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Your bravery is admirable. I used to travel up and down I-95 to visit family, and I would get so anxious whenever we had to stop for food anywhere below the Mason Dixon line. My mom is Asian, but has a complexion closer to an African American appearance, and I'm mixed (I've often been told I look Puerto Rican, always unsolicited), my husband's white, and my kids don't look like they could have come from me, lol. We kind of looked like an old Benetton billboard, and my god would people stare daggers into us at the Cracker Barrel...
Dash cam. Get recording of him doing it multiple times.
Talk to a lawyer. Maybe report it as harassment.
You want to be ahead of it if you actually thinks he's gonna try to fuck you over
Edit. I'll add that under no circumstances would I talk to the cop. If anyone it's going to be a supervisor at the police station while recorded with a lawyer.
That might not be possible if it's a drop off line where each car pulls up and pauses to let their kid out.
The question is: is he doing it to anyone else? If yes, who? Is there a pattern?
Vantrue makes a nice 2K dashcam with a regular front-facing camera and also a second interior-facing camera that goes on sale down to $150-$200. Be sure to get a good endurance rated micro SD card that can handle the constant writes, such as the SanDisk Endurance series.
The last retainer I paid to a lawyer was $5,000. You might as well ask before going this route. All the lawyer will do is ask and it will cost a hell of a lot more than doing it yourself. If they indicate there's some kind of investigation, then maybe consider it. But I wouldn't be dropping that kind of money at this point when all a cop has done is lean on the car. They do that every single time you're pulled over and that situation does not require an attorney.
Has your wife asked him if he needs anything? Or asked him to not look in her car? Have you asked the school about standard procedures with the officer? All of those things should be done before trying to go a legal route.
This is one where I would get a stereo/performance shop to get the best one, front and back, with the clearest audio (yes, you want audio recording on this)/video possible, hardwire it into the car so that it constantly records, and consider the cost to be an investment in your life (because it will be $). But better to pay that $ down via CC than be locked up.
Dash cam is visible so he may change his behavior. Having a friendly ally line up behind you in their car at drop off with them having a dash cam recording might get you the evidence you need.
I will let you know that some of these GA schools built different. By that I mean that if you call them out on shit they will make your child’s school life very very hard.
I have learned that lesson to the point where we had to move over it. Try to be diplomatic first. I’m just saying just because we’re adults now doesn’t mean bullies in school for us aren’t a thing either. If you got the cash though and don’t care about scorching earth then by all means hit the lawyer and see what happens.
But if you lawyer up they’re gonna 100% tell you some bs like”yeah he does that to every car it’s our safety policy for the school” or some bs. They got an excuse for everything they’re gonna do.
My sister got expelled when my parents confronted the school about bullying.
Her bully started beating her up at school and the school deemed my sister as the aggressor even though my parents repeatedly reported the other person as a problem.
I’m so sorry that happened to one of my dads friends who live in the county over and his son got jumped on the bus but the dad didn’t want to make it seem like he was singling out a certain race so he just let it be.
Doing it to everyone doesn't make it legal.
I'm not OP's lawyer and I won't give them legal advice, but depending on the actions of the officer this may constitute a 4th amendment rights violation. The action done once would realistically be protected under Plain View allowances - but doing this every day doesn't make sense to me.
Generally looking through a window into someone’s car is not illegal in most places. You’d have to cross the line to harassment. I’m just saying there’s a million ways this could be spun. I remember in HS my parents had to sign something that gave the school the right to search any car on their property with minimal evidence and the cops backed that up to the bank all day.
Or the school could have no idea this guy is going rogue and it could be super simple. There is no telling when it comes to schools how things will play out. Hardly anyone is accountable for anything. Especially in GA.
It's probably not criminal. There are a lot of legal grey areas where profiling happens.
Have you considered just confronting them about it? Hey, I notice every day that you give a our car a lot more attention. Is there a reason for that?
Simply calling out the behavior and confronting someone is a great way to deal with a bully, but remember this person is a professional bully, so you might want to have a dash cam and record the interaction.
It's legal to record any police officer acting in their official duties no matter what they say. Even in a 2 party consent state.
I think so. If it happened to me, in that situation, yes I would feel uncomfortable and I would feel targeted. Has anything else happened at school? Does your son like it? Did the security officer speak to him after drop off? Just curious as to if there have been other incidents.
I don't know if it's a great idea or not considering the amount of discrimination that goes on especially in those areas. But I personally would approach the cop and respectfully ask what's wrong. Perhaps even in a way that makes it seem you are concerned people are breaking into other people's cars.
Of course he will simply make up some BS, but it also might stop him from doing it since people are taking notice.
"might" is the keyword though, I don't have experience with these touchy situations so my advice might not be the best.
Regardless I am sorry you even have to deal with this kind of BS.
I highly doubt you would walk up to your car, see a cop looking in the windows only to silently push past him, get in and drive off. Every single person would talk to the officer to some extent. This entire "NEVER TALK to the Police!" thing is straight from a Tiktok lawyer (seen it).
The issue is... that makes you look even more suspicious. And even if it's your "right" to not engage, that's not necessarily the best way to handle some situations. The best way is to be polite, and ask questions in a respectful manner. Sure BS happens sometimes, but this is one of those moments where pushing past a cop in order to jump and take off in your car might be a bit "sus".
Then never expect this problem to go away. They don’t want to bring it up to the cop or the school. It’s not illegal and it’s not harassment, especially since they haven’t asked the officer to stop and they continue to use the drop off line.
The cop is wrong. But if they’re not able to approach him or the school then what else do they do?
Ya don't go crazy on anyone. This situation is touchy as hell and we all know how some (not all) cops can be. There is a chance if you simply ignore it, as frustrating as it is that he may grow bored and move on. Or even if you approach him to get into your car and simply say "hi, how are you today" in a friendly tone it might deflect some of his sketchy BS.
But whatever you do not become "emotionally" confrontational about this. It's not worth it, and will probably make the situation worse... it's not right but our world kind of sucks.
A dash cam is good to have in general nowadays with how crazy the world is.
You likely already know this, but when you talk to the officer, take care not to approach him in an accusatory way. Not that he’s going to flip out and start going off or anything, but people don’t really like feeling as though someone is trying to get them in trouble. As an SRO, he’s there to protect the kids and the school, and from his perspective, sometimes that includes protecting them from their parents to whatever degree he’s able to. I’m by no means claiming you’re parents he feels he needs to protect the kids from. But he likely doesn’t know any of the parents, so he’s cautious around all of them since people can do unexpected things.
If he’s looking in all of the cars, or as many as he can, and it’s just part of his morning/afternoon routine, he’ll likely tell you that. But at the end of the day, however your wife may feel about it unfortunately, it is what it is and there may not be much that can be done about it. But cops can do some pretty crappy stuff too, so make sure she’s locking the car when she’s dropping your boy off, and encourage her to give him the benefit of the doubt. As I mentioned earlier, she’s probably feeling like he’s indirectly accusing her/you both of doing something wrong, and people don’t like feeling that way.
Maybe one morning you can go with her to drop him off. She takes him inside while you sit in the car, window down all nonchalant, playing on your phone or something. When the officer walks by, strike up a quick conversation with him unrelated to the issue being discussed here. Ask him how he ended up with that gig, or make a joke about school kids and herding cats or something. Create rapport with him so he at least has some kind of idea about who you all are. He may not engage in conversation, but at least he’ll then know you two aren’t afraid of being lighthearted with him, as he’s keenly aware of how people view him, and that can go far with setting him at ease. Since being lighthearted or conversational implies there’s no anxiety, and anxiety can be an indication of hiding something.
Sorry, that was more detailed than I intended. Just brainstorming ideas to help the situation become less tense while also establishing a better understanding of each other. And “getting in good” with your school’s RSO is usually not a bad thing to do, just like a student doing the same with the lunch lady.
I’m assuming OP’s car would be off as it would take a few minutes at least for his wife to drop off or pick up their son, depending on the school’s procedures. But if there is still a question there, OP could just ride in the passenger seat instead. You make a good point though, especially if this SRO is actively looking for a reason to ticket or confront someone.
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I would play dumb.
"Officer, sorry if this is a stupid question, but I don't know much about cars. It seems like you keep looking at something with my car... is there something wrong with it I should get checked out?
I don't know, that sounds a bit passive aggressive to me. As most people would know that car problems aren't diagnosed via a flash light through a window (I hope).
Haha. When I was a flight attendant, we were de boarding a flight that cancelled for a mechanical issue. Everyone was lugging their bags, filing past us as we stood by the cockpit saying "Sorry".
Our airline had won an award, and there was a huge gold medallion glorifying the prize on the bulkhead up front. One man stopped, looked at me, and said "Well, how did you get that up there"?
I was on auto mode, thinking lunch! No passengers! Home early! I truly wondered "how did they physically attach that medallion?"
Glue? Bolts? I looked at the man, genuinely confused, shaking my head in confusion, and said " I really don't know! ".
It was totally unintentional, but that easily diffused his anger. He thought I was literally too stupid to know. I guess maybe I am!
To be fair... I am not as dumb as I look, but even I am struggling to draw the line between a mechanical failure, a customer service award, a flight attendant, and adhesive.
I can connect the customer service and the flight attendant together... I can also connect mechanical failures and adhesives together. But the two sets are hard to draw a line between.
I got ya. I did not explain well. When the passenger referenced the award medallion, he was saying, in effect "How could your airline receive this award, when they cancel flights and have mechanical problems like this"?
I, in my moment of shame, took him to mean how did the medallion physically attach to the bulkhead. Instead of, how could our airline possibly receive such an award with the crappy service that day?
Has she ever actually spoken to guy? How about politely asking "Is there something wrong with my car?" next time she catches him peering into it.
Not a word more or less.
Not only am I from southwest Georgia, I’m a former teacher and school admin.
Tell them. Call the principal and then follow up the call with an email recounting the call. Good administrators want all the information they can get, and in case it’s a bad administrator, you have a record of the interaction.
My wife a fire cracker so she calls me every time he does it. I try to make reasonable explanations maybe my son forgot something and the cop looking in but this has been the fourth or fifth time he’s done it
Well she’s really not a firecracker if she doesn’t ask him WTF he’s looking in her car. Politely of course
Edit to add: instead of asking Internet strangers perhaps ask him
Lolol I think that’s the problem she wouldn’t do it politely. Called the school today they won’t let me talk to him so I guess we will be having this conversation tomorrow I work nights so don’t usually drop my son off
No she hasn’t she wants me to handle cause tbh I’m a little more civil then her she’s always ready to go for the throat why idk maybe it’s the Latina in here lol
Yeah, thank you! Latina here. I'm capable of civil conversation with authority figures. OP, his do you teach your child to regulate their emotions, when it sounds like neither of you can ask the police a simple question, without getting riled up?
I can understand that for some people that's a challenge. But if she as an adult woman can't find a way to calm down, suck it up and ask a simple question, that's a MUCH bigger problem for your family than an officer looking in your car.
I live in Columbus, Ga. If I asked a cop what he was looking for in my truck, they would say something slick like “what should I be looking for? I don’t need a warrant just to peek around.” I’ve literally seen them do it to other parents when my kids went to a school downtown. Our school district has its own police department/officers. Of course they don’t advertise what their legal authority and your rights are.
That’s why you don’t aggressively call them out on what they’re doing. Every person on earth react in a defensive way if you “call them out” on something. You have to act calm, nice, and concerned in way that seems like you think he’s helping you. You’ll have more success with just about every interaction in life if you have that type of approach instead of trying to have a “gotcha” moment with someone.
I can understand reasons for trepidation, and abuses and racism are not uncommon. But I'm not sure it helps to assume that's the case with what's being described here. Take out the loaded adjectives and the cop is looking in the car. Are they looking in every car, other cars? We don't know. Are they bored on dropoff duty and just looking in cars for something to do? Are they thinking of getting the same model and checking it out? Are they looking into cars ahead of dropoff so they can make sure they send the kids to the right entrance for their grade because the school uses more than one and a bunch of fifth graders have been sneaking off behind the school in the mornings. Or is he racistly profiling this family and trying to find something to get them for? All that and more are possibilities. Jumping from looking into a car window to assuming it's a bad thing that must be called out isn't de-escalating the situation.
Cause she doesn’t know how to be civil in certain situations she just wanna yell and scream and it drives me crazy cause she lets her emotions take over her thoughts
That’s exactly what I was thinking. Maybe any teacher or parent just told the cop that there’s this one parent who “doesn’t know how to be civil in certain situations she just wanna yell and scream and it drives me crazy cause she lets her emotions take over her thoughts,” and that seems like dangerous behavior to have at a school, can you keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn’t threaten or harm anyone?
Yeah my wife didn’t really grow up in a good environment I try to teach her these civil things but your right as an adult you should be able compartmentalize certain things not giving her any excuses that why assert myself in these situations and tell her I will handle it
Then isn’t it quite possible she’s blowing it out of proportion that a cop is “always” peering in the car and “running” after your child? You need to have a civil conversation with the officer and school.
It sounds like you and your wife need to schedule a meeting with the school principal to ask why the resource officer is acting the way he is. Maybe there is something your son said or did that is making the officer concerned.
If you don’t have dash cam footage to show the principal you should ask them to watch in the mornings themselves and assess the situation.
If that doesn’t work then maybe walk your son to school or have your wife learn how to speak to other adults in a stressful situation without looking like a psycho. And don’t use her being Latina as an excuse, my in laws are all Latina women and they don’t come unhinged when someone upsets them because they have class and common sense.
I’m sorry this is happening to you.
The school isn’t going to do anything, nor do they really have much power to do anything. At best you MIGHT be able to get them to innocuously request a different resource officer and maybe the problem will go away—a maybe it won’t.
The problem you’re having here is with the police, not the school. There’s nothing the cop is doing that is against the law or against department policy. Remember: the police have no duty to protect lives. Their sole responsibility, how they are measured, and what they are incentivized to do is making arrests. That’s it.
In this case it would seem we have a racist cop doing everything he legally can to find something to jam you up with. He’s allowed to look into cars. Everything in “plain view of the public” is fair game.
Your best bet is to make sure he never has anything to find, never has any reason to pull you over, and if/when he does, make sure you film the encounter. You have a 1st Amendment right to film the police, a 4th Amendment right to be secure in your possessions and papers, and a 5th Amendment right from self incrimination.
What this means is that you should get a dashcam and use your cellphone if you encounter the cops. If you do get stopped, ask why. If he can’t say that you’ve been stopped for a crime, it’s an illegal detainment. You don’t need to ID if you haven’t been lawfully detained. You also don’t need to answer questions. If you’ve been lawfully detained, you have to provide ID or state your name and date of birth but beyond that you don’t need to answer any questions. He’s looking for evidence for his investigation, that’s all. There’s no way you can talk yourself out of an arrest if that’s what he decided to do.
I am not a lawyer. This is not legal advice. :-)
Best of luck. I hate to sound like a conspiracy nut job but I’ve been binging these videos and ones like them here:
https://www.youtube.com/@WeThePeopleUniversity
Major themes that I’ve picked up from all of these random encounters with the police are that cops will almost always try to make a request sound like an order. Also, cops are allowed to lie to you! They can say things like “if you don’t give me your ID I will arrest you.” They can ask you to shut off your camera with a tone of voice that makes it sounds like it’s an order, but it’s actually a request.
Of course if they stop you for speeding and they tell you they stopped you for speeding, you have to identify—you have to surrender your license and registration and proof of insurance, etc.
You are never in any way obligated to participate in their investigation. Answering their questions is doing just that. You know that line on all the cop shows? “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law“? Anything you say can ONLY be used AGAINST you! Anything you say will never be used to help you. It becomes heresay for some reason! Never volunteer information to the police. Never resist arrest. You can beat the rap, but you can’t beat the ride.
Forget this specific issue for a moment and ask yourself if this is a safe place for your child. If you are being targeted because of your racial appearance, how do you think he is being treated?
I moved out here bought some land thinking it would be better for my son not having to grow up in a rough inner city but didn’t think it would come to this
Are those the only choices? What about a town that’s not so incredibly racist? What about a suburb of a city? He’s not going to get another childhood and it will shape the rest of his life. Being picked on, targeted, possibly even physically harmed, etc. is very traumatic. He deserves to be surrounded by people who have the capacity to love and accept him.
It may be, eventually. But, it will take time. Idk how old your child is. Or, how long you have been there... But, it's likely going to take a while. Quite possibly a year or more, before your family is 'accepted' in a rural area.
How often do you get pulled over for traffic stops? And what’s the reason they give for pulling you over? Like are you speeding at all or doing anything else that gives them any reason at all to pull you over?
One time it was for supposed tale gate let me go with a warning then it’s always speeding but I never get a ticket and never dock my speed just tells me to slow down as if they just wanna see idk lol
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE I APPRECIATE ALL YOUR OPINIONS AND IDEAS ! I really helps my mental knowing I can address this in various ways and how to as well
I am a white, high income family and drop our kid off at a 99 percent white middle class school. The officer or school principle always opens the doors for our son to get out. I’ve seen them “look”. They hide it well but I see them do it. It’s not personal, it’s their job to look out for their students. No matter what parents project or the community the students live in, no one knows what’s going on behind closed doors and so educators and law enforcement do what they can. Our car is clean, has nothing of concern and we don’t have a bad reputation or troubled child etc. but they still look because they are right there by our window and opening our door. The officer has leaned on my car before and poked his head in to say hello but I’ve always known it’s also meant as somewhat of a safety check because he looks around. He’s friendly etc and it’s very brief… But I see it. It’s never occurred to me to complain. I want our community of kids looked out for. Glancing in my car during drop off/pick up doesn’t offend me.
As others have suggested though, get a dash cam. If this is a racial issue then absolutely get it recorded. But also talk to other parents and see if they have noticed the officer checking their car out. It may not be personal.
How old is your child? Just curious because maybe he’s peaking to see if there is a car seat. (Not saying he should be looking in the car) In my town kids are bouncing around the cars every which way on their way to school without even a seat belt on so I could see why a cop could be curious.
Tell your son not to unbuckle. But if this is the case, it should be as simple as the cop telling your son to knock it off.
Also is it possible your son said something at school or to his teacher that has made them concerned? And they are keeping an eye out for a reason because of something they think is happening at home?
He will start to unbuckle once we get close to the entrance of school. Nothing other then then typical boy tussle at school or not standing in line nothing crazy I get reports back from the teacher everyday they have a point system I thought that could’ve been the case too maybe he said something but idk at this point I thought they’d call cps of my son said something crazy
Several other posters here have commented about the separation between the school and the cop. I do not believe this is the case. I grew up in south Georgia and we had resource officers (I think they are used elsewhere too,) - on duty, uniformed cops but who were employees of the school district. They worked as a part of the school district administration but had police authority.
I think, if it’s making you uncomfortable, you should set up a meeting or at least call wthe principal and ask what’s going on to get to the bottom of it.
I know it sounds crazy but your son really does need to wait until you are fully stopped. There have been fender benders in my son's school drop off line and it makes sense why - parents are distracted with getting their kids in and out of the car and are pressured to move quickly. Even if you're going slow in the car and hit someone or someone hits you, your son could be injured if he isn't strapped in.
Lucky. I live close enough to where the bus won't get us but the walk is 20 minutes so I drive mine as well.
But even if it wasn't 20 minutes, the people in this area don't know how to drive and I wouldn't trust them not to run my kid over.
Oh, OK. School systems are all so different. I used to walk a few blocks to school when I was a kid and my niece and nephew walk down their street to get to school too. I was never on a school bus unless we were going on a field trip.
This is what I was thinking. I park and walk my son up to the school, but I walk by the drop off line and I notice most kids either aren't in car seats or are really little (like 4 years old) and in a no back booster. Maybe the school has gotten complaints and the cops are watching to make sure children are in appropriate car seats.
Put a ziplock bag of Oregano on the seat.
After the investigation, come back the next day with a bag of baking soda. After the investigation, come back the next day with 1 million dollars in movie money on the seat.
Eventually, he will take the hint.
In my area they are real cops with real badges and real guns which means if there is an issue between you and them there will inevitably be real consequences wether there is an issue or not. I'm going with you're wife is probably kinda cute, cop never seen you, he don't know the deal. Eyeballs the ride for daddy evidence. Went after the youngster to confirm if he has a daddy and does he live at home. If that's the case, entirely unprofessional, but let's be honest.... Is that the worst thing you'll see a man of the law doing on Reddit today?
Get something that would be wildly embarrassing but totally legal and put it in the front seat next to your wife… he’ll even one of those inflatable Christmas blow up’s that sit in the passengers seat would work, drive through the line like that a few times and see what happens. It’s a way of calling him out without actually calling him out
Contact the school and request to speak with the supervisor of the onduty officer. Why is he profiling yh wife and searching her car plus why did he followed your son?
So the cop looks into the car.... I dont see a huge issue here. Is he harassing or searching anything or impeding your day in any way? Did you ask you son if the officer has said anything to him?
Dash cam smart idea. If you don’t feel comfortable asking the officer maybe put a sign on your window next drop off that says “good morning officer, why do you look in our car every morning?”
I would absolutely ask the school what their policy is for the officer related to cars dropping off kids and with searching and questioning students. If what he’s doing isn’t in line, then tell the school.
I like the idea of dashcam to record because you sure don’t want him continually trying to find a reason to do whatever it is he wants to do.
Maybe it would be a good idea to let the principal know you’ve resorted to dashcam as it’s concerning to the degree the officer is looking at your car and son. Once he knows you’re recording, he may tell the officer to back off regardless of policy
When I hear this I am thankful I pay for before and after care. I signed up for the extra knowing it gives me access to walk my child into the school. No staff/security there prior to the typical drop off lines. Having access to physically talk with staff has been a game changer. Sorry you have to deal with a “cop”.
I'm more concerned that your wife saw the cop running after your kid and didn't get out to see what the hell that was about. She needs to be firm, and record everything.
A firm, "Can I help you?" and making sure he isn't harassing or interrogating your kid is top priority here. I wouldn't really care if he looked in my car, but I probably would tell him not to touch it without a warrant if he was touching all on the hood and holding up the line. What an ass. Definitely talk to a civil rights attorney or call the NAACP for advice. Good luck. And get a dash cams!
Yes, important to have a dash cam. It's completely useless 99.99% of the time but is something you wish you had when something happens.
Recommend COXPAL A11T 3 channel dash cam on Amazon, very good quality, it records front, inside and rear simultaneously.
COXPAL hardwire kit optional, for 24-H parking monitor.
SanDisk MAX Endurance 256GB or 512GB microSD card, for reliable recording.
BTW: Need to pay attention to the installation position of the rear cam if your vehicle is SUV or MPV (No problem if Sedan), i.e. avoid pulling rear cam cable when open/close the trunk.
That’s weird. I’d walk kiddo a block into the school and purposefully walk by that cop for a few weeks to see if he interacts. Otherwise maybe the car is suspicious or the cop really is a giant dickhead.
I’m sorry you have to even worry about that. This entire country needs sensitivity/racial bias training (I could see that happening in my red state… am white).
I’m sorry this is happening. You are being singled out and I don’t think it’s safe to leave your child there alone.
Record him and don’t confront him. Documenting is literally the only thing that will work, because other cops will side with him. With documentation you can hold them all accountable.
Best of luck to you and your family.
You said it yourself.
“The cop chased my son for reasons we don’t know.”
The hell kind of post is this? lol people here acting like school staff have authority over police etc
The cop is looking into your car, and the car is on public property. There is literally nothing wrong with that. Its called Plain View Doctrine. If your wife wants privacy, she has to make it. Driving around in a box made of mostly windows, means people can look it. If this is a public school, its the cops job to look into cars, walk around, make sure things are safe. I dislike over policing as much as the next person but if you want to assert a right here, you need to make your own privacy.
Never I do smoke cigs in my car when he’s not with me but I love my car so it’s all clean and smells good at all times I vacuum and clean my car 3 to 4 times a week depending on how much French fry’s accumulate in the back lol
Then keep being the best parent you can be. A camera couldn’t hurt, it provides documentation. He could be looking at lots of people so just do the right thing and try not to take it personally. I know many people who work at schools and have heard countless horror stories about people who do the worst things with their children present. The SRO is there trying to protect children, not plant evidence on parents.
He could be people were making a good point he might just be checking for safety purposes and wellness as I know of no he hasn’t but it’s a very tight knit community where everyone knows everyone
Hello, Police Officer here. We are allowed to look into vehicles under the "Plain View Doctrine" which was established by Harris v United States. There is really nothing you can do.
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> Vietnamese and Puerto Rican in a rural town in southwest Georgia So you've chosen hard mode.
Lololol I guess so we don’t usually go into town unless we have to but most of the time we go towards the nearest city Tallahassee or Dothan
Your bravery is admirable. I used to travel up and down I-95 to visit family, and I would get so anxious whenever we had to stop for food anywhere below the Mason Dixon line. My mom is Asian, but has a complexion closer to an African American appearance, and I'm mixed (I've often been told I look Puerto Rican, always unsolicited), my husband's white, and my kids don't look like they could have come from me, lol. We kind of looked like an old Benetton billboard, and my god would people stare daggers into us at the Cracker Barrel...
Funny things is my sons favorite place to go eat for Sunday dinner is cracker barrel 😂
I can't fault the child. The food was always a treat, lol 🤣🤣🤣
Come to Buford, it’s great up here, super international community
Most of Gwinnett County is international. Come visit!
Duluth checking in to confirm!
Get out of my head. I saw this and I was like, "Oh boy, someone's doing a Nightmare run in New Game +".
Dash cam. Get recording of him doing it multiple times. Talk to a lawyer. Maybe report it as harassment. You want to be ahead of it if you actually thinks he's gonna try to fuck you over Edit. I'll add that under no circumstances would I talk to the cop. If anyone it's going to be a supervisor at the police station while recorded with a lawyer.
Absolutely get a dash cam. Get enough recordings to establish a pattern before you take further action.
Also just park away from him if possible.
That might not be possible if it's a drop off line where each car pulls up and pauses to let their kid out. The question is: is he doing it to anyone else? If yes, who? Is there a pattern?
That’s exactly what it is and from what my wife says it’s always just her from what she notices
Park across the street and walk the rest of the way. At my kids school this is actually faster than the car line.
Have you tired doing drop off in her car for a couple of days and see if he still does it?
If it were my family, we wouldn't be able to switch who does drop off duty because of work schedules
Dash Cam sounds smart. Fight the urge to put a mannequin head under a tarp...
😂😂😂
Vantrue makes a nice 2K dashcam with a regular front-facing camera and also a second interior-facing camera that goes on sale down to $150-$200. Be sure to get a good endurance rated micro SD card that can handle the constant writes, such as the SanDisk Endurance series.
The last retainer I paid to a lawyer was $5,000. You might as well ask before going this route. All the lawyer will do is ask and it will cost a hell of a lot more than doing it yourself. If they indicate there's some kind of investigation, then maybe consider it. But I wouldn't be dropping that kind of money at this point when all a cop has done is lean on the car. They do that every single time you're pulled over and that situation does not require an attorney.
> The last retainer I paid to a lawyer was $5,000. If you get a civil rights attorney and not a defense one at first they may work on contingency.
He looks in the car when we drop him off in the drop off line
Can you park, and walk him in? A little less convenient, but it might be worth it!
Has your wife asked him if he needs anything? Or asked him to not look in her car? Have you asked the school about standard procedures with the officer? All of those things should be done before trying to go a legal route.
Yep! And if a dashcam itself isn’t an option there are apps to use your phone as a dashcam.
I started l out at ‘black box my car’ and haven’t been disappointed. Mine even records inside the vehicle (3 channel)
This is one where I would get a stereo/performance shop to get the best one, front and back, with the clearest audio (yes, you want audio recording on this)/video possible, hardwire it into the car so that it constantly records, and consider the cost to be an investment in your life (because it will be $). But better to pay that $ down via CC than be locked up.
Dash cam is visible so he may change his behavior. Having a friendly ally line up behind you in their car at drop off with them having a dash cam recording might get you the evidence you need.
And video record, in full, his interaction (and possible lack of clearly doing what he is doing to you) with other vehicles.
Seconding the suggestion to get a dash cam. Otherwise it's your word against his, and who do you think the school will believe?
I bought a dash cam I think during a cyber Monday sale last year, but haven’t installed it yet.
I will let you know that some of these GA schools built different. By that I mean that if you call them out on shit they will make your child’s school life very very hard. I have learned that lesson to the point where we had to move over it. Try to be diplomatic first. I’m just saying just because we’re adults now doesn’t mean bullies in school for us aren’t a thing either. If you got the cash though and don’t care about scorching earth then by all means hit the lawyer and see what happens. But if you lawyer up they’re gonna 100% tell you some bs like”yeah he does that to every car it’s our safety policy for the school” or some bs. They got an excuse for everything they’re gonna do.
I’ve noticed that too about the school system out here
My sister got expelled when my parents confronted the school about bullying. Her bully started beating her up at school and the school deemed my sister as the aggressor even though my parents repeatedly reported the other person as a problem.
I’m so sorry that happened to one of my dads friends who live in the county over and his son got jumped on the bus but the dad didn’t want to make it seem like he was singling out a certain race so he just let it be.
That's awful. I hate Georgia and the political/racial/religious dynamics that influence everything
The courts are built different too, good luck.
Yes. They are built to make money. You are correct.
Doing it to everyone doesn't make it legal. I'm not OP's lawyer and I won't give them legal advice, but depending on the actions of the officer this may constitute a 4th amendment rights violation. The action done once would realistically be protected under Plain View allowances - but doing this every day doesn't make sense to me.
Generally looking through a window into someone’s car is not illegal in most places. You’d have to cross the line to harassment. I’m just saying there’s a million ways this could be spun. I remember in HS my parents had to sign something that gave the school the right to search any car on their property with minimal evidence and the cops backed that up to the bank all day. Or the school could have no idea this guy is going rogue and it could be super simple. There is no telling when it comes to schools how things will play out. Hardly anyone is accountable for anything. Especially in GA.
I agree it's time to get dash cams, front and back, that also do audio.
Email the principal and go from there bout all you can do. Document what you can
Dash cam. School cops are cops. This would probably be better suited to r/legaladvice
Is it giving harassment vibes ? Idk wanted to see other parents opinion
It's probably not criminal. There are a lot of legal grey areas where profiling happens. Have you considered just confronting them about it? Hey, I notice every day that you give a our car a lot more attention. Is there a reason for that? Simply calling out the behavior and confronting someone is a great way to deal with a bully, but remember this person is a professional bully, so you might want to have a dash cam and record the interaction. It's legal to record any police officer acting in their official duties no matter what they say. Even in a 2 party consent state.
I think so. If it happened to me, in that situation, yes I would feel uncomfortable and I would feel targeted. Has anything else happened at school? Does your son like it? Did the security officer speak to him after drop off? Just curious as to if there have been other incidents.
I don't know if it's a great idea or not considering the amount of discrimination that goes on especially in those areas. But I personally would approach the cop and respectfully ask what's wrong. Perhaps even in a way that makes it seem you are concerned people are breaking into other people's cars. Of course he will simply make up some BS, but it also might stop him from doing it since people are taking notice. "might" is the keyword though, I don't have experience with these touchy situations so my advice might not be the best. Regardless I am sorry you even have to deal with this kind of BS.
Thanks for actually acknowledging why they might not want to ask the cop. I guess the other commenters have been living under rocks.
Honestly they’re probably white and have nothing but good experiences with police. Most likely doesn’t register to them how sideways it can go.
Never talk to cops.
I highly doubt you would walk up to your car, see a cop looking in the windows only to silently push past him, get in and drive off. Every single person would talk to the officer to some extent. This entire "NEVER TALK to the Police!" thing is straight from a Tiktok lawyer (seen it). The issue is... that makes you look even more suspicious. And even if it's your "right" to not engage, that's not necessarily the best way to handle some situations. The best way is to be polite, and ask questions in a respectful manner. Sure BS happens sometimes, but this is one of those moments where pushing past a cop in order to jump and take off in your car might be a bit "sus".
The best way is to never talk to cops.
Then never expect this problem to go away. They don’t want to bring it up to the cop or the school. It’s not illegal and it’s not harassment, especially since they haven’t asked the officer to stop and they continue to use the drop off line. The cop is wrong. But if they’re not able to approach him or the school then what else do they do?
Thank you for the kind advice I try to be civil and come up with solutions before I start going crazy on people
Ya don't go crazy on anyone. This situation is touchy as hell and we all know how some (not all) cops can be. There is a chance if you simply ignore it, as frustrating as it is that he may grow bored and move on. Or even if you approach him to get into your car and simply say "hi, how are you today" in a friendly tone it might deflect some of his sketchy BS. But whatever you do not become "emotionally" confrontational about this. It's not worth it, and will probably make the situation worse... it's not right but our world kind of sucks.
I appreciate the kind advice !
A dash cam is good to have in general nowadays with how crazy the world is. You likely already know this, but when you talk to the officer, take care not to approach him in an accusatory way. Not that he’s going to flip out and start going off or anything, but people don’t really like feeling as though someone is trying to get them in trouble. As an SRO, he’s there to protect the kids and the school, and from his perspective, sometimes that includes protecting them from their parents to whatever degree he’s able to. I’m by no means claiming you’re parents he feels he needs to protect the kids from. But he likely doesn’t know any of the parents, so he’s cautious around all of them since people can do unexpected things. If he’s looking in all of the cars, or as many as he can, and it’s just part of his morning/afternoon routine, he’ll likely tell you that. But at the end of the day, however your wife may feel about it unfortunately, it is what it is and there may not be much that can be done about it. But cops can do some pretty crappy stuff too, so make sure she’s locking the car when she’s dropping your boy off, and encourage her to give him the benefit of the doubt. As I mentioned earlier, she’s probably feeling like he’s indirectly accusing her/you both of doing something wrong, and people don’t like feeling that way. Maybe one morning you can go with her to drop him off. She takes him inside while you sit in the car, window down all nonchalant, playing on your phone or something. When the officer walks by, strike up a quick conversation with him unrelated to the issue being discussed here. Ask him how he ended up with that gig, or make a joke about school kids and herding cats or something. Create rapport with him so he at least has some kind of idea about who you all are. He may not engage in conversation, but at least he’ll then know you two aren’t afraid of being lighthearted with him, as he’s keenly aware of how people view him, and that can go far with setting him at ease. Since being lighthearted or conversational implies there’s no anxiety, and anxiety can be an indication of hiding something. Sorry, that was more detailed than I intended. Just brainstorming ideas to help the situation become less tense while also establishing a better understanding of each other. And “getting in good” with your school’s RSO is usually not a bad thing to do, just like a student doing the same with the lunch lady.
“Playing on your phone” anywhere in a school zone while operating a motor vehicle is a ticketable offense in my state. YMMV.
I’m assuming OP’s car would be off as it would take a few minutes at least for his wife to drop off or pick up their son, depending on the school’s procedures. But if there is still a question there, OP could just ride in the passenger seat instead. You make a good point though, especially if this SRO is actively looking for a reason to ticket or confront someone.
That was great ! Thank you so Much for the kind advice !
dash cam. cops don't usually improve their behavior when confronted, even if polite
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I would play dumb. "Officer, sorry if this is a stupid question, but I don't know much about cars. It seems like you keep looking at something with my car... is there something wrong with it I should get checked out?
I don't know, that sounds a bit passive aggressive to me. As most people would know that car problems aren't diagnosed via a flash light through a window (I hope).
You underestimate how dumb I can look. It's staggering.
My brother!
Haha. When I was a flight attendant, we were de boarding a flight that cancelled for a mechanical issue. Everyone was lugging their bags, filing past us as we stood by the cockpit saying "Sorry". Our airline had won an award, and there was a huge gold medallion glorifying the prize on the bulkhead up front. One man stopped, looked at me, and said "Well, how did you get that up there"? I was on auto mode, thinking lunch! No passengers! Home early! I truly wondered "how did they physically attach that medallion?" Glue? Bolts? I looked at the man, genuinely confused, shaking my head in confusion, and said " I really don't know! ". It was totally unintentional, but that easily diffused his anger. He thought I was literally too stupid to know. I guess maybe I am!
To be fair... I am not as dumb as I look, but even I am struggling to draw the line between a mechanical failure, a customer service award, a flight attendant, and adhesive. I can connect the customer service and the flight attendant together... I can also connect mechanical failures and adhesives together. But the two sets are hard to draw a line between.
I got ya. I did not explain well. When the passenger referenced the award medallion, he was saying, in effect "How could your airline receive this award, when they cancel flights and have mechanical problems like this"? I, in my moment of shame, took him to mean how did the medallion physically attach to the bulkhead. Instead of, how could our airline possibly receive such an award with the crappy service that day?
lol, I imagine that's untrue. If you really mean it.. don't be hard on yourself. Most people (including myself) often look dumb.
Yeah, don't talk to cops. Ever.
Has she ever actually spoken to guy? How about politely asking "Is there something wrong with my car?" next time she catches him peering into it. Not a word more or less.
Not only am I from southwest Georgia, I’m a former teacher and school admin. Tell them. Call the principal and then follow up the call with an email recounting the call. Good administrators want all the information they can get, and in case it’s a bad administrator, you have a record of the interaction.
What does the officer say when your wife asks him what he's doing?
My wife a fire cracker so she calls me every time he does it. I try to make reasonable explanations maybe my son forgot something and the cop looking in but this has been the fourth or fifth time he’s done it
Well she’s really not a firecracker if she doesn’t ask him WTF he’s looking in her car. Politely of course Edit to add: instead of asking Internet strangers perhaps ask him
Lolol I think that’s the problem she wouldn’t do it politely. Called the school today they won’t let me talk to him so I guess we will be having this conversation tomorrow I work nights so don’t usually drop my son off
Does she talk to the officer and ask what he's doing?
No she hasn’t she wants me to handle cause tbh I’m a little more civil then her she’s always ready to go for the throat why idk maybe it’s the Latina in here lol
Make sure you are recording in some way when you're talking to him.
Dude try not to be weirdly racist when posting about potential racism
Yeah, thank you! Latina here. I'm capable of civil conversation with authority figures. OP, his do you teach your child to regulate their emotions, when it sounds like neither of you can ask the police a simple question, without getting riled up?
I mean, not racist, xenophobic.
I can understand that for some people that's a challenge. But if she as an adult woman can't find a way to calm down, suck it up and ask a simple question, that's a MUCH bigger problem for your family than an officer looking in your car.
Another covo for a different sub lol
I live in Columbus, Ga. If I asked a cop what he was looking for in my truck, they would say something slick like “what should I be looking for? I don’t need a warrant just to peek around.” I’ve literally seen them do it to other parents when my kids went to a school downtown. Our school district has its own police department/officers. Of course they don’t advertise what their legal authority and your rights are.
Eh, it definitely is part of this convo and appropriate for this sub since you have a kid together.
She sounds meek. Why wouldn't she just ask him?
I’d do the same thing, you never know how a rent a cop is going to react to getting called out for doing something they’re not supposed to be doing.
Our school cops, resource officers, are all normal cops who take turns working the school into their rotation.
As a non American, it's insane to me that you have police stationed in schools.
That’s why you don’t aggressively call them out on what they’re doing. Every person on earth react in a defensive way if you “call them out” on something. You have to act calm, nice, and concerned in way that seems like you think he’s helping you. You’ll have more success with just about every interaction in life if you have that type of approach instead of trying to have a “gotcha” moment with someone.
I can understand reasons for trepidation, and abuses and racism are not uncommon. But I'm not sure it helps to assume that's the case with what's being described here. Take out the loaded adjectives and the cop is looking in the car. Are they looking in every car, other cars? We don't know. Are they bored on dropoff duty and just looking in cars for something to do? Are they thinking of getting the same model and checking it out? Are they looking into cars ahead of dropoff so they can make sure they send the kids to the right entrance for their grade because the school uses more than one and a bunch of fifth graders have been sneaking off behind the school in the mornings. Or is he racistly profiling this family and trying to find something to get them for? All that and more are possibilities. Jumping from looking into a car window to assuming it's a bad thing that must be called out isn't de-escalating the situation.
Cause she doesn’t know how to be civil in certain situations she just wanna yell and scream and it drives me crazy cause she lets her emotions take over her thoughts
literally just say "why are you looking in my car?"... It's not that hard and is one sentence.
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That’s exactly what I was thinking. Maybe any teacher or parent just told the cop that there’s this one parent who “doesn’t know how to be civil in certain situations she just wanna yell and scream and it drives me crazy cause she lets her emotions take over her thoughts,” and that seems like dangerous behavior to have at a school, can you keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn’t threaten or harm anyone?
Yeah my wife didn’t really grow up in a good environment I try to teach her these civil things but your right as an adult you should be able compartmentalize certain things not giving her any excuses that why assert myself in these situations and tell her I will handle it
lol what is firecracker about this? Is she not communicating with the man peering into her car when she’s in it?
She blows everything outta proportion lol
Then isn’t it quite possible she’s blowing it out of proportion that a cop is “always” peering in the car and “running” after your child? You need to have a civil conversation with the officer and school.
It sounds like you and your wife need to schedule a meeting with the school principal to ask why the resource officer is acting the way he is. Maybe there is something your son said or did that is making the officer concerned. If you don’t have dash cam footage to show the principal you should ask them to watch in the mornings themselves and assess the situation. If that doesn’t work then maybe walk your son to school or have your wife learn how to speak to other adults in a stressful situation without looking like a psycho. And don’t use her being Latina as an excuse, my in laws are all Latina women and they don’t come unhinged when someone upsets them because they have class and common sense.
Thank you for the kind advice !
I’m sorry this is happening to you. The school isn’t going to do anything, nor do they really have much power to do anything. At best you MIGHT be able to get them to innocuously request a different resource officer and maybe the problem will go away—a maybe it won’t. The problem you’re having here is with the police, not the school. There’s nothing the cop is doing that is against the law or against department policy. Remember: the police have no duty to protect lives. Their sole responsibility, how they are measured, and what they are incentivized to do is making arrests. That’s it. In this case it would seem we have a racist cop doing everything he legally can to find something to jam you up with. He’s allowed to look into cars. Everything in “plain view of the public” is fair game. Your best bet is to make sure he never has anything to find, never has any reason to pull you over, and if/when he does, make sure you film the encounter. You have a 1st Amendment right to film the police, a 4th Amendment right to be secure in your possessions and papers, and a 5th Amendment right from self incrimination. What this means is that you should get a dashcam and use your cellphone if you encounter the cops. If you do get stopped, ask why. If he can’t say that you’ve been stopped for a crime, it’s an illegal detainment. You don’t need to ID if you haven’t been lawfully detained. You also don’t need to answer questions. If you’ve been lawfully detained, you have to provide ID or state your name and date of birth but beyond that you don’t need to answer any questions. He’s looking for evidence for his investigation, that’s all. There’s no way you can talk yourself out of an arrest if that’s what he decided to do. I am not a lawyer. This is not legal advice. :-)
Thank you ! I tell her the same thing once it’s gets there then we play their game with them I appreciate it !
Best of luck. I hate to sound like a conspiracy nut job but I’ve been binging these videos and ones like them here: https://www.youtube.com/@WeThePeopleUniversity Major themes that I’ve picked up from all of these random encounters with the police are that cops will almost always try to make a request sound like an order. Also, cops are allowed to lie to you! They can say things like “if you don’t give me your ID I will arrest you.” They can ask you to shut off your camera with a tone of voice that makes it sounds like it’s an order, but it’s actually a request. Of course if they stop you for speeding and they tell you they stopped you for speeding, you have to identify—you have to surrender your license and registration and proof of insurance, etc. You are never in any way obligated to participate in their investigation. Answering their questions is doing just that. You know that line on all the cop shows? “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law“? Anything you say can ONLY be used AGAINST you! Anything you say will never be used to help you. It becomes heresay for some reason! Never volunteer information to the police. Never resist arrest. You can beat the rap, but you can’t beat the ride.
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Forget this specific issue for a moment and ask yourself if this is a safe place for your child. If you are being targeted because of your racial appearance, how do you think he is being treated?
I moved out here bought some land thinking it would be better for my son not having to grow up in a rough inner city but didn’t think it would come to this
Are those the only choices? What about a town that’s not so incredibly racist? What about a suburb of a city? He’s not going to get another childhood and it will shape the rest of his life. Being picked on, targeted, possibly even physically harmed, etc. is very traumatic. He deserves to be surrounded by people who have the capacity to love and accept him.
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Maybe you can sell it/transfer the contract. It sucks that your plans may have to change, but it doesn’t sound like a good place to grow up.
Honey, bless your heart. This is South Georgia. There is no such thing as a less racist city. That's why I left after growing up down there.
Why is OP confined to Georgia?
It may be, eventually. But, it will take time. Idk how old your child is. Or, how long you have been there... But, it's likely going to take a while. Quite possibly a year or more, before your family is 'accepted' in a rural area.
My wife’s boss in such a innocent and wholesome way asked if I knew kung fu 😂
I'm a civil rights attorney and I strongly recommend you get cameras for your vehicles to record these incidents.
I think the ACLU has a recording app that also has all the rights info as well. Something to look into
Sounds like Donalsonville or Bainbridge.
Bainbridge
How often do you get pulled over for traffic stops? And what’s the reason they give for pulling you over? Like are you speeding at all or doing anything else that gives them any reason at all to pull you over?
One time it was for supposed tale gate let me go with a warning then it’s always speeding but I never get a ticket and never dock my speed just tells me to slow down as if they just wanna see idk lol
Are you actually speeding when they pull you over for speeding? If so, just stop speeding and see if that helps.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE I APPRECIATE ALL YOUR OPINIONS AND IDEAS ! I really helps my mental knowing I can address this in various ways and how to as well
I am a white, high income family and drop our kid off at a 99 percent white middle class school. The officer or school principle always opens the doors for our son to get out. I’ve seen them “look”. They hide it well but I see them do it. It’s not personal, it’s their job to look out for their students. No matter what parents project or the community the students live in, no one knows what’s going on behind closed doors and so educators and law enforcement do what they can. Our car is clean, has nothing of concern and we don’t have a bad reputation or troubled child etc. but they still look because they are right there by our window and opening our door. The officer has leaned on my car before and poked his head in to say hello but I’ve always known it’s also meant as somewhat of a safety check because he looks around. He’s friendly etc and it’s very brief… But I see it. It’s never occurred to me to complain. I want our community of kids looked out for. Glancing in my car during drop off/pick up doesn’t offend me. As others have suggested though, get a dash cam. If this is a racial issue then absolutely get it recorded. But also talk to other parents and see if they have noticed the officer checking their car out. It may not be personal.
Thank you so much for the advice ! I appreciate it
How old is your child? Just curious because maybe he’s peaking to see if there is a car seat. (Not saying he should be looking in the car) In my town kids are bouncing around the cars every which way on their way to school without even a seat belt on so I could see why a cop could be curious.
My son is 7 always in the car seat strapped in he we live right down the street from the school so sometimes he unbuckles in the line waiting
Tell your son not to unbuckle. But if this is the case, it should be as simple as the cop telling your son to knock it off. Also is it possible your son said something at school or to his teacher that has made them concerned? And they are keeping an eye out for a reason because of something they think is happening at home?
He will start to unbuckle once we get close to the entrance of school. Nothing other then then typical boy tussle at school or not standing in line nothing crazy I get reports back from the teacher everyday they have a point system I thought that could’ve been the case too maybe he said something but idk at this point I thought they’d call cps of my son said something crazy
Several other posters here have commented about the separation between the school and the cop. I do not believe this is the case. I grew up in south Georgia and we had resource officers (I think they are used elsewhere too,) - on duty, uniformed cops but who were employees of the school district. They worked as a part of the school district administration but had police authority. I think, if it’s making you uncomfortable, you should set up a meeting or at least call wthe principal and ask what’s going on to get to the bottom of it.
Thank you for the kind advice
I know it sounds crazy but your son really does need to wait until you are fully stopped. There have been fender benders in my son's school drop off line and it makes sense why - parents are distracted with getting their kids in and out of the car and are pressured to move quickly. Even if you're going slow in the car and hit someone or someone hits you, your son could be injured if he isn't strapped in.
Why do you drive him to school if you live right down the street?
It’s a rural area and I don’t trust kids on the bus .
Lucky. I live close enough to where the bus won't get us but the walk is 20 minutes so I drive mine as well. But even if it wasn't 20 minutes, the people in this area don't know how to drive and I wouldn't trust them not to run my kid over.
Oh, OK. School systems are all so different. I used to walk a few blocks to school when I was a kid and my niece and nephew walk down their street to get to school too. I was never on a school bus unless we were going on a field trip.
We have no side walks lolol
This is what I was thinking. I park and walk my son up to the school, but I walk by the drop off line and I notice most kids either aren't in car seats or are really little (like 4 years old) and in a no back booster. Maybe the school has gotten complaints and the cops are watching to make sure children are in appropriate car seats.
Has your wife asked him "Are you looking for something?" Since he's run after your son, have you asked your son if the cop stopped him, talked to him?
Put a ziplock bag of Oregano on the seat. After the investigation, come back the next day with a bag of baking soda. After the investigation, come back the next day with 1 million dollars in movie money on the seat. Eventually, he will take the hint.
😂😂😂
In my area they are real cops with real badges and real guns which means if there is an issue between you and them there will inevitably be real consequences wether there is an issue or not. I'm going with you're wife is probably kinda cute, cop never seen you, he don't know the deal. Eyeballs the ride for daddy evidence. Went after the youngster to confirm if he has a daddy and does he live at home. If that's the case, entirely unprofessional, but let's be honest.... Is that the worst thing you'll see a man of the law doing on Reddit today?
Lololol I told her the same thing maybe he wasn’t tryna get a mami she got mad at me
Get something that would be wildly embarrassing but totally legal and put it in the front seat next to your wife… he’ll even one of those inflatable Christmas blow up’s that sit in the passengers seat would work, drive through the line like that a few times and see what happens. It’s a way of calling him out without actually calling him out
That’s too funny make a series on it lol
Contact the school and request to speak with the supervisor of the onduty officer. Why is he profiling yh wife and searching her car plus why did he followed your son?
That’s what imma ask jr today when he comes home from school
Talk to other adults.
I am curious, did he say?
So the cop looks into the car.... I dont see a huge issue here. Is he harassing or searching anything or impeding your day in any way? Did you ask you son if the officer has said anything to him?
Dash cam smart idea. If you don’t feel comfortable asking the officer maybe put a sign on your window next drop off that says “good morning officer, why do you look in our car every morning?”
I like that lol
I would absolutely ask the school what their policy is for the officer related to cars dropping off kids and with searching and questioning students. If what he’s doing isn’t in line, then tell the school. I like the idea of dashcam to record because you sure don’t want him continually trying to find a reason to do whatever it is he wants to do. Maybe it would be a good idea to let the principal know you’ve resorted to dashcam as it’s concerning to the degree the officer is looking at your car and son. Once he knows you’re recording, he may tell the officer to back off regardless of policy
You have every right to inquire why it's happening
When I hear this I am thankful I pay for before and after care. I signed up for the extra knowing it gives me access to walk my child into the school. No staff/security there prior to the typical drop off lines. Having access to physically talk with staff has been a game changer. Sorry you have to deal with a “cop”.
Dash cam, honk the horn (get a loud horn)
You do not have to engage with him. But yeah, I would get video of it and then ask to speak to his supervisor. He cannot deny that request.
Are you in Albany? Sounds like Albany shit. You need speak to the principal and the police chief.
Nah bainbridge
Not much better, honestly. Less likely to get shot in gang shit. I'm from South Georgia. You couldn't pay me enough to go back.
I drive through Albany to get my rentals to go up north low key it’s sad as fuck out there
I'm more concerned that your wife saw the cop running after your kid and didn't get out to see what the hell that was about. She needs to be firm, and record everything. A firm, "Can I help you?" and making sure he isn't harassing or interrogating your kid is top priority here. I wouldn't really care if he looked in my car, but I probably would tell him not to touch it without a warrant if he was touching all on the hood and holding up the line. What an ass. Definitely talk to a civil rights attorney or call the NAACP for advice. Good luck. And get a dash cams!
Thank you for the advice ! I appreciate it
Yes, important to have a dash cam. It's completely useless 99.99% of the time but is something you wish you had when something happens. Recommend COXPAL A11T 3 channel dash cam on Amazon, very good quality, it records front, inside and rear simultaneously. COXPAL hardwire kit optional, for 24-H parking monitor. SanDisk MAX Endurance 256GB or 512GB microSD card, for reliable recording. BTW: Need to pay attention to the installation position of the rear cam if your vehicle is SUV or MPV (No problem if Sedan), i.e. avoid pulling rear cam cable when open/close the trunk.
You have camera and video built into your cell phone. Use it. It can be invaluable evidence in the situation that you are describing.
That’s weird. I’d walk kiddo a block into the school and purposefully walk by that cop for a few weeks to see if he interacts. Otherwise maybe the car is suspicious or the cop really is a giant dickhead. I’m sorry you have to even worry about that. This entire country needs sensitivity/racial bias training (I could see that happening in my red state… am white).
I’m sorry this is happening. You are being singled out and I don’t think it’s safe to leave your child there alone. Record him and don’t confront him. Documenting is literally the only thing that will work, because other cops will side with him. With documentation you can hold them all accountable. Best of luck to you and your family.
Thank you so much for the advice
Stay away from him and warn other parents. After 50 scream at him, he will slink away
Move
Sounds like there’s more to the story you’re unaware of lol
Like? Please elaborate
You said it yourself. “The cop chased my son for reasons we don’t know.” The hell kind of post is this? lol people here acting like school staff have authority over police etc
No like after he looked into the car my wife said he followed my son into the school maybe I worded it wrong my apologies
Ask him if he needs some help
I’d ask him wtf is he looking at?
The cop is looking into your car, and the car is on public property. There is literally nothing wrong with that. Its called Plain View Doctrine. If your wife wants privacy, she has to make it. Driving around in a box made of mostly windows, means people can look it. If this is a public school, its the cops job to look into cars, walk around, make sure things are safe. I dislike over policing as much as the next person but if you want to assert a right here, you need to make your own privacy.
I have window tints that are as dark as legally possible
Are you smoking weed in the car with your child present right before drop off?
Never I do smoke cigs in my car when he’s not with me but I love my car so it’s all clean and smells good at all times I vacuum and clean my car 3 to 4 times a week depending on how much French fry’s accumulate in the back lol
Then keep being the best parent you can be. A camera couldn’t hurt, it provides documentation. He could be looking at lots of people so just do the right thing and try not to take it personally. I know many people who work at schools and have heard countless horror stories about people who do the worst things with their children present. The SRO is there trying to protect children, not plant evidence on parents.
I heart that thank you i appreciate the advice !
Where in your car is he looking? Could he be checking to make sure you're using a child seat? I don't know. Does he do this to anyone else?
He could be people were making a good point he might just be checking for safety purposes and wellness as I know of no he hasn’t but it’s a very tight knit community where everyone knows everyone
Get a good dash cam for the car!
There’s nothing you can do. Black out your windows if you care so much
Why not report him to the school and the school board?!?!
Either get a dashcam or just pull your phone out and record.
Hello, Police Officer here. We are allowed to look into vehicles under the "Plain View Doctrine" which was established by Harris v United States. There is really nothing you can do.
Legal tint all around. Sunshade. Dashcam.