Knox County Sheriff's Office racist police officer, criminal actions of police officer,fraudulent charges Knoxville Tennessee
Hello
My name is Jodi and I am writing a ripoff report because I am tired of the Knox County Sherriff officers getting away with Racist behavior, making up fraudulant charges and lying to people. They are abusing their powers and should be held accountable for their actions. My son Kris was on the way home from work one night and it was 1230 in the morning. My son was having problems with the lights on my truck and he passed a police officer (who was sitting at a convenience store) on Tazewell Pike a mile and a half before the Union county line. After he passed the officer he pulled over in a neighborhood to check the lights. The officer was nowhere in sight. All of a sudden he heard screeching tires and the Officer pulled right behind him and turned on his lights. At this time my son was outside the truck checking the lights. And the officer jumped out of his car yelling at him to put his hands on the car and the officer was screaming at him that he was running from the police. My son kept repeating that he wasn’t running he was checking the lights.
My son was driving without a license I admit that and that is illegal.However here in Tennessee that is a ticket offence and a call to his parents. Therefore my son was supposedly arrested for the license and I called my son 28 times before the officer finally answered the phone. I begged the officer to come get my truck and he refused he wanted to impound the truck. He was extremely nasty on the phone with me.
The patty wagon officer arrived to transport my son to jail. When they arrived at the jail the booking officer told the patty wagon officer to take my son home they no longer arrest anyone for that they just ticket them. Well the patty wagon officer called the arresting officer and the arresting officer told the patty wagon officer to change the charges. So he added to the police report and charged my son with felony evasion with a vehicle. My 17 year old son. Now the only thing my son did wrong was not be the right color. What he did was ticket able but not arrest worthy but that arresting officer wanted him charged with a felony.
So here we go problems I have
1 Interfered with his American rights… The officer did not read him his Miranda rights.
2 My son was the wrong color and pulled in a nice white neighborhood and was out of the vehicle. Now on misdemeanor charges that have nothing to do with drugs, alcohol, or violence of an type, the police are supposed to call the parents and allow them to come get the child. I received no such call..
3) Charges were changed against my son when the officer couldn’t keep him in jail with what he arrested him on. And when you see a copy of the report you can tell the report was added to. There are 2 different types of handwriting. And they arrogantly did it in front of my son.
4) Illegally searched my vehicle without my permission, opened mail in my truck, and completely tore up my truck. Opening mail is a federal offence. There was no evidence of drugs or achohol just a kid in his work uniform coming home from work.
5) How can one evade the police when they don’t even have their lights on? What are you supposed to read their minds? Now the cameras’ in their patrol cars do not come on till the blue lights come on. So how do you evade the police with a vehicle when you are out of the vehicle looking at lights and then all of a sudden they are pull up behind you and then turn on the lights.
6) He pulled his weapon with my son around and this is the one that scares me the most and makes me afraid for my son. He scared my son and my son was afraid he was going to shoot at him and say he was trying to run. What reason was there to pull a weapon on an empty vehicle before he ransacked my vehicle and opened my mail? Wouldn’t he have secured the scene before progressing with my son? I mean common sence tells you as a officer to keep you eyes on the target and secure your environment for your own safety, I guess 16 years on the job didnt teach him that.
My son is 17 years old and has been raised in a white family all his life and we have never made a show of difference with him because color is not important it is the person. We never taught him to fear police officers. And this has scarred him and I am angry. Due to 2 racist unlawful cops they have undone years of training I have instilled in my son as far as his color. I have taught him to not fear cops and always be honest with them. And they have destroyed this with their deceit and lies. How can they be allowed to do this, and it is ok? What lesson are we teaching kids be scared of cops because they will make up charges and mess up your life in an instant.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Robert
Irvine,California,
USA
Judge and Jury?
#5Consumer Comment
Sun, March 29, 2015
But you proved my point based on the information you played judge and jury and all you saw was that my son was in the wrong.
- Perhaps you should go back and read what I wrote. The ONLY two things I played "juge and jury" on were the 2 things YOU said your son did wrong. To be driving without a license and having "light" problems. So if I was the judge and jury..you were the prosecutor. Everything else I stated were basically questions based on let's just say "inconsistancies" with your claims.
Now, as to your claims. Your overall claim of racisim is the biggest problem. You claim that the cop was racist with really no proof, so again what is that teaching your son? There is NOTHING in your report showing any racism. Why? Because White, Black, Brown, Red, or plaid. A car with it's lights off in a neighborhood at 12:30AM is going to raise the alertness of an officer who has ZERO idea what your son's actual intent was.
You stated that you never taught him to fear police officers. You then state that he saw the police officer at the convienence store. But then you state that he did not stop at that same store because it was closed and there had been robberies there. Well answer this, wouldn't the safest thing to do would be to have your son stop to "check his lights" right next to law enforcement? After all up until this point according to you there should have been no reason to fear the officer. Instead he took what was an option that may not be as safe where he found some unknown street down the road. Of course it is safer to stop next to the officer but your son didn't stop because he knew he was in the wrong. Perhaps your son panicked and as he passed the officer tried to speed up giving the officer the impression he was trying to evade him. This could actually be a valid possibility. However, there are really only two people who know the exact events. Your son and the officer, because they were the only two there for the entire time.
You then bring in two other officers. So where they there the entire time? Did they file their own reports? How about these home owners. Did they just happen to be standing outside of their house at 12:30AM and saw the entire situation unfold?
But perhaps now the biggest question is that if your son doesn't have a license and his friend was supposed to be driving. How was your son driving YOUR truck? Are you really going to come here and say that you let your son's friends just drive your truck. Or are you now going to say that this was a "one time" thing. With a job why doesn't your 17 year old have a license?
coast
Florida,USA
An objective view
#5Consumer Comment
Sun, March 29, 2015
“he pulled over in a neighborhood to check the lights”
He didn’t need to pull over to check the lights. He already knew they weren’t functioning correctly. The officer had no way of knowing if it was his intent to flee or commit a crime in the neighborhood.
“My son was the wrong color”
This is my biggest dispute with your complaint. You are teaching your son that it’s ok to claim racism when things don’t go his way. No, it’s not about race; it’s about an unlicensed driver operating a vehicle without lights, at night.
“Charges were changed against my son”
It’s not abnormal for charges to be amended following a continued investigation.
“Illegally searched my vehicle without my permission”
Have you verified that the search was illegal? Maybe your son authorized the search. Maybe in Tennessee permission is not required if the vehicle is being operated by an unlicensed driver.
“He pulled his weapon”
The police have a risky job. He had a valid reason to be suspicious and needs to be prepared for any unanticipated occurrence.
“His friend was supposed to be driving”
His friend drives him to and from work (every work day?) with your truck? BULL. Don’t believe it. Why doesn’t he have a valid driver’s license?
“I spoke to a couple of other officers who informed me of things that were happening and how I needed to get an attorney because his rights had been violated.”
They received third-hand information. There’s no way of knowing how accurate the story is.
“when he came around the curve and saw the store his lights flashed”
The officer may have interpreted that as an alert that the driver was possibly in distress. Maybe that’s why he later withdrew his weapon.
“The lawyer also spoke to the people houses they were pulled in front of and they verified my sons story.”
Specifically, what did they verify? Tell us how many people were actually outside of their homes (after midnight) and in a position to see and hear the entire confrontation between the officer and your son? People that came outside after the first few minutes did not witness everything that occurred.
“How can you teach kids to do the right thing when Officers of the law are willing to bend them?”
Teaching them the right thing doesn’t prevent them from violating two traffic laws.
Role Model?
#5Author of original report
Sun, March 29, 2015
You are absolutely right he wasnt supposed to be driving. His friend was supposed to be driving which is his own fault. He should have contacted me and told me what happened and I would have brought my husband and picked up my vehicle.I love how you assumed that I only took the word of a 17 year old. First off I didnt take his word. I spoke to a couple of other officers who informed me of things that were happening and how I needed to get an attorney because his rights had been violated. Tney were concerned, and I have referred my lawyer to them. And when he came around the curve and saw the store his lights flashed, and that store has been robbed multiple times and is not open after 10 pm and it is a very dark area. But you proved my point based on the information you played judge and jury and all you saw was that my son was in the wrong. This tells me many things about you. He turned into the neighborhood because there were street lights in there.I And there is amending and then changing the charges and this was done in front of officer not just my son. He informed me that when they couldnt arrest him with 1 charge they changed the charges. However the officer who charged the charges wasnt even around when my son was pulled over. So wouldnt that be 3 party information?The lawyer also spoke to the people houses they were pulled in front of and they verified my sons story. And as far as the mail in my truck who business is that ???? I was there when I got my truck out of impound and it was distroyed. My point is there is a wrong way and a right way of doing things. How can you teach kids to do the right thing when Officers of the law are willing to bend them? So you can critize me all you want however it does not change that yes my son was in the wrong by driving however the officer was also in the wrong.
Robert
Irvine,California,
USA
Great Role Model
#5Consumer Comment
Sat, March 28, 2015
The big question here is why isn't your 17 year old son writing this? Were you there? No you were not because you had called your son 28 times before the officer answered. So it is obvious that you are getting all of your information from your 17 year old son, who even though you may THINK he is the most honest person in the world could not be telling you the whole story.
So let's take a look at the facts. The main fact is that he was driving without a license. The second fact that he did not pull into the convience store when he was having light troubles. But ONLY pulled into a neighborhood AFTER he passed a police officer.
Now the only thing my son did wrong was not be the right color
- NO...ONE thing your son did wrong was drive without a license. The other thing was that the lights were not working. BOTH of those are items that can get you pulled over with probable cause. Oh and NEITHER of those has anything to do with the color of one's skin.
1 Interfered with his American rights… The officer did not read him his Miranda rights.
- So you were there from the time your son got pulled over to the time he was put in jail...right? Or let me guess that is what your son told you.
2 My son was the wrong color and pulled in a nice white neighborhood and was out of the vehicle. Now on misdemeanor charges that have nothing to do with drugs, alcohol, or violence of an type, the police are supposed to call the parents and allow them to come get the child. I received no such call..
- Really? Can you point to the specific law that allows that? As it seems like you know quite a bit about this. So can we figure that perhaps this isn't the first time this has happened.
3) Charges were changed against my son when the officer couldn’t keep him in jail with what he arrested him on. And when you see a copy of the report you can tell the report was added to. There are 2 different types of handwriting. And they arrogantly did it in front of my son.
- So? Please post the law that says they can't amend charges.
4) Illegally searched my vehicle without my permission, opened mail in my truck, and completely tore up my truck. Opening mail is a federal offence. There was no evidence of drugs or achohol just a kid in his work uniform coming home from work.
- Incident to an arrest, that may be allowed.
5) How can one evade the police when they don’t even have their lights on? What are you supposed to read their minds? Now the cameras’ in their patrol cars do not come on till the blue lights come on. So how do you evade the police with a vehicle when you are out of the vehicle looking at lights and then all of a sudden they are pull up behind you and then turn on the lights.
- And why would your son wait until he saw a police officer to decide to pull into a neighborhood if he truly was having issues with his lights. Wouldn't the convience store be a great place to stop? Oh wait he couldn't stop there because there was a cop there and he was driving illegally. So of course he is going to go to an out of the way place and "hide" from the cops.
6) He pulled his weapon with my son around and this is the one that scares me the most and makes me afraid for my son. He scared my son and my son was afraid he was going to shoot at him and say he was trying to run. What reason was there to pull a weapon on an empty vehicle before he ransacked my vehicle and opened my mail?
- And how is the officer supposed to know it is an empty vehicle? For all he knows there could have been someone crouched down in the seat trying to hide. Also, out of curriosity just how much unopened mail do you keep in your vehicle?
We never taught him to fear police officers
- Too bad you never taught him it was not legal to drive without a license. Or did you teach it in such a way that says even if he did get caught to not worry because they will just release him to you.