Submitted by:
A Taormina

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http://www.aclu.org/police/gen/14528res20040730.html

Most ordinary people are peaceful and content to go about their daily business. Unfortunately, even ordinary people are more and more likely to encounter the police, thanks to the proliferation of roadblocks and "routine" traffic stops.

The policies behind these practices are due a thorough airing. Police powers should be strictly limited and the exercise of those powers subject to full public scrutiny. After all, they are public servants.

What a pity that ordinary people, who are no threat to their neighbors in any way, are routinely subjected to police questioning. More's the pity that the police have wide discretionary powers to detain and search based on "probable cause," which can be adduced in nearly any circumstance by an imaginative officer. A burnt out taillight bulb can lead to an unwanted encounter with the police that could escalate into an arrest. Here is some advice from the ACLU (this is not an endorsement of the ACLU, by the way) that could help you in the event of an encounter with the police.

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Created 21 weeks 1 day ago