Almost Arrested today @ SFWOA

Mongoose needs to do some following up here.  The validity of the stop is moot as it was legal.  However, the destruction of his pictures is a topic to be looked into.  If there was a law violation, the officer should have stated it, and thus cited/arrested while confiscating the camera.  If he did cite the particular law violation, he could have done so and given him the option of deleting the pictures or being cited/arrested, but like I said, I cannot think of any law that was broken as far as the actual picture taking. 

     These parks need to realize that we are fans and customers of their product.  We happen to enjoy not only riding and discussing them, but looking at them for their visual/architectural beauty.  Why would the parks make them so cool looking if they didn't want us to look at them?

     Mongoose, did the officer ask for your license/registration/insurance?  What color were the lights on his car?  Describe his uniform to us.  This may help determine if it was security, a deputy, or a police officer.  Did he actually verbally threaten you with being arrested?

     Like Jeff said, if it were a security guard, he has no legal authority to perform a vehicle stop, nor can he touch your property like that.

     A note to JanFrederick.  Sometimes as officers we have something we can use called "officer's discretion".  This is when we can choose to cite or not cite for minor traffic infractions and offenses.  For example, if someone litters, you may tell them to pick up their trash and take it to a garbage can or they will be cited.  This gets the job done and the message sent.  Officers are not the judge and jury when they have the right to use this discretion.  Now if the offense has a real victim, and/or the crime was serious, then you wouldn't have that discretion to use.  Actually, failing to arrest for something serious or if you have a real victim could result in dereliction of duty charges.

But the minor things can be dealt with in other manners.  I know many people would be happy to pour their open beer out instead of paying a $100 ticket.

But the discretion doesn't apply here unless we can find out that there is a law that Mongoose broke pertaining to the actual taking and possession of pictures of the park.  I still can't see any law violation for that.

Mongoose, the ball is in your court.  Solve our dilemma here as you have many people curious and supportive of you.  I think we would like to know what the deal is with taking pics.  Call SFWOA, see what they say.  Im sure there is someone somewhere in the SF organization that can answer your questions, and if not, move on to the local law enforcement agencies.

Seek and ye shall find, and we can put this thread to rest.

Discerning between local law enforcement and the park's security could be difficult, as the park employs Portage County Deputy Sheriffs.  The wildlife side has regular security officers, but I think Goose would have noticed the amber lights atop their vehicles, so there wouldn't have been any question.

Wouldn't suprise me if it were Bainbridge.  Seems to me like all the police departments up there are a little, uh, 'jumpy.'  I've been driving back and forth from Warren long enough to know that.

Goose, did you see his badge??  Was is a shield or a star (I know you probably don't remember, but you can always try)?

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DD, point taken. However, I'd like to know if he was given the option. Sometimes your 'options' don't seek like options when a guy with a badge, a stick, a gun, and a partner say things like, "You can let us search your car now, or we can wait here all day for a search warrant...I get paid either way."
I've had encounters with good and bad cops...so this is not a blanket statement. But many cops take full advantage of their badge.
Don't get me wrong. I TOTALLY appreciate the job they do. And I can also understand how a job like that could stress you out to the point where you lose your patience with the general public (I know I did as a Ride Op). But the position is extremely important....and should be respected by not only the public, but by the officers as well. 
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"I'll bet that thing hits 5 Gs going through that loop.....faaar ooouut!"

*** This post was edited by janfrederick on 12/28/2001. ***

OK.

The car he was in was black. His uni was all black. Do not remember badge style.

He asked me (and my dad) for both of our licenses (I just started driving- I only have my temporary permit)

The pic I took was done with the car stopped. The remaining pics were taken by him, in the passenger seat.

Black cars are probably county sheriff. As far as I can tell the design is standard in most every county I've been through in Ohio. Is that Geauga county?

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

I don't know if this has to do with anything, but on the news about 3 days ago I heard that homeless people got some police jackets, and the police are trying to get them back.

Whether the deputy or police officer is working for the park is irrelevant.  He has the same authority.  So if they work for the park, they would be wearing their same uniforms.

Deputy Sheriffs all wear black shirts with grey pants.  Their badge is in the shape of a 5 point star.  Their patrol cars all are uniform across the state being black in color with the star emblem on the doors.

JanFrederick:  I don't know if he was given the option.  I doubt he was given that option.  I was just explaining officer discretion. 

Generally when speaking of a vehicle, it is not hard to find reason to search it.  Cars are very mobile and the courts realize this.  Making it one of the exceptions to actually getting a search warrant.  You would need a search warrant if you encountered a locked container/case on a vehicle.  If there is cause to believe the evidence is there, I.E. odors, visual evidence, statements made by occupants, then you would have the right to further your investigation.  I know that an officer's presence can be intimidating Jan.  As officers we don't like confrontation when we are trying to do our jobs, even though you may have the right to object. 

Cops are both good and bad Jan, I know many of them that I do not care for.  But you have to remember that it is not just law enforcement specific.  It is in every walk of life.  We just seem to get more bad publicity than others.

Mongoose, if he asked for both you and your dad's licenses, I would pretty much assume he was some type of commissioned law enforcement officer.

I have 9 years under my belt and have come to the conclusion that some suburban and rural area officers tend to be a little more excited with their police authority.

Still, the reason to destroy his pictures boggles me.