M
momof3kiddos
Guest
What is the name of your state? TX
I know that the subject of police questioning minors has been hashed and re-hashed but I told my girlfriend I would ask everyone here if what was done with her 13 year old son and two of his friends was proper. I've read the other threads on this subject but I want to make sure that what I tell her is correct.
Her son and two of his friends were at the mall on a Sunday and the mall closed at 7:00 p.m. The three boys were supposed to go to see a movie at around 7:00 but they decided they didn't want to which left them just hanging out until a parent picked them up at about 9:00 p.m. The three boys went into the parking lot and started pushing shopping carts around. A police officer on a bike rode up and asked what they were doing, etc. etc. Long story short he told them to move along. He kept watching them though and my friend's son came upon a cart that was in the middle of the parking spaces where the cars drive so he pushed it over to the side where the other carts were and they kept walking. The bike cop then goes to them and was screaming and yelling telling them they were destroying property (vandalism) and trespassing. Another female bike cop rode up and asked what the problem was and she was told the boys were committing vandalism, etc. and she asked if they had hit any cars with the carts. When the first cop said 'no' she just shrugged her shoulders and left.
The boys were taken to the police room at the mall and questioned (all the while being told they were smartasses, etc.) They asked if they could call their parents and they were told 'no.' The police officers had the boys sign a piece of paper stating they were banned from the mall for 30 days. After holding the boys for about an hour the police officer(s) finally called the parents and told them to come get their kids. My friend called her son's cell phone and later found out that the police officer had screamed to her son that he couldn't answer the phone and told him to turn it off. When her son said he knew his Mom would worry if he didn't answer the police officer screamed at him to turn the damn phone off and quit being a smartass.
Now that you have the story my question is: Was it right for the police to NOT call the parents as soon as they took them in the room at the mall and was it right for them to have the boys sign papers without their parents there? Thanks for your answers.
I know that the subject of police questioning minors has been hashed and re-hashed but I told my girlfriend I would ask everyone here if what was done with her 13 year old son and two of his friends was proper. I've read the other threads on this subject but I want to make sure that what I tell her is correct.
Her son and two of his friends were at the mall on a Sunday and the mall closed at 7:00 p.m. The three boys were supposed to go to see a movie at around 7:00 but they decided they didn't want to which left them just hanging out until a parent picked them up at about 9:00 p.m. The three boys went into the parking lot and started pushing shopping carts around. A police officer on a bike rode up and asked what they were doing, etc. etc. Long story short he told them to move along. He kept watching them though and my friend's son came upon a cart that was in the middle of the parking spaces where the cars drive so he pushed it over to the side where the other carts were and they kept walking. The bike cop then goes to them and was screaming and yelling telling them they were destroying property (vandalism) and trespassing. Another female bike cop rode up and asked what the problem was and she was told the boys were committing vandalism, etc. and she asked if they had hit any cars with the carts. When the first cop said 'no' she just shrugged her shoulders and left.
The boys were taken to the police room at the mall and questioned (all the while being told they were smartasses, etc.) They asked if they could call their parents and they were told 'no.' The police officers had the boys sign a piece of paper stating they were banned from the mall for 30 days. After holding the boys for about an hour the police officer(s) finally called the parents and told them to come get their kids. My friend called her son's cell phone and later found out that the police officer had screamed to her son that he couldn't answer the phone and told him to turn it off. When her son said he knew his Mom would worry if he didn't answer the police officer screamed at him to turn the damn phone off and quit being a smartass.
Now that you have the story my question is: Was it right for the police to NOT call the parents as soon as they took them in the room at the mall and was it right for them to have the boys sign papers without their parents there? Thanks for your answers.