Was stopped by a cop today while vaping.

[Robino1]

Leaving this here because I have had to edit some things out of a couple of posts:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ation/255864-why-we-dont-allow-drug-talk.html

Please be more careful. Thank you

 

[bluecat]

Cops are not looking out to start trouble.

 

[DC2]

Cops are not looking out to start trouble.

My experience with police officers is that if you don't act like a jerk they won't treat you like one.
But I can't speak for police officers that work in more "challenging" areas than where I have lived or traveled.

I have no doubt that some people experience things I never have.

But yeah, I've had my fair share of experience with police officers, including coming one false move from having my head blown off.
And in fact, I would have rightfully deserved it under the circumstances, and I owe them my life for not having done so.

I've been let off numerous traffic tickets, and even minor possession of illegal substances.

 

[Strings]

Cops are not looking out to start trouble.

And vapers don't use illegal substances

You can't make that broad of a statement without being wrong. Because I know there are cops out there just itching to find trouble

 

[AndriaD]

And vapers don't use illegal substances

You can't make that broad of a statement without being wrong. Because I know there are cops out there just itching to find trouble

I agree. No, cops are not supposed to be that way, but they ARE human beings -- much as they like to believe they're some superior species. If a cop has a big fight with the wife and then goes out on the road, and someone who isn't doing anything wrong, and rightfully resents being pulled over for DOING NOTHING, gives them a bunch of lip, that person will be LUCKY if the outcome involves handcuffs; it could involve shooting, and cops generally shoot to kill -- center of body mass.

I don't like cops at all, but I recognize the need for them. What I don't recognize is the need for them to be shaved-head thugs in mirrored shades. [MODERATED]

Andria

 

[Spidey2011]

Cops are not looking out to start trouble.

Nope. A lot of them already are trouble.

 

[BlueCanary]

I've had good experiences with cops and bad experiences with cops in my life. I don't judge all cops by the actions of some cops, just like I don't judge any group by the actions of a few members. And I've not had any hassle from cops anywhere about vaping. Maybe I've been lucky..or maybe the majority of cops know what vaping is, since it's been around a while.

Hubby and I were in a fender bender over the Christmas holiday. Our vehicle was fine, but we were standing around waiting because we were witnesses to the accident and several other cars were not OK and the cops were taking statements from everyone. Seeing as how I was driving when some imbecile caused a three car pileup, my nerves were shot and I was vaping like a freight train. Not a word was said. There were probably five cops on scene, and not a one of them even looked twice.

Last week I was walking my dog in the park across from my house, vaping, and it was cold so it was EXTRA noticeable. I saw a cop car down at the other end of the park, just sitting, I wasn't concerned about hiding what I was doing because I wasn't doing anything illegal. He drove around past where I was, then circled around and came back. I had the thought that he was going to say something to me because he might be thinking I was smoking something something in the park…because sometimes kids do. He pulled up and rolled down the window and called me over. Some lady had lost her dog, had flagged him down to ask for help, and he wanted to know if I'd seen it. I had my eGrip in my hand and took the occasional puff while talking to him, and he didn't even blink.

I'm not going to hide my vaping, on the street or in my own car, because I'm not doing anything wrong. If I were to get pulled over or questioned while walking, there would be no need for me to be hostile about it because….I'm not doing anything wrong.

 

[Fuzzy Bruce]

I'm not going to hide my vaping, on the street or in my own car, because I'm not doing anything wrong. If I were to get pulled over or questioned while walking, there would be no need for me to be hostile about it because….I'm not doing anything wrong.

I am with you on this issue, Blue Canary!

My appearance sometimes causes an uneasy feeling with some folks, police included. Tattoos, beard, hair in tail, sitting on what some (ignorant) folks would call a chopper. Fear may cause some to incorrectly profile or stereotype by looks. Been stopped more times than I care to admit, mostly because of the "outlaw" look. I just shrug it off to my choice of style.

Never been stopped for vaping, maybe because I just look like a natural for doing unlawful activities and it would not be worth the paperwork or,,, I just look to old and no one wants to take responsibility for putting a decrepit old derelict in jail.

 

[jpargana]

I've had good experiences with cops and bad experiences with cops in my life. I don't judge all cops by the actions of some cops, just like I don't judge any group by the actions of a few members. And I've not had any hassle from cops anywhere about vaping. Maybe I've been lucky..or maybe the majority of cops know what vaping is, since it's been around a while.

Hubby and I were in a fender bender over the Christmas holiday. Our vehicle was fine, but we were standing around waiting because we were witnesses to the accident and several other cars were not OK and the cops were taking statements from everyone. Seeing as how I was driving when some imbecile caused a three car pileup, my nerves were shot and I was vaping like a freight train. Not a word was said. There were probably five cops on scene, and not a one of them even looked twice.

Last week I was walking my dog in the park across from my house, vaping, and it was cold so it was EXTRA noticeable. I saw a cop car down at the other end of the park, just sitting, I wasn't concerned about hiding what I was doing because I wasn't doing anything illegal. He drove around past where I was, then circled around and came back. I had the thought that he was going to say something to me because he might be thinking I was smoking something something in the park…because sometimes kids do. He pulled up and rolled down the window and called me over. Some lady had lost her dog, had flagged him down to ask for help, and he wanted to know if I'd seen it. I had my eGrip in my hand and took the occasional puff while talking to him, and he didn't even blink.

I'm not going to hide my vaping, on the street or in my own car, because I'm not doing anything wrong. If I were to get pulled over or questioned while walking, there would be no need for me to be hostile about it because….I'm not doing anything wrong.

This !!!

 

[BlueCanary]

I am with you on this issue, Blue Canary!

My appearance sometimes causes an uneasy feeling with some folks, police included. Tattoos, beard, hair in tail, sitting on what some (ignorant) folks would call a chopper. Fear may cause some to incorrectly profile or stereotype by looks. Been stopped more times than I care to admit, mostly because of the "outlaw" look. I just shrug it off to my choice of style.

Never been stopped for vaping, maybe because I just look like a natural for doing unlawful activities and it would not be worth the paperwork or,,, I just look to old and no one wants to take responsibility for putting a decrepit old derelict in jail.

Yeah. I have a lot of tattoos, and my hair is usually some weird color (right now it's purple). I get followed in stores quite often, and I've been treated pretty crappy by plenty of people who haven't liked the looks of me. But I've not had a bit of hassle about vaping, anywhere. Maybe I've been lucky. Maybe the cops where we live (fairly high crime, for a small city) have bigger things to worry about than some aging punk chick walking her foo-foo Lhasa Apso in a public park while vaping.

 

[officer196]

I hate when they do that, just follow you and seriously making you get out of your car? did you ask what the probable cause was etc? flex your rights! youtube it

Im just going to leave this right here

Pennsylvania v. Mimms - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And another

FindLaw | Cases and Codes

 

[officer196]

I will add this as well:

First, keep in mind vaping is still new, and as someone pointed out, a counter culture meaning, many people don't understand it, and some don't even know what it is, police included. Now I can tell you in my particular department, many of us vape; however that does not transfer to every single police officer within the country, especially given again, this technology still being new and secondly, given that some devices are already produced for things other than nicotine.

Now for those in this thread who have taken time to educate those officers, I really do applaud you. I can tell you as an officer although our ...... as someone earlier so eloquently put it is to "serve and protect", my job also requires to be curious and watch for suspicious out of place behavior. Lets be honest, fogging up your car is typically synonymous with another type of behavior. Bear in mind that reasonable suspicion, not probable cause, which is a higher level of suspicion, is all that is needed for an officer to question you about such behavior. Realistically, if you explain to that officer what it is, and what it does, that will quell that curiosity. Now I cant't sit here and tell you that every officer is a good officer, I can tell you that about 99% of us are. I can tell you that most stories on the news that try and paint an officer as a thug and invincible are wrong and typically have other circumstances that are not revealed because it wouldn't make for good news.

My biggest pet peeve when I see threads like this pop up are this, first as an officer, I truly feel aliened from a community I enjoy because of the amount of ignorance that is displayed for my profession. Second, I have a hard time recommending fellow officers to this forum to help them when they are ready to quit analogs when I observe the amount of anti police sentiment stated in threads like these.

What bothers me most is many seem to be ok with alienating the e cig community from the police, when really, just like a normal citizen you should be helping educate because if you really believed in furthering the cause that would be your ultimate goal. I can tell you as someone who has worked in many realms of public service, firefighting, police, corrections, and EMS, there are alot of smokers. You would be surprised at the amount of those public service individuals who would actually welcome a conversation about vaping because they have tried everything to quit cigs as well.

To all those who would criticize my profession, I would challenge you this, go down to your local department, and go on a ride along, try it for a couple of shifts. Take a walk in my boots. You might be surprised at how much you do not know, or understand about police officers.

 

[BlueCanary]

To all those who would criticize my profession, I would challenge you this, go down to your local department, and go on a ride along, try it for a couple of shifts. Take a walk in my boots. You might be surprised at how much you do not know, or understand about police officers.

I've got cops in the family, and my husband's best friend is with the NYPD. I know that I personally would not, or could not, do the job that they (and you) do, for the pay that they (and you) get paid and the amount of BS that you all put up with. I have had negative experiences with police officers and positive experiences with police officers, just like I've had negative and positive experiences with any other kind of human. I think that sometimes people view cops as some kind of alien species that they don't "get", as opposed to realizing that cops are human beings just like anyone else. Some are jerks, because some PEOPLE are jerks. Most are just doing their job, and they don't possess magical mind-reading powers or superhuman senses. They're trying to do their job with the normal senses, reactions, and knowledge base that most of the rest of us have to work with. Except, if I read someone's body language wrong or misjudge a situation in my daily life, probably the worst thing that could happen is I look stupid and feel embarrassed, but if a cop does the same it could end up getting them seriously hurt or dead. And while it might be annoying for a carload of vapers to feel like they were being hassled to be questioned about what they were doing…how much worse would it be for that car that looks like it's carrying a fog machine in the backseat to be full of people doing something else and not get questioned about it, and drive off and crash into a school bus?

It would suck for any police officer to feel alienated from vaping, or like they wouldn't be welcome in a community like this. That shouldn't be what it is about. Vaping is not illegal, educating anyone who wants to learn about it including police officers (even if they're suspicious about it at first because they DON'T know what it is) is one of the ways that we help it continue to be something legitimate that we can all enjoy. Acting like it's something shady that we have to be defensive about is just going to make it seem more suspicious and will bite vapers in the rear in the long run.

 

[NOVA jon]

Bottom line is respect begets respect, if I'm not doing anything illegal, I have nothing to hide. If a police officer asks to speak with me and ask me what I'm doing, by all means, I'm going to explain what I have and how it works. And I will use ma'am and sir in that conversation!!

 

[LMS62]

I wish I could "like" the OP's post more than just once.

 

[Strings]

officer196: I deal with police all the time, with my involvement with BACA. Most of my interactions have been good (sometimes hilarious). A few have been... with less than stellar examples of your profession

The only advice I would give is to get your fellow officers to understand and follow Peel's Principals. Would go a LONG way toward rectifying the current situation in our country

 

[officer196]

officer196: I deal with police all the time, with my involvement with BACA. Most of my interactions have been good (sometimes hilarious). A few have been... with less than stellar examples of your profession

The only advice I would give is to get your fellow officers to understand and follow Peel's Principals. Would go a LONG way toward rectifying the current situation in our country

I would venture a guess that all officers are very familiar with Sir Robert Peel's principles as it is usually a given that all officers academy starts with the history of policing, and would surmise that you are disillusioned if you honestly believe there is such a dire situation in this country. Really all that changed is those who hate me for the uniform I wear have become louder, just the same as precious incident in the past have demonstrated. In contrast those who support police have become louder as well.

I would suggest you follow up with my challenge if you truly feel that community policing doesn't exist. The dymanics of how it's performed have changed due to a change in society and technology coupled with budgetary restraints.

 

[Strings]

They may be taught, but they really aren't adhered to by many.

There have been so many abuses, overstepping, and outright thuggery by those wearing the same uniform as you (but maybe don't have your attitude towards the job) that the "Us v Them" has become entrenched. That isn't solved by ride-alongs: that's fixed by police, well, policing their own.

The "Thin Blue Line" exists. Fix that, and we can actually get back to community policing

 

[Confuzzled1969]

Cops are not looking out to start trouble.

While generally accurate, there are some that do not play well with others.

The biggest problem with law enforcement in the US is the militarization our police has went through as a by product of the war on drugs.

Cops are trained to seek out probable cause at all times and it is making them constantly vigilant for crime and they completely miss the human side of things. When a cops pulls you over, even when they are being polite, they are fishing for probable cause to search your vehicle for evidence of a crime, they are trained to do this. That is why they ask you the questions, like where you going? Where have you been, questions that you do not have to answer.

I don't give them an attitude or anything, I just politely let them know that I am not going to answer any of the questions and they usually move on. Occaisionally, I'll get one with the "what do you have to hide" attitude and I just ask "what is your right to know"? If they push back, I just politely let them know this is all being recorded. I have never had it take anything more than that to shut them up and have them get on with the business at hand in a professional manner.

Mind you, I don't seek out opportunities to taunt the police or provoke a confrontation the way a lot of the people posting you tube videos do, I am just protecting my rights.

While most cops are good guys, they are trained to always be suspicious rather than use common sense. This training does result in more arrests and more confrontations. Their training is changing the good cops into mindless robots of the system, and it has only gotten worse since Sept 11...

 

[Dyanne]

I will add this as well:

First, keep in mind vaping is still new, and as someone pointed out, a counter culture meaning, many people don't understand it, and some don't even know what it is, police included. Now I can tell you in my particular department, many of us vape; however that does not transfer to every single police officer within the country, especially given again, this technology still being new and secondly, given that some devices are already produced for things other than nicotine.

Now for those in this thread who have taken time to educate those officers, I really do applaud you. I can tell you as an officer although our ...... as someone earlier so eloquently put it is to "serve and protect", my job also requires to be curious and watch for suspicious out of place behavior. Lets be honest, fogging up your car is typically synonymous with another type of behavior. Bear in mind that reasonable suspicion, not probable cause, which is a higher level of suspicion, is all that is needed for an officer to question you about such behavior. Realistically, if you explain to that officer what it is, and what it does, that will quell that curiosity. Now I cant't sit here and tell you that every officer is a good officer, I can tell you that about 99% of us are. I can tell you that most stories on the news that try and paint an officer as a thug and invincible are wrong and typically have other circumstances that are not revealed because it wouldn't make for good news.

My biggest pet peeve when I see threads like this pop up are this, first as an officer, I truly feel aliened from a community I enjoy because of the amount of ignorance that is displayed for my profession. Second, I have a hard time recommending fellow officers to this forum to help them when they are ready to quit analogs when I observe the amount of anti police sentiment stated in threads like these.

What bothers me most is many seem to be ok with alienating the e cig community from the police, when really, just like a normal citizen you should be helping educate because if you really believed in furthering the cause that would be your ultimate goal. I can tell you as someone who has worked in many realms of public service, firefighting, police, corrections, and EMS, there are alot of smokers. You would be surprised at the amount of those public service individuals who would actually welcome a conversation about vaping because they have tried everything to quit cigs as well.

To all those who would criticize my profession, I would challenge you this, go down to your local department, and go on a ride along, try it for a couple of shifts. Take a walk in my boots. You might be surprised at how much you do not know, or understand about police officers.

I love this post!! LOVE IT!! for a few reasons... firstly I wouldn't do your job for millions! The amount of evil self centered scum you come across the amount of abuse you endure to keep the rest of the community safe would have me in a mental institution, yet I have had police officers say the same thing to me in my previous job, my job was housing and homelessness, trying to keep "at risk" people in their homes or providing them homes in community or public housing. I have had officers accompany me for evictions and say no way would I be able to do this for a job I admire you! I am thinking the same thing about them!!! Also the amount of times I have been spat on, had dogs set upon me etc etc because they wouldn't pay rent that was heavily subsidized because of welfare etc, or they had trashed their homes or had failed to adhere to family court ruling that housing was supplied as long as they worked on keeping their kids with them etc.. sorry I am rambling... but the public has no idea what public or community servants sacrifice to "help people" and that is the reason why most of us smoke hahahah! the sad thing in Australia where I live, is it is now illegal to have nicotine in our e-cigs, I am guessing the police will have to enforce this. What are your thoughts on this?