Darkness fell as we were driving across Central Texas, and Mr. Tucker and I were feeling a bit “peckish,” as we had not had any supper. Because we wanted to continue our drive, we didn’t want to find one of those “sit-down” restaurants I like to discover. We just stopped at a Taco Bell for a quick burrito, in a town that purports to be “the heart of Texas,” before continuing our journey. After we placed our order, I plopped my fanny in a booth just two seats down from where two policemen were “chatting” with two men seated in a booth.
Suddenly, I got an uneasy feeling because I noticed that the officers had clipboards in their hands. I realized they were questioning a couple of “perps.” Yes, I have watched too much Law and Order. Now, I wasn’t eavesdropping, mind you, but you can’t help but hear words when they float right past you. These policemen were making no attempt to talk in a “confidential” manner. They were speaking loud enough for everyone in the Taco Bell to hear.
From what I gathered of the conversation, the men being questioned were long haul truckers. They had stopped for a bite to eat at Taco Bell, and had pulled their truck next to another big rig at the back of the lot to park it. They assumed that this was the parking area, because the other truck was already parked there. They were evidently wrong, and the officers were issuing them a citation — smack dab in the middle of this fast food joint.
The officers took the driver’s licenses of the two men. While one officer continued to question them, the other officer took his hand held radio to call dispatch. He read out loud the name on the driver’s license, the man’s license number, and the registration number for his truck.
Maybe you missed that:
He read out loud the name on the driver’s license, the man’s license number, and the registration number for his truck.
That officer gave out this man’s personal information right there in the Taco Bell in front of God and everybody. HellO! Why don’t you just publish it in the newspaper??
I guaran-dang-tee you that nobody in the Taco Bell missed it. While that officer continued to talk to dispatch, his partner then asked the men for their Social Security numbers, which they gave out loud. Why in Thunder did they have to give that for a parking ticket?
I choked on my burrito. If anybody in that establishment happened to be in the business of identity theft, those officer’s handed over on a cardboard platter everything they needed to steal the identity of these two men. I don’t care what kind of driving misconduct they had committed. Interrogating them in public just seemed unjust to me.
Is there a different set of rules when truckers get a ticket? I’ve never in all my borned days, as Papaw would say, had to give my Social Security number to an officer before … but then, I’m not of Hispanic descent … as were the two men being questioned.
OK, I get it that officer’s issue parking citations. If the men were parked illegally, then they deserved a ticket. I don’t think they were guilty! We couldn’t help but notice as we left that there was NOT a sign that said “No Parking.” How were they supposed to know? At any rate, those men deserved a little privacy in the process of getting a ticket.
Although the officers, on the surface, seemed polite enough — it almost seemed like a subtle form of harassment. I think the officers were guilty … of extreme insensitivity.
The two truckers seemed very laid back about it all and took the public questioning in stride. However, I had to stuff my burrito down my throat to keep from saying anything to the officers. My first thought was to step right over and say something to the officers about privacy, but I refrained. I didn’t want to visit the city jail myself. But, I was ashamed for “the heart of Texas.” The town’s police force didn’t seem to have a heart to me.
As I look back on it, I feel a little guilty that I didn’t speak up.
What would you have done in that situation? As a bystander would you have said anything to the officers? If you had been one of the two truckers, would you have protested the very public interrogation?
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{ 12 comments }
Do you think it might have been staged?
No ma’am, though I am sure that the truckers wish it had been. Sure as shootin’ it was real.
Shelly,
Perhaps you should forward your essay to the police chief of the “heart of Texas” and/or the editor of the local newspaper. I agree that this would be disturbing to witness.
It was disturbing to witness, Amy, but more disturbing is the fact that I think if I sent a letter it would be “dismissed.” I’ve considered it, but I dunno….
Hmm, hmm. I was thinking about that, and at the outset, I was in complete agreement. I wouldn’t want to be handed a ticket in the middle of Taco Bell. Then I got to thinking a little more, and it occurred to me that these guys were long-haul truckers. I don’t know of anybody who embodies the phrase “Time is money” quite as much as a truck driver. Maybe by getting the inevitable ticketing over with while they were eating, it saved them some time and got them back on the road without too much hassle. I would say that the cops need to be aware of the potential for eavesdropping, and that their boss needs to remind them not to broadcast peoples’ personal information at the tops of their voices.
.-= Anne´s last blog ..The Work of Human Hands =-.
Your point is a good one, Anne. And, I wasn’t there when the officers began their questioning. Possibly, the truckers opted to have their ticket issued while they ate, but they could not have known that the officers would practically shout out their information.
Even though we have HIPA ( Health information Privacy), I don’t think it extends to the law. That would be common sense.
.-= Jennymcb´s last blog ..Would the smell of Chocolate be enough? =-.
Yeah, I know. These guys might not have had a “right” to privacy, but I think that anyone would have a reasonable “expectation” of it. I have no clue what was going on there.
I would write a letter to the police department and describe what happened and my concerns. I’d also have a letter written to the local, (and National), newspapers in the event I didn’t get a reasonable response explaining the procedure and lack of privacy.
I don’t think I would have spoken up on the spot either.
Sorry you had to witness this, but then again, your report makes others aware of injustice that can happen in a free society at times, for whatever reason.
Peace.
.-= Spadoman´s last blog ..Road Fodder, Part Three, The Journey Home =-.
I’ve considered it, but I guess I’m just going to sit back and feel guilty that I didn’t speak, Joe. After all, it’s my word against theirs. Although I heard the truckers names and Social Security numbers, I was trying to make myself not absorb it. If the truckers were to speak up, though, I’d jump right into the fray.
I have never been asked for my Social Security number in a traffic stop and I have had quite a few tickets over the years. My guess would be harassment in case the truckers might be Mexicans. Still, as far as I know it is legal for an employed Mexican citizen to drive in America. I think a letter might be a nice idea, but it probably won’t have any effect. I wouldn’t have stepped in either.
.-= ellen´s last blog ..Roller Derby OKC =-.
I’m not sure I’m willing to send a letter, either, Ellen. My thought was that they were checking to see if the men were legal (thus asking for SS#), and if they were issuing a parking citation maybe they could chalk it up to “probably cause.” That can be the only reason I can see that they would ask for the SS#.
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