attempting Citizens arrest

I am an Indaina resident. In July of this year I was busted for OWI. The State cop that busted me at 1:15 AM did not have his headlights on and nearly ran me into a tree. I was driveing perfectly well until he started his driveing antics behind me. It happened in the country and no other vehicles were around. I believe his girlfriend had dumped him to start dateing me. I'm not sure about that. It is the only reason that I can come up with to explain his trick driveing that forced me to make a driveing mistake that he could use on his report. I believe that he was definetly waiteing on me that night. I have never had any tickets at all in my life and I am 49 years old.
In part I want revenge and in part I want to get this idiot off of the road. Sometime he will put some innocent driver into a ditch or tree with his methods. I intend to purchase a video camera and audio hookup that is on par with the State police equipment. I have always had trouble sleeping at night and I usually drive around for a while to relax myself enough to sleep. If the state boy was to attempt this force again and I cought it on camera would it be admissable in court? Would it be possible to clear my record by showing what the officers tactics are? I will be licensed to drive again in February .

[stephenk]

you are not sure if the cop who busted you is the ex-boyfriend of your current girlfriend?

Your plan of revenge is to drive around at night and hope you get pulled over by the same officer? What are you going to do draw attention to yourself, drive drunk again? I dont see why you want revenge. You were driving drunk and got pulled over. If you were sober you probably would not thought you were going to crash when he pulled in behind you.

CK from Indiana**************. When the lady that I was about to date told me that she had to dump the guy that she was with she also told me that he was in law inforcement. I do not know if the officer was her boyfriend or a friend of her boyfriend but I am sure he knows him. I was even sentenced to 3 days in jail. The jailers kept me for 4. My best guess there is that they are some kind of buddies with the guy that stopped me.
I did nothing special to draw attention to myself in the first place simply my car make and designer plates are enough. I plan to equip my car with video and recording capabilities and drive for 1/2 hour or so on fri. and sat. nights. Like I said .... I was driveing well ...I had my seatbelt on....I signaled to turn...ect.. The officer on the other hand flew up behind me without his headlights on.....at an extreamly high rate of speed..... when within 10 ft. of my back bumper turned his very high beams on blinding me. Every single sentence on the police report was a lie.
To me ...this is an opportunity to pull a sting opperation on the police too. Sure I will have to pay thousands of bucks on a camera and have it mounted in my car. Just think though; if that cop does the same thing as before; I can not only clear my record maybe but sue the state. AND I WILL!!!!!

[stephenk]

so how did you get convicted of OWI? Was there a trial or did you plead guilty?

ck from indiana...... I saw that night how the officer had no interest in legality given the way he stopped me. I was taken straight to jail where the jailers seemed to be his buddys. Actually the arresting officer gave me the breathalizer at the jail too and I doubt if he is actually qualified or certified to administer that test. (on the arrest report he gave someone elses name as the person who administered the test) To make this short ... that night I really felt that I had no rights at all. Yes I pled guilty and should not have.

[stephenk]

so how will catching this guy on tape pulling you over again get your guilty plea overturned?

ckeener in Indiana************** He will undoubtedly use the same tactics as before. He lied in every sentence in the police report. That is purgery as I understand it. Purgering himself again and being cought at it will hopefully get the judge to ask about my previous stop. I would ask the judge to clear my record with the BMV and the county as well. My entire history which was based on his word should be cleared I would think. Certainly it would create dialog in court about the previous stop.
ck

[stephenk]

but YOU pled guilty. There was no trial where this officer would have perjured himself. If the arrest and report were all a lie you should have fought the original charge.

You still have not denied that you werent drunk when you were first pulled over.

the officers arrest report was read by the judge I am sure. Therefore it was probably used as a determining factor as to my state of mind that early morning. It is or at least it should be held as purgery if found to be false.
I should not have pled guilty.
On a scale of one to ten as to drunkeness I would give myself a 2 .....I had 4 1/2 beers from 9 pm til 1:15 am sat morn. I have complete recall of the evening I had very good reflex and driveing skills. I did take a large swig of beer before leaveing the bar about 5 minutes before being stopped and blowing into the handheld "field " tester (breathaizer). I live only 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 mi from the bar that I left that night. I was heading straight home.
Law inforcement has sting opperations and I don't see why a citizen can't have a sting opp. to catch bad cops. I think their internal affairs people are sleeping. After haveing my experience; I can now see why so many people don't trust cops. I have an 11 year old son. I am now impressing upon him to not trust the police as completely as I have been teaching him in the past. If I would have hit a tree or something it would have been because of the officer and the papers would have read that another drunk hits tree. I wonder how many good people this so called officer did that too.

[Bravo8]

Say it with me**************...

RESPONSIBILITY.

As in you were drunk, are pissed you were arrested, and are looking for pure revenge. You have no other motivation.

If the officer did as you say, why have you not contacted his supervisors to report his dangerous activities? Don't tell me, "They are his buddies.....yada, yada, yada..." You haven't even tried yet.

Bravo8**************... I have always believed that a certain amount of comeradery should exhist between officers and those associated with law enforcement. I would certainly want to be backed up by a "trusted" uniformed brother if a person was shooting at me or something. I was going to call internal affairs division of the Indiana state police within a week of the arrest and I decided that it was probably as YOU suggested "the buddy system would be there too. Friends of mine told me that I probably would be busted for everything under the sun afterwords too. In our system of gov. there is a system of checks and balances. This cop has set himself up as god and someone unassociated with law enforcement should do something to be the watchdog. Heck...maybe I could make a liveing busting roag cops by sueing the state and themselves personally when I get started filming and recording.

CK- I feel for you, because I know of people who have been wronged by rouge law enforcement. On the other hand, I have to be honest; there may not be much you can do. Remember when you said you expect a certain comradery amongst officers? Well, seriously, it's true, even across state lines. They defend each other and what they do.

I'm not saying don't pursue anything. Just be careful. Don't take any steps while you are angry and don't try to do anything all alone. I know you probably won't trust anyone to help you, but that system of checks and balances applies in most cases. Someone's got to be there to check your work - so to speak.

Revenge is a harsh and tricky thing. Rarely do the strategies progress because of the person's hatred, which destroys them instead of their enemy. Stop. Regroup, man. Think about what you did that night that led to the incident. You seem to be up on the latest technology and information systems, so seek a legal advisor else where in the state, or research info yourself at a law school library to add to your knowledge base, if you haven't already. While you're spending time gathering the info you need to bust this guy, you will probably calm down enough to see it may not be worth it at all. However, if you do still feel the desire to seek what you consider justice, you'll have more info on hand to lead you to it. Since I don't know your situation, and I don't know that cop, let me just say this - whatever you do, make sure it isn't just because you hate the guy. Do it for all the other people he may have wronged as well. Then, you're not a vigilante, you're an activist. Know what I mean?

Shambam..... I will take your advice sir. I had planned to waite until I had my license back (Feb.possibly) and everything was back to "normal". I had not thought of brouseing the law books at the local courthouse. As I understand it citizens have access to them. Thanks a lot for that tip also. I have a couple of good friends that are county and city police. One county officer said that from time to time there is a new state cop in the area that wants to make a name for himself and that there is nothing he could do about it. I will inform my friends that are on the "force" as to what I am up to when I begin my early morning tours.

Thanks again;
MM Chris

Minnesota

CKeener:

This is what blows my mind: you are out at a bar drinking-- obviously intoxicated as determined by scientific testing, AND you have an 11 YEAR OLD SON AT HOME. And then you whine about some hypothetical dream about how the police COULD have forced your vehicle into a tree! (although it never happened). Do you realize how ridiculous this sounds? But your brilliance doesn't end here, you include: and i have to quote, "I am now impressing upon him to not trust the police as completely as I have been teaching him in the past." Your talking about your 11 year old son. That's beautiful. Great way to raise your kid, mom. Teach him that when you go out drinking, watch-out for the cops. Ever thought about taking responsibility and explaining to your child that even adults make mistakes? That maybe you shouldn't have had that last beer? Or are you going to perpetuate this onto your own child and let him make the same mistakes you've been making? Make your problem his? Is that fair to your own kid? Blame everyone else? C'mon.
Why can't you simply admit you maybe made a mistake? It's human and it could be attributable to a disease called alcoholism. Which, is passed through the genes... Even if you don't believe this, think about it for a moment for your kid's sake.