ACPD Blocking Key Bridge Access, Threatening Cyclists

[jnva]

I’m very happy they were there this morning as I almost was run over by a car turning right towards key bridge. I yelled at the driver and then she was immediately pulled over. Hopefully got s ticket.

[arlrider]

@jnva 96990 wrote:

I’m very happy they were there this morning as I almost was run over by a car turning right towards key bridge. I yelled at the driver and then she was immediately pulled over. Hopefully got s ticket.

Now this is good to hear!

[JorgeGortex]

Funny, I had a similar but different experience once, and one that made me think race doesn’t always make the equation (I’m a skinny white guy):

I was living at home when I first started college. At 2am someone pounded on our front door, loud enough that we thought someone was breaking in. My mother was first to the door and was confronted by an ACPD officer asking if she had a son. When she said yes he demanded to see me. I had hopped out of bed when I heard the commotion, and upon seeing me he demanded I step outside. We are talking DEMANDED. Being young and a bit startled I came into the open door way, at which point he grilled me about my whereabouts in the previous 15 minutes to which I replied “asleep until I heard you bang on our door.” Eventually he left with the other officers that were with him, who stood silently on the front lawn. As it turns out a guy who lived one block over took a cab to our house, got out to “go get his wallet” and cut through our yard to his block stiffing the cabbie. In this even my extreme whiteness did not help me. Neither has any other encounter I’ve ever had with law enforcement.

I relate this story because this is but one of several experiences I’ve had with law enforcement, and feeling threatened. In every instance I was polite and was not breaking a single law. These experiences have tainted my impression and faith in law enforcement. My father, an ACFD officer had little use for most of the ACPD based on his experiences in the field and otherwise. I think the issue with with training of officers from the get go, and partly independent of race.

Its my opinion that the officer in question in the original post was out of line. I don’t care what kind of day he was having. As an officer, someone with authority and a firearm, you had better learn to leave your personal life at the door. Clearly not enough is done to train officers in how to serve AND protect. Innocent until proven guilty, etc. Arlington is no different. You simply don’t earn respect until you’ve earned it through positive actions and behavior. Being a police officer is NOT an easy job, but the responsibilities that come with it are huge and come with the job they have chosen. Period. Live up to them, or choose something different.

JG

@rcannon100 96542 wrote:

I hate to say it: you must be white and privileged. Not everyone has the same experience with police that you do. For many, the police are innately a threat. The unfortunately reality is that the officer, with a car parked on the sidewalk blocking pedestrian traffic, who has responded negatively to being photographed (he is a public figure and citizens have first amendment rights) – has already established the tone to this conversation. Unfortunately, many have experienced situations like this with police officers – and they go south quickly.

I had a similar experience with ACPD when they drove the wrong way down a road in an unmarked car. I called the officer out on it (not even knowing at that time it was ACPD – just assuming it was another jack ass driving the wrong way down the street). That encounter ended with a 2nd officer threatening me with arrest. That matter was handled by ACPD IG.

Again, I was driving down Lee Hwy, and had an aggressive driver tailgating me. I moved to the left turn lane, the car sped (above speed limit) by. I honked. The car proceeded to make an illegal left turn through a parking lot and cut my off on the next road. Turned out – again – it was an unmarked police officer. Ironically, it was an ACPD officer who is in charge of educating about aggressive driving. He tried to be belligerent. I pointed out that he was aggressively driving and tailgating. He tried to be belligerent. By this time I had learned about the IG. I had two witnesses in the car. I looked down at his badge; he saw me look down at his badge. He backed away rather quickly.

I will challenge you to a game. We play it all the time. It’s called “Guess the ethnicity of the driver.” In Arlington, at a traffic stop, count the number of ACPD cars at the stop, and then guess the ethnicity of the driver. For decades (I have lived here 25 years), 2 police cars = non white every single time.

Your encounters with police may have all been roses. I will admit – I love ACPD. There may be some rough edges, but we have a great county and a great police force. That said – it is a power relationship – and there are lots of sociological studies about how police abuse their position of authority.

Contrary to what people are saying, they are not people like you and me. They are people with authority, who carry guns, who have the power to arrest you, and have the power to make your life miserable. This is the very reason why police forces are held accountable. This is the very reason why what Arlrider did is so important. To live in a democracy, we must have accountability and we must have the ability to curtail abuses of power (including abuses that start as small ones: I can park my car anywhere ~ and I can discourage people from photographing me.).

[Author]

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