Posted on Sat, 03/08/2008 - 09:59 — by guesswhoIam
I really wish the Oakley PD would find something constructive to do with their time instead of pulling people over for stupid offenses! We bought my uncle's truck for my son when he graduated from High School last June. My uncle became disabled after a heart surgery and can no longer drive. He had a really hard time parting with his baby, a 92 Chevy Silverado pickup, so we decided to buy it to "keep it in the family". It is lowered, with a custom bumper so it kind of forces my son to drive slow (I like that!). Anyway, yesterday my son left home to go to class at LMC, got about a block from the house out on Big Break Rd and got pulled over. The police were very obnoxiuos to him asking in a very condescending tone if he knew why he got pulled over. He said he did not, and they said it was because he didn't have a front license plate. They then started questioning him if he was on probation!! He said no, and they said (again in a very threatening manner) that they were going to check and he better not be lying. While they were checking his record he called me. I told him the license plate HAD to be in that truck somewhere and to look for it. He found it under the seat so I told him when the police came back to the truck to show it to them and ask him where he should have it displayed since there is not mount for it on the front bumper. Needless to say, they were not very helpful. Apparently we have to figure out a way to mount it. It's funny, my elderly uncle drove this truck every day for 15 years and never got pulled over for not having a front license plate on the front bumper!!
I checked, and yessiree we all have to have front license plates permanently affixed to the front bumper. OK, no problem, we will take care of it and get the ticket signed off. What annoys the heck out of me, is the neighbor down the street and his teenage son can sell marijuana out of their house for years now and the Oakley PD doesn't have a clue to what is going on. Every teenager at Freedom High School knows where to go for pot and our street is like the drive thru at Jack in the Box on a Saturday night! But my son is minding his own business trying to further his education and he gets treated like that. Wake up OPD, lets start busting these people for some serious offenses.
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 4
I know what you mean...I had the police called on us because my son and his friends were TPing my daughters car in our driveway.. Oh and also I got a ticket for parking 1/2 way on side walk and 1/2 on the street....I parked there for appx. a month until I got that ticket. and the reason I parked that way is because we live on a very narrow street. And yes the Oakley PD is rude, ignorant and full of S_ _T. Go after the real crime and let us live...thanks....
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 6
Though you are right it might be petty for OPD to give you a ticket it is in the vehicle code that you can not park on a sidewalk. I'm sure, like most departments, OPD asks their officers to write several parking citations a months and you seem to be one of the lucky ones.
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 121
Let me get this straight, the police come because they think that someone is vandalizing your car and you complain? Then you park on the sidewalk(which is illegal), and complain? Maybe your neighbors called them for parking on the sidewalk because it made the neighborhood look ghetto? No wonder you don't like the police, they probably don't like you either as all you do is complain.
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 201
Yeah, and has he ever heard of the "Americans with Disabilities Act"? It's actually those people that put the pressure on police to ticket those kinds of offences... not some sort of quota like all these ignorant f**** think on here.
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 27
You are the type of idiot that parks on a sidewalk then sues someone in a wheelchair for scratching your vehicle. I know this might be hard for you to understand but, cars belong in garages or in driveways, thats why your home builder threw down all that sand,rock, mortar and water that when dry forms that neat little thing we call "concrete" in front of the huge roll up door in the front of your dwelling
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 325
"And yes the Oakley PD is rude, ignorant and full of S_ _T."
You kind of sound like a Charm School drop out yourself, Tom. Please consider that our beautiful police department enforces all the laws, not just the ones you like.
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 250
Boy if I had a nickle for every time I heard that the such and such police departmtent is picking on my kid. Has anyone ever thought what did the kid do to attract attention to himself?
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 24
And a couple of weeks ago my friend's 19 year old son was on his way to work when he was pulled over on Vintage Parkway for a "Hollywood stop"........by 5 Oakley PD!!! FIVE police cars to make one traffic stop in a residential neighborhood?? Come on, don't you think that's a little bit of overkill? I guess we should be thankful he didn't get tasered.
I do honestly believe they are targeting teenagers in hopes of catching them doing something else. There were 2 officers (one Oakley PD and one Sheriff) in my son's incident and they were on each side of the truck peering into it, obviously looking for something. I'm not saying the ticket wasn't legit, but the infraction was just an excuse to check him out a little further. I'll bet they were disappointed he was clean as a whistle. I wish they would check out my neighbor, that would really make their day!!
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 121
guess- You said the ticket was an EXCUSE to pull him over....EXACTLY! Do you not know how many little punks there are running around this area? The probation check is the first thing that they are going to ask. Why?? Because there are so many little punks who are on probation in the area. The DA does nothing to the kids who commit crimes except put them on probation. Wait until you read or hear that the OPD or any other local police agency pulls over a group of kids in a car and they all have guns. I bet you won't be complaining then. My advise is this, put the license plate on the truck, explain to your son that the police were doing a good thing by pulling him over for a moving violation, and DEAL WITH IT. Not a very good example to be setting for your teenager to have him feeling like the cops are out to get him. He broke the law and he was stopped because of it. If he is doing nothing wrong, the police will never bother him. Also, how many times have you called OPD to report the suspicious activity in your neighborhood? How about taking pictures or a video? How about writing down all of the different license plate numbers of the cars there and helping the police put a little? You sound a lot like a disgruntled parent, more then you do someone who is being harrassed by the police.
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 250
It's a fix it ticket, put the plate on pay $10 bucks or whatever it is now and go on your way. There is a good reason for the missing front plate stops and, it came from the state a few years back, RED LIGHT CAMERAS, AND FASTRAK VIOLATIONS, they all take pictures of the front of the car, since you have to be able to ID the driver it makes no sense to take a picture of the back. I agree with Cleanantioch, instead of complaining about the police doing nothing and or picking on our kids, why not step up and do what is right to take back our neighborhoods and call the police no one can do it alone, there are about 38,000 people in Oakley and 27 cops who do you think has a better handle on what is going on in the nighborhoods the cop who might have time to drive through once or twice a day or the people who live there and see what is going on? Do we want Oakley to have the problems that Antioch has or do we want to get a handle on it before it gets that way. Know your neighbors know who belongs and who dosen't lookout for one another, and call the cops when you see something not right, this is our town, do what is right to keep it.
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 325
Bravo! Excellent comment.
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 24
First of all, I don't appreciate you telling me what a bad parent I am. Unless your name is Benjamin Spock, then you have no right to tell me what I'm doing wrong. My son is not the drug dealer and thief that lives down the street from me. He's a good kid that is going to college, so I must have done something right.
Second, I never said he shouldn't have received the ticket. We honestly didn't know when we bought the vehicle that it wasn't legal. We will fix it now, no problem. What I had issues with was the way they treated my son. There was no reason to talk to him the way they did. I have done alot of community service with kids, mostly teenagers (God, how many kids have I damaged since I'm such a terrible parent!). I have found that just like anybody else, you have to give respect to others and treat them like you would like to be treated. You would think the local police would like to build a good rapport with the local teenagers. Kids are alot more open and honest with adults if they feel comfortable around them. The way the kids are sometimes treated make them resent the police.
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 25
One question....were you in the vehicle during this contact with the police officer?
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 24
No, but I was on the phone with him and heard everything.
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 325
Part of the negative reaction you are getting, (from me at least) is your use of inflammatory words to describe your plight. "Hollywood stop"........by 5 Oakley PD!!! ______ So? Whether it was 1 or 5 patrol cars, I wouldn't presume to know what the PD was thinking at that moment. And was it really worth 3 exclamation marks. "I guess we should be thankful he didn't get tasered"__________ Now what’s that suppose to mean to the rest of us reading your complaint? Your starting to lose me. :)
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 181
Sometimes I think you just have to be in a car that looks nice. My oldest son (clean cut strait a student) was driving a nicer car and was pulled over going to liberty one morning. (he was 17 at the time +- 10 yrs ago) He was pulled over because one of the other kids in his car on their way to school had a mohawk. Judged by looks alone. The bwd police pulled them over made them put their hands on the car and searched it finding nothing. My son was extremely upset and wanted me to pursue the incident with the bwd pd. I explained to him that life is about choosing battles worth the end result. I made the choice not to pursue it due to the fact that my likelyhood of success was pretty small. Unfortunatly we all make quick judgements regarding people when we see them and sometimes what we see in our eyes, isn't what really is. Cops can be wrong as well as right.
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 121
mornsky-
The police made what they call a felony or a high risk stop if they asked the kids to put their hands out of the windows. This is not something they do because someone has a mowhawk. It is inconvenient to go through all of that crap for the officer to. The officer was most likely looking for a serious criminal or a similar vehicle that was used in a serious crime. Officers do that for their own safety, not because a kid has a mowhawk. Your right that cops can be wrong, but that seriously doesn't sound like they did anything wrong.
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 181
Clean,
Hands on the car not out the window. It was enough years back when bwd pd had its own problems within its own force. The police felt the car was stolen. (it wasn't and my son showed them the registration) then the cop wanted to know where he got such a nice car. They found nothing, my son and his friends went on their merry way. They may have made a judgement call that was wrong, or whatever. The point I was making is that we all base everything on Looks. We are all guilty.
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 6
I know first hand that the police do not target people driving nice cars, actually the opposite. The most commom stolen cars are not BMWs, Porsches or Mercedes. Honda, Toyota and Saturns are the most common stolen cars. Usually the early to mid 90's models. Even you could start one with a butter knife. If your son had done nothing wrong then why are you so worried. Maybe the police had a report of a similar stolen car or suspicious vehicle. The bad guys make changes to cars all the time so not to be detected. If you did nothing wrong then don't worry.
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 181
I'm sitting here cracking up at how things get read. I'm not what-so-ever worried. This happened over 10 years ago. This kid is now a IDC in the navy going for his PA. license. Ain't a hill of beans anymore...The point I was making is that we make judgement calls based on appearance all the time. We look at a persons appearance and surroundings and form a opinion on the person. I didn't say the police target people driving nice cars, I said my son was with some colourful characters, and the police wanted to know where he got such a nice car.
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 49
Mornsky, I get your point, I know you are not dogging the Oakley Police you are simply stating that in this world today we are most times judged by our appearance. I must saw I am guilty of doing the same. I often see someone and based on their appearance, I make a judgment about them and I know that is wrong. I think that people were reading the article and missing the point. Also congrats to your son for his accomplishments in the Navy.
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 181
I'd never dog the oakley pd. I admire the courage they have to do their job. As a teen, you get pulled over, searched, you will get over it. Unfortunatly we don't live in a pollyanna society. Teens and their parents may feel outraged but thats life. Get over it and move on. Do whatever you need to do to prevent the same situation from repeating itself. My friends son and his friends are enough to scare most people. LOL First time I met them I thought oh lordy (a little more explicit then that) But really....their just nice kids. They just look ruff. My initial judgement was wrong. as soon as someone looks out of what we consider the norm, we are all guilty.
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 27
A felony stop is made with firearms drawn as well as hands out the window. If the Officers did not order the occupants out at gunpoint but only instructed them to place their hands out of their windows is done if the Officers believe they attempting to hide narcotics. Sounds to me as if you did not hear the WHOLE story from your kiddies
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 179
well probably not much on his way to LMC going to school.
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 9
My 2 cents-
Oakley PD seems to be a proactive police department, working hard to find arrests. Occasionally they'll be off base and question a good kid about whether or not he's on probation.
My comment about the situation is this. Look a few miles away to the town of Antioch, where people complain that the police aren't doing enough. Would you rather live is a safe community and have a police force that stops a lot of cars, occasionally delaying your son, or a community where the police do the minimum and you fear getting shot going to the grocery store?
I'll take the safer community with the aggressive police force.
I'll add this also. Sometimes kids lie to their parents.
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4
yep.. blind parents who dont want to think for one second their kid is not 100% perfect..
sad but true..
oakley pd are very respectfull police.. and they have bad days too......
get over it and get on with your life.
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 1
hello,im new to this forum. You are right on about Oakley being safer and the citizens should appreciate that, Although I think that APD is doing an awesome job. there is just so much stuff going on there that it is hard to keep up with. You know kind of like getting rid of one cockroach but there are plenty more that come back.
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 138
There is good and bad in all of us. It would be silly to assume that every person in Oakley PD has perfect intentions and doesn't have an attitude, just like it's silly to assume that our kids always tell us the truth about what they are up to. It's unfortunate that your son caught the attitude that day. But I wouldn't take it personal. Maybe the cops didn't have to have all that attitude, but I'm sure they deal with a lot of shady kids. I agree with mornsky. Maybe he was talked to that way because he was young and it was assumed that he was up to no good. But unless they were completely out of line with him, I would just try to let it roll off your back. People give eachother attitude all the time. Respect and being courteous to others is not a priority in our society anymore. It's easier not to fuss about it, less stress for you and your son at least, because I'm sure the cops are not going to change their attitudes.
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 27
First off, a grown man driving a "low rider" of any type should be pulled over and harassed. These childish, Mexican wannabe mobiles look so ridiculous, even more so when white adults are driving them around . Second, I highly doubt the Officers were rude to your "saintly" son unless your "perfect" son gave them some lip service. When a Police Officer pulls you over for any reason, fair or unfair, you keep your mouth shut, do as they say and if, for any reason they beome obnoxious or rude you kindly ask them for their name and badge number and file a complaint with the Sheriff's department. Crying like a little baby on a public message board isnt going to solve your problems
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 325
I usually give the police the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. If some officer's record of citizen complaints is trending way upwards, then management is going to have to address the problem. The Police have a tough job. They have to deal with argumentative lawbreakers all day. "Your going to give me a ticket for a missing license plate......?" I got snotty with a Concord police officer many years ago for a failure to yield citation. I regret that now. He was right and I was wrong.
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 10
Sit outside any school, preferably your own kids school, where they can't see you, and watch their behavior as they come out of school. I'm willing to bet you will be amazed at what these kids do when they think no one is watching. This goes for the way they drive too. The cops are doing their job...doesn't matter if you say "not my kid", the cops don't know that your kid is perfect. And surprise....he/she probably isn't.
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2
Hello,
Often, when there is serious crime going on in a particular area, one of the most effective ways to subvert and stop it is with (strict) traffic enforcement. Yes, there are some whom will be caught up in this enforcement whom do not, nor ever have been involved in serious crimes. But statistics show that serious crimes drop considerably when such enforecement takes place, especially drug activity. And last time I checked Oakley had a serious problem with methamphetamine.
Such enforcement has proven effective in Vallejo, Oakland and Richmond. If you obey the law you have nothing to worry about.
Traffic stops are dangerous, especially for the police. I assure you they would rather be out there doing something besides pulling over someone whom did a rolling stop. Next time, instead of complaing because you fractured the law and got caught, obey the law and thank your Oakley Police for being there.
SR Smith CA State Police/CHP Retired
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 201
Yeah- these people complain about the way police are stopping people now?? Haven't they watched the news lately? If they had they would have seen that for a long time the CHP (in particular) were dropping dead like flies doing what, routine TRAFFIC STOPS!! You never know who you are pulling over, no matter if they are driving a nice car or a [bleep], or if they look like a college grad v. a highschool drop-out. It doesn't matter, every stranger is potentially dangerous.
Try being stopped in Mexico with an M16 instead of verbal demands and light bars...
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1
I'm going to have to agree with some of whats said before when I say that the kid must have been doing something to get himself pulled over. Or, he may have been simply stopped for not having a license plate. It *IS* illegal to not have one, and ignorance is no excuse.
I've been pulled over by Oakley PD for speeding, and I knew I deserved it. I was going 65 in a 45 on the long stretch of Main heading towards the freeway on ramp. I was negligent and lost track of my speed. Yes, I was also in a nice car but I know I was pulled over because of what came up on the officer's speed gun. However, I was courteous and most importantly I showed respect and humility and apologized to the officer and showed no attitude whatsoever. The officer in turn was respectful and in the end let me go about my way with a warning. That doesn't always work, but I know I wouldn't have been so lucky had I not acted the way I did.
Every traffic stop could be dangerous to an officer so the more calm and respectful you are the easier it is for all parties involved.