Police Harassment In Pine County Minnesota

“Strength and a stout heart are hazardous qualities where they cannot prevail.” ~ Gene Wolfe

My son, a college student,  was driving past the Pine County Sheriff’s building on I-35 (a lonely stretch of road at 12:30 am) with his cruise control set at 4 miles over the speed limit. As he passed the freeway exit, a patrol car came flying down the off ramp and put it’s lights on.  My son pulled over. Officer Egghead (names have been changed to protect the guilty)  then approached my son’s car with his weapon drawn which he then pointed at my son’s head demanding he get out of the car. Thank god this asshole’s trigger finger didn’t have a spasm. Too much coffee? Meth?  Archonic possession? You never know around here.

Bold faced lying, he insisted my son was driving a hundred miles an hour because he could tell from the sound of the exhaust.  Of course he had nothing on radar, but apparently he must be an expert on rotary engines and has excellent hearing with his windows up. (It was cold that night..about 5 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Very shortly two other squad cars appeared. Four deputies in total. I think the three just arrived were deputies Anus, Goober, and Dickhead, but I can’t be sure. I can only assume they had all just finished wanking each other off in the County Sheriff’s parking lot or run out of donuts…or something. Sneering with an obvious contempt for all humanity, Egghead asked in his bullying tone why my son was so nervous. Hmm?  Surrounded by four jacked up cops and just having a loaded gun inches from his face, I can’t imagine why my son would be nervous. You would have been as cool as a cucumber, right?

Without probable cause or any indication that my son was intoxicated (he’d had 2 drinks over the course of the night), the cops in question had my son perform a field sobriety test. As my son jumped thru all the ridiculous hoops performing like an Olympic champion, it seemed obvious to him that Egghead’s rage was building under the surface, his disdainful sneer becoming ever more pronounced.  He wasn’t going to make an arrest. Sad. He then informed my son, “We’re going to breathalyze you anyway!” I’m not even sure if this is legal. Again, no probable cause. My son blew on the tube, something I imagine these cops enjoy doing a great deal.  Results showing well below the legal limit, Egghead slapped my son hard on the back and congratulated him is if they were now great buds. The remaining three cops left the scene… I’m guessing to find a sweet little old lady to victimize. It must get real dull on those slow night shifts and how many donuts can a person eat, really?

Egghead then went back to his car while having my son wait another 20 minutes in the cold, while he wrote up a speeding ticket for 5 miles over the speed limit, of which he had no proof other than my son’s word.

Tax dollars hard at work!

The following morning I called the Sheriff’s department to make a formal complaint. I was transferred to a Sergeant Meyer’s voice mail. It’s been 3 days. No one’s returned my call. I guess no one there feels accountable to the citizens who pay their wages, health benefits, pensions, etc. I called the State Attorney General’s Office who put me through to the Peace Officers Standards and Training Board (there’s an oxymoron, huh?  Peace officer!) where one could acquire the proper form to make a formal complaint. I explained to my son that he had to follow through. That he wasn’t doing this just for himself, but for everyone who still believes they are entitled to basic human rights. Police can’t randomly accost people because they’re having a slow night.  That if no one pushes back, these state sponsered bullies will become ever more brazen, thinking they are above the law, that they can do what they want and get away with it because sadly,  most of the time they do. Not this time, brother.

If you’re ever driving through Pine City in the lonely hours of the night, be sure to make a wide berth around the Courthouse building. You might stir up a hornet’s nest. In fact, I would avoid Pine City altogether if I were you, whatever the time!

Although my son is now a responsible young adult, I can remember the first time he opened his eyes upon this world like it was yesterday. I had hoped I was bringing him into a world worth living in, not a hellish paranoid nightmare people like this are trying to create. If you feel the same way about your own kids, please keep sharing!!  Thanks much.

The Last Word:

I’m sure by now the Pine County Sherrif’s Department has run a full background check on both myself and my son. Neither one of us has ever been arrested. I don’t think I’ve had so much as a parking ticket in the last hundred years or so. That said, I really wasn’t expecting this kind of response to this post. It obviously struck a nerve with a lot of people.

Since the time I posted this, my son has driven to Texas and back without incident. It’s a shame he had to put up with this bullshit in his own back yard.

I have learned something in this. The lovers of the police state really like to overuse the word “Respect” as if it were a magic word  that grants the user justification for abusive assholic behavior. I suggest you people pick up a dictionary or a thesaurus because you seem to be confused about the meaning of the word.  I don’t care if you’re the president or the pope…if you point a  loaded weapon at my son, you’re going to really piss me off.

I’m no longer taking comments on this post. Moving on…