Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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

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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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It may be the police are looking out for your safety dressed the way you are. I live near enough to the Mexican border where there are game wardens, BLM rangers, Border Patrol, Highway Patrol, Sheriff deputies, DEA, etc. When I am pulled over, which is rare but more often than I would like, I tell them I have nothing illegal and we are on the same side. If I am asked I will tell them I am wearing a hiking skirt and I am out taking pictures. None have asked what I am wearing or why. They sometimes ask if they can "look around", which is cop talk for "search." I tell them I will open the doors and let them look but they can't dig around in my vehicle, but won't consent to a search. I am polite but firm. If they ask why not I will tell them I learned about the Fourth Amendment in the U.S. Constitution that I learned about in the 8th grade. None have asked "why." One time a game warden released his dog in my truck which brought in dirt and mud. He must have thought I was poaching or smuggling. I don't like poachers or smugglers either, so I didn't object and said nothing. Cops always ask where I am coming from. I tell them "home." They haven't asked me why home is the opposite direction but I would say, "I'm going back home." None of them have asked. I get stopped about once a year. No citations or violations in about ten years plus. Act intelligent and say as little as possible.
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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I'm with Kingfish on this one -- keep it close to the parties involved. The tack I'd take would be that when next approached be affable with them and engage them in conversation and see if you can ferret out what's afoot. If they ask why you're out late simply tell them that you're out for your pre-bedtime constitutional and if they ask where you live don't give the address but instead a general location in the neighbourhood. Specificity can be your enemy in certain circumstances, and since they've not charged you with anything a simple chat cannot really hurt.

Recall that these guys rarely experience humanity at its best and that a bit of jocular conversation leavened with politeness can go a long way in defusing something potentially ugly. Note that when they approach you they're potentially expecting trouble; by not giving it to them you're actually putting them on the back foot. Smile; that adds extra effect.
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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crfriend wrote:Recall that these guys rarely experience humanity at its best and that a bit of jocular conversation leavened with politeness can go a long way in defusing something potentially ugly. Note that when they approach you they're potentially expecting trouble; by not giving it to them you're actually putting them on the back foot. Smile; that adds extra effect.
I think this is a good place to start, a nice pleasant conversation about the trouble, however if they don't get the message, then the next time they bothered me I'd have no choice to document and long with whipping out the cell phone camera and recording the future incidents. I'm not sure of the legality of video recording cops over in the U.K., but over here it seems to have brought a lot of police harassment/brutality cases to the surface really quick.

All this being said, I have only have one semi-issue with a cop, and I don't think it was so much the skirt, but rather the camera. A lot of Americans (citizens and police) are put off by my camera. Citizens don't like me photographing things because they either think I'm a pervert taking voyeur photo's, or in the case when I enter a bad neighborhood they might think I actually work for the authorities and am documenting evidence for a drug bust. Police don't like it for obvious reasons. A man, wearing a skirt, carrying an expensive camera around taking pictures of everything is the stereotype of a man who at least to some extent knows his rights.... and that spells trouble for the authorities.

The issue I had was during Trail Days 2016 in Damascus, as you can gather from the album on Flickr, I photographed nearly everything... YES INCLUDING lots of women and children! :shock: Guess what.... TOTALLY LEGAL. Well after about an hour of photographing the event, I started to notice that no matter where I went there was this one cop that was always up my ass. Every time I turned around, there he was.... so what did I do?

I shot him....

Image

...with my Nikon. :lol: :D

He tried to dart out of the way, but my autofocus was faster than he could run. I never saw him again after that... the camera... is the cops worst enemy.

Outside of that, when I was visiting Nashville, once again taking photos of everything, two cops were standing on the sidewalk of the very busy street and gave me a most ugly look, as though they'd love to slam me over the hood of their cruiser and throw me in jail if they could find a reason. I'm not sure if it was the camera or the skirt I was wearing, but at any rate, it was standing room only on that sidewalk, so it was no place for a police incident...
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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moonshadow wrote:[... A]fter about an hour of photographing the event, I started to notice that no matter where I went there was this one cop that was always up my ass. Every time I turned around, there he was.... so what did I do?

I shot him ... with my Nikon. :lol: :D
Is that a real cop or a rent-a-cop? Note the unusual collar decoration. Pretty badges can be had for cheap on the 'Net (Heck, real ones can be had, too) and name-tags can say anything at all. I suspect he was a crank of some sort.

I had to give up most of my photography in 2001 when it became a chargeable offence to take pictures of large infrastructure which was one of my favourite subjects. I just didn't feel that the hassle I would have gotten with my fancy gear was worth the risk -- and this was before I started wearing skirts.
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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crfriend wrote:Is that a real cop or a rent-a-cop? Note the unusual collar decoration.
I believe it was a real cop, granted one that was probably close to retirement, and does the "easy stuff" around the force, which if I'm not mistaken, in the small town of 800 people consisted of three of four sworn officers and a chief. I think they had two cruisers. You will also note the patch on the right arm, and his uniform is the standard for police in the town. It being a trail "nature like" town, they wear uniforms in shades of green rather than black/blue.

Regarding the cross, which is what I assume you were referring to. It's really not that unusual around here. There is no separation of church and state in these parts. "In God We Trust" is the official national motto, and the law enforcement and schools love to remind everyone of that. It's on the bumper of every police and Sheriff cruiser there is. The land where we're moving to, Russell County Virginia might actually be borderline illegal, or at least blatant enough to raise some eyebrows if the right (or wrong) people found out. I was looking at Russell County's facebook, they are highly Christian dominated, including regularly scheduled prayer meetings for county Board of Supervisors, and virtually everything the county does is in some how connected to the Church community. Russell County appears to be... in essence, one big church.

No, I'm not going to be "that guy" (the guy who runs to the ACLU about everything). I could really care less, as long as they keep the roads paved and don't harass me in my personal life or effects, then I'd be happy to just leave it at that. Of course, I WILL wear whatever religious symbol I choose to, and I'll be damned if they are going to stop me. :twisted:
crfriend wrote:I had to give up most of my photography in 2001 when it became a chargeable offence to take pictures of large infrastructure which was one of my favourite subjects. I just didn't feel that the hassle I would have gotten with my fancy gear was worth the risk -- and this was before I started wearing skirts.
Now I would have fought that... photography is not a crime, nowhere in the U.S. that I'm aware of, except for certain rare places like perhaps military bases, maybe nuclear power plants, but even then I think you're good as long as you're on the public right of way.

At any rate it's 2017 now, and Google has about photographed nearly EVERYTHING on the planet, at least from space, if not by a drive by. There is literally very little you can photograph any more than you can't look up online through Google maps... so go for it! Photograph till your hearts content, because I DO believe the right to take pictures is soon going to come to and end in the coming years, as photography is just causing too many problems for the "authorities".... :roll:
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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moonshadow wrote:You will also note the patch on the right arm, and his uniform is the standard for police in the town. It being a trail "nature like" town, they wear uniforms in shades of green rather than black/blue.
Unfortunately, much of the text on the patch is illegible in the photo (due to angle and curvature) so I can't tell if it says "Police Dept." or "Sanitation Dept.". One can get very close to the "real thing" although outright forgeries (or illicit obtaining of the real thing) patches can be grounds for being changed for "impersonating an officer".
Regarding the cross, which is what I assume you were referring to. It's really not that unusual around here.
Indeed. Around here, the typical collar-adornments are "?PD" (or "??PD" if the area has a two-word name). I'm not sure what Chaplains wear, but police forces up here don't typically have Chaplains, and even a Chaplain may be overstepping by wearing a cross (not everyone is Christian and the symbol worn as a badge of authority could be either irrelevant or outright offensive). Some forces have stars on the collar as a signifier of years of service or rank.
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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In my country a policeman is not allowed to stop any person and ask him anything, unless he has a well justified reason to do so. And he has to confront the person with his suspicion or reason why before asking him.
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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I had twice something to do with the police.
First time when driving a patrol car came from the other side, made a U-turn and gave a stop sign. It was about 8 am on Sunday morning. They asked whether I would have been drinking, so I said yes: coffee, orange jus, water. They were lost for words, explained that often enough people would be still coming from a bar at that time. Still I had to take the breath analysing test. The second time it was a check also on DUI. All were stopped. Again the question whether I had been drinking, so I showed the large bottle containing water which I always have with me when driving long distances. The copper could smile, but still the obligatory test..

As to the aspect of recording the encounter on film or photo, if you ask their permission or just state that you will be recording the encounter they can't stop you. A policeman is witness t the same time, if you are by yourselves, than the camera is your witness and if you claim such and is not as indicated by the policeman, you will have the burden of proof, so do record the encounter.
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

Post by TheSkirtedMan »

Hairy

I'm with the replies about embrace a conversation. They are probably having a boring evening, certainly if not tackling real issues locally. Are they the same Police Officers. If not, word has gone around the station about a man in a skirt. It has happened to me at times in shops when you suddenly realise every member of staff has passed, certainly more than on the shop floor!

At night there are some strange characters around and I take on board your wifes comment.

If anybody starts a conversation no matter what or how, I engage, firstly that's me, secondly it creates a welcome environment and thirdly it's as my wife says, promoting a MIS is a normal everyday person just like WIT.

I'm conscious of police, in fact authorities. They can if so inclined cause problems, but it is the small minority, just as it is in all walks of life. If you are doing no harm 99.9% and higher there will be no issue. If act hesitantly, short with answers, certainly with Police, will become suspicious, certainly late at night. Just have a chat with them, pass the time of day. Quite honestly, if they find you interesting as a MIS having general chit chat, they'll get bored because you become standard issue therefore boring.

I go all over UK in a skirt and at times up to midnight in public. No problems with Police. Even in France. I just think you have unfortunately come across a few Police Officers who find you interesting. Have a good general conversation with them, brighten up their evening and don't think suspicious thoughts unless you have cause too.
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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TheSkirtedMan wrote:Hairy

I'm with the replies about embrace a conversation. They are probably having a boring evening, certainly if not tackling real issues locally. Are they the same Police Officers. If not, word has gone around the station about a man in a skirt. It has happened to me at times in shops when you suddenly realise every member of staff has passed, certainly more than on the shop floor!

At night there are some strange characters around and I take on board your wifes comment.

If anybody starts a conversation no matter what or how, I engage, firstly that's me, secondly it creates a welcome environment and thirdly it's as my wife says, promoting a MIS is a normal everyday person just like WIT.

I'm conscious of police, in fact authorities. They can if so inclined cause problems, but it is the small minority, just as it is in all walks of life. If you are doing no harm 99.9% and higher there will be no issue. If act hesitantly, short with answers, certainly with Police, will become suspicious, certainly late at night. Just have a chat with them, pass the time of day. Quite honestly, if they find you interesting as a MIS having general chit chat, they'll get bored because you become standard issue therefore boring.

I go all over UK in a skirt and at times up to midnight in public. No problems with Police. Even in France. I just think you have unfortunately come across a few Police Officers who find you interesting. Have a good general conversation with them, brighten up their evening and don't think suspicious thoughts unless you have cause too.
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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I suspect it the bit where word has got around the station of man in a skirt, plus they have too much time on there hands.
Its not nice to be seen beside the road with police asking questions, people will be saying Oh look there's a man in a skirt in trouble with police. Its not the sort of thing any of us want. I don't like any attention from anyone when skirted but I know people will look, that's human nature but to be looked at stopped by police is something else. Hopefully word has got around the nick now and I might be left alone for a while.
I know what they are like in the station as my mum was one of them.
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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hairy wrote:I suspect it the bit where word has got around the station of man in a skirt, plus they have too much time on there hands.
They always do, but that's just something that we get to deal with.
Its not nice to be seen beside the road with police asking questions, people will be saying Oh look there's a man in a skirt in trouble with police. Its not the sort of thing any of us want. I don't like any attention from anyone when skirted but I know people will look, that's human nature but to be looked at stopped by police is something else. Hopefully word has got around the nick now and I might be left alone for a while.
A convivial conversation looks very different from a confrontation, and the average citizen understands that and can readily tell the difference. Folks aren't quite so stupid as they're often made out to be.

The other thing with this is that once everybody knows you're either harmless or a positive influence any sort of hostility usually vanishes.
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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I've seen druggies, seen both males and females peeing in the street. Youths smashing bottles across the road which is an ambulance route. I've seen so much more than that on my walks before bed but not once have I seen any of those offenders being stopped by the police. I've been stopped because I'm wearing my long skirt, I don't like being talked about when they get back to the station so I've stopped having my exercise that my bad hip needs. Some things are just so wrong.
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Re: Polie stopped me AGAIN last night

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hairy wrote:I've seen druggies, seen both males and females peeing in the street. Youths smashing bottles across the road which is an ambulance route. I've seen so much more than that on my walks before bed but not once have I seen any of those offenders being stopped by the police. I've been stopped because I'm wearing my long skirt, I don't like being talked about when they get back to the station so I've stopped having my exercise that my bad hip needs. Some things are just so wrong.
I think it is time for you to have a talk with the Commissioner of Police. If you have to stop the needed exercise because of the police, that is just wrong. So seek out the help you need to get the harassment stopped. I would have done this a lot sooner than now. Also I would carry a small camera and record this harassment so you have all of the evidence you need.
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