genuine emergencies.
*People phoning to chat because they feel lonely.
*A guy who phoned 999 EVERY NIGHT to say he was having a heart attack but actually just had anxiety. This is actually not an uncommon issue.
*A couple who would phone 999 regularly to tell us that their partner was unconscious and not breathing despite hearing the partner talking in the background...
*People ringing 999 to ask for an emergency ambulance for their pet cat that had been run over.
"A woman called..."
A woman called DEMANDING that her extensive criminal record be wiped.
"Had a call come in..."
Had a call come in once from a man reporting that his ex had broken into his flat and tried to murder him.
What had actually happened was that the ex (who still lived at the property) had come in using her key and opened a window because it was over 35°c (95°f) in the flat. He thought she was trying to kill him by giving him hypothermia. On the hottest night of the year.
"A family member..."
A family member who works dispatch told me they had a call:
"Someone threw a hot dog at me."
"Another..."
Guy calls 999 and asks for police, somone has put cardboard beside their oil tank and I think it's going to explode! Come quick!. Sorry sir, is there a fire? No it's a fire hazard. Ok well if a fire breaks out it isnt the cardboard that you need to worry about and from my recollection cardboard doesn't just spontaneously combust.
Another was, I just poured some oil down a drain buy mistake send police now! Ok sir, this isnt really a police matter. Contact the water service. But I need the police Would you like me to come arrest the oil sir?
"Have a fungal growth..."
Paramedic, but I think I qualify, and there's a few from offer the years. Have writer's block, can't sleep. Have a fungal growth on my scrotum (proceeds to show me despite my protestations). Was stuck in an elevator, was scared I was going to die (though clearly not dead). Parents turned the Wi-Fi off because I'm playing too much Xbox (I did sympathise a bit, it was a double XP that weekend). I have a cloud phobia, I walked outside an saw some clouds. I broke a nail.
Try keeping composed and professional when such rubbish comes out of people's mouths.
"Woman in hysterics..."
Woman in hysterics just totally losing her mind because her son was missing as he hadn't returned from school. First question was "when was he suppose to come home?" Her response was "3pm" it was 1:30.
"Someone called..."
My mum had a call on Christmas Day about 15 years ago. Someone rang in to say their turkey wouldn't fit in the oven.
"Someone called up..."
I used to work for 000 in Aus. Someone called up because there was a spider in their bathroom. I had to put them through to the fire brigade and the lady was screaming and the firefighter was like "just throw a shoe at it". Pretty sure they had to send someone around
"I was once dispatched..."
Retired deputy here. I was once dispatched to a call in the middle of the night in which a lady stated that she couldn't sleep because of a duck quacking outside her window. Fortuneately it was gone before I got there.
We got paged to a guy tripping the other day seeing Jesus in his phone. He was a super cooperative and sweet patient, and just having a really bad night. His douchebag friends kicked him out when he was having a hard time, so we picked him up basically to keep him safe. He had quite the cocktail of drugs on board, so we convinced him (effortlessly, he was very sweet) to let us check out his heart and make sure it wasn't struggling with the mix of uppers and downers. His pulse and BP were rightfully elevated, but healthy.
At that point, Jesus Phone made him call his mom, so he, mom, and myself had a lovely conversation in the ambulance. She wins mom of the year award for being so understanding and supportive of her son in a hard place, and he wins patient of the year for being a good self-advocate and so agreeable despite how scared he was. But don't do drugs, kids, Jesus will appear in your phone and tell you whacky stuff.
People Break Down The Dumbest Way They've Ever Seen Someone Get Into Trouble With The Law
The law and the police are a particularly touchy subject right now. The police are under nationwide scrutiny for abusing their power.
But there are ways to avoid encounters with the police in day-to-day life. And then there are ways to draw attention to yourself like a neon sign. Some folks have trouble turning that sign off.
u/LeatherSwordfish8 asked:
"What's the dumbest way that someone you know has gotten in trouble with the law?"
Here were some of those answers.
Shouldn't You Be Able To Answer This?
Me, picking up my younger brother from elementary school (at the request of our parents) when I was 17 and asking his teacher "How do you know I'm actually authorized to collect this child? Is there a list or something?"
Police Abusing Power
In 05 I had a buddy I worked with. He was walking home after work. He passed by some kids who were smoking weed. He didn't think anything about it. Couple minutes later cop hits his siren and tells him to stop.
Buddy stopped the cop told him to empty his pockets. Buddy smokes cigs and had a lighter and pack of smokes on him. Cops cuffs him. Apparently the cops busted the kids smoking weed he passed. They said they got if from my buddy to try and get out of trouble. The cop considered the lighter drug paraphernalia. My buddy had to get a lawyer and go through 6months of court hearings and 10days in jail before a judge tossed the case. Lost his job apartment. Really f**ked him over.
Telling On Yourself
Knew a guy who was chatting with a friendly cop outside a local supermarket. Just for fun he asked the cop to look him up on his computer. Turns out he had a warrant, apparently for an unpaid ticket he didn't know about. The cop was really apologetic, but said "I gotta take you in." My friend spent a few hours at the jail before coming home.
Aaaand You're Arrested
Guy was driving around smoking weed with three friends in the car (windows shut) and saw some emergency vehicles at the entrance to an apartment complex his other buddy lived in. So, what does he do? Drives right over there to a line waiting to get into the parking lot. He can clearly see there's a police officer talking to every driver so as to only let in people who live there. Instead of turning around, he pulls up to the officer who promptly asks him to roll down his window...
A Saga On A Tail Light
A friend of mine got pulled over for having a burnt-out tail light. He was given a "fix-it ticket" -- if he provided proof of getting the bulb replaced within a certain time period, the violation would be torn up.
He didn't do it. A while later, he got pulled over again. This time, he had a bench warrant for his arrest over the ticket he never fixed or paid, so he spent a few hours in a holding cell while waiting for his wife to arrive. They paid the ticket, a penalty for not paying the ticket on time, and court costs. He also got his car impounded.
He went to the impound lot to get his car back, but he arrived ten minutes after the lot closed. There was nothing he could do... he had to let it sit there another day, accruing an additional $50 in fees -- on top of the $200 or it was already going to cost him.
When all was said and done, he ended up with many hundreds of dollars in penalties, and a lot of time wasted, all because he didn't replace a $5 bulb in his car. The kicker was that he had the bulb the whole time, even when the first officer pulled him over! He just didn't have a screwdriver, nor did he take the time to go buy one for $2 from Walmart or Home Depot or something and just fix the stupid car.
A DUI On A Silver Platter
A guy I know got a DUI in a McDonalds parking lot. He got into a belligerent argument with the worker through the intercom, and then insisted on eating his food in the parking lot after being threatened by the manager to call the cops. He really set that one up on a silver platter for the arresting officer.
A Sure Way To "Neon Sign"
A relative posted photos of themselves holding restricted firearms on FB along with a death threat to a neighbor that allegedly tried something inappropriate with their daughter.
Never threaten someone before you do something and definitely dont post your intentions on social media.
Probably Didn't Sit Well
Guy I worked with took it a little far at a work function. Saw an ambulance across the street, hopped in, locked all the doors then started playing with the sirens and loud speaker. The company President bailed him out.
The 90s had a different set of rules for work events.
Drunk People Telling On Themselves Part Two
Some dude crashed into the car of a friend of mine while he was still just parking there. It was totally the dudes fault.
My friend just wanted to go ahead and wanted to exchange contact info for insurance and just go on with his day.
But this dude is completely furious and insists to call the cops and make a scene there. He calls the cops. The cops show up and it turns out this dude is completely drunk.
It still boggles my mind how stupid this dude was. Losing his driver license and needing to pay all the damage out of his pocket because of this.
Don't Record Yourself
I know of someone who had a dash cam fitted. They did 90mph in a residential area and crashed, seriously injuring a passenger. The dash cam was used as evidence of how ridiculously fast they were going and he ended up doing a jail sentence. He probably wouldn't have gone to jail if his own dash cam didn't incriminate him (although I think he would probably still have lost his license or something, just not jail time.) Doing 3 times the speed limit is dumb but doing it whilst recording yourself is even dumber.
Cop Gets Locked In Bathroom At Police Station, And His Colleagues Have To Use A Battering Ram To Get Him Out
This hilarious video shows the moment a cop needed armed colleagues with a battering ram to break him out – of a locked station toilet.
The funny footage shows a cop being busted out of the bathroom with the heavy-duty ram after getting stuck.
The huge red enforcer - dubbed the big red key - is normally used to smash down the doors of hardened criminals.
The 30-second clip opens with an officer from an unidentified force striding into the toilet with the 35lb battering ram over his shoulder.
UK Cop Humour / SWNS.com
He then checks that his colleague is not behind the door, asking:
"Are your trousers up or what - are you ready to go?"
UK Cop Humour / SWNS.com
Given the go-ahead, the officer easily breaks into the bathroom with just one swing and frees the trapped man.
UK Cop Humour / SWNS.com
He then emerges to the laughter and cheers of his assembled colleagues - and appears to look a bit sheepish.
UK Cop Humour / SWNS.com
The video was filmed earlier this month.
The owner did not want to reveal which force was involved.
He joked:
"What is the cake fine for getting yourself locked in the bathroom and having to be saved by Firearms?"