Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

General discussion of skirt and kilt-based fashion for men, and stuff that goes with skirts and kilts.
Darryl
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

Post by Darryl »

Not quite in the same line, but Sunday I had worn my black kilt to church with a blue polo shirt. Kilt belt, no sporran but the usual cross-body bag on top of dark support hose and black shoes. Casual mode...also been to church in full formal mode, whatever. :D

Anyway, there was some construction and we were in 'stop-n-go' mode. A lady came up behind me and BAM! Not much more than a dent on my rear bumper, the trunk lid opened and closed easily, a major part of the dent cleaned up with a little buffing and the rubber accent bumper thing has a separation of about a foot in length where it attaches to the body. That's likely a cost of less than $200, parts and labor.

Cop didn't turn a hair at the black kilt, nor did anyone other than one driver going by on the other side who said something about 'getting a dress.' If traffic had been slower I might've said 'got some already!' :lol:
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hairy
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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Its happened AGAIN tonight. This time it was worse, a large police van drove past then slowed down and straight away I knew it was going to turn around and come back to me, which it did. It pulled up in the centre of the road but I carried on walking calm and slowly. Two officers one male, one female came running up to me and asked what I was wearing, was it a dressing gown? where do I live? was I local. This time I had to keep my calm and still politely told them I would rather not answer their questions. I told them I was NOT insane but just out for a gentle walk to ease my arthritis. I returned home and told my wife, I am getting a little angry about this now. At first I felt I could no longer go for my walk but then felt sod it. I went and put on a mini skirt and went out again hoping they would still be about but they were gone.
I am now going to work on a printed statement saying that I choose to wear clothing that I feel comfortable in. It will also state that I do not wish to give my personal details, ect, ect.
I will take care what it states, but I no longer wish to have any conversation when stopped. I'm just a bit fed up with their questions now, but I know I have stay calm and polite. I will carry that statement with me when out for my walk.
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Fred in Skirts
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

Post by Fred in Skirts »

hairy wrote:Its happened AGAIN tonight. This time it was worse, a large police van drove past then slowed down and straight away I knew it was going to turn around and come back to me, which it did. It pulled up in the centre of the road but I carried on walking calm and slowly. Two officers one male, one female came running up to me and asked what I was wearing, was it a dressing gown? where do I live? was I local. This time I had to keep my calm and still politely told them I would rather not answer their questions. I told them I was NOT insane but just out for a gentle walk to ease my arthritis. I returned home and told my wife, I am getting a little angry about this now. At first I felt I could no longer go for my walk but then felt sod it. I went and put on a mini skirt and went out again hoping they would still be about but they were gone.
I am now going to work on a printed statement saying that I choose to wear clothing that I feel comfortable in. It will also state that I do not wish to give my personal details, ect, ect.
I will take care what it states, but I no longer wish to have any conversation when stopped. I'm just a bit fed up with their questions now, but I know I have stay calm and polite. I will carry that statement with me when out for my walk.
Hairy, it is time to go to the police commishner and file a formal complaint for being harassed. You should not have to let this keep happening. That is all this is harassment pure and simple. Do you have a family barrister? If so have him file the complaint. Otherwise file it yourself.

Fred
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hairy
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

Post by hairy »

It don't work that way in UK Fred. Complaints have to be really serious before they get looked into. I'm certain its different coppers each time but I'm still fed up with them stopping me just because I wear something different.
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

Post by crfriend »

Fred in Skirts wrote:[... I]t is time to go to the police [commissioner] and file a formal complaint for being harassed.
Take their badge numbers and names down in writing and submit those to the local chief constable as well; this can be used to establish pattern. This insanity needs to stop if only for your own mental health. Once it's established that you're no threat to society and are tired of getting hassled it should subside -- and don't hesitate to shove it up the food chain if you need to; if you don't get satisfaction from the locals then take it to their supervisory level and so on. Having a mouthpiece on retainer certainly cannot hurt in this situation.

Don't bother preparing anything written for them to read, they're likely to dense to comprehend it; instead, engage and fish for information as to why they're targeting you whilst getting their credentials. Note, though, that if they're anything like US cops they're going to hate that behaviour. Whatever you do, don't give them a reason to get violent. That's how people over here get killed -- and there is no legal recourse.
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Fred in Skirts
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

Post by Fred in Skirts »

hairy wrote:It don't work that way in UK Fred. Complaints have to be really serious before they get looked into. I'm certain its different coppers each time but I'm still fed up with them stopping me just because I wear something different.
It sounds like you need to get in touch with your local minister. ( government type not church type) I am not sure how things work in the UK. But something needs to start happening for your peace of mind. I am sure that harassment is not legal in the UK as it is not legal here in the states.

Fred
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Sinned
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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Not sure what is happening here. I was once stopped by two coppers whilst I was tiding, quite illegally, a bicycle through the town centre whilst I was wearing a skirt. Told off for the bike riding but no mention of the skirt. It was dark, late at night and I was on my way home. I have been passed several times by police and as far as I know they haven't even looked down at the skirt.

What would I do in that situation? I would carry a small notebook in which I would note time and date, place, their names and badge numbers, what was said, possibly have one of those personal cameras that you can buy to record the scene. You know the ones that cyclists can mount onto helmets. You don't have to switch it on - you can do that as you see the events start to unfold. The police do have certain right to stop and search but they generally must have grounds to do so such as suspicion of carrying drugs, weapons, threat of violence, suspicion of terrorism. As far as I know wearing a skirt in a peaceful early evening walk doesn't fulfil any of these categories. You are right in that there is no statutory power for the police to require someone to "stop and account" for themselves, but the police can and do frequently do so, as in your case. The police are entitled to ask you what you are up to, but unless they exercise their powers of stop and search or arrest you, you are entitled to walk away – though although it might be sensible to confirm your basic details if the police do stop and ask you to account for your presence in a place, you do not have do provide any personal details. I would then make a complaint but as I have never had to do so I am not sure of the procedure. Google it, there will probably be several sites that can offer advice.
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hairy
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

Post by hairy »

Sinned you know what our UK police are like, not too bad most of the time at least I know I won't get shot at. The long dark wrap that I wear must look a little odd in the dark, I guess I must look a little like a mad monk, a Druid or a pagan dressed up and ready to kill in the dark of the night. Not that anyone dressed like that either should be stopped. If I were an ISIS terrorist wrapped up from head to toe the word racist would be shouted out loudly.
I don't want to go putting in complaints as I feel this would only serve to give them the information they are after, such as my address, name ect. I don't want to be known as that Mr X who lives down so and so street who walks about in a skirt at night. I just don't want to give them any information about me, and in the UK we don't have to.
They can arrest me for wearing a skirt if they wish. Then the complaints would be put in.
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

Post by Stu »

hairy

I sent you a private message on this issue on 2nd July which I thought might be helpful. I guess you haven't seen it.

Stu
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hairy
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

Post by hairy »

Stu wrote:hairy

I sent you a private message on this issue on 2nd July which I thought might be helpful. I guess you haven't seen it.

Stu
I've seen it Stu, and my mum was in same line of work but no longer with us, so I do have background info on how things work. I still just don't want to bring myself to their attention more than I need to.
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Sinned
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

Post by Sinned »

But the question is Do you really want to continue to be stopped and questioned? There has to come a time when enough is enough I don't want to have to complain about it I just want to be left alone. I know that the individual copper can seem quite reasonable but I just think that there's just something else at play here. A subtext that you haven't been copied in on. If it's any consolation I'm not sure of the best way forward. Perhaps this might help. So far you have had some random incidents of stoppage. Make a note of each one and in on the next stop say to them that you have been stopped several times and that in future you will exercise your right to continue to deny the provision of any information but you will take down their numbers and what was said and happened in order to show a pattern of harassment at which point you will put in a complaint. Say that you are at about the point of getting a personal camera to record each stop to add to the evidence. Say that you are aware of your rights and the next time they had better have a good reason for stopping you. I have a maxim that you can't control what you can't measure. Don't be confrontational but firm in telling them of your next steps. It's probably what I would do then get online and source out body cameras. After all you don't want to complain, you just want it stopped.
Last edited by Sinned on Sun Aug 06, 2017 5:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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hairy

Fair enough. :)
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

Post by hairy »

I've still been getting stopped many times, even an ambulance turned around and went past me 3 times the other night with its dash camera turned on. Tonight I started getting the same stuff, whats ya name? where do you live? to what I replied "I'd rather not say" what's that your wearing? Then I pulled out the printed piece of paper explaining everything. He said It was interesting how I'd anticipated everyone of his questions' so I told him I was getting just a little fed up with being stopped and how my mother would never have stopped her police car in the same way. I never gave my name/address but he said he would circulate my description and tell the others I don't need stopping. Now I don't know what's worse, being stopped every time I go for a late night walk or having my description given to all at the nick. I just wanted to keep a low profile but I guess a man in a skirt can't do that, still it might now stop me snapping at one of them and getting in deep trouble.
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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You really need to speak with the chief of police or your city councilman or somebody and get this harassment stopped.
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.

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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

Post by Happy-N-Skirts »

Is it the same policeman who continually stops to question you? If it is the same one, he has something seriously wrong inside his head. I spent my day hiking in a national forest, stopped at a gas station and a fast food restaurant. No one noticed, as usual. I didn't meet anyone on the trail other than two deer. I am a wildlife photographer, so my intention was to be away from other humans.
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