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Stopped by Beloit Police Dept...

gunguy2009

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2009
Messages
200
Location
Janesville, Wisconsin, USA
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Today (March 12th) My Fiance, 2 yr old daughter, our lil dog and I went for a Walk. If anyone knows Beloit, We parked our car in thenewsectionat the intersection of White ave and Riverside dr. We crossed the bridge on White, went south on 4th, East on E. Grand, then north on Riverside. It was about a 2 mile walk, and just as I was about 15 feetfrom my car, I heard a car and Lisa said "Its a Cop..." Sure enough... I heard "Sir, Please put your hands where I can see them." Not even in a threating tone. He then asked me if I was Open Carrying, I said Yes. He then asked if I had an ID and let me reach past my gun to get my wallet. I asked if he would feel comfortable if he removed my firearm, He said hes not worried about it. lol. He just ran my name to make sure I was legal to carry and we just chatted about it. He knew all the laws. Then a few more cops arrived and we all talked about open carry. I showed him my map of school zones and let him know I am on my P's and Q's about what I do. He was more than nice throughout the entire thing. It was a educational time for both parties I think. We both got things cleared up we were interested in. But the funny thing was, they Knew me before they knew my name lol. The first cop was like "Are you Open Carrying?". Second said "Dont we have a report on you?" as he smiled. (From my Walmart experience in October). 3rd asked "Arent you the one on Carnegie?" haha. But it was a good time. No complaints at all toward the Beloit Police. I gave him one of our WI Pamplets I printed off, and he stood and read it. I think he liked it, lol. Im not sure who else here OC's in Beloit, but I dont think we will have a problem whatsoever. My hat goesoff to theBeloit Police Dept.
 

davegran

Regular Member
Joined
May 1, 2009
Messages
1,563
Location
Cassville Area -Twelve Miles From Anything, Wiscon
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Thanks for being a great ambassador for OC !
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Citizen

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Nov 15, 2006
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18,269
Location
Fairfax Co., VA
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gunguy2009 wrote:
SNIP No complaints at all toward the Beloit Police.

You are more tolerant than I would have been.

A free man approached bythe government, the encounter opening with the government saying, "Please put your hands where I can see them." (emphasis added). ??? There is nothing, not one thing, civil about a cop saying that to someone. It screams the cop feels potential danger. No reasonable person would feel free to disregard that remark and walk away.

And, they knew or suspected who your were? Yet, still decided to even contact you. I don't care whether some court has said police can consensually contact anybody. The mere fact they are contacting an OCer, especially one they think they know, over the exercise of a fundamental human right is to me intolerable. It proves they consider something inherently suspicious and/or criminal about a fundamental human right.

Separately, the true test would have been how nice the officer was if you exercised your rights politely. Anybody can be friendly and professional when they are getting what they want. The real test is when you thwart their desire by politely exercising your rights.

For myself, that opening comment would be the subject of a formal complaint, with some pointed questions: "Is this how you initiate a consensual encounter?" "Are your cops so faint-hearted that they feel they have to say that at the inception of a consensual encounter?"

What are they gonna say? "Uh, it wasn't a consensual encounter"?Which gives one a new target,"What was your RAS (reasonable, articulable suspicion) for a detention?"

Everybody has to decide how tohandle the cop in front of themin the exact circumstances they find themselves. But, I don't know that it helps things overall to forego some rights (silence, search and seizure) while exercising another (2A).And, I definitely disagree with later declaring that everything went smooth, while the smoothness might only have been achieved at the expense of 4A and 5A rights (search, seizure, and silence).

A genuinely professional cop would be just as respectful if you had said things like:

"Officer, no offense, but I do not consent to an encounter with you today. Why am I being detained.

"You want to see my ID? Why am I being detained?"

"You want to see my ID? Oh, officer, you and I both know you have no authority to compel me to show my ID,* and no authority to compel me to identify myself unless you have RAS of a crime.* Why am I being detained? I'm not? Oh, good. Then, no offense, but the ID stays in the wallet."

If he won't respect politely, verbally refused consent, then you really know whether you have a government agent who needs correction. Genuinely professional cops will respect it.

* If true legally in your state.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2009
Messages
2,381
Location
across Death's Door on Washington Island, Wisconsi
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Thank you Citizen. My emphasis below.

968.24 Temporary questioning without arrest. After
having identified himself or herself as a law enforcement officer,
a law enforcement officer may stop a person in a public place for
a reasonable period of time when the officer reasonably suspects
that such person is committing, is about to commit or has committed
a crime
, and may demand the name and address of the person
and an explanation of the person’s conduct. Such detention
and temporary questioning shall be conducted in the vicinity
where the person was stopped.
History: 1993 a. 486.
Suspicious behavior of a driver and passenger justified detention. State v. Goebel,
103 Wis. 2d 203, 307 N.W.2d 915 (1981).
A defendant’s flight from a police officer may, using the totality of circumstances
test, justify a warrantless investigatory stop. State v. Jackson, 147 Wis. 2d 824, 434
N.W.2d 386 (1989).
Actions suggesting to a reasonable police officer that an individual is attempting
to flee is adequately suspicious to support an investigatory stop. State v. Anderson,
155 Wis. 2d 77, 454 N.W.2d 763 (1990).
The Terry rule applies once a person becomes a valid suspect even though the
encounter was initially consensual; if circumstances show investigation is not complete,
the suspect does not have the right to terminate it. State v. Goyer, 157 Wis. 2d
532, 460 N.W.2d 424 (Ct. App. 1990).
When a person’s activity may constitute either a civil forfeiture or crime, an investigative
stop may be performed. State v. Krier, 165 Wis. 2d 673, 478 N.W.2d 63 (Ct.
App. 1991).
A “showup” where police present a single suspect to a witness for identification,
often at or near a crime scene shortly after the crime occurs, is suggestive but not
impermissibly suggestive per se. State v. Garner, 207 Wis. 2d 520, 558 N.W.2d 916
(Ct. App. 1996), 96−0168.
Detaining a person at his home, then transporting him about one mile to the scene
of an accident in which he was involved, was an investigative stop and a reasonable
part of an ongoing accident investigation. State v. Quartana, 213 Wis. 2d 440, 570
N.W.2d 618 (Ct. App. 1997), 97−0695.
That the defendant is detained in a temporary Terry stop does not automatically
mean Miranda warnings are not required. Whether the warnings are required
depends on whether a reasonable person in the defendant’s position would have considered
himself or herself to be in custody. State v. Gruen, 218 Wis. 2d 581, 582
N.W.2d 728 (Ct. App. 1998), 96−2588.
This section authorizes officers to demand identification only when a person is suspected
of committing a crime, but does not govern the lawfulness of requests for identification
in other circumstances. State v. Griffith, 2000 WI 72, 236 Wis. 2d 48, 613
N.W.2d 72, 98−0931.
A police officer performing a Terry stop and requesting identification could perform
a limited search for identifying papers when: 1) the information received by the
officer was not confirmed by police records; 2) the intrusion on the suspect was minimal;
3) the officer observed that the suspect’s pockets were bulging; and 4) the officer
had experience with persons who claimed to have no identification when in fact they
did. State v. Black, 2000 WI App 175, 238 Wis. 2d 203, 617 N.W.2d 210, 99−1686.
ear indicia of reliability. That the tipster’s anonymity is placed at risk indicates that
the informant is genuinely concerned and not a fallacious prankster. Corroborated
aspects of the tip also lend credibility; the corroborated actions of the suspect need
be inherently criminal in and of themselves. State v. Williams, 2001 WI 21, 241 Wis.
2d 631, 623 N.W.2d 106, 96−1821.
An anonymous tip regarding erratic driving from another driver calling from a cell
phone contained sufficient indicia of reliability to justify an investigative stop when:
1) the informant was exposed to possible identification, and therefore possible arrest
if the tip proved false; 2) the tip reported contemporaneous and verifiable observations
regarding the driving, location, and vehicle; and 3) the officer verified many of
the details in the tip. That the tip reasonably suggested intoxicated driving created
an exigency strongly in favor of immediate police investigation without the necessity
that the officer personally observe erratic driving. State v. Rutzinski, 2001 WI 22, 241
Wis. 2d 729, 623 N.W.2d 516, 98−3541.
When a caller identifies himself or herself by name, placing his or her anonymity
at risk, and the totality of the circumstances establishes a reasonable suspicion that
criminal activity may be afoot, the police may execute a lawful investigative stop.
Whether the caller gave correct identifying information, or whether the police ultimately
could have verified the information, the caller, by providing the information,
risked that his or her identity would be discovered and cannot be considered anonymous.
State v. Sisk, 2001 WI App 182, 247 Wis. 2d 443, 634 N.W.2d 877, 00−2614.
It was reasonable to conduct a Terry search of a person who knocked on the door
of a house while it was being searched for drugs pursuant to a warrant. State v. Kolp,
2002 WI App 17, 250 Wis. 2d 296, 640 N.W.2d 551, 01−0549.
Terry and this section apply to confrontations between the police and citizens in
public places only. For private residences and hotels, in the absence of a warrant, the
police must have probable cause and exigent circumstances or consent to justify an
entry. Reasonable suspicion is not a prerequisite to an officer’s seeking consent to
enter a private dwelling. State v. Stout, 2002 WI App 41, 250 Wis. 2d 768, 641
N.W.2d 474, 01−0904.
To perform a protective search for weapons, an officer must have reasonable suspicion
that a person may be armed and dangerous. A court may consider an officer’s
belief that his, her, or another’s safety is threatened in finding reasonable suspicion,
but such a belief is not a prerequisite to a valid search. There is no per se rule justifying
a search any time an individual places his or her hands in his or her pockets contrary
to police orders. The defendant’s hand movements must be considered under the
totality of the circumstances of the case. State v. Kyles, 2004 WI 15, 269 Wis. 2d 1,
675 N.W.2d 449, 02−1540.
The principles of Terry permit a state to require a suspect to disclose his or her name
in the course of a Terry stop and allow imposing criminal penalties for failing to do
so. Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District Court of Nevada, Humboldt County, 542 U.S. 177,
159 L. Ed 2d 292, 124 S. Ct. 2451 (2004).
When the defendant’s refusal to disclose his name was not based on any articulated
real and appreciable fear that his name would be used to incriminate him, or that it
would furnish a link in the chain of evidence needed to prosecute him, application of
a criminal statute requiring disclosure of the person’s name when the police officer
reasonably suspected the person had committed a crime did not violate the protection
against self−incrimination. Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District Court of Nevada, Humboldt
County, 542 U.S. 177, 159 L. Ed 2d 292, 124 S. Ct. 2451 (2004).
Weaving within a single traffic lane does not alone give rise to the reasonable suspicion
necessary to conduct an investigative stop of a vehicle. The reasonableness of
a stop must be determined based on the totality of the facts and circumstances. State
v. Post, 2007 WI 60, 301 Wis. 2d 1, 733 N.W.2d 634, 05−2778.
The potential availability of an innocent explanation does not prohibit an investigative
stop. If any reasonable inference of wrongful conduct can be objectively discerned,
notwithstanding the existence of other innocent inferences that could be
drawn, the officers have the right to temporarily detain the individual for the purpose
of inquiry. State v. Limon, 2008 WI App 77, ___ Wis. 2d___, ___ N.W.2d ___,
07−1578.
Cell Phone Tips of Crime and ‘Reasonable Suspicion.’ Andregg. Wis. Law. June
2005.

NOTE: See also the notes to Article I, section 11, to the Wisconsin Constitution.
968.25 Search during temporary questioning
 

BROKENSPROKET

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Messages
2,199
Location
Trempealeau County
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EXCELLENT!!!!!!!

Dave thanked you for being a great ambassodor. I want to second that compliment 100 percent. The way you handled that situation proves that your are a great AMBASSADOR.

IF you would have stood strong and demanded you know your rights as a citizen,that you do not have to cooperate and insist your rights are notto be violated, you would have been right to do so, but you would have lost your Ambassodorship.

I wish that we were face to face. I would shake your hand and pat you on the back for how well you handled this situation.
 

BROKENSPROKET

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Messages
2,199
Location
Trempealeau County
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Citizen wrote:
gunguy2009 wrote:
SNIP No complaints at all toward the Beloit Police.

You are more tolerant than I would have been.

A free man approached bythe government, the encounter opening with the government saying, "Please put your hands where I can see them." (emphasis added). ??? There is nothing, not one thing, civil about a cop saying that to someone. It screams the cop feels potential danger. No reasonable person would feel free to disregard that remark and walk away.

And, they knew or suspected who your were? Yet, still decided to even contact you. I don't care whether some court has said police can consensually contact anybody. The mere fact they are contacting an OCer, especially one they think they know, over the exercise of a fundamental human right is to me intolerable. It proves they consider something inherently suspicious and/or criminal about a fundamental human right.

Separately, the true test would have been how nice the officer was if you exercised your rights politely. Anybody can be friendly and professional when they are getting what they want. The real test is when you thwart their desire by politely exercising your rights.

For myself, that opening comment would be the subject of a formal complaint, with some pointed questions: "Is this how you initiate a consensual encounter?" "Are your cops so faint-hearted that they feel they have to say that at the inception of a consensual encounter?"

What are they gonna say? "Uh, it wasn't a consensual encounter"?Which gives one a new target,"What was your RAS (reasonable, articulable suspicion) for a detention?"

Everybody has to decide how tohandle the cop in front of themin the exact circumstances they find themselves. But, I don't know that it helps things overall to forego some rights (silence, search and seizure) while exercising another (2A).And, I definitely disagree with later declaring that everything went smooth, while the smoothness might only have been achieved at the expense of 4A and 5A rights (search, seizure, and silence).

A genuinely professional cop would be just as respectful if you had said things like:

"Officer, no offense, but I do not consent to an encounter with you today. Why am I being detained.

"You want to see my ID? Why am I being detained?"

"You want to see my ID? Oh, officer, you and I both know you have no authority to compel me to show my ID,* and no authority to compel me to identify myself unless you have RAS of a crime.* Why am I being detained? I'm not? Oh, good. Then, no offense, but the ID stays in the wallet."

If he won't respect politely, verbally refused consent, then you really know whether you have a government agent who needs correction. Genuinely professional cops will respect it.

* If true legally in your state.

Citizen, you need to chill. Maybe LE down there violate civil rights all the time, and has conditioned your postion.

I think the LEO in this situation, wanted to stop him just to talk with him. To interact with him and learn more about us from us. US asa OC movement.
 

Brass Magnet

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Messages
2,818
Location
Right Behind You!, Wisconsin, USA
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BROKENSPROKET wrote:
Citizen, you need to chill. Maybe LE down there violate civil rights all the time, and has conditioned your postion.

I think the LEO in this situation, wanted to stop him just to talk with him. To interact with him and learn more about us from us. US asa OC movement.

Citizen is just explaining something thatthe OPneeds to know (if he doesn't already). It's the OP's choice which rights to give up and when, but people need to know the fact that rights were given up in this situation.
 

Citizen

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
18,269
Location
Fairfax Co., VA
imported post

BROKENSPROKET wrote:
SNIP Citizen, you need to chill. Maybe LE down there violate civil rights all the time, and has conditioned your postion.

I think the LEO in this situation, wanted to stop him just to talk with him. To interact with him and learn more about us from us. US asa OC movement.
I understand.

But, think about what you just wrote for a moment. The cop wanted to stop him just to talk to him, interact, and learn more about the OC movement?

Since when are police authorized to stop someone to satisfy their curiosity about a political movement? Are police--any goverment actor--suddenly so elevated, so elite that their curiosity justifies abridging the idea that:

No right is held more sacred, or is more carefully guarded, by the common law than the right of every individual to the possession and control of his own person, free from all restraint or interference of others, unless by clear and unquestionable authority of law.

No right. More sacred. Free from all restraint. Free even from interference. Unless by clear and unquestionable authority of law.

That quote is from Union Pacific Rail Co. vs Botsford. Moreover, it is quoted in the grandaddy of foot-stop court opinions: Terry vs Ohio.

The Terry court could have omitted the quote. They could have watered-down the concept. They could have quoted something else. But, they didn't. They used that exact quote.

And, even if you don't mean "stop" in the non-consensual/detention sense. Nobody, but nobody can possibly claim that the declaration "please put your hands where I can see them" does not constitute the beginning of an "interference". I maintain such an utterance is alarmingbecause it shows the LEOhas danger on his mind.Nosocial, friendly, trusting contact ever begins with "put your hands where I can see them."I maintain this was a detention, a non-consensual encounter.
 

Citizen

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
18,269
Location
Fairfax Co., VA
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BROKENSPROKET wrote:
SNIP Citizen, you need to chill. Maybe LE down there violate civil rights all the time, and has conditioned your postion.
With the exception of a very few really pro-rights cops on this forum, I have yet to meet or hear of the cop who didn't demand to see ID from a detainee despite the complete absence of authority to demand an ID document, except in a few states whose S & I (stop and identify) statute allowed the demand if the person was carrying a state issued ID or drivers license.

As to this state, demanding an ID document without authority is so commonplace police seemto actually have forgotten they do not have the authority. They've been getting away with it for so long, they completely forgot they can't do it.

But, this is just one issue.

The Blue Wall of Silence is muchbroader inscope.All one has to do is ask himself, "What does it hide?"
 

bnhcomputing

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2007
Messages
1,709
Location
Wisconsin, USA
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I agree with Citizen, that this was a non-consensual stop, and I agree that it is important for those reading to realize this.

Having said that, I also believe that those who carry should all be capable of making their own decisions. My advice is always, if you choose to cooperate and then start to get nervous about their questions, stop, end it.

When talking with LEO, we need to be careful so as not to empower the LEO.

"I don't really have to give you my id. I choose to because I have nothing to hide. Please remember that; should you meet me or another OC in the future."

All-In-All, I'd call that a good encounter. You left with a positive attitude regarding that officer, and he walked away with a positive attitude of an OC.

Congratulations

Carry On
 

Shotgun

Wisconsin Carry, Inc.
Joined
Aug 23, 2006
Messages
2,668
Location
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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oak1971 wrote:
It's called a Terry stop. It's legal. See Terry Vs Ohio.
Oh really? And what were the officer's grounds for a reasonable suspicion that gunguy2009 may have been engaged in criminal activity?
 

Optimus Prime

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2009
Messages
79
Location
Stevens Point, Wisconsin, USA
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I think it's more of an example of why not being a dick towards a police officer will get you far. Yeah, the cop in question should have just said "excuse me sir, can I speak with you for a minute?" instead of what he did, but some of them tend to be a bit leery around armed people, cops can get shot too after all. I think Gunguy handled himself just fine in this case, and I'm sure that any of the officers he dealt with today will treat him, and other OCers courteously in the future.

Cue flamage for defending the cops...
 
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