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Subway rider arrested for eating candyFollow

#1 Jul 30 2004 at 9:22 AM Rating: Good
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The Associated Press wrote:
Thursday, July 29, 2004 Posted: 3:13 PM EDT (1913 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A government scientist finishing a candy bar on her way into a subway station where eating is prohibited was arrested, handcuffed and detained for three hours by transit police.

Stephanie Willett said she was eating a PayDay bar on an escalator descending into a station July 16 when an officer warned her to finish it before entering the station. Both Willett and police agree that she nodded and put the last bit into her mouth before throwing the wrapper into a trash can.

Willett, a 45-year-old Environmental Protection Agency scientist, told radio station WTOP that the officer then followed her into the station, one of several in downtown Washington.

"Don't you have some other crimes you have to take care of?" Willett said she told the officer.

Washington has been under heightened security because of the continuing threat of terrorism. And last week, police declared a citywide crime emergency over rising juvenile crime.

The transit police officer asked for Willett's identification, but Willett kept walking. She said she was then frisked and handcuffed.

"If she had stopped eating, it would have been the end of it and if she had just stopped for the issuance of a citation, she never would have been locked up," Transit Police Chief Polly Hanson said Thursday.

Metrorail has been criticized in the past for heavy-handed enforcement of the eating ban. In 2000, a police officer handcuffed a 12-year-old girl for eating a French fry on a subway platform.

In 2002, one of their officers ticketed a wheelchair-bound cerebral palsy patient for cursing when he was unable to find a working elevator to leave a station. Unflattering publicity eventually led the police to void the ticket.

Willett was the second person arrested this year for eating or drinking, Hanson said. In addition, police have issued 58 tickets and more than 300 written warnings.


Edited, Fri Jul 30 10:26:33 2004 by xythex
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#2 Jul 30 2004 at 9:29 AM Rating: Good
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Don't they have better things to waste their time on? She finished the candybar in one bite and threw the wrapper into an appropriote waste receptical. WTF?
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#3 Jul 30 2004 at 9:37 AM Rating: Decent
Quote:
In 2000, a police officer handcuffed a 12-year-old girl for eating a French fry on a subway platform.


That's pretty damn sad.
#4 Jul 30 2004 at 9:39 AM Rating: Decent
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Not all cops are like that. Sure there are a lot of sour ones. I generally find older cops to be more laid back and forgiving.
#5 Jul 30 2004 at 9:39 AM Rating: Default
Now lets read in between the lines. She was asked to get rid of the candy bar. So in a condescending way she does something, maybe smarts off, to **** the officer off. The officer thinks to himself: I'm a cop I can do whatever I want I'll detain this Bit*h and lets see how she likes it.

Cops do this all the time. Locally here five cops tried to get a local homeowner to sign a search warrant and when he refused they beat the sh*t out of him using tasers for torture and all. The sad thing is they would have gotten away with it if he hadn't been an innovative drug dealer and placed hidden cameras all over his house which caught the beating on tape. The fact is cops are underpaid and undereducated bullies that abuse their authority often. I know whenever I've needed a cop they're never around but when I don't want them around they always seem to be there.

Varus
#6 Jul 30 2004 at 9:44 AM Rating: Decent
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Heard the same story on the radio (I live and work in the DC area), but it was pretty different. From what I heard, she was in the middle of eating it when the guy told her that eating is not allowed in the stations. So she proceded to eat infront of him while argueing with him. After refusing to stop the cop says he's going to issue her a ticket. At that point she finishes the cardy bar, ignores the cop, and tries to board the next train thats pulling up to the station. Thats when he cuffs her.

Not sure which is more accurate, but thats what I heard.
#7 Jul 30 2004 at 9:48 AM Rating: Good
Cops are usually from lower-income families. They're often arresting people in the neighborhoods they grew up in.

The best way to **** off someone responsible for enforcement is to blow them off.

I read between the lines and got the same message Varus did. The lady basically gave the cop attitude for asking her to follow the law.

Yup, it's a stupid law. But it's his job to enforce it. It's a court's role to interpret it. And the lawmaker's role to amend or repeal the law if it proves to be unworkable.

The cop was doing his job, the lady gave him **** for it. He gave her a dose of contempt right back. Fair deal.

Don't hate the player. Hate the game.
#8 Jul 30 2004 at 9:52 AM Rating: Good
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If the AP account is correct I read it as: Cop tells her to cease and decist. She does, but is not very happy with it. Expresses her right to free speach in a public place and a hothead cop decides he needs to have the upper hand.
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#9 Jul 30 2004 at 9:58 AM Rating: Decent
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Quote:
Expresses her right to free speach


People need to be aware of the consequences when "expressing" their speech.

I'm not saying what the cop did was right or wrong because we will probably never know the full story. However, when a cop tells me to do something I better do it and not mouth off. Like it or not they do have power over you.



Edited, Fri Jul 30 11:05:22 2004 by Pulseczar
#10 Jul 30 2004 at 10:00 AM Rating: Decent
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Even in the AP article it states:

Quote:
The transit police officer asked for Willett's identification, but Willett kept walking.


It's her fault for escalating the incident, as much as it is the cop's. She could've taken the ticket and contested it in court, or even tried to argue with the cop, but instead she ignores him and tries to walk away. Anyone knows that'll **** off a cop.
#11 Jul 30 2004 at 10:08 AM Rating: Good
Actually, when a cop asks for your ID, you need to cough it up right away.

Some states require that you have it on you at all times (LA for sure since I got nailed for it there).

Everywhere that I know of, failing to produce ID or stop and tell the officer you can't because <insert excuse> is failure to comply. That'll stick.

I don't know about DC in particular on this. But I'm betting that if the cop asked her to stop and present ID that failing to do so is breaking the law.


A tap on the shin with a nightstick might teach her to save her smartass comments for her tree-hugging hippy friends. Where's Cartman when you need him?
#12 Jul 30 2004 at 10:08 AM Rating: Good
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Quote:
Cops are usually from lower-income families. They're often arresting people in the neighborhoods they grew up in.


Yup....I know some kids I went to high school with that are now town cops. One used to have a crack habbit.
#13 Jul 30 2004 at 10:12 AM Rating: Decent
Actually a Picture ID card is rarely neccessary, all they really need is Name, Birthdate, Address or SS number. Most states can only *detain* you for 12-24 hours to prove identity. (Fingerprinting and that sort of thing.) Odds are they better have a good reason to be stopping you. "Because its dark out and you're wearing black" isn't gonna cut it.
#14 Jul 30 2004 at 10:14 AM Rating: Decent
I hate to overly pedantic here, but....


Fu[/i]ck a da[i]mn cop.

EOFS.
#15 Jul 30 2004 at 10:18 AM Rating: Decent
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Quote:
Everywhere that I know of, failing to produce ID or stop and tell the officer you can't because <insert excuse> is failure to comply. That'll stick.


Not in Michigan. Well, not yet at least. The government is pushing for law inforcement to be able to stop and question any supicious looking person in public.

Im glad I dont have to put up with this yet and Im sure as hell not going to like it when it comes into effect.
#16 Jul 30 2004 at 10:21 AM Rating: Good
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Quote:
If the AP account is correct

The AP account of anything is always bent toward a better story. After all if the report was that she failed to do what she was told and then arrested, it wouldn't cause as much hoopla. Hoopla sells.

Quote:
She said she was then frisked and handcuffed.

Case in point: Officer Safety rule number one: restrain the suspect. The cop is not going to search her before she is handcuffed. I'd bet the AP placed the words in that order to add a bit of flash. Handcuffed and Searched is what every police officer does to ANYONE he detains. Frisked and Handcuffed although a small change in word order and vocabulary adds to the perception that the cop was acting out of line.

I've stated many a time on this forum that I serve the U.S Navy. My roll in the navy is Master At Arms. Basically. I'm a cop. No one likes cops because no one likes to get caught. We don't make the rules. We just enforce the rules. There are PLENTY of **** Bag cops out there who are on a power trip. Try to keep in mind that for every one of those there is another kind of cop who is trying to be a helpful public servant.

In the case above if the woman had done exactly what was reported: I.E. Placed the rest of the candy bar in her mouth and tossed the wrapper in the trash. I wouldn't have done a thing. none of the civilian cops or other master at arms I work with would have done a thing.

Now if she would have ignored me and walked right by munching on her candy bar I would have followed her. And when she stated to give me lip about it I would have ticketed her. If she is then unwilling to stop and receive her ticket, she gets arrested.

Is it the crime of the century? No.
Neither is speeding. But if you don't stop and pull over when the cop is behind you, it turns into something worse. Everyone on this Forum is guilty of one little infraction or another. Even me. $250 speeding ticket was a little prize I got last month. Was I happy about it? No. Did I think the guy that gave me my ticket was an ***? Yes. Was I STILL in the wrong? YES.

This woman got caught over not complying with a simple (if not stupid) law. She complained loudly and got the ear of a sympathetic press. A Press which is in the business of selling stories. They only good story is an embellished story.
#17 Jul 30 2004 at 10:27 AM Rating: Good
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She was probably begging for it. I can picture it now, a middle aged yuppie environmentalist. Just the description oozes attitude problem.

Quote:
From what I heard, she was in the middle of eating it when the guy told her that eating is not allowed in the stations. So she proceded to eat infront of him while argueing with him. After refusing to stop the cop says he's going to issue her a ticket. At that point she finishes the cardy bar, ignores the cop, and tries to board the next train thats pulling up to the station. Thats when he cuffs her.


Sounds like a yuppie environmentalist to me.
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#18 Jul 30 2004 at 10:35 AM Rating: Good
This lady kept walking though. She resisted detainment. That's where she lost her chance to cry about being mistreated.


Quote:
The transit police officer asked for Willett's identification, but Willett kept walking. She said she was then frisked and handcuffed.



Per her own statement, she asked for it.

Failure to follow reasonable instructions of a law enforcement officer.


It's not like he told her to 'C'mon over here and gimme some head unless you want a ticket.'
#19 Jul 30 2004 at 10:47 AM Rating: Decent
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Sounds pretty damn ridiculous to me. Explain the harm in eating a candy bar in a sub way. Then if you can, explain the need to arrest her over being mildly confrontational about the law.
#20 Jul 30 2004 at 10:55 AM Rating: Good
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Quote:
Explain the harm in eating a candy bar in a sub way.

I can't think of one reason why that's bad.
Quote:
Then if you can, explain the need to arrest her over being mildly confrontational about the law.

Trying to run away from a ticket, That's not being "mildly confrontational". That's against a law that makes sense.
#21 Jul 30 2004 at 10:56 AM Rating: Decent
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The DC-area metrorail is severely underfunded (for a number of reasons I won't go into). By not allowing eating or drinking, they can greatly reduce the number of janitors they need to employ to keep the place clean. It also cuts down on rat/roach problems - I've yet to see either in 5 years of riding the metro off and on.
#22 Jul 30 2004 at 10:59 AM Rating: Decent
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/em Waves his hand wildly

But 911 Changed EVERYTHING!!!!! THE SKY SKY FALLING!! THE SKY IS FALLING!! OVERBEARING LAW ENFORCEMENT IS A FAIR TRADE FOR SAFETY!!
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#23 Jul 30 2004 at 11:02 AM Rating: Good
*I* think a lot of laws are stupid.

Am I, therefore, entitled to break them?

Explain the harm in carrying a gun in your carry-on flight baggage while on a trip to visit your relatives cross-country.

There's no harm in the act described. Possible harm comes from other acts that can be drived from the original act.

Off the top of my head, I think the eating rule is stupid also.
If I visited DC and started to use the subway, I might find myself being told by an officer that Icouldn't carry food onto the subway. I would then apologise, explain that I didn't know, and throw it away. If the cop asked for my ID, I'd hand it over. If he cited me for it, I'd either pay it or fight it. I wouldn't like it, but only a jackass does what this lady did. She needed that cop from the theater in FL.
#24 Jul 30 2004 at 11:06 AM Rating: Good
Quote:
But 911 Changed EVERYTHING!!!!! THE SKY SKY FALLING!! THE SKY IS FALLING!! OVERBEARING LAW ENFORCEMENT IS A FAIR TRADE FOR SAFETY!!


Yeah it could have been a candy bar filled with anthrax and the lady had plans to blow herself up to spread the stuff more rapidly throughout the subway station.
#25 Jul 30 2004 at 11:10 AM Rating: Decent
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Quote:
But 911 Changed EVERYTHING!!!!!


Heh, not really in this case. That 12-year old girl that was cuffed and arrested for eating a french fry (which pretty much everyone agreed was rediculous) happened a year before 9/11. They've always been pretty strict about this kinda crap (which makes that lady an even bigger idiot..).
#26 Jul 30 2004 at 11:11 AM Rating: Decent
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Don't you mean a freedom fry?

Vive etats-unis!

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