BEWARE OF POLICE?

I am a female age 25. I was recently a passenger in a truck that was
pulled over after an erratically driving biker driving in front of us
called in a complaint. The officer who pulled us over said he could
smell marijuana and proceeded to search the driver, the other
passenger and then myself. We had no drugs. I was wearing tight
sweat pants and a spandex shirt with no bra.

The male officer got me to spread my legs with my arms out, in plain
view of the oncoming traffic of the Nelson bridge. He then began to
run his hands over my back, my ass and up between my legs touching my
crotch, and between my breasts while my boyfriend (the driver of the
truck) was asking for them to bring in a female officer or a dog.
They laughed and said they didn't need "bow wow" to know we had drugs
on us. There were no drugs.

I felt petrified, violated and humiliated. I have always been taught
to obey police officers - they are here to help...Well, there were
two other officers watching the whole thing with smug grins on their
faces. If ever I have seen an abuse of power and disregard for human
rights...wow. I am crying while writing this letter.

I filed a complaint at the front desk of the Nelson police department
and left a message to speak to another sergeant or officer or
something. I am feeling very oppressed and scared that they will try
to tell me to forget about it, you see it on the movies all the time
you know "protecting their own." This is the reason for the
derogatory names for the police force. There is even more to this
story but my hands shake when I try to write it. I'm having
nightmares and feel nauseous when I think about it.

I don't feel comfortable going to talk to the police about the
police. What a world.

What if I had been by myself? Why should I suffer because some
pervert wants a free feel?

I have a good friend that was pulled over for a suspected something
or other that she did not do. The officer said he smelled marijuana
and ended up bending her over her hood pushing himself up against
her, searching her, saying she was resisting. He broke her cell
phone at some point when she tried to answer it. This girl weighs
about 90 lbs soaking wet. She was very shaken up about it, she cried
telling me about it.

How can this practise continue? Doesn't the government give out
licences to smoke marijuana? How many times can an officer search
someone on a vague suspicion of suspected marijuana smell? Then
harass innocent women. I would call that sexual harassment!

Just because they enforce the law does not mean they are above the law.

I had to speak out. This will not do!

Charity Mason

Kaslo