Police Call: Child in Trunk

[deonb]

If you want to listen to a great talk on the subject of wisdom being replaced by knee-jerk rules, and hear a horrendous story of an innocent parent being persecuted, watch this by Barry Schwartz at TED in 2009. If you are impatient for the parenting story, start at 5:45, but I hope you will listen to the whole gem.

Wow. This is just utterly ridiculous, but not surprising in the U.S. culture.

When I grew up in South Africa in the 80s in 90s, the rule was that you can't drink until 18, unless you had parental consent. Parental consent ruled absolutely - I remember I was 14 and being able to order wine with steak in a restaurant, and waiters checking with my parents for approval. At home, I had my first small drink at 9, and started drinking 5% wine coolers like Mike Hard's lemonade regularly at the age of 12. I didn't really like anything else until I was 16.

The last time in my life I really binge drank was when I was 17. Got sick a few times and have been taking it slower ever since. I was making the same mistakes that literally every college kid in the U.S. makes, except I did it in a safe environment at home. At 17, it means this was one full year before the first time I was legally (and actually) allowed to operate a vehicle.

Since then, I've never even gotten close to driving while over the legal limit. I still don't drink alone even today - I learned it as being a social experience, and it still is one today.

Now compare this to someone who can drive for 5 years before being allowed to experiment with alcohol in any way. This often ends really badly, or if it doesn't it's pure luck that it doesn't.

I know my situation is not unique, my nieces and nephews are still raised with the mantra - if you're going to drink, drink under my roof. This style of parenting actually does work, but in the U.S. that is a total taboo to even discuss this.

Sometimes parents really are better at raising their kids than the government. But actually, some anonymous "government" is not the issue. People overwhelmingly approve these laws in the U.S. - it's the whole notion of wanting to force everybody around you to live the same way as you do. i.e. The American definition of "freedom".

 

[dhanson865]

@dhanson865, we'll have to respectfully agree to disagree. The police cannot charge people simply to threaten them into a diversion program since that is not how our justice systems work.

Change "cannot" to "shouldn't" and we'd agree. I'm sorry but I think the difference is I'm commenting on how the US justice system is used and you are talking about what the law allows them to do. It is often the case that there is not a law on the books or that the law on the books doesn't allow something to be done. Yet without the authority to do so and without someone to stop them the law enforcement officer, the prosecutor, and the judge, make up their own rules when/where they can get away with it.

I wish every single thing you said in response to my posts was true in action as it is in concept. I'd love to be able to say I was wrong and nothing ever happens in the US like what I hinted at.

 

[FlasherZ]

Change "cannot" to "shouldn't" and we'd agree. I'm sorry but I think the difference is I'm commenting on how the US justice system is used and you are talking about what the law allows them to do. It is often the case that there is not a law on the books or that the law on the books doesn't allow something to be done. Yet without the authority to do so and without someone to stop them the law enforcement officer, the prosecutor, and the judge, make up their own rules when/where they can get away with it.

"You can beat the rap, but you can't beat the ride."

 

[wk057]

I just want to point out that I found it amusing that this thread has touched on so many varying topics that it's somewhat impressive. In this thread we've got everything from police profiling, plea bargains, nuclear weapons, dogs left in air conditioned cars, statistics on police shootings in different countries, you name it. It's a one stop shop!

And for a minute there I thought I was still on a Tesla enthusiast forum... oh wait.... yeah, wth? lol

 

[MrClown]

And that's with some posts getting moved to an Off Topic thread (Profiling/car seats/TSA...etc). It's possible the mods haven't gotten around to moving more of this yet, or maybe they just gave up.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Always interesting to see on forums the great distrust Americans have of the police and by extension the government. This is a stark contrast to the culture in Canada. In Canada we sometimes roll over and obey a little too easily and often. In the u.s. sometimes I feel people are a bit too paranoid. Different histories...

Isn't it preferable, in all cases, to question authority rather than blindly submit to it?

 

[mknox]

Isn't it preferable, in all cases, to question authority rather than blindly submit to it?

I absolutely believe it is. I think @sitter_k is correct in that Canadians do roll over to authority, and sort of related, rely on the authorities for too much as well. I don't think it was always that way... certainly not in my parents' generation. As I grew up for most of my years in Canada, the sense of entitlement really seems to have grown here.

 

[Canuck]

I just want to point out that I found it amusing that this thread has touched on so many varying topics that it's somewhat impressive. In this thread we've got everything from police profiling, plea bargains, nuclear weapons, dogs left in air conditioned cars, statistics on police shootings in different countries, you name it. It's a one stop shop!

And for a minute there I thought I was still on a Tesla enthusiast forum... oh wait.... yeah, wth? lol

That's why I love it here. It was all done respectfully too even though the viewpoints vary greatly. Plus, even though we went way off topic, each of those "off topics" do relate back to the original topic, even if the thread joining them is very thin.

 

[S'toon]

Oh look, it happened again.
http://insideevs.com/tesla-model-s-third-row-seats-leads-odd-run-police-video/

 

[K5ING]

Tesla driver accused of putting children in the trunk

Someone called the police concerning a driver putting kids in the trunk of his car. The police followed the driver home to put a stop to it. It turns out it was a Tesla.

 

[electracity]

I would have thought the driver would have at least be tazed for how he exited the car and rushed the cop.

 

[lolachampcar]

It that not where you are supposed to put your kids? In the trunk?

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

Why did he need to give the officer his id?

 

[ggr]

Why did he need to give the officer his id?

He was driving a vehicle. He is required to present his license and registration if requested to by police.

 

[K5ING]

Why did he need to give the officer his id?

I'm going to guess that the police are required to fill out a report on every contact they have, especially one that relates to a contact where someone called in to report a possible crime.

 

[MsElectric]

He was driving a vehicle. He is required to present his license and registration if requested to by police.

But the cops are on private property when this encounter happened. He was doing nothing wrong. I would like to think he could have settled the matter by showing the car was designed to have occupants in the RFS and ask if he was required to and being forced to show his ID. If the answer is no, he should be able to wish the cops a nice day and go inside his house.

The whole ID part bothered me when I first saw the video.

 

[S'toon]

The other police called for children in trunk thread:
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/30999-Police-Call-Child-in-Trunk

 

[K5ING]

But the cops are on private property when this encounter happened. He was doing nothing wrong. I would like to think he could have settled the matter by showing the car was designed to have occupants in the RFS and ask if he was required to and being forced to show his ID. If the answer is no, he should be able to wish the cops a nice day and go inside his house.

The whole ID part bothered me when I first saw the video.

It bothered me too, but if the cops had just spotted this themselves, they probably would have simply had a look at the seats and been on their way. In this case, however, they were responding to a dispatched call from a complainant which probably calls for a disposition report, and requires information about the person they questioned. If they were really concerned, you would have seen them radio in the information and wait for a reply.

 

[Zybane]

The individual was driving a vehicle. Anytime you are driving a vehicle, your identification can be requested and is required by the police. Driving requires a license.

 

[S4WRXTTCS]

This video has been posted a number of times (at least twice so far), and what I find funnier than anything else is just how well equipped the owner is with surveillance.

He has his house wired, and his car wired up. I have to wonder how many camera's the guy has.