Getting arrested by the Transit Police

There's a crap load of misinformation in this thread. Someone cleared some of it up but here's the low down:

Transit cop's generally enforce the transit bylaw; write tickets, etc.
Can arrest anyone for outstanding warrants- criminal or otherwise (yes, transit tickets go to warrant).
Arrest for Criminal Code violations on transit property. So if you don't have a ticket and you tell the transit cop to go f%&k himself when he asks for ID, guess what, he's going to arrest you for obstruction. If you decide to smash up some transit property, they certainly have powers of arrest.

The best part of this whole thread is the parts where people state, "I was gonna buy a ticket but..." They have probably NEVER head those stories before.

Stop being a dirt bag and buy a ticket.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Bent Wookie

The best part of this whole thread is the parts where people state, "I was gonna buy a ticket but..." They have probably NEVER head those stories before.

Well why do they ask if they've heard every excuse in the book? Would he have appreciated me saying "just give me the ticket and I'll be on my way"? Should I have just ignored his question?

I was more remarking about the ridiculousness of saying that you were gonna buy a ticket but something more important came up. So i took the train anyway hoping to not get caught. That is a reason, not an excuse.

I agree, though, the system is screwed up when the main goal is to get fines/demerits reduced.

[hockeycop]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Well why do they ask if they've heard every excuse in the book? Would he have appreciated me saying "just give me the ticket and I'll be on my way"? Should I have just ignored his question?

You would be surprised how nice it is to hear honesty once in a while and the breaks given out for honesty.

Cop: Do you know why I pulled you over?
Guy: Yeah, I was going about 120 (speed limit 100).
Cop: You got it. Can you show me your DL, reg, and ins?
Guy: [Hands it to the cop]. Sorry for speeding, I am just in a rush but I am not going to give you an excuse.
Cop: No worries, just slow it down for me, deal?
Guy: Deal.
Cop: Have a good one.
Guy: Hey thanks, you too.

These exchanges come in many different forms (Immigration/Customs, Transit, Police, Coaches to hockey referees, etc). They don't always end in a break, but you have way better odds of catching a break when you treat the cop as a human being doing his job (when you know full well you're guilty). You don't have to kiss ass, but be respectful and you'll almost always get it back. Try to make the cop think you're some big shot who's time is being wasted and you're in for a long day and as many charges as can be found (there is almost always something else they can find).

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by hockeycop

You would be surprised how nice it is to hear honesty once in a while and the breaks given out for honesty.

Cop: Do you know why I pulled you over?
Guy: Yeah, I was going about 120 (speed limit 100).
Cop: You got it. Can you show me your DL, reg, and ins?
Guy: [Hands it to the cop]. Sorry for speeding, I am just in a rush but I am not going to give you an excuse.
Cop: No worries, just slow it down for me, deal?
Guy: Deal.
Cop: Have a good one.
Guy: Hey thanks, you too.

These exchanges come in many different forms (Immigration/Customs, Transit, Police, Coaches to hockey referees, etc). They don't always end in a break, but you have way better odds of catching a break when you treat the cop as a human being doing his job (when you know full well you're guilty). You don't have to kiss ass, but be respectful and you'll almost always get it back. Try to make the cop think you're some big shot who's time is being wasted and you're in for a long day and as many charges as can be found (there is almost always something else they can find).

It was honesty. If I told the guy anything else, then I would have been lying. It wasn't an excuse and I didn't expect to get out of it. He asked, I told him the truth.

It'd be a much better story if I had come up with some cockamamie excuse and got out of it, but that's how it happened.

If he's heard every excuse in the book then why is he asking me?

[hockeycop]

I said you have better odds of getting out of it, not a guarantee. You were honest and got a ticket anyway, it happens.

Why just stand there and write the ticket without giving you the chance to explain yourself. He is simply giving you a chance to make a statement.

Also... In all honesty, sometimes its fun to listen to the excuse and let the person hang themselves on lies... Sometimes that is the reason to ask.

[MRCboicgy]

This reminds me of one of my 'acquaintances' who seems to get arrested all the time for stupid stuff like this. He then makes a big point about his orientation (not like the little drama queen isn't the most obvious guy this side of Brian Boitano, but I digress) during the whole process because he figures one of these times he'll nail the cops on a human rights violation.

Moron.

[habernac]

I used to use the train for free all the time. Two weeks ago I was checked twice in less than 24 hours, I won't be riding for free anytime soon. The first time they checked, I had almost not validated my pass. Something told me I really needed to. Good call.

Someone in the thread asked what the fine is, it is $150. And no, I haven't been caught.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by hockeycop

I said you have better odds of getting out of it, not a guarantee. You were honest and got a ticket anyway, it happens.

Why just stand there and write the ticket without giving you the chance to explain yourself. He is simply giving you a chance to make a statement.

Also... In all honesty, sometimes its fun to listen to the excuse and let the person hang themselves on lies... Sometimes that is the reason to ask.

I didn't expect to get out of it and at the time the fines were so small (it might have been 50 bucks) that I didn't really care. I wanted him to write the ticket and send me on my way instead of going through his ham-fisted Dragnet routine for 20 minutes.

If he was trying to hang me on a lie, well, that was further proof of his own stupidity. I didn't have a ticket and the case was closed. I told him straight-up I didn't buy one and I'd take my medicine.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by MRCboicgy

This reminds me of one of my 'acquaintances' who seems to get arrested all the time for stupid stuff like this. He then makes a big point about his orientation (not like the little drama queen isn't the most obvious guy this side of Brian Boitano, but I digress) during the whole process because he figures one of these times he'll nail the cops on a human rights violation.

Moron.

Haha, I had a friend like this when I was a teen. Whenever we'd get into trouble with cops/transit cops/park rangers etc, I would always crack jokes with authorites and be polite and respectful, and I would always be honest at the same time, while he would always do the whole "I know the rules, you can't do this", "I don't have to tell you anything" routine, which was especially lame because it was always for the most petty teenage stuff. He almost always got the roughest ride from authorites, while I almost always had the officers laughing and respecting me, and usually just letting me go with a light hearted warning to stop what we were doing.

[jayswin]

Even last summer, me and that same buddy of mine and a couple other people met up at Fish Creek park late one night to have a fire and some brews (right along bannister road, under McLeod trail).

We parked our cars at the locked gate and got out. Just then two cop cars came screaming down the road and blocked our cars in, and got out.

That same buddy of mine was just freaking, telling us to be silent and don't tell them anything. He got approached first and said some stupid line about how 'because we're just parked oustide the gate, and aren't inside the park, there's nothing you can do'. Which immediatly prompted the cops to advance on his car and start shining their flashlight in the windows, and basically had the cops in high suspision mode.

Then when one cop shone the flashlight on me and asked what we're doing, I just said 'Do you want the truth or a made up story'. He immediatly cracked up and said "well I'd prefer the truth".

So I said "well, we were just going to stop here for a fire and some beers in the park. So we grabbed some firewood (as I'm opening my trunk to show them), some kerosine, and a few beers. We were going to walk over to that concrete picnic/firepit area over there, where the fire won't get out of control."

Cop: Okay, but you realize you can't have those single beers in your car right? That's a $115 fine

Me: I know, I'm brutal for that, I always forget (laughing)

Cop: haha, well at least you're honest about it!

Cop: In serious tone; Have you been drinking already?

Me: Yeah, just one though

Cop: Okay, but you said you're having beers here too, right?

Me: Yeah, but I only live 5 blocks away from here, so....(pause as cops look at me with concerned faces).....haha I'm just kidding man, I was only going to have 1 or 2 here, I gotta work tomorrow.

Then they all completely let their gaurd down and joked around about how they would love to let us stay and enjoy a fire, but how they would get in trouble if the park rangers found out that they caught us sneaking in and then let us continue on in, told me and the other guy driving to be responsible with our drinking, lectured us on how even one drink can get you arrested for impaired driving if you (actual quote) "suck at drinking", then told us to just go home and drink there because "then you can get loaded and not worry about having to drive". Then the one cop told me I must take honestly pills or something and they laughed and told us to have a good night.

So moral of the story, just be respectful, joke around and be friendly and don't tell them what they can and ca't do, and you'll end up having a lot more funny stories to tell, rather than "I told that cop he had no right to do that, then he put cuffs on me and brought me downtown, that prick" type stories.