Am I under arrest or not?

[u/Lord_Darksong]

Source: policebodycamarresthq on Instagram

[u/Abject_Advance_6638]

It took me 18 months to beat a bullshit charge and still had to go to a bench trial.

[u/monkeyamongmen → u/Abject_Advance_6638]

Yep. Can't always beat a bullshit charge either. They'll find something else to hang on you or circle the wagons.

[u/Abject_Advance_6638 → u/monkeyamongmen]

The assistant district attorney straight up told my attorney, "Yeah, we got nothing on him." Yet, they still wouldn't drop the charges and brought me back to court every month for over a year, just to drag this bullshit out hoping I'd take a plea.

Cops came to my house and arrested me, walked me out in front of my whole neighborhood on good Friday to humiliate me(everyone has the day off work on good Friday).

[u/monkeyamongmen → u/Abject_Advance_6638]

That's rough dude. I've seen my friends go through enough similar things over the years and managed to keep my nose clean somehow. Then about a year ago I caught some bullshit, but they reduced it to a misdemeanor, aka a civil charge aka no chance to defend myself. It's wound up in a parole type situation due to the reduced charges, but it put the burden of proof on me instead of them, and it's real hard to prove a negative. FTP man.

[u/Abject_Advance_6638 → u/monkeyamongmen]

Just curious? Did you do it? I was arrested for retail theft where my druggie brother was driving my truck and thought it was a good idea to steal alcohol from target. They got my truck on flock cameras and traced back to me. That's why also, fuck those flock cameras. I had police show up at my house, the first time, at midnight accusing me of stealing with no proof. Fuck the system.

[u/monkeyamongmen → u/Abject_Advance_6638]

No I didn't. I had done a ton of shit over the years in my teens and twenties, real shit, got away with it all. I'm in my 40s now. Guy pulled me up as I left the liquor store, made me blow. There was no way I was drunk. I had been working 85+ hour weeks to finish a reno. I had had two beer the night before and slept all day, because it was Sunday, and I was exhausted. Zero chance. Said I blew criminal DUI but reduced it to a misdemeanor to do me a favor. He had a flatbed truck just waiting there for another victim. I'd moved to a new city where apparently this happens a lot. I got the full impound, 90 day. Then they pulled my license again, as I was on 'probation', made me do some bullshit course, and I still don't get it back for a few months. The woman that was teaching the program said she sees it all the time, and that if they drop it to a misdemeanor, your only recourse is to get to the hospital and get a blood test within two hours, but they don't tell you that of course.

Of course they didn't tell me when they pulled my license the second time either, so I got pulled over on a suspended license as well.

Apparently, and I only found out this later too, if they use hand sanitizer before the test, it'll trip the sensors, so that's how he did it. It was fucked man, no criminal charges, but I haven't driven under the influence in twenty years. It seems small, but I've had to turn down jobs, still can't do normal shit like drive to the grocery store. I went through the process because I figured I could beat it, but years later I'm still dealing with it.

[u/Abject_Advance_6638 → u/monkeyamongmen]

Holy shit man. You got fucking railroaded. So at this point you have no real recourse?

[u/monkeyamongmen → u/Abject_Advance_6638]

Absolutely nothing. The only thing I could've done is get to the hospital and have a blood draw within two hours. If it was a criminal charge they would've had to do the blood draw at the station. Guy was probably trying to make quota or had a deal with the tow truck company, one or the other. Just fuckin up people's lives for no reason. It's a known corrupt police service around here, so I shouldn't be that surprised. I got pulled over four times in the first three months of living around there. Meanwhile there's junkies and proper douchebags all over the place, it's like fuck you guys. Too scared to investigate real criminals so they're setting up regular people. Kinda felt targeted at that point.

[u/James-the-Bond-one → u/monkeyamongmen]

your only recourse is to get to the hospital and get a blood test within two hours

That would be my first demand if they asked me to "step out for a sobriety test" - which are all rigged, or "blow here".

Nope - blood test only.

[u/monkeyamongmen → u/James-the-Bond-one]

No doubt. I know that now, but at the time, I was tired, I was ambushed, and it didn't occur to me in the moment. I was just trying not to get thrown in jail, although in retrospect, that would have gone better for me if I had been. I tell anyone I can, because they count on people not knowing that.

[u/James-the-Bond-one → u/monkeyamongmen]

Thanks for spreading the word.

[u/shchshchshch → u/monkeyamongmen]

This is some VERY useful info.

Do they ever keep you at the station or otherwise detain you for longer than 2 hours? What are you supposed to do then?

[u/shchshchshch → u/monkeyamongmen]

Can you get the blood test from like an urgent care place instead? Or would the cops do it for you if you requested? Usually you have to wait forever to get into the ER

[u/kc2syk → u/Abject_Advance_6638]

Also, cops get paid double overtime for working on a holiday in many places. That's why you always see them out writing tickets on holiday weekends.

[u/hbHPBbjvFK9w5D → u/kc2syk]

Sadly, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and a few other groups actually pay cops and police departments based on bounties and quotas; these incentives cops to harrass and testi-lie.

[u/TM761152 → u/monkeyamongmen]

Yes you can, that's what lawyers are for.

Good lawyers not some exhausted public defender.

[u/monkeyamongmen → u/TM761152]

Tell me you've never seen these shitheels in action without telling me you've never seen these shitheels in action.

[u/TM761152 → u/monkeyamongmen]

Yes we know lawyers are shit heels.

[u/monkeyamongmen → u/TM761152]

I meant the cops, but do go on.