The System Can Work

We don't want to make you think that there is no hope for fair treatment from the police. A new member of RANN recently told us a story which illustrates that innocence and persistence can be your best defense. The member (let's call him Zack for convenience) was spending a quiet evening at home when someone suddenly began beating on his front door. Zack's neighborhood is a little rough, and there had been a number of robberies there recently. When he opened his door a crack to see who was there and the muzzle of a handgun was shoved into his face, Zack decided to cooperate to save his life from what he thought were robbers. Several poorly-dressed men shoved their way into his apartment and began to threaten him.

With a gun barrel shoved into his mouth, Zack begged the men to take anything they wanted but to let him live. They ransacked his apartment, apparently looking for drugs. Zack's religious beliefs forbid him to use drugs, and the searchers evidently did not find anything to satisfy them, until one man found Zack's altar! At that point, religious epithets joined the other threats and insults.

One of the men then produced an official-looking form, and held it in front of Zack and demanded that he sign it. Zack looked at the paper, and was astonished to discover that it was an official police "Consent to Search" form. Mindful of the gun then pressed to his temple, Zack reached for a pen, but his hands shook so badly that he could not sign his name. When the man threatened him with the pistol, Zack managed to sign the form shakily, and the man lowered the gun.

The leader of the group identified himself as a police officer, but did not produce a badge or search warrant. He seized one of Zack's occult books and his membership card from an occult organization, and the group left.

Zack was shaken and in pain, and decided to visit a hospital emergency room. When he told a doctor how he was injured, the hospital called the police, as is mandatory in assault cases. An officer took his statement, and told him that his story would be followed up officially. The next day, Zack was visited by a police investigator, who told him that the raid on his apartment was part of a "drug sweep" through his neighborhood, but could not indicate whether or when his property would be returned. At this point, Zack contacted AMER. On our advice, he wrote a detailed account of his experiences, and began to work on an official complaint. When Zack contacted Police Headquarters and asked to speak to someone in Internal Affairs, he was granted an interview. He showed his written statement to a Police Lieutenant, who indicated that he was not going to be charged with any crime, since no drugs were found in his home. Zack asked that his property be returned, and indicated that he would pursue legal action if needed to obtain its return. A few days later, Zack received a call from a police officer who told him to come and pick up his property. Although he was treated somewhat brusquely on his final visit to the police department, his property was returned without comment on his religious beliefs.

Zack has had no further difficulty with the police, and has come to the conclusion that the "raid" was the result of a complaint by neighbors who wished to harass him. He has no plans to file suit against the police department.

Though Zack's experience is unfortunate, it shows the value of a prompt visit to a hospital, a careful written record of his experience, and his persistent insistence on his rights as a citizen. This story also shows that the system, though misused by some corrupt police officers, was designed to protect the innocent; Zack's property was returned to him and he was not falsely charged with a crime he did not commit.

Let us hope that none of us ever needs to use the information, but remember, if you are a victim of police harassment, please call:
RANN
888-315-3850