[Rockstar714]

Ok, my boyfriend got pulled over this morning and was told to get out of his truck. The police then searched his truck (tore apart his truck, is what he said) and then they said "oh, sorry, we have the wrong guy".

Is there anything he can do here? He has no criminal past (few speeding tickets) and this has never happened before. He thinks its because he's half black (darker in the summer, obviously).

Any suggestions? Advice? Anything?

[N0help4u]

I really doubt it police are starting to pull people over for no reason and being abusive.
I have been hearing a lot of stories across the country that they are doing this and the theory is that they are getting people conditioned to think it is not a violation of rights.

My boyfriend got pulled over in May for no reason and they tore his car interior apart.
With the patriot act there doesn't seem like there is anything you can do about it.
When lawyers hear 'the cops did this... ' they do not want to get involved unless it is a major violation.

There is an article on how police are doing this, I will try and find it

[Rockstar714]

Thanks, NoHelp. He's just been all upset lately over "the white man is trying to hold the black man down" and all this other junk. I face prejudice everyday, but he thinks that he's the only one that exists, and then this happened "for no reason" (supposedly) so who knows...

[N0help4u]

Yeah my boyfriend is always going on about that too especially now with this.
The police claimed they pulled him over for using his high beams (on a dark street with no street lights)

[Rockstar714]

The other day he said he doesn't want to have kids because of all the stuff he went through when he was little.

He thinks he's the only one that faces persecution and doesn't seem to care that everyone else goes through things too.

[N0help4u]

Yeah my boyfriend is the same way. We both have been through hell in our life and he is bitter over it where I look at things more like a challenge and I can't get it through his head too well that the negativity makes you more depressed

[Rockstar714]

Exactly... now if he could just see that...

[N0help4u]

Well I just got back from court and my boyfriend has to pay $15.00 for driving down a pitch black street with his highbeams on and $75.00 for the weed pipe one of his friends stashed in the back seat, Plus $93.00 court costs on each. Then with the $150.00 tow fee he is paying $425.00 for not doing anything to get pulled over for.

[Rockstar714]

What??
That's crazy!
He got pulled over broad daylight (10 something in the morning) and they didn't find anything stashed, but that really sucks that he got all that. I'd make the friend that stashed that pay.

[JimGunther]

Every jurisdiction should have some sort of agency that is designed to respond to complaints of police misconduct. I know as an ex-police officer than when a crime occurs and a lookout for a vehicle of a certain description goes out, it is quite likely that some people who are completely innocent but happen to match the description will get pulled over. That doesn't mean, however, that police are allowed to "tear apart" the vehicle.

If the boyfriend feels he was treated improperly, he should do something about it. In my area they have something called the Citizen Review Board wich handles complaints against police. There should be something like that in your area. I will say, however, that in my experience I have seen police do both good and bad things. But I have never seen anyone stopped because of their race-police know there has to be a reason for a stop for anything they do later to hold up in court.