Fort Wayne Police Department

[Al Quandt]

Post experiences and Reviews here.

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[Al Quandt]

I am going to start this one off.

First I would like to say that I respect the law and totally believe in a police department.

This was my experience just about 10 minutes ago...

Drove to the BP on West Jefferson and Illinois Rd. Just wanted to get some tasty Camel Wide Lights. When I pulled in, there was an officer pumping gas, I caught her eye and I smile as a courteous gesture, and I went about my journey for smokes. In my peripheral I could see her staring at me as she hung up her pump. I thought nothing of it really, I mean I am a giant I get looks a lot.

Then after spending a few minutes joking with the cashier I saw that the officer was still sitting at the exit even though there was no traffic. So I proceeded to get in my jeep and as I started up she exited. I caught a bit of traffic so i ended up a few cars back from her. While on Illinois Rd we crossed Ardmore and as we got to the second entrance to Park West Shopping Center she quickly pulled in and swooped around the the first entrance and got behind me. She strategically maneuvered herself to get behind me. I was not speeding or breaking any laws ( and i rarely do purposely, i am that butthead that drives like a grandpa, sorry ) she continued to follow closely until I got to my apartments at Point Inverness.

Now she didn't pull me over, I am glad for that. My wonder is why she targeted me. My vehicle has all lights functioning and I did nothing wrong from the moment our encounter began.

Now me being someone who has years ago been in trouble with the law when i was much less mature, I tend to get nervous when around cops especially when they are without a doubt following me. Anyone who has been in Fort Waynes system knows what I am talking about. This makes a person not only more prone to make a mistake rather then just focusing on driving but it also endangers those around me because I am not driving to par.

So why did a 26 year man, father, and business owner get targeted? My appearance is the only thing I can assume. I chose the career path I did so that I could continue to be the person I created while growing up and still make a living. That includes me being able to dress to my standards to feel comfortable.

This is just one experience but I had many more while growing up but I just passed that off as them seeing me as some "punk" kid. Now it is a bit irritating.

I have lived in many other big and moderate cities over the last few years and never seen anything like Fort Wayne's Police Department. My first day back in the Fort in all honesty I saw more officers here then I did the entire time I lived in Vegas and in seriously I felt just as safe if not safer in Vegas.

Just my thought.

[cwallace]

This town is a 'police state'.

I was born in Lafayette Indiana and in all my years of going back there and hanging out with family and friends and REALLY getting wild at Purdue...I do not recall a SINGLE conversation with a cop.

In this town you can't drive 2 blocks without seeing cops...My drive from work to home or home to work usually puts me in the path of a half dozen or more.

Last summer, in my neighborhood, and some of you know my neighborhood...one entrance...4 culdisacs...nothing more, the lady who lives next door to us got a ticket because she rolled through a stop sign at 8-9 in the morning...NOT the sign to get OUT of the hood, but one of the 3 signs IN the hood...

It was a motorcycle cop with nothing better to do than sit IN the hood and clock cars...

I would say we have maybe a dozen people that leave the ENTIRE hood on any weekday morning, but that is about it...and MAYBE 4 that leave the section he caught her coming from.

There is REAL crime out there...and we are entirely to over saturated with the 'law' here. I am forever looking over my back for fear I might slip up unintentionally and get put in the 'system'.

It is really sad...It needs to change...we can't be put in that situation as 'citizens' of this town.

Chris

[GoDownProductions]

9 out of 10 cops I see driving are speeding. I'm not talking 4-5 mph over, I'm talking 15-20 over. A popular defense is.. "Well, they were probably responding to a call and couldn't put their lights on". Don't give me that sh*t! 9 out of 10 cops I see are responding to a call where they can't turn their sirens and lights on?!?! They are speeding! The same thing they pull me over for.

Just last week at the light at Coliseum and Lake, there's some cop across the road at the same redlight I'm at. He decides he doesn't want to wait. So he just takes off. I look in my rear view mirror and see him pulling into the gas station that I just left. I just spent 5 minutes talking to the guy at the counter there, he didn't mention getting robbed or having to call the cops for something. I guess that "officer of the law" just REALLY needed some coffee. Is it ok for me to do that? Of course not!

Without getting into a really long story... I was also arrested and thrown in jail for something I didn't do. The cop "saw" me do it, so of course I was guilty. Got to spend a few months on house arrest for that. That's always fun!

I hate the fact that they can just pull you over for anything. Years ago, me and a friend got pulled over, hands on the hood, "where you going", car searched and all that. The reason you may ask??? We were told it was because "we pulled out of BlackHawk Apartments. They sell drugs there."

I could really go on all day with examples. I'll keep it short though.

[bwohlgemuth]

Never arrested.....one of my best friends is a K9 cop in Chicago....

That being said....I agree with all of the above statements. I actually carry a recorder in my vehicle to not only record my brilliant ideas and songs, but just in case something "bad" happens. Reach in, hit start, and I have 16 hours of digital goodness waiting for me.

Fort Wayne is not the only city this happens in....saw it in Chicago this week. Cops running through lights...to get to lunch. Yes, I saw him pull into Kojak's (a fast food place in Burbank) for dinner. His buddies were in there and they were just screwing around. No emergency...unless you count dinner.

I am most willing to give these and firefighters all the credit and breaks they should get legally. When they start pulling this crap, that's when public confidence in them erodes.

Next time, I'll just video record it and post it on YouTube anonymously.

[Aero]

I think it's the profession that draws in so many assholes. Being a police officer means that you must always use the law as your guide of judgment, while good morality is not required.

[cwallace]

Well I spent 5 days in county jail for someone elses' warrant...

I am 'Christopher MICHAEL Wallace'...he was Christopher TAYLOR Wallace...

Here is the link...if you know him...I would like to have a few words....

http://indianasmostwanted.com/warrant/02.298940

Yeah...5 DAYS!!!

My Lawyer got the U.S. Supreme court involved...there IS documented proof of this...they let me out with an apology...I had no other recourse than to accept the freedom...

Yeah...love this town...

Chris

[bwohlgemuth]

Yeah, but at least Wallace is a common name....

It's really tough when the other Brian Wohlgemuth in Indiana is on the lifetime registry....

[cwallace]

lol...that would SUCK...

Chris

[Oliver's Army]

Sounds like most of you should just not bother calling the police the next time you need them.

[cwallace]

I pretty much don't. They always chalk it up to a 'Civil Matter' and tell you to go file at the prosecutors office...

That seems to be the way out of paperwork in this town...

Chris

[Al Quandt]

Sounds like most of you should just not bother calling the police the next time you need them.

well you have abviously never been thier target

[poopstains]

Sounds like most of you should just not bother calling the police the next time you need them.

well you have obviously never been their target

I've been their target and agree with his statement. People get their tit in a twist because the cops pose a dominating presence, but that is their job. They are supposed to prevent crime as well as arrest people after the crime was committed. Trust me I have been harassed and sometime I deserved it but as I get older I appreciate the police more and more. It seems in most cases of people not liking the cops, those people are up to no good. Also no one here could HONESTLY say that if they had the ability to go through red lights with absolutely no repercussions that they would still choose to sit at them all the time, I sure as hell wouldn't.

[cwallace]

I evicted someone from a house a little over a year ago. Her husband decided he was going to start threatening me for it.

He left messages that I should watch my back and even at one point siad he could kill me.

I ignored the BS and a week later was at the house they were evicted from working on stuff they broke.

He showed up across the street at a friends house and when I went out on the porch to cut some ceiling tiles he came out into the street screaming and yelling at me and then came up to the house and got in my face on the porch.

I told him to leave, turned around, called the desk Sargent and requested an officer.

I did EVERYTHING by the book. Didn't get mad, didn't yell back, just told him to leave and called the cops.

He went across the street and I continued with my work. When the cops got there he shut his mouth. They came up to me on the porch and asked me what the problem was. I explained the situation...informed them that he was on parole and even mentioned his warrant in Wells county (this was something I knew for a fact).

Before I tell the next part and HIS story I will tell you that he was about 6'5", not large, but built because he worked out a lot while he was in prison for 2 years. He was on parole from several drug violations that got him locked up. He also has a felony assault on his record, and had just been locked up a few months early for a probation violation when he beat his 14 yo daughter up real bad. He was also at that house that day buying drugs from a known crack dealer. They disappeared REAL quick when the cops came driving up...not even wanting to stick around to give a story. So that is a summary of WHO I was dealing with in the situation.

So anyway, the cop took my information and then went across the street to 'talk' to him. He immediately came up to the cop and started this story about how he was here visiting a friend and when I saw him I ran across the street and started yelling at him about calling my house and making threats. He then went on to say that he went inside because he felt threatened and he only came out when he saw the cops pull up (remember he was sitting on the porch in front of a house that was locked up and appeared to be empty...and the cops saw him sitting there.).

I was right across the street and was listening to this VERY outrageous story. I said, just loud enough that the cop would hear, and not in any irrate or screaming fashion...just a STATEMENT, 'That is a bold faced lie'. That was the end of that 'nice' situation. The other cop got out of the car came up to me and attempted to arrest me for 'disturbing the peace'. I stepped back and wasn't having ANYTHING to do with that sh*t. I walked back up to the porch and into the house...with the cop right behind me. I closed the door behind me leaving him outside and called the desk sargent AGAIN and this time asked for a certain officer by name.

Minutes later another car pulled up...not the one I was calling for, but another one that is close with him. I came back out on the porch gave him pretty much the same story that I am typing here. He went over and had a quick 'talk' with the officer who wanted to arrest me and then came back an apologized.

They told dude to leave and if they saw him back over here they would arrest him for trespassing.

So again...what purpose do they serve? Had I not made the second call to someone that I know I would have been taken to jail. It isn't that they are ALL bad...there are just too damn many...and a lot of them are more crooked than the people they are supposed to be going after.

Things just need to change if this town wants to prosper. They can't keep us living in a police state...people will leave or at least NOT stick around.

Chris

[poopstains]

. He was also at that house that day buying drugs from a known crack dealer.

If there a crack dealers in the hood there is a chance that it may no be the best area, and the police know this and don't want to take any chances.

'

. That is a bold faced lie'. That was the end of that 'nice' situation. .

all the cops know that their is a dispute going on and now one guy is yelling, this doesnt' warrant being arrested, but it does lend itself to the cops taking a special notice in you.

'

. They told dude to leave and if they saw him back over here they would arrest him for trespassing..

That sound fair to me, after all thats what you wanted

'

. So again...what purpose do they serve?.

The very puropose you wanted, to get rid of this guy. It may have been handled poorly and by some dickish cops, but those people are in any profession you just happened to get the sh*t end of the stick that day. It should't have been that way. That shouldn't make you dislike cops.