The Day I Was Treated Like A Criminal
It taught me what NOT to do when a cop stops you…
“Get back in your car!”
yelled the Suffolk County, Long Island police officer as I climbed out of my blue Chevy and walked toward the mini food mart within a Mobil gas station.
I was heading to their mini-mart for cigarettes on my way to my second job that Saturday morning the police officer yelled those words at me, after putting on his siren and following me into the gas station.
Everyone started backing away from me and headed inside the food mart. I turned around, went to my car, then sat in the seat I had just vacated. “What did I do, Officer?” I inquired, looking straight into his eyes and then down at his gun sitting in the holster on his hips.
“You made an illegal U-turn over there…” he said, writing out a ticket. “But I see your insurance expired so I’ll give you a break and write out this ticket for expired insurance instead.”
I hadn’t seen any signs saying “No U-turn” and said so. But it came out sounding like I was being a smartass…
In my smartass mode, I asked the officer why he didn’t go after the ‘real’ criminals instead of a law-abiding citizen… His reply was “Just be glad I’m not giving you a moving violation ticket,” the officer said.
