bananaman
11-09-2010, 10:45 AM
Awhile back I was pulled over about 200 miles from home under suspicion of DUI. (No other driving infraction was committed.) I felt I was truthful, courteous and cooperative to the officer. I said I had a pint of beer with lunch about an hour earlier, and even went for a walk before getting back behind the wheel. He told me I passed all 9 of the coordination tests, and showed me the breath machine reading of .01+.
He then ordered me back to my car, and he went to the passenger seat of his patrol vehicle for about 10 minutes. He returned to my car, tossed my paperwork on the passenger seat, and said, "you are free to go." I thanked him, and asked him his name. "My name is Officer D. Smith [NOT HIS REAL NAME.]" I then asked for his first name, and he replied, "I said my name is D. Smith, you better leave before I change my mind." OK, I vamoosed.
Several months later I was in the area again, and stopped in the office nearest my detention. The officer behind the desk was VERY cooperative and friendly and concerned. However, he had never heard of Officer D. Smith, and when he checked the computer, he said there were 4 officers on the force with the name D. Smith, all based in different locations more than 150 miles from where he pulled me over. The desk officer told me further that patrolmen all the time are temporarily reassigned to other duties and responsibilities without the knowledge of the local office.
So here is what I would like to know, in case this ever happens again:
Am I entitled to know the full name and any other sort of identification of this or any officer? Is there a regulation or law that requires officers to remain anonymous?
Are patrol officers supervised, and if so, how do we motorists find out whether the officers are from the local office or from some distant place?
After he determined that I had not broken any laws, and that I was not DUI, why was I not released? What was he doing for 10 minutes back at his patrol vehicle?
Finally, I assume that he has to make some sort of accounting of his time, especially when he was not patrolling for nearly one hour. What sort of information is contained in this accounting? Since I was the person directly involved with this procedure, am I entitled to a copy of this accounting to see what the officer wrote down about me?
Thanks for your responses, and I hope this does not happen again. It had been over 20 years since my last traffic stop for any reason, and this one did not leave me with a particularly good feeling about the CHP procedures once it was determined that no infraction or crime had been committed.
He then ordered me back to my car, and he went to the passenger seat of his patrol vehicle for about 10 minutes. He returned to my car, tossed my paperwork on the passenger seat, and said, "you are free to go." I thanked him, and asked him his name. "My name is Officer D. Smith [NOT HIS REAL NAME.]" I then asked for his first name, and he replied, "I said my name is D. Smith, you better leave before I change my mind." OK, I vamoosed.
Several months later I was in the area again, and stopped in the office nearest my detention. The officer behind the desk was VERY cooperative and friendly and concerned. However, he had never heard of Officer D. Smith, and when he checked the computer, he said there were 4 officers on the force with the name D. Smith, all based in different locations more than 150 miles from where he pulled me over. The desk officer told me further that patrolmen all the time are temporarily reassigned to other duties and responsibilities without the knowledge of the local office.
So here is what I would like to know, in case this ever happens again:
Am I entitled to know the full name and any other sort of identification of this or any officer? Is there a regulation or law that requires officers to remain anonymous?
Are patrol officers supervised, and if so, how do we motorists find out whether the officers are from the local office or from some distant place?
After he determined that I had not broken any laws, and that I was not DUI, why was I not released? What was he doing for 10 minutes back at his patrol vehicle?
Finally, I assume that he has to make some sort of accounting of his time, especially when he was not patrolling for nearly one hour. What sort of information is contained in this accounting? Since I was the person directly involved with this procedure, am I entitled to a copy of this accounting to see what the officer wrote down about me?
Thanks for your responses, and I hope this does not happen again. It had been over 20 years since my last traffic stop for any reason, and this one did not leave me with a particularly good feeling about the CHP procedures once it was determined that no infraction or crime had been committed.