This is what I get for releasing a spider

[dragonblade71]

Late one night last year, I found a white tipped spider in my living room here in South Australia. They are quite venomous so I caught it in a glass jar and went outside to release it in a grassy area by a nearby street close to midnight. After I released the spider from the jar, I was making my way back to my house when a car pulled up beside me. Two people in regular clothes claiming to be policemen get out and approach me. The car was not a police car but a regular car. They never showed any ID.

The first thing they asked me was: "What are you hiding?" I'm not hiding anything! They ask me what is in my pockets and there is nothing there. I'm just in my tracksuit holding an empty glass jar. Though they seemed to be convinced that I was hiding something. They ask me what I was doing and what's inside the jar. I tell them the truth - that I was releasing a spider that I had caught in my home.

Then came a series of endless questions such as my full name, address, date of birth, what do I do during the day, who do I live with and if I had any ID (which I didn't.) Some of these questions were very unusual to say the least - they asked me if I had mental problems, if I was on drugs and if I had been drinking. They also asked if my parents were running a drug operation. Logically, the answer to all these questions was 'no.' Finally, they finished all their questioning and allowed me to go home.

In all my weirdest dreams, I would never think that releasing a spider would put me in a situation like this.

What is the world coming to???

 

[rattler420]

i woulda never answered a thing in a situation like that until they showed some ID.

 

[dragonblade71]

Very good point. I really regret that now. I feel really stupid that I stood there answering all their questions. I only became more suspicious after the incident occurred.

 

[Crotalus]

Be careful the next few days in case they scanned the neighborhood for potential houses to break into
You cant be too careful these days.

 

[buthus]

Write down what you recall regarding the make of their car, what they looked like, what they asked...etc then call your local authorities and tell them what happened.

2 scenarios I can think of...

Some guys scoping the neighborhood and prying info from you.

Cops (detectives) investigating a case that has nothing to do with you and what you were doing.

 

[dragonblade71]

It is unclear as to whether they had ID or not. They did not show any but foolishly I did not ask for ID. I wonder what would have happened if I had asked them for ID.

A few days after the incident, a house two doors up from mine was broken into but that could be a coincidence. There are a number of burglaries around my area.

Yea, I wrote all the details like location, descriptions, questions asked etc in a letter to police. Apparently, various databases were checked and they could not identify those two people as police. However, I am not sure whether that indicates 100% that they are not police. I'm not an expert on the police but I wonder if they could have been police trainees or cadets practising their craft on unsuspecting people (they did look very young.) The one that was writing down my answers was wearing glasses. They were not shabby in appearance at all - they were clean shaven and had a modern car.

One thing's for sure, they were questioning me for an extremely long time and they were wasting my time with all their pointless questions. It was very late at night and I just wanted to get to my home which was just across the road. The next time something like this happens, I will definitely ask for ID.

 

[8+)]

The next time something like this happens, I will definitely ask for ID.

Hopefully not a frequent occurrence!

I'm not positive I remember the latest verdict, but I thought the White Tail was exonerated.

 

[Black Widow88]

That's insane!

I thought the White Tail was exonerated.

What exactly does that mean? Is it a protected species or something of the sort?

What is the world coming too?

That's exactly what I want to know. And I also want to know who those people were. It's not only odd but sort of uneasy. Why would they suspect anything illegal if you just released a venomous spider from your home?

And clearly the jar is empty or is there a company that makes invisible crack that I'm not aware of?

Black Widow88

 

[dragonblade71]

"Hopefully not a frequent occurrence!"

Well actually a very similar thing did happen in the same year - a few months previously. There are a lot of burglaries around my area and the police here are very suspicious and high-strung. Once, during the afternoon I was walking back from a photographic lab after picking up some film. A police car drove past me and then turned into a street on my left. I turned into a narrow side street on my right. About a minute of walking down this narrow side street, a blue car comes up beside and seems to be signalling me to stop. The car stops and out steps a guy wearing jeans, shirt and a police vest and he approaches me. In my mind, I was thinking 'what the hell is going on?' He asks me my name, address, where have I just been to and where am I going. He searches my bag and sees the film I picked up. He says there has been a lot of burglaries in this area and gets back in his car and drives off.

I continue along my way. About a kilometre onwards, I reach a road and a police car comes along - going right to left. As the police car nears me, it slows right down. I thought I was going to be interrogated again! The car then passes right in front of me very slowly and then speeds up again and continues on it's way.

When I was interrogated at night, the reason why I took their word for it (them claiming to be police) is that it was similar to this other incident that occurred during the day a months previously. The cars were similar too - both modern cars. And both cars had a very similar shade of blue. On both occasions, the people were wearing normal clothes. With regards to the incident at night, in my mind, I was thinking that this must be the same sort of thing - happening again. If the previous incident had not happened, maybe I would have been more suspicious. Of course there were some differences. For example, the two guys questioning me at night were much younger than the other guy. They looked like they were in their 20s. And the person who questioned me during the day was wearing a police vest while the other two guys at night had no visible form of identification.

"And I also want to know who those people were."

ISame here but that seems like an impossibility now. The police seem to have no idea as to their identity.

"Why would they suspect anything illegal if you just released a venomous spider from your home?"

Exactly. Even after I told them about the spider and they seemed like they believed me (at least I think they did), they started a whole barrage of pointless questions that seemed to go on for an eternity.

"And clearly the jar is empty or is there a company that makes invisible crack that I'm not aware of?"

LOL. Good point!

 

[cacoseraph]

do you guys have ANY rights in oz?

those coppers would be breaking like 27 laws in USA:CA

in USA:CA all cops HAVE to properly identify themselves and surrender a badge number upon request. if they don't properly identify themselves they have no power to do anything. in USA:CA they need a primary offense or search warrant or your permission to search you. i like to let them search me and act like i am *really* enjoying it. a lot of cops seem to be homophobes. go figure, testosterony job full of homophobes!? no!!


anyhow, citizens who don't learn AND EXERCISE their rights probably don't deserve to have them, anyways. get educated and then have fun with it. if they mess up bad enough you can always sue them =P

That's insane!
What exactly does that mean? Is it a protected species or something of the sort?

whitetails used to be like, believed to be horrendously necrotoxic... but i think that the current vogue is swinging back to them being somewhat venomous to humans, but not fleshmelters like was once thought

ah crap, am i mixing up that mouse spider and white tails? not super familiar with oznimalia

 

[dragonblade71]

I honestly hate being questioned and searched by cops. Considering that the vast majority of the time, I'm not breaking any laws and minding my own business and am not a witness to any crime, I don't think it's really any of their business to question and search me.

However, Ive spoken to a lawyer about this and according to her, it seems that I have hardly any rights at all in such a situation, even though Ive done nothing wrong and I'm not being charged with anything. She said that a policeman can always just say 'I have reason to suspect' and that automatically gives them the power to basically ask me any question they want. And if I recall, the power to search me as well.

This was a few years ago when I saw this lawyer and at the time, I didn't ask her about proof of ID or showing a badge because I never suspected that oneday, I would be questioned by plain clothes police.

Oh another odd thing. A few days after the incident that occurred at night, I rang up my local police station and asked them if any plain clothes policemen operate through there. The answer was 'No.' Yet Ive been questioned twice by plain clothes policemen in my local area in the same year!

 

[cacoseraph]

I honestly hate being questioned and searched by cops. Considering that the vast majority of the time, I'm not breaking any laws and minding my own business and am not a witness to any crime, I don't think it's really any of their business to question and search me.

However, Ive spoken to a lawyer about this and according to her, it seems that I have hardly any rights at all in such a situation, even though Ive done nothing wrong and I'm not being charged with anything. She said that a policeman can always just say 'I have reason to suspect' and that automatically gives them the power to basically ask me any question they want. And if I recall, the power to search me as well.

This was a few years ago when I saw this lawyer and at the time, I didn't ask her about proof of ID or showing a badge because I never suspected that oneday, I would be questioned by plain clothes police.

Oh another odd thing. A few days after the incident that occurred at night, I rang up my local police station and asked them if any plain clothes policemen operate through there. The answer was 'No.' Yet Ive been questioned twice by plain clothes policemen in my local area in the same year!

in the us it might not be cops, if it is someone offical. could be NSA, FBI, CIA, Ministry of Homeland Security etc. local coppers wouldn't necesarily know if the big boys were operating in their area.

it sounds suspicious to me, though. like they were getting ready to mug you or something.

 

[Black Widow88]

LOL! Good point!

Thank you!

Sorry that happened to you too. This world is crazy!

Whitetails used to be like believed to be horrendously necrotoxic....

Aaah I see okay, I knew that they were poisonous but I didn't know what people believed them to be. Thanks for the info. And damn that mouse spider for your confusion!

People are crazy! How could they go around pretending ( if they are ) to be cops during a serious situation like that? That's just wrong. They're screwed up mentally if you know what I mean.

It sounds suspicious to me, though like they were getting ready to mug you or something

It does.....

Black Widow88

 

[8+)]

whitetails used to be like, believed to be horrendously necrotoxic... but i think that the current vogue is swinging back to them being somewhat venomous to humans, but not fleshmelters like was once thought

ah crap, am i mixing up that mouse spider and white tails? not super familiar with oznimalia

I'm pretty sure it's the White Tail.

 

[edesign]

Guess I should start carrying my pistol with me when I "catch and release" Then again, it sounds like our laws regarding law enforcement officers and interactions with private citizens may vary a lot. As Caco said...here in the US you could have told them to take a long walk off a short pier if they didn't ID themselves and show a badge and they couldn't do a thing about it. And ALSO as he said, some people here aren't aware of that right and some that do don't exercise it. I'd get a second opinion though...and consult Google to find a database of your country's laws (these are usually readily available...IF you can find them, some places are harder than others).

 

[Black Widow88]

Is that why you have a picture of a guy pointing at gun at some one or something?

Black Widow88

 

[DrGigglez666]

Police are given to much authority!! :wall: It makes me sick for police to harass people and try to catch them doing something when their not. Police here will try anything to get you in trouble and get a ticket. They tried to get my friend for an out break light that wasnt even broke i mean come on whats up with that?? They willow follow you like a mile then pull you over i mean its crazy and i live in a small town go figure... I'd have to agree if they dont show you a badge or any i.d. you aint got to say a word just keep it movin. But also they can say we have reason to suspect and that can really go a diffrent direction in a situation. If they were so dang paranoid that you were hiding something you should of threw the jar in their face and told them to smell it!!

 

[Black Widow88]

I know. It always sickens me when I hear on the news that people are being killed/hurt by police men......it's wrong.

Black Widow88

 

[Taceas]

Around here for a few years there's been a man in a police outfit, in a Crown Victoria car with lights, pulling women over on traffic stops in rural areas and raping them. Thankfully that sicko has since been caught.

But ever since that happening the local police encourage you to ask to see identification if it has not already been presented and to tell whatever person has pulled you over that you're going to call 911 to see if this is an actual officer who stopped you. The officer can't do anything about it but politely wait, or if they're not legit to flee the scene.

My own personal beef with personal searches and seizures is that here in the State of Indiana you can be arrested for refusing police to search your vehicle if you even act suspicious enough to be considered probable cause. To me that's un-Consitutional as I see my car as an extension of my home and possessing all of its rights. What law-abiding person isn't going to act fidgety when they get pulled over...reaching for identification, registration, proof of insurance, etc. They've gotten so used to people complying they take it for granted.

I don't do anything illegal so there is no cause for them to search my vehicle until they arrest me for something that they can prove I did. But still I feel I have to submit to it because I don't want an arrest on my record, and no telling how I would possibly get it off my record.

Had that been me I would have been asking for identification before I answered any of their questions. Being on college campuses with all manner of people who could get a hold of a decent enough knock-off police outfit, I don't want to be anywhere alone with them and me not knowing who they are. Thankfully most police, even plain clothes, are good about ID'ing themselves prior to such things.

 

[dragonblade71]

So many times, I have gone over the incident in my mind and wished that I had asked for ID. I really feel like a fool for not doing that. Though like I said, at the beginning of the incident, it was so similar to that other incident with the plain clothes policeman during the day that I just assumed that it was the same thing happening again - and it was drummed into me by that lawyer that I had to comply with police otherwise it sounds like I would get in serious trouble if I did not. But I see that these people took advantage of that. I am annoyed.

Another thing about that night. After I told them about releasing the spider, the one questioning me said that in that situation, he would have squished it. Seems to me like an odd sort of thing for a policeman to say. Then again, everyone's an individual. He did seem like a bit of a smart alec at times. His voice sounded very young too.