As I pulled off the highway in Manhattan, I was pulled over by several NYC police (not traffic) officers, along with about five other cars. I couldn't imagine what I/we had done. The light was green; my turn signal was on; I was not talking or texting; basically, I was a good driving citizen.
We were put in a line on the right side of the road as a couple of officers approached each car, asking for driver's licenses. Politely (really), they said it was a "random license check." Lucky me . . . not, as I was, of course, heading to the all -important hair appointment. But I digress. . .
A license check? I've never heard of that. Three police cars, six officers later, we were released one by one. Other than the lapsed time, no big deal given my squeaky clean driving record, but still . . . Why? Is there a rash of unlicensed drivers of passenger vehicles midday midweek. And, why so many cops? Clearly, they were training officers - they said as much - but surely there's a better way.
And then I remembered my teenage son's New Year's Eve experience: randomly stopped by a cop to ask what was in his bag. After showing him the unopened bottles of wine and cranberry juice along with his driver's license, my son said he wasn't doing anything wrong. The cop agreed. They parted ways.
Are teenagers no longer allowed to carry bags? Do you need a license to walk in NYC? I've had many talks with local police officers about these police "stops" without cause and the answer is never satisfactory. Supposedly voluntary, the failure to submit, justifies an elevated police response and could result in an arrest or worse.
Just imagine if you were actually doing something wrong. Given the number of unsolved crimes, you'd probably get away with it. But the rest of us will be checked.
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