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I got a call today that involved 3 passengers and part of a DJ set. (2 large speaker boxes, 2 small speaker boxes, 2 boxes of lights, and a light stand. Estimated total value: about $2000-3000.) We got about 2 miles from the pickup location when I notice flashing lights in the rearview mirror. Hmm...
Long story short, the police had reason to believe that the DJ equipment was stolen. One of my passengers had just bought all of it for $100. That's not a typo: one hundred dollars for equipment worth two or three thousand dollars. Turns out the police were acting on a tip received earlier regarding the possible sale of stolen DJ equipment. Sigh.
The man who had shelled out the money cooperated with the police, and things were actually okay with them. My other two passengers... not so much. The police asked for ID, and one asked, "Am I being arrested?" which I'm sure is a cop's favorite question. (Remember that question. Important in a bit.) He answered no, and so both of them refused to identify themselves, and the officer stepped away for a bit.
Three police officers then proceeded to unload all the DJ gear out of my van so they can find serial numbers. From what I overheard, they could only find serials on 2 pieces of equipment, and apparently it would take some time to find out if they were in fact stolen.
After the unloading was done and serial numbers were copied down, the police started reloading. The same officer came back up and told the passengers that they were being detained (important: detained, not arrested) and therefore he did indeed need to see ID. Cue Miss Am I Being Arrested loudly and repeatedly "asserting her right" to NOT show the police her ID because she was under the misconception that she didn't have to. (Being detained is not the same as being arrested.) He explained to her that since she was being detained... yes she did. Meanwhile, the male passenger was telling her over and over again to shut up.
Sadly, her tactic worked, eventually. The cop apparently got sick of repeating himself and finally just took down the name she gave him, and her claimed height and weight. The other one plead the fifth amendment. (Non-USians: the relevant part of the 5th amendment to the US constitution basically says that people can't be made to incriminate themselves, andsays nothing about showing ID. See this Wikipedia entry.) She literally said "I plead the fifth."
Finally, after much hoorawing, the police reloaded my van, and we were back on our not-so-merry way. The two women spent the entire rest of the HALF HOUR TRIP bitching about the stop, until the man -- the one who would be the most in trouble if the gear is stolen, I might add -- finally said, "I told you to SHUT THE F*** UP!!!" My hero! Too bad it didn't work.
Postscript: After dropping them off, I drove around the corner, then reported to the police the drop off address.
Added bonus: While the police were looking at the gear, Miss Loudmouth told me that the police "violated my rights" by searching the van without asking permission. My reply: "They don't need to ask me. They would only need to ask Big Green Cab Co, and I guarantee the answer would be yes -- but since they could see the gear through the windows, I doubt they needed to ask permission... and if they HAD asked me, I would've told them to go right ahead." (You see, the best thing to do with police officers is to cooperate fully. You'll be done with them faster and in a more pleasant manner. Plus, my job is far more important to me than you are.)
Long story short, the police had reason to believe that the DJ equipment was stolen. One of my passengers had just bought all of it for $100. That's not a typo: one hundred dollars for equipment worth two or three thousand dollars. Turns out the police were acting on a tip received earlier regarding the possible sale of stolen DJ equipment. Sigh.
The man who had shelled out the money cooperated with the police, and things were actually okay with them. My other two passengers... not so much. The police asked for ID, and one asked, "Am I being arrested?" which I'm sure is a cop's favorite question. (Remember that question. Important in a bit.) He answered no, and so both of them refused to identify themselves, and the officer stepped away for a bit.
Three police officers then proceeded to unload all the DJ gear out of my van so they can find serial numbers. From what I overheard, they could only find serials on 2 pieces of equipment, and apparently it would take some time to find out if they were in fact stolen.
After the unloading was done and serial numbers were copied down, the police started reloading. The same officer came back up and told the passengers that they were being detained (important: detained, not arrested) and therefore he did indeed need to see ID. Cue Miss Am I Being Arrested loudly and repeatedly "asserting her right" to NOT show the police her ID because she was under the misconception that she didn't have to. (Being detained is not the same as being arrested.) He explained to her that since she was being detained... yes she did. Meanwhile, the male passenger was telling her over and over again to shut up.
Sadly, her tactic worked, eventually. The cop apparently got sick of repeating himself and finally just took down the name she gave him, and her claimed height and weight. The other one plead the fifth amendment. (Non-USians: the relevant part of the 5th amendment to the US constitution basically says that people can't be made to incriminate themselves, andsays nothing about showing ID. See this Wikipedia entry.) She literally said "I plead the fifth."
Finally, after much hoorawing, the police reloaded my van, and we were back on our not-so-merry way. The two women spent the entire rest of the HALF HOUR TRIP bitching about the stop, until the man -- the one who would be the most in trouble if the gear is stolen, I might add -- finally said, "I told you to SHUT THE F*** UP!!!" My hero! Too bad it didn't work.
Postscript: After dropping them off, I drove around the corner, then reported to the police the drop off address.
Added bonus: While the police were looking at the gear, Miss Loudmouth told me that the police "violated my rights" by searching the van without asking permission. My reply: "They don't need to ask me. They would only need to ask Big Green Cab Co, and I guarantee the answer would be yes -- but since they could see the gear through the windows, I doubt they needed to ask permission... and if they HAD asked me, I would've told them to go right ahead." (You see, the best thing to do with police officers is to cooperate fully. You'll be done with them faster and in a more pleasant manner. Plus, my job is far more important to me than you are.)
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