Hello everyone, I'm new here and just wanted to ask in a more general forum about the police. I'm from Canada and it would seem to me they do random checks on cars if you just park outside late by your local coffee shop. What if you were vaping and they pull up? What would they do, and how would some of you handle the situation? In fact, are there any police officers out there who vape so they can share with us how a routine check would turn out in this scenario? Thanks for your experiences guys!!!
The Cops, popo, the fuzz...
- Thread starter Melloh
- Start date
- th_trl_thread_readers 0
- Status
Educate them! Show them your juice (hopefully with label and ingredient list) explain what it does and how it works, demonstrate, etc... Not sure what Canada thinks about it but in the states not much they can do. Maybe they will go away informed for the next guy.
Vape on!
Vape on!
Tradegal13
Unregistered Supplier
Well, thinking about it...I can't just tell you to put your cigarette out, or detect the odor of .........! But officers carry test kits to detect different substances. It would be a simple procedure to test the liquid for any illegal residue and send you on your way.
Offer them a few tokes. JK, but I always think of that, and think about what I would say, especially since my mod looks kinda like a sneak-a-toke pipe. Probably go something like:
"Oh, that's my personal nicotine inhaler. It's essentially a battery, with a tip connected to it that vaporizes the liquid nicotine I put into it. It's to help me quit smoking, and has been working great. Here are my bottles of liquid nicotine..."
And I would show them the juices and how it works, etc. You should be ok. Welcome to ECF!!!!!!!!
ice
"Oh, that's my personal nicotine inhaler. It's essentially a battery, with a tip connected to it that vaporizes the liquid nicotine I put into it. It's to help me quit smoking, and has been working great. Here are my bottles of liquid nicotine..."
And I would show them the juices and how it works, etc. You should be ok. Welcome to ECF!!!!!!!!
ice
I can only share my own experiences- last fall I was pulled over several times, as my driver side mirror was broken and I kept putting off replacing it. Both times I had my copper mod (which looks about as much like a pipe bomb as any mod I can think of) and juice in the center console in plain sight. The first time, the cop asked me if that was "one of those e-cigarettes", which surprised me a bit...although he didn't vape, several of his friends on the force did, and were always showing him the mods they were thinking of getting online! LoL, we had a good talk, and I didn't even need my ecig explanation spiel and handy info cards.
The second guy was probably a much more typical experience for most, IMO; no idea what that thing was until I explained it to him. He opened it, checked for any contraband, and gave it back satisfied that it wasn't anything illegal. Both times they just let me go about my biz with almost no hassles (after they ran my license, that is...) Just told me to get the mirror fixed, that was all.
That was my experience, don't know if it's typical, really...
However, since it is possible to inhale other things using an e-cig(sorry, hate to even mention that, NOT promoting this in any way), and if a police officer is aware of this fact, will that change how they approach ecigs during a traffic stop? I know We've had a few threads already in the past regarding a few people getting hassled by the police with ecigs thinking they were cell phones or paraphernalia. I just act like I know I've got nothing to worry about, because I don't. We're doing nothing wrong.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/e-cigarettes-public/52905-ever-get-pulled-over-police.html
The second guy was probably a much more typical experience for most, IMO; no idea what that thing was until I explained it to him. He opened it, checked for any contraband, and gave it back satisfied that it wasn't anything illegal. Both times they just let me go about my biz with almost no hassles (after they ran my license, that is...) Just told me to get the mirror fixed, that was all.
That was my experience, don't know if it's typical, really...
However, since it is possible to inhale other things using an e-cig(sorry, hate to even mention that, NOT promoting this in any way), and if a police officer is aware of this fact, will that change how they approach ecigs during a traffic stop? I know We've had a few threads already in the past regarding a few people getting hassled by the police with ecigs thinking they were cell phones or paraphernalia. I just act like I know I've got nothing to worry about, because I don't. We're doing nothing wrong.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/e-cigarettes-public/52905-ever-get-pulled-over-police.html
Last edited:
I spoke with a police officer about a month ago and asked him if he knew about electronic cigarettes. He actually was aware of them, but did not really know how they worked. So I went through and explained how they worked and he was intrigued considering he was an ex-smoker.
Anyways, I would imagine most police officers near the more populated areas have at least heard of them or seen them before.
Anyways, I would imagine most police officers near the more populated areas have at least heard of them or seen them before.
Perhaps have a couple print outs, receipts and vendor cards, in your glove box with your insurance and registration papers, that explains it all. No fuss, no muss and a little education for the police department.
Ya that actually might work out. They don't seem to like the way I look, so printed documents, plus i was thinking about downloading a video onto my iphone so they could actually view it. I just want to be left alone so I can smoke at tim hortons when I can't sleep. I mean it's already past 4 am here in Toronto Canada, and I'm still wide awake. I got work at 10!!! I'm quite surprised they didn't question me tonight. They just drove by very slowly and blinded me with that stupid light of theirs. Oh well no hassle tonight.
Well, I'll chime in, I guess. I am a police officer and I Vape. Just know, that if a police officer see's you doing something that even remotely ressembles something illegal, he can and most likley will approach you and/or pull you over. This is not because he is being an A-whole, it's because he knows what is out there and just wants to confirm that it's ok. Your attitude will play a MAJOR roll in the outcome. A "cop" does not have to ask you for you ID to question you first off and does not need to be officially "detaining/arresting" you. If you DO decide to "walk away, run or tell him to F-off", you have just givin him a legal reason to do so, it's called obstruction, and you CAN go to jail for it. If you just explain what the divice is and be aware of the fact that he doesn't know what "Vaping" is, you will be fine. Do what he is asking and be nice, don't be offended. VAPE ON !!!
Not to debate the point or go all political - here you're just a vaper and I'll always give you that respect. But isn't this just a little messed up? That my ATTITUDE and not say, the safety or even LEGALITY of what caused the person to stop in the first place, determines that.
To ask question, no. Anybody can walk up to me an ask what I'm doing. I usually like to explain vaping. I've had people ask, and I'm usually happy to tell them.
But just as I don't have to show ID to a random person, I will not show it to a cop unless operating a motor vehicle OR being arrested, since then (at least here) it's "Interfering with a government function" - booking.
Either you're wrong, or you're simply not used to having people challenge that in court. To hinder a person's movement (pull them over or prevent them from leaving on a sidewalk, for instance) they DO have to be detained and/or placed under arrest. This is a criteria backed up by the Supreme Court. Reasonable suspicion is not probable cause.
I don't assume all cops are out to get me. But I'd like to add, from the other side...
There are town and city ordinances everywhere. Sometimes there's municipal laws as well as state law. And the people who MAKE those laws usually work a lot, meaning there's lots of laws. So many, actually, that there's a career for the people who study them - lawyers. That's right. SO many laws, you need to change professions to even be partially aware of what they are and how they impact you. And look at the number of court cases - even THEN you're not sure.
Unless you know for SURE that what you're saying will NOT land you in jail or departing with citations and summonses, it's prudent not to say anything.
Most people who buy things online like that it's not taxed. But what most online shoppers don't realize that that there IS a legal requirement to pay sales tax for online purchases in many places. In some places, it's actually a crime SEPERATE from the tax code. Granted, still the minority of places for now, but I can see someone saying "Because it's not taxed" as a reason why they like to vape. And sure, maybe there's 10 cops who know that but you don't know which do until you've said the wrong thing.
Last edited:
some mods do look "suspicious" from afar and from the uneducated, especially some tube mods, but whole catching flies with honey rather than vinegar plays a part here. politely telling the officer that it's an ecig and answering any follow-up questions will do a lot more for the community in the long-run, rather than giving "attitude" because you know you haven't done anything wrong. as ecigs get more mainstream and the police force becomes more acquainted with the models, any "harassment" that people are currently experiencing will diminish substantially.
I had to laugh at the title.... my children used to call their 'bottoms' POPO's! (My children are both adults now and would be embarrassed to know I said that- but hey, that's my job now).
Anyway, I usually keep my PV stuff in a little case, and try to keep a few of my favorite vendors business cards with my supplies. If a policeman does ask, I explain what I am doing and offer a card. The one time I got 'noticed' by a trooper at a traffic light, I thought to myself (ok, here it comes) but the guy laughed, and showed me his eGo through the window, waved, and when the light changed, went on his way.
Anyway, I usually keep my PV stuff in a little case, and try to keep a few of my favorite vendors business cards with my supplies. If a policeman does ask, I explain what I am doing and offer a card. The one time I got 'noticed' by a trooper at a traffic light, I thought to myself (ok, here it comes) but the guy laughed, and showed me his eGo through the window, waved, and when the light changed, went on his way.
I'm a criminal defense attorney. If you are confronted by the police about your PV or if the PV was the reason for the initial encounter, then your best defense is to be polite and explain to the officer what the device is. Let's not kid ourselves, some PVs look like drug smoking devices. The real question is does an officer have the right to stop you, either while driving or just on the street, if he/she sees you with your PV. An officer must have reasonable, articulable suspicion that a crime is, has, or is about to be committed before the officer can detain you. I think because most people, which includes officers and judges, are not familiar with e-cigs, then it would probably be deemed reasonable for an officer to stop you if he/she saw you vaping. Of course, this will never be tested in court until someone is stopped because of his or her PV and then arrested for something else, i.e. "real" drug possession, suspended license, etc. Then, some attorney, like myself, would file a motion to suppress the stop and all evidence seized arguing that a PV is not a reason to detain. But as I said, until the public is better educated, I think I would lose that argument because so many PVs do look like a mechanism to ingest an illegal substance.
So, education is key. Being respectful to the officer and not acting like a jerk will go a long way, too.
So, education is key. Being respectful to the officer and not acting like a jerk will go a long way, too.
Last edited:
Actually I try to be polite every time, but seriously they start it off being rude to me when I was just minding my own business. That's what really bothers me. If they approached me like a normal person, and asked some normal questions politely, then I'd be cool with it, because it was their job to check things out if they look fishy. Oh well guess I'll just have to deal with it.
The free ECF business cards can be handy, I keep a few in my car along with a couple of the CASAA trifold printouts. A good quick summary.
It's not just a cop thing. In my current full-time job, I work closely with police and am pretty friendly with my entire local sector office. In my part-time job, I'm an entry-level auto tech, and sometimes customers will be jerks. I have thought of sticking a large weight on the inside of a wheel to throw it off balance and shake them, just to make them come back, at which time I would simply remove the weight, drive their car around the block, and tell them I couldn't find anything wrong. Of course, I wouldn't do that because I'm not a jerk, but I would certainly think about messing with them.
It's a simple case of tending to reap what you sow, and police have the authority to potentially make your day worse than some other professionals might.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
