3 ms·

For people who haven't been in Texas lately, particularly south Texas... this isn't unusual or an exaggeration. It really is that bad.

cobrausn 13y ago
I dread seeing a cop on the highway when driving from Houston to Dallas and back, and I'm a law-abiding college graduate. The drug war is not being kind to the relationship between civilians and law enforcement here.
- jasonwatkinspdx 13y ago
  Yup, even if you're totally innocent you can be held in jail for 3 days if a cop decides they don't like you. Once you get before a judge, the pretext charges are dropped and you're free to go. This happened to a friend. At that point you can counter-sue and you would eventually win, but not without a potentially expensive legal battle. Organizations like the ACLU can only work so many case, so they're pretty ruthless about prioritizing the ones likely to make a media impact. The worst thing is you can't avoid the police in Texas if you need to drive for work/life. There are mandatory immigration checkpoints miles away from the border. Everyone is stopped and questioned. It's not just Texas. I was illegally detained and had my car searched despite refusing on the interstate in KS. But it seems to get progressively worse the closer you get to the border with Mexico.
  - fnordfnordfnord 13y ago
    >Yup, even if you're totally innocent you can be held in jail for 3 days if a cop decides they don't like you. Yup. Happened to an acquaintance who was in town for a charity event. He was arrested in Fort Worth, and when we tried to post bond for him, the jailers "couldn't find" him. Went on for 3 days. The ironic part was that the guy was a prosecutor (from Mass.) See also: http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2005/12/tarrant-county-bail-politics-keeps.html http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2005/12/tarrant-county...
- sixothree 13y ago
  Having grown up in the "jocks vs. nerds" deep south myself, I worry deeply about interactions with police. If there are ever two sides to a story and they have to pick one, they're certainly not going to pick yours.
  - jasonwatkinspdx 13y ago
    It amazes me how tolerant we are of law enforcement misrepresenting the truth. Making cops wear tamper proof cameras will fix it, but don't expect that to be an easy political battle.
    - gohrt 13y ago
      Seattle is ramping up cameras on officers.
mcphilip 13y ago
As a couter example, I grew up in small town Texas near the TX-LA border and never heard of stories this draconian during my time there. On the contrary, I heard numerous stories of cops basically dumping out small amounts of marijuana from teenagers pipes after traffic stops and telling them to go home an to make better decisions. And no, this was not in relation to well-to-do rich, white, kids. Obviously my anecdote doesn't prove anything, but it's healthly to keep in mind that broad brush labeling of the whole region as having draconian law enforcement can do a disservice to those that don't fit that label.
- angersock 13y ago
  Depending on your age, it's entirely possible that that was back before the incentive structure was setup to encourage asset forfeiture under duress.
- gyardley 13y ago
  You've described how cops in small towns in Texas treat locals, while the article describes how cops in small towns in Texas treat outsiders. The sheriff is elected by the locals, after all.
  - fnordfnordfnord 13y ago
    That's how locals used to be treated. I see less and less of it as time passes.

cobrausn 13y ago

I dread seeing a cop on the highway when driving from Houston to Dallas and back, and I'm a law-abiding college graduate. The drug war is not being kind to the relationship between civilians and law enforcement here.

jasonwatkinspdx 13y ago
Yup, even if you're totally innocent you can be held in jail for 3 days if a cop decides they don't like you. Once you get before a judge, the pretext charges are dropped and you're free to go. This happened to a friend. At that point you can counter-sue and you would eventually win, but not without a potentially expensive legal battle. Organizations like the ACLU can only work so many case, so they're pretty ruthless about prioritizing the ones likely to make a media impact. The worst thing is you can't avoid the police in Texas if you need to drive for work/life. There are mandatory immigration checkpoints miles away from the border. Everyone is stopped and questioned. It's not just Texas. I was illegally detained and had my car searched despite refusing on the interstate in KS. But it seems to get progressively worse the closer you get to the border with Mexico.
- fnordfnordfnord 13y ago
  >Yup, even if you're totally innocent you can be held in jail for 3 days if a cop decides they don't like you. Yup. Happened to an acquaintance who was in town for a charity event. He was arrested in Fort Worth, and when we tried to post bond for him, the jailers "couldn't find" him. Went on for 3 days. The ironic part was that the guy was a prosecutor (from Mass.) See also: http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2005/12/tarrant-county-bail-politics-keeps.html http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2005/12/tarrant-county...
sixothree 13y ago
Having grown up in the "jocks vs. nerds" deep south myself, I worry deeply about interactions with police. If there are ever two sides to a story and they have to pick one, they're certainly not going to pick yours.
- jasonwatkinspdx 13y ago
  It amazes me how tolerant we are of law enforcement misrepresenting the truth. Making cops wear tamper proof cameras will fix it, but don't expect that to be an easy political battle.
  - gohrt 13y ago
    Seattle is ramping up cameras on officers.

mcphilip 13y ago

As a couter example, I grew up in small town Texas near the TX-LA border and never heard of stories this draconian during my time there. On the contrary, I heard numerous stories of cops basically dumping out small amounts of marijuana from teenagers pipes after traffic stops and telling them to go home an to make better decisions. And no, this was not in relation to well-to-do rich, white, kids. Obviously my anecdote doesn't prove anything, but it's healthly to keep in mind that broad brush labeling of the whole region as having draconian law enforcement can do a disservice to those that don't fit that label.

angersock 13y ago
Depending on your age, it's entirely possible that that was back before the incentive structure was setup to encourage asset forfeiture under duress.
gyardley 13y ago
You've described how cops in small towns in Texas treat locals, while the article describes how cops in small towns in Texas treat outsiders. The sheriff is elected by the locals, after all.
- fnordfnordfnord 13y ago
  That's how locals used to be treated. I see less and less of it as time passes.