the New Crime... Walking Under the Influence.

This is my first thread. It's something that has been heavy on my mind, and I'm not sure where to post this.
MOD'S!!! Do what ya gotta!

Thank you in advance for reading and I would love some advice.

I'm 27 years old. I live in northern Vermont. A small town with a city label.. haha. I have had few issues with the local police.

Don't get me wrong. I have no criminal record. I keep to myself. I don't go out often, and now I go out even less!

A few years ago, there was a bar closing due to legalities... the employees invited me to come and help 'empty the kegs' haha. So i obliged.

I left and walked home. I was maybe four houses away from my home, walking on the sidewalk. A cop car pulled up next to me, and two officers got out, said nothing to me, put me in handcuffs, AND THEN breathalyzed me. I told them I lived literally a few houses up, they said I didn't want to wake my mother up. She works third shift and in fact was awake. They took me to the drunk tank, a good 30 minute walk from my home, and around 830 am woke me and sent me on my way. Okay, okay... It was a fluke right? No big deal...

Fast Forward...

A couple months ago, I wanted to go out and have a good time. I walked to the bar. Had a good time. Something I noticed in the times I do go out is that the local police routinely enter this establishment, patrol it, then leave. Almost as if they are fishing...

Anyway, I walked there. It was incredibly busy at the bar this night. The police came and walked around a bit. I had several drinks. Around 130 I put my headphones in, and walked home. I walked on the sidewalk. By myself, hands in my pockets listening to music that I made. Again, within a block of my home (mind you this is a small town. a block is about a five minute walk) an officer pulled up ONTO the curb. I stopped and removed my headphones.

He asked where I was coming from, and I told him the name of the bar. He asked where I was going, and I replied that I was heading to my home, and gave him the address. He asked if I had been drinking, and I said yes. He then radioed something, and two more cop cars arrived.

Now with three police officers around me, I was beginning to get nervous. So I calmly requested to ask a question, 'why did you stop me?'

The second officer to arrive said almost reflexively 'you stumbled.'

I then stated calmly, 'but you weren't the one who stopped me.' I addressed the other officer, 'why did you stop me?'

He stammered and said 'you stumbled'

As a side note, our sidewalks are very poorly maintained, I may have stumbled but I honestly don't recall that happening, and really don't consider a slight stumble cause to stop a person.

Regardless..

I asked why they were doing this. I was not getting loud, or hostile. In fact, I was becoming more and more submissive as I saw where this was going. I told them it wasn't right. I live literally five minutes from where we stood, and I don't cause trouble. I just walked home from the bar, something I THOUGHT was the responsible thing to do.

They then, seemingly because I used my right to ask, handcuffed me and stuffed me in a car. they drove me to the drunk tank again. Only this time they didn't take me out of the car. They then breathalyzed me, the officer signed a paper, then buckled me in and we left.

We got on the interstate, and my local police officer drove me an hour away, to a correctional facility. I was put in a holding cell with 5 others. One was an 'intoxicated person'. One was a parole violator. The other three were there because the ATF raided their house and were being charged for gun running. They were freaking out, and I was a little intimidated.

I woke up around ten. They breathalyzed me. I requested to use the phone to call home, as nobody knew where I was. I had to work at 4, but at this point I wasn't too nervous. They told me I could use the phone once I blew .000

At noon, they tested me again. I blew something like .03 Still no phone call.

Again at 2. .01 No phone call.

At 330... .003 No phone call, and I was very anxious because I am an hour away from home, I have to work in 30 minutes, and nobody knows where I am. I am a supervisor at my job, and was supposed to be running the shift this particular night.

At 430, I asked them to try again. .001 At this point they said close enough, and 20 minutes later finally let me out. 10 minutes of outprocessing and I finally was allowed to give the guard my dads phone number so HE could call. Graciously, my dad drove the hour to pick me up. I called my boss and explained to him what happened. He understood I would not be working that evening, but could not understand why they would bring me out there, like every single person I spoke with.

I was not charged with anything. These officers, IMHO, wasted a substantial amount of gas bringing me out there, and never even gave me a fine. Yeah, Im glad I didn't have to pay anything, but seriously? I wasn't able to get any of my belongings for three days, because it was in the evidence lockup. Evidence of what?

When I asked why I was brought all the way out there, I was told I was 'becoming disorderly'. Why? because I asked why I was stopped? Because I stood up for my inalienable rights in a peaceful manner? Because literally the entire patrol for that evening stopped me, walking with my hands in my pockets, quietly with my headphones on? When the hundred other people at the bar left just as intoxicated as I, only they hopped in their cars and drove?

I'm still trying to understand this event. I feel like I had my rights violated. I missed a day at work, and had what some would call a traumatic experience. I'm no jailbird. It was a little frightening to me, and add to it that NOBODY had any clue where I was, or if I was okay. And instead of being a walkable distance from home, I was an hour away, one way!!

I don't think this was right, and don't really know who to talk to, or if it's even worth it. Since then, I haven't gone out again, and have been intimidated about walking at all. Anyone have any insight?

Crazy story for sure... I hadnt heard anything about that... maybe a small town thing... but geez that is messed up... I would alert the bars, and the people who frequent them about this behavior...

Also... get a video recorder and use it one of the best way to protect your rights anymore

That is terrible.

I have heard of this quite often...i owned a bar in a small town.

I often joked that it would be much better to just drive the 4 or five blocks home as it would only take a minute, and the chances of getting caught would be less than walking for twenty minutes

I can understand being taken in if someone could not walk, or was taking 3 steps to the right for every step forward...that could be dangerous near a road. (drunk in public)

And, either their breathalyzer was broken, or you were pretty hammered still blowing over 12 hours later

While it may seem the safe thing to do (walk) if you are sufficiently drunk, the correct choice is a cab (i know that many small towns don't have em and that stinks)

reply to post by morder1


Definitely am considering a small camcorder for just this reason.
I dont want to have this happen a third time. And if it does, I want to make sure it bites them in their asses.

Yeah, I definitely believe if I had driven, i would have been home in about 2 minutes, lol, and could have avoided all of this.

Thanks guys for replying so quickly!

I was pretty drunk, but not to the extent I could not walk straight. Hell, I can remember everything still, so I know I wasn't so far gone that I was endangering myself or others.

I have also wondered why, even though its not their responsibility, they didn't simply offer me a ride the one block away!

reply to post by HardyWhite


Hi, interesting situation,

In the UK being "drunk and disorderly" is what you would have been charged with, also includes:


In England and Wales, there are a number of offenses dealing with intoxication.

In a public place, it is an offense to be:

Drunk
or
Drunk and Disorderly


It is also an offense to be drunk:

while boarding, or while on board, an aircraft
while in charge of a child under 7 years old
while travelling to a "designated sporting event" (usually professional football matches) on public transport or a vehicle with eight seats or more
while in, or attempting to enter, a "designated sporting ground" (a football ground) during a designated sporting event.
Typically the police will, depending on the circumstances, help the intoxicated person on their way or place the person in a police station cell until sober. Once fit to be dealt with the detained person will normally either be cautioned, be issued with a Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND - £80 fine in ticket form) or bailed to appear at the local court. The court in turn may issue a fine (up to level 1 or level 3 on the standard scale depending on the offense charged).

There are also many more specific offenses, including driving a motor vehicle while drunk (or being found 'drunk in charge') and riding a cycle while unfit through drink. Furthermore, the police have the power (although not the obligation) to confiscate any alcohol which is being consumed in public by those under 18, and local authorities have the power to prohibit alcohol consumption in certain areas.

You think you've got it bad....

Regards.

Don't pigs have better things to do? Like hang around Tim Hortons? Seems like they find any stupid reason to arrest people.

Wow... what happend to the days where a cop would give you a ride home if he noticed you were drunk and walking home? When I was 19 I had a cop pull over while I was walking home Drunk. He asked if I was drunk and where I was heading. I told him yes I was drunk and was walking home. He told me to hop in the car and dropped me off right infront of my house....

Go to the bar but do not drink anything. Then walk home as usual and throw in a stumble here or there and see what happens. It would be funny to see their faces when you blow a 0.00. Might want to do it on a day you don't have work, just in case.

I've gotten an open container ticket as a passenger in a vehicle with a beer bottle cap in my posession (left front pants pocket)

Originally posted by mojoarian
Wow... what happend to the days where a cop would give you a ride home if he noticed you were drunk and walking home? When I was 19 I had a cop pull over while I was walking home Drunk. He asked if I was drunk and where I was heading. I told him yes I was drunk and was walking home. He told me to hop in the car and dropped me off right infront of my house....

edit on 14-7-2011 by mojoarian because: (no reason given)

Hi, was there any "missing time" that you could not account for on your journey home with the officer?

Regards.

Tell the bar owner what happened, and that you will no longer be a customer at their bar because you have no "legal means" of getting home.

For future reference, time for you to move to a different town. Sounds like your local LEO's have become fascists.

Originally posted by canselmi
Go to the bar but do not drink anything. Then walk home as usual and throw in a stumble here or there and see what happens. It would be funny to see their faces when you blow a 0.00. Might want to do it on a day you don't have work, just in case.

That's actually an EXCELLENT idea. Also, have a friend follow behind him about 100 yards with a video camera. If they get that on tape, they'll become a Youtube sensation - and it will embarrass the entire Police department.

The prison system "they" are building now...is called 'HOME'. The days of wandering the streets, til 6 in the mornin'...are OVA. No more ballin' in the park, after dark. When the street lights go on, time to go home. It's truly sad to see what we have become, as a species. I wonder who is the 'ruler' of the animal kingdom?

reply to post by Surreptitious


Nope. He was a younger cop. maybe only age 25 or 26 at the most. I wasn't super wasted. I had already made my way into a residential area and was alone. It was about 1:30am so maybe he thought I was up to no good and looking to break into a home or something. But when he say me and relised I had been drinking he offerd the ride home after I had told him I had been drinking aswell. I was only about 15 minutes away from my parents home on foot. It was about a 5 minute drive at the most. He was a really nice guy. We talked about hockey for like 2 minutes lol

Originally posted by Cryptonomicon

Originally posted by canselmi
Go to the bar but do not drink anything. Then walk home as usual and throw in a stumble here or there and see what happens. It would be funny to see their faces when you blow a 0.00. Might want to do it on a day you don't have work, just in case.

That's actually an EXCELLENT idea. Also, have a friend follow behind him about 100 yards with a video camera. If they get that on tape, they'll become a Youtube sensation - and it will embarrass the entire Police department.

Even better, fall out of the car once stopped, saying "Yes Orifice, whatss seemsss to beee the problem..!??"

Once you blow green on the intoxometer (breathaliser) surely charges of "wasting Police time" will be brought.?


Regards.

reply to post by HardyWhite

By any chance, were you flirting with a hot waitress/bartender girl that night? If so, maybe, maybe one of the cops likes her or is dating her and got jealous of you? You said you live in a small town, and that would be pretty typical of small town cops.

My point is that maybe there is more going on here than just cops being random. Maybe there is a personal agenda going on.

reply to post by Surreptitious


Whilst it is still technically an offence to be drunk in a public place here in the UK, it's very rare the police will arrest you for being drunk alone. Otherwise we would have thousands of people arrested every weekend simply for being drunk!

If your excessively drunk, still not causing an issue and a police officer spots you they'll usually just check your okay and make sure you have the ability to get yourself home.

Usually, you would be charged with being drunk & disorderly - your drunk and acting in an inappropriate manner i.e. shouting, swearing, being sick, being rowdy etc

To the OP:

Sounds like a fairly horrible experience and not knowing the laws where you live I don't really have to much to say. However, it seems wrong and if I were you I'd definitely file a complaint..

Originally posted by Surreptitious

Originally posted by Cryptonomicon

Originally posted by canselmi
Go to the bar but do not drink anything. Then walk home as usual and throw in a stumble here or there and see what happens. It would be funny to see their faces when you blow a 0.00. Might want to do it on a day you don't have work, just in case.

That's actually an EXCELLENT idea. Also, have a friend follow behind him about 100 yards with a video camera. If they get that on tape, they'll become a Youtube sensation - and it will embarrass the entire Police department.

Even better, fall out of the car once stopped, saying "Yes Orifice, whatss seemsss to beee the problem..!??"

Once you blow green on the intoxometer (breathaliser) surely charges of "wasting Police time" will be brought.?

Regards.

That doesn't sound like a good plan at all. Maybe you were just joking?

I would not mess with these guys.

Sounds like they made an example out of you.

In a small town....You are in a lose, lose situation.