Thursday, August 4, 2011

Treat the police with respect and caution

The tragedy below reminded me that many people do not interact with police often. When such interactions go wrong there is usually a trigger -- you can avoid that by being cautious and polite.

Any time you are dealing with the police always be polite. Address the officer as "Officer". Never lie to the police; you can decline to answer questions but you must never lie.

Never take any action that might be seen as hostile. If you need to, for example, get your wallet say "Officer, may I take out my wallet" and, on being given permission, slowly take out your wallet. You do not want the police to think you are reaching for a weapon.

Never be emotional in front of police. Do not yell or cry or act as if panicked. Even if you are upset, act as calmly as you can.

If arrested do not struggle -- just acquiesce.

On arrest you do have a right to remain silent and the right to consult a lawyer. Exercise those rights -- do not answer any questions beyond identifying yourself (legally you don't even have to do that but it's imprudent not to).

(If you are driving a car you have to produce a licence, insurance and ownership when pulled over).

Police do not a have a right to search you, your car or house or office without cause and, in most cases, a warrant. They can ask to "look around" and you can consent. You do not need to consent. You may politely refuse.

The key is to be polite. Treat the police with respect and caution.

http://bit.ly/pFe5KS

Mother devastated after death of disabled son
 
Allison Cross      
Staff Reporter     
 
Frantic that she may have torn up one of her photos of her dead son in a haze of grief, Ann McGillivary rifled through one her drawers on Thursday morning looking for it.

"I don't think I have it," she said, sighing and shaking her head from side to side. "And I don't have nothing right now, because he's dead."

Ann's son, Charles McGillivary, collapsed and died while being arrested by police at the corner of Christie and Bloor Sts. on Monday night.

Because of a childhood accident, he couldn't speak.

...


On Monday, McGillivary walked several paces ahead of Ann, as he often did, unsmiling, with his arms held flat against his body. Ann didn't see the police initiate the arrest.

"I asked (the police), 'Why is Charlie on the ground?'" Ann said. "I told them he can't answer you. He's mentally retarded. He can't speak. He can't answer you. He uses signs."

The police told her to "shut up" and back away from the scene, Ann said.

She said she saw McGillivary's face turn blue. She believes he went into cardiac arrest.

He was taken to Toronto Western Hospital, where he died.

When Ann pleaded with police for a ride to the hospital, police told her to get a cab, she said.

Although she was eventually offered a spot in the ambulance, a friend drove her to the hospital, where they waited for news about her son's condition. But Ann already knew he was dead.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like these "police" are dangerous animals, who society should be better protected from.

James C Morton said...

I don't know the facts here but it may be (and some have suggested)that the deceased's inability to speak was seen as being disrespectful and dangerous.

Anonymous said...

IF the officers do not go to jail, I believe its about time people take matters into their own hands. If we cannot get justice in the courts, we can certainly make our own in the streets.

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Mr. Enemabag Jones said...

My brother was pulled over by the police 10 years ago during a RIDE program. It was about 6:30PM, he was coming home from work. He had cataracts, and even with his glasses, with the dusk sun, he could not see the police officer who was standing on the side of the road.

When my brother saw the other cops waving at him to pull over, he did. The cop who approached him was not wearing his vest, or his hat. He ran up to my brothers car and shouted, "Didn't you see me out there you asshole?" My brother said no, he didn't. The cop responded, "My wife could have been a widow because of you, you stupid fat fuck."

He and another cop dragged my brother from his car, even though my brother was getting out as they told him to. All the while screaming obscenities, and calling him names.

When he blew into the breathalyzer, he was not anywhere near the limit. He hadn't had anything to drink in over two days.

He passed most of the sobriety tests, but failed the balance tests because he had an accident 15 years ago, that ruined both his knees, and required surgery on one. When the cop realized he didn't have a drunk on his hands, he apologized for his "words", but said my brother brought it on himself for resisting arrest, and refusing to get out of the car. No such thing happened.

My brother was still charged with driving over the limit, based on failing thr balance tests. He lost his license for one year, and had to pay a $1000 fine.

My brothers lawyer was incompetent. The cop was on the stand, and never made eye contact with anyone. His story was all over the place, and my brothers lawyer never mentioned that he didn't have his hat, or vest on anytime during the arrest. He never brought up that my brother passed the breathalyzer test, or his bad knees.

When a person coming home from work can be charged with drunk driving, and resisting arrest, when no such crimes occurred, can you not see why people flat out hate the police, and the legal system, James?

Anonymous said...

Wait. The cops beat up and/or kill innocent citizen's during arrests (Hamilton press) and/or while in their custody (Ottawa press)and your solution is to treat them with ever-increasing respect in the desperate hope that extreme respect and deference will improve ones chances of not being beaten or killed! Here's an idea - why not suggest that rogue cops (if they are indeed rogues and not the norm) ought to be purged from the system so as to try and restore rapidly waning public trust in it. How about that for an idea?

U Snooze U Lose said...

This manchild most probably looked exactly like some wanted criminal who's known to be "hostile and violent when confronted by police" or whatever (I mean the guy's neighbours even admitted themselves that he was "scary-looking"), and all the photos of him in the new even look like mugshots. The witnesses reportedly said that when the cops called out to him, he "ignored" them - which anyone would see as a sign more of "hostility" than "disability" - and when the cops did confront and grab him, he "turned violent". What the hell are the cops to do when some fat ugly dude turns violent on them, just run away screaming to mommy??? Of course they're gonna hafta do their job!!! They didn't use weapons on him, they didn't beat him up either (they didn't hit him or kick him or stomp him). They did the right thing by tackling him to the ground - exactly what they're supposed to do when some fat ugly dude turns violent on them!!! And from the looks of this guy, he probably would've dropped dead from something or other, sooner or later anyways!!!

And as for the cops telling his mother "shut up" - well from seeing her interviews in the news, just hearing the sound of that woman's voice would make ANYONE wanna tell her "shut up" too!!! I mean the woman even sounds mentally retarded herself!!! And this whole thing is pretty much her own fault to begin with - first of all, for not keeping her manchild locked up in some institution where he belonged - second, for not teaching him about how to (and even more importantly, how NOT TO) behave towards police - and lastly, leaving him alone in the street while she went into the pizza place (if she would've simply brought him inside the pizza place with her instead, then none of this would've even happened)!!!

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