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I'm a deputy in rural Alabama, and a rail fan bordering on foamer. I've also been present when a "routine traffic stop" turned into a gun fight. I learned caution after that incident. Last week, it was discovered that terrorists had been happily taking pictures of financial centers in New York and New Jersey. It wasn't so long ago that a New Jersey state trooper- making a routine stop on a speeding ticket- caught someone with a car load of explosives. A customs officer in the Northwest stopped a car based on a "feeling" that something wasn't right. Inspection found bombs. Timothy McVey got caught on a traffic stop in Oklahoma right after he blew up the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Face it folks, someone standing alongside railroad tracks is odd, especially when they are taking pictures. (Perhaps "odd" is too harsh- "eccentric" might be more, ah, accurate.) Madame Mookie was bang on when she described exactly the kind of person I'm going to pull up behind. I genuinely have no idea what you're doing there. You may be broken down and need help. (That's what's going on, most of the time.) You might be talking on your cell phone, and were smart enough to pull over to take that order of a quart of milk on your way home. You might be waiting for a train to hop- some idiots actually do that as a hobby. Or, you might be Osama Bin Lauden waiting to see the results of your latest political statement. I would really hate to be the cop whose dashboard video tape shows me ignoring the guy who has been found to blow up a NS freight carrying Army equipment. That's about as much fun as watching the poor *** security guard at Washington National airport who let the terrorists through on their one way trip to the Pentagon. I'm not going to be rude to you, but I will be asking some questions. I'll be asking for a driver's license or some form of ID. (In Alabama, you have to produce ID on request. No probable cause needed.) You can bet that I have already called in your tag, and exactly where I am. My radio will crackle from dispatch with the results of your tag. It's all going to be shot on video tape. That's for my own protection; if I end up getting shot by Osama Bin Lauden, my partners need to know who he is and what he's driving. I'll ask you if you need help. I'm not hassling you; I'm trying to do my job. If it turns out you missed a court date for a speeding ticket, and there's a bench warrant out on you, guess what? You're under arrest. Yes, I'm going to handcuff you. Yes, you will go into the back of my car. I'm not going to raise my voice; I won't swear at you; all that does is make a scary situation (for the driver, not me) worse. Scared people do some crazy things. The last thing I want to do is to get into hand to hand combat with a 300 pound person in the middle of a panic attack. If I am arresting you, you can bet that I'm going to check the inside of your car. (It's called 'search incidental to a lawful arrest') Your car will be towed and impounded. Yes, I am an American deputy. My weapon is prominently displayed- it's so I can get to it when I need it. It also has a great deterrent effect on most people who size me up and wonder if they can beat the mud out of me. It has also saved my life. I hope it stays in my holster the rest of my law enforcement career. You don't have to be a brain surgeon to figure out that if blowing up a few commuter trains during rush hour in Madrid worked well, imagine the wonderful results you can get if you blow up a commuter train in LA. I suspect the transit cops in Madrid are a trifle edgy right now. I would suspect that there's a lot of cops in metropolitan areas feeling a mite bit suspicious, too. They have a lot of reasons to be that way. I don't intend to excuse rude or obnoxious behavior on the part of the cops. Me, I want to keep the peace and go home at night, preferably intact. Being polite, respectful and soft spoken works for me. Some cops don't see it that way; intimidation gets answers to their questions faster and more efficiently for them. My experience as a rail foamer is that you stay off their tracks, don't climb on their equipment, and be cooperative when someone asks you for an ID. If they tell you to move on, don't make matters worse by trying to argue law with them. You will be seen as a rectal orifice if you do. Like the middle aged man in the proctologist's office, you will invite examination that will alter your perception of personal privacy. Just understand that most police officers and deputies have good reason for doing what they do. It's never a personal attack on you, unless you make it that way. Erik
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