Indiana Woman Arrested For Exercising Caution

[offroadpitmom]

Wouldn't have arrested her, but she should have pulled over. I never seen, nor even heard of an impersonator using a fully marked car with activated lights AND sirens, pulling over someone. If she's so worried about her safety, she should probably stay within the speed limit, and not travel almost 20mph, above it.

This has happened several times in our area and we have been urged by the sheriff's department to exercise caution when pulling over. Here's a few articles for you to get caught up.

Man accused of impersonating police officer

Indiana Man Charged with Impersonating Officer | NBC Chicago

Man Suspected Of Impersonating Police Officer, Sexual Assault - Los Angeles News | FOX 11 LA KTTV

 

[D-Ric902]

Call 911 and ask the dispatcher if your being pulled over, just to verify. If the officer doesn't understand then hand him the phone.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Several years back, a friend of mine's aunt was telling me about being on I-65 in in the boonies in the Rensselaer, IN area.

She looked over in the the left lane next to her, and a man in an unmarked car, NOT in uniform was simply holding up a badge of some sort, motioning her to pull over.

Not sure about who this was, she drove a few miles to the Hwy 114 exit west of Rensselaer and pulled into the parking lot of a well populated truck stop.

Turns out it WAS an Indiana State Police officer who was out of uniform, in an unmarked car, and he only had a badge.

She said he was pissed and had no regard for her waiting to pull over.

She said he hand cuffed her and tossed her into the back seat in such a way that she fell down on the floor behind the driver's seat, and rode that way into town to the jail.

In the end, she got her speeding ticket and was released.

But why anybody would blame her for not pulling over in the boonies of I-65 to just a guy waving badge in an unmarked car, not in uniform seems ridiculous.

Not legal for traffic stop. Can't write ticket if not in uniform OR marked car. Can be stopped for non traffic. Example I CAN pull you over and arrest you for felony despite no uniform and no markings. Won't be doing it by waving badge out the window though.

 

[ws6guy]

Officers are taught to conduct the stop in a place they deem appropriate. If they turn on the lights, pull over to the right.

If I don't want you to stop there I won't turn on my lights there. If you don't notice me for awhile and stop somewhere unsafe, I'll use the PA to tell you to move a bit.

This comes up fairly often on the forum and I say the same thing. You think "I'm going somewhere safe". The officer has to think "is this guy stalling for time to access a weapon, hide contraband, prepare to flee, call his buddy to ambush me on the stop, etc. etc."

Ok I understand that logic and will keep it in mind if I get pulled over again. I guess you have to think like a criminal at all times. I will still probably use my personal judgement if the time ever comes up again but will make it over ASAP. I trust myself with my safety than I would the officer, nothing personal.

 

[Prometheus]

I know exactly where that stop occurred, that was my cut through to valpo when I lived in Portage.

54 in a 35 is what everyone drives on that back road. I never understood why it isn't posted 45mph.

In any case, the officer seems to be an asshat from hell.

Put on flashers, slowed down, drove for less than a mile and he gets up to the car and sees she is a lone female AND she's a nurse.

Have some friggin common sense.

Also, that is NARROW dark 2 lane road, officer safety would be waiting until the Khols because there isn't much more room on that road (because of no shoulder) for a car to safely pull over anyway.

Ridiculous, he's going ot ruin this womans life over less than a mile with her hazard lights on.

 

[edporch]

Not legal for traffic stop. Can't write ticket if not in uniform OR marked car. Can be stopped for non traffic. Example I CAN pull you over and arrest you for felony despite no uniform and no markings. Won't be doing it by waving badge out the window though.

That's why she didn't pull over.
But in small town areas like Rensselaer of 20+ years ago, the rules weren't always followed.

 

[Dirtebiker]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This right here.

Have either of you ever driven over the speed limit?

 

[Dirtebiker]

Call 911 and ask the dispatcher if your being pulled over, just to verify. If the officer doesn't understand then hand him the phone.

It would take at least as long as her 3/4 mile drive to get dispatch and an answer.

 

[D-Ric902]

It would take at least as long as her 3/4 mile drive to get dispatch and an answer.

but couldn't dispatch contact the officer? Maybe he won't get all butthurt thinking that she didn't respect his authority

 

[BehindBlueI's]

but couldn't dispatch contact the officer? Maybe he won't get all butthurt thinking that she didn't respect his authority

Not all cops are tied to one dispatch, and dispatch doesn't have access to all cops. I've had the FBI pull someone over and then telephone in to get local assistance. When I dispatched for Scott Co, if I wanted help or info from ISP I had to telephone one of their posts. If DNR wanted backup, they called on the phone. Etc.

 

[D-Ric902]

Not all cops are tied to one dispatch, and dispatch doesn't have access to all cops. I've had the FBI pull someone over and then telephone in to get local assistance. When I dispatched for Scott Co, if I wanted help or info from ISP I had to telephone one of their posts. If DNR wanted backup, they called on the phone. Etc.

I see, thanks
I have no reason to know how any of that system works. Law abiding citizen and such

maybe we should ask for more government control and concentrate all dispatch duties to the DOJ.


not really

 

[KLB]

I know exactly where that stop occurred, that was my cut through to valpo when I lived in Portage.

54 in a 35 is what everyone drives on that back road. I never understood why it isn't posted 45mph.

In any case, the officer seems to be an asshat from hell.

Put on flashers, slowed down, drove for less than a mile and he gets up to the car and sees she is a lone female AND she's a nurse.

Have some friggin common sense.

Also, that is NARROW dark 2 lane road, officer safety would be waiting until the Khols because there isn't much more room on that road (because of no shoulder) for a car to safely pull over anyway.

Ridiculous, he's going ot ruin this womans life over less than a mile with her hazard lights on.

More of Porter County's roads are getting lower speed limits lately. I have yet to figure out why any of the ones I have seen changed, were.

 

[HoughMade]

I believe that 700N there (and 500W) have been 35mph for a long, long time. I lived in the area right around there from 1999-2014 and it was always that speed limit...and everyone sped, but that's neither here, nor there in this case.

...and yes, that is a dark road out there and there is not a car-wide shoulder, but pulling off 500W, one wheel off the road is easy. I remain of the opinion that the verbal exchange at the stop was more mutual than "he was yelling at me".

Like I said, an arrest may have been an over reaction, and my bet is that this never gets prosecuted, but the idea that the cop was crazy and the driver was pure and innocent, perfectly reasonable and calm, in not credible.

 

[lonehoosier]

Update

Sheriff: Woman defiant, not scared in delayed traffic stop case
Sheriff: Woman defiant, not scared in delayed traffic stop case

 

[mrjarrell]

Porter County Sheriff David Reynolds said Thursday he believes a Portage woman arrested after not immediately stopping her vehicle for one of his officers acted out of defiance rather than fear as she claims."The motorist’s actions did not depict that of a woman afraid," Reynolds wrote in a prepared statement. "The officer indicated the motorist displayed a defiant attitude."
However, Reynolds announced an internal investigation is underway into the incident.

So, he doesn't know. He just feels his officer was in the right. The only "proof" he has is his officers word vs the nurses. Sorry, I'm going to come down on the nurses side. He wasn't inconvenienced enough to pull this kind of crap. If she had gone for miles, he might well have a case. But not less than a mile.

 

[HoughMade]

Choosing who to believe based on......

 

[actaeon277]

There is no denying the lights and sirens, but Porter County squad cars are not easily identifiable as such. They are one that has gone to a stealth look for all of their newer vehicles. They left the old two tone brown and cream for a pretty standard beige color. Especially with it having been dark and the car behind her, it would be very hard to tell that the car was a marked cruiser. I really do not understand the trend towards making squad cars less easily identifiable.

If this happened as reported, the deputy ought to have his attitude readjusted by the Sheriff.

https://flic.kr/p/bKqNek

 

[Fargo]

If I don't want you to stop there I won't turn on my lights there. If you don't notice me for awhile and stop somewhere unsafe, I'll use the PA to tell you to move a bit.

This comes up fairly often on the forum and I say the same thing. You think "I'm going somewhere safe". The officer has to think "is this guy stalling for time to access a weapon, hide contraband, prepare to flee, call his buddy to ambush me on the stop, etc. etc."

While I don't pretend to know the answer, the problem I see is that there is no consistency among the cops on this. For example, I was present for a trial this week where the Trooper's testimony was that the guy he stopped pulled over immediately in a construction zone instead of taking the next exit which would have been safer. This displeased the trooper who ordered him to drive up the next exit which was, wait for it, less than a mile up the interstate.

Apparently the cop in the news story would have thought he had PC to outright for a felony had the guy done what this Trooper wanted him to...

Not all cops are tied to one dispatch, and dispatch doesn't have access to all cops. I've had the FBI pull someone over and then telephone in to get local assistance. When I dispatched for Scott Co, if I wanted help or info from ISP I had to telephone one of their posts. If DNR wanted backup, they called on the phone. Etc.

I believe centralized county dispatch is now mandated under state law, I know my county's were consolidated last year if memory serves. If you are going to run traffic in a county, IMO you damn well better be on that county's freqs.

 

[mrjarrell]

Choosing who to believe based on......

Based on the whole innocent till proven guilty concept. I know it's a strange concept these days, but it still means something to some of us. That and the fact that we see instances of some cops lying on an almost daily basis.

 

[Kutnupe14]

While I don't pretend to know the answer, the problem I see is that there is no consistency among the cops on this. For example, I was present for a trial this week where the Trooper's testimony was that the guy he stopped pulled over immediately in a construction zone instead of taking the next exit which would have been safer. This displeased the trooper who ordered him to drive up the next exit which was, wait for it, less than a mile up the interstate.

Apparently the cop in the news story would have thought he had PC to outright for a felony had the guy done what this Trooper wanted him to...



I believe centralized county dispatch is now mandated under state law, I know my county's were consolidated last year if memory serves. If you are going to run traffic in a county, IMO you damn well better be on that county's freqs.

That trooper is either a rookie or an idiot. Guys who have been doing the job for a while know that you activate your lights when you feel like you're in the most advantageous location. When my lights go on, I want the person to stop immediately, as I have already weighed the risks.