Watcha Gonna Do?
The other night I was walking into my living room when I happened to notice some flashing lights outside the front windows. Being the nosy and curious neighbor that I am, I peeked outside to see two cop cars and a car that had apparently been pulled over, with the driver standing behind his car and talking with one of the officers while two other officers stood nearby. The driver had some papers in his hands and seemed to be trying to make a case for himself as the cops listened.
After about 5 or 10 minutes, another cop car swung around the corner and the driver and his partner got out. At this point, a number of the neighbors from the surrounding houses were watching to see what was going down as a semi-circle of five cops stood around the driver.
And then it was over. One of the cops handed the driver what looked like either his registration/insurance back or a few tickets, and then all three police cars drove off, with the pulled-over driver leaving shortly after.
I have no idea what the circumstances were, but I have to say that the appearance of the thing made it look like a bit of overkill by the police and possibly a case of DWB. I mean, three police cars and five officers? I know I would’ve been totally intimidated if I was surrounded by five cops, even if I hadn’t done anything.
While I’m no fan of the stop snitchin’ phenomenon, when the only time you see police in your neighborhood is when five officers (all white) surround a black driver, it becomes a bit clearer why people are suspicious of the police. I’d love to see a bit more community interaction and maybe even some (and I know this is a pipe dream) walking-the-street-beat cops in my neighborhood sometimes.
*By the way, the ethics/effics thing in the Daily Show clip is some funny shit right there.
It’s common procedure for officers to drive by another’s traffic stop. It’s a show of solidarity, as well as being smart. They are the ones who will be risking life and limb if the stop-ee gets out of hand, and they don’t expect help from civilians.
PPD does this in all neighborhoods, and I would assume most major police departments use these tactics as well.
a drive-by, i understand, as well as the fact that cops risk life and limb, but is a third car necessary in a one-suspect situation, especially if that person is cooperating and already away from his vehicle? and if so, is then getting out of that third car necessary? it seems if you’re there to provide backup in case something goes down, it would be better not to have everybody in the same place but have reserves in the car, no?
(i’m sure there are circumstances where the answer is yes, i’m just playing some devil’s advocate and giving my impression of the specific scene i saw)
I have witnessed this multi-cop situation many times in the suburbs as well, so it’s not limited to Portland. It does seem like overkill most times, but as someone said, better safe than sorry I suppose.
I’ve had the same thing happen to me at traffic stops and I’m as white as they come.
I can attest to the multi-car thing in the burbs as well. Three cop cars and a fire engine were outside last week dealing with someone sitting on a curb who appeared to be intoxicated.
My neighborhood has a history of some unsavory types around (99.9999% of whom are white), and you have a 50/50 shot at seeing multiple patrol cars when you call.
Now that I think about it… I think I most often see more than one car when we call about something happening in a house (domestic dispute, etc), but usually only one car is dispatched when we’ve called about a vehicle-related problem. Not sure if that’s coincidence or procedure.
I wouldn’t rule out DWB, though, especially if, like you said, you don’t often see cops in your neighborhood. It’s one thing if they’re there all the time and happened to be in the vicinity. Quite another to dispatch several to the scene just for that… Hard to say. Guess I didn’t learn much from “Crash” after all…
I think cops have a hard job and find themselves open to criticism if they do something or they do nothing. As long as no one was roughed up without cause at the stop mentioned, I think we should assume that the police had reason to call in help and that the police handled whatever the situation was with good judgement.
Not that police in all areas do not occasionally overstep their boundaries as they try to maintain a peaceful environment for the people who pay their salaries. But this one does not sound like one of those instances.