I got arrested for calling a cop an a-hole.

[photog212]

The first amendment is a double-edged sword though. Just as you are entitled to insult him, he is entitled to arrest your ass for insulting him.

Seriously, talking back to a cop was stupid.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Do we all know what it means to abridge something?
He had no such right

privileges ? you think insulting cops is an unalienable privilege ?

Oh wow....for real ?

First amendment brah.

The first amendment is a double-edged sword though. Just as you are entitled to insult him, he is entitled to arrest your ass for insulting him.

Seriously, talking back to a cop was stupid.

Freedom of Speech,
Freedom of Assembly,
Freedom of Press,
Freedom of Petition,
Freedom of Religion.

Nothing in there about hurt feelings being grounds for arrest.

Okay, let me put this in more understandable terms. You have right to speak freely of your opinions, but you have no right to be an asshole, especially when you're insulting a person to their face.

Normally, someone will just ignore you because you're not worth listening to anyway. But a policeman? Well, he'll go right out of his way to make sure the legal system fucks you up the ass.

It's just desserts, pal.

But you do have the right to be an asshole. The government is not supposed to be some sort of moral yardstick.

 

[CHangedUsername]

You have right to speak freely of your opinions, but you have no right to be an asshole...

No law shall abridge the freedom of speech.

 

[Lord Krunk]

But you do have the right to be an asshole. The government is not supposed to be some sort of moral yardstick.

No law shall abridge the freedom of speech.

It's like speaking to brick walls. If you ain't going to learn, then don't expect to not be fined, don't learn your lesson and don't expect anyone to care for your own self-inflicted personal dilemmas.

And with that, I take my leave.

 

[Art3mis]

How about answer my question first - "Do you deserve more respect?"

How about relevance?

This isn't an issue of respect.
I was disrespectful and rude. That is pretty obvious.

But disrespect IS NOT illegal.

The issue is legality

If it was up to me it would be illegal, but it's probably illegal enough for you get a fine and some warning. What happened to the good old days when people addressed cops as "sir" or "mam?" Nowadays all these kids disrespect cops for no reason other than their egos and when we don't have authority anymore, we'll have anarchy. Anarchy is when people just go around shooting each other and taking whatever they want because they feel like it. We can just tell the cops -"Hey fuck off buddy, I have Amendment rights, can't you see I'm trying to rob the bank here?." Sounds great doesn't it?

This is probably a more interesting summary of what the judge will tell you later. Believe it or not, there are reasons we can't call cops assholes whenever we want!

Really? You're comparing insulting someone to an anarchist state?

You don't necessarily have to respect someone to follow their authority. And when they abuse their authority, because their ego or pride was hurt due to some insult, they no longer deserve to have that authority.

 

[CHangedUsername]

Just Checked Lord Crunk's profile.
He is Australian. They don't have a bill of Right
Everything makes sense now.

 

[Low Key]

Yes, it can be illegal if the cop wants it to be. You acted stupidly and now you must deal with the consequences. Suck it up, pay the fine, and get on with your life.

Those of us with half a brain and some real life experience (ex: not some high school student living in their parent's basement) won't be offering you any condolences.

 

[CHangedUsername]

Yes, it can be illegal if the cop wants it to be. You acted stupidly and now you must deal with the consequences. Suck it up, pay the fine, and get on with your life.

Those of us with half a brain and some real life experience (ex: not some high school student living in their parent's basement) won't be offering you any condolences.

I have a diploma and live in my grandma's attic thank you very much.

and... "Illegal if a cop wants it to be?"
ARE YOU LISTENING TO YOURSELF?

 

[Derpus von Herpus]

And being a wise ass while he was talking to me and asking for an ID.

Charged with disorderly conduct.
I co-operated completely during the arrest. Gave him my information (albeit in a smart ass way).

I can beat this in court right?

No, and good. There are three types of people who mouth off to cops.

1: White trash. I am going to be polite here and assume you're not white trash, but the next time you think of calling a cop an asshole try to picture yourself in a greasy wife-beater, telling that cop to "git off mah propertay".

2: Morons. At the risk of sounding like a huge moralfag, hear me out. I dated a girl whose dad was a cop and it is the worst job on the face of the earth. All fucking day that poor dude drives around, listening to a radio he is bound by his job never to turn off, responding to domestic disturbances, petty theft calls and helping rescue cats. Meanwhile, he's thinking of the time he spent in the academy, hoping to nab murderers and legitimate bad people. Cops are pretty cool dudes and deserve at least respect, especially since if you've got a knife lodged in you they're going to be the ones to pick your ass up, make sure you're safe, and help catch the bad guy for you. Hell, they're bound by law to die for you if the situation warrants, do you know that?

3: Fourteen year olds trying to show their friends how cool and edgy they are by dissing "the man" and showing authority just what you think of their shenanigans.

Seriously. Don't fight it, just let it go and use it as a lesson. You deserved it.

 

[CHangedUsername]

The amount of ridiculous things said in this thread by those telling me to plead guilty make me feel incredibly worried about the future of society.

"If a cop wants it to be illegal it is"
SERIOUSLY?

Yes. I was rude. I apologised to the cop when I left the station.
Being a douche was wrong. But...It was not fucking illegal.

I'm fighting this.

 

[CHangedUsername]

Sorry mate, what kind of punishment are you looking at?

None. I will be receiving none. *fist pump into the air*

 

[Radelaide]

Shouldn't have to. I can call a guy in the bar and asshole without getting arrested, why should cops get special treatment? I can understand giving out harsher sentences for actual crimes committed against cops to deter further crimes against them as they are at high risk for those actions. Unless the OP is not telling something he should not have gotten the citation.

I too have gotten a citation when I shouldn't have. I learned not to accept the judgment of an asshole judge when he obviously was not being impartial. Not even my words, the word of a member of my bases legal office when I brought it up with them. They took care of it with a few letters by the way.

It was for Public Intoxication, I was drinking in my own yard. Long story short the neighbor called the cops, and then while I was there in handcuffs told the cops that I was their neighbor and was not the reason she called them. The cops gave me a citation and told me they had to drive me home. Idiots. I let them know as much as well. Didn't get another citation.

The judge I had to see would not even let me finish explaining the circumstances. He simply cut me off and said "The police wouldn't give you that ticket if you didn't deserve it." That was it, no affidavits where filed, nobody showed up to testify. I was guilty simply for being there. That is not how the legal system is supposed to work in the US. Which was why I went to the legal department of my base. Which brings me back to the start of my tale.

Simply put, the cop abused a blanket infraction simply because he was annoyed. You might be able to bet it if the judge is willing to listen, and will beat it if you get a lawyer.

Yeah, you can call a guy in a bar an asshole, but you can't call a cop an asshole. You know why? Because the police DO get special privileges, well they do in Australia. I don't know how the law enforcement works in American, but the police were only trying to do their job. Show some respect and they won't have to take any measures.

There are just some things you need to be mature about and deal with. The OP has taken responsibility for what he did and good for him.

 

[Derpus von Herpus]

In law enforcement, there are few situations that are clear-cut, and disorderly conduct is one of the fuzziest. As Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. now knows all too well, the misdemeanor charge can be used to corral people who are simply uncooperative or rude. State statutes are designed to help police officers maintain authority, and they are so broadly worded that divining what constitutes disorderly conduct is left up to the discretion of individual officers.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1912777,00.html

So, yeah. Remember that dude who said "It's illegal if the cop says it's illegal"? He's pretty much right.

 

[beddo]

And being a wise ass while he was talking to me and asking for an ID.

Charged with disorderly conduct.
I co-operated completely during the arrest. Gave him my information (albeit in a smart ass way).

I can beat this in court right?

I take it you're from the US. You are not required to give your ID to an officer if you are going about your business.

As for swearing, well firstly, don't swear at the police. You do have first amendment rights that you could challenge this on.

Where you actually charged with the offence?

EDIT: Are you taking this to court as a civil action or are you being tried for the offence?

If I were you I'd get a decent lawyer and fight the case, I doubt he has sufficient evidence for a prosecution. However, the US Justice system does seem to back up the authorities despite the fact they're meant to be impartial.

 

[photog212]

The amount of ridiculous things said in this thread by those telling me to plead guilty make me feel incredibly worried about the future of society.

"If a cop wants it to be illegal it is"
SERIOUSLY?

Yes. I was rude. I apologised to the cop when I left the station.
Being a douche was wrong. But...It was not fucking illegal.

I'm fighting this.

Seek counsel or they will just railroad you with a bunch of horseshit loopholes.

 

[Ziadaine_v1legacy]

most you'll have is a charge of some small fee (small for what they can be), apologize and a mark to your RAP-Sheet for bad behavior.

You've also made me ashamed to be 19 years old. :|

 

[CHangedUsername]

Where you actually charged with the offence?

Yeah. I got a piece of Paper with "The State of New jersey Vs. My Name" and a court date.

 

[photog212]

I take it you're from the US. You are not required to give your ID to an officer if you are going about your business.

As for swearing, well firstly, don't swear at the police. You do have first amendment rights that you could challenge this on.

Where you actually charged with the offence?

The ID thing is usually a State law, it depends on where you're at. My State law dictates that if you are over 16 (15?) you have to carry a state ID.