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About Jack Toomey
Expertise
Please do NOT ask questions about potential jail sentences that you or your friends may receive in court. There is no way for me to know that. I am NOT a probation officer or a parole officer so questions about those subjects will be rejected. I am a police officer with 26 years experience. Can answer questions about crime, police procedure, investigations, criminal law, search and seizure, traffic offenses. Prefer not to answer questions on the death penalty. Please do not ask homework questions. Remember this. The law in every state is different so questions about laws that are specific to your state could be difficult to answer.
I also cannot give you legal advice on what to do or not to do in court.
I have worked with authors in the past and will be happy to review scenarios or plots with authors to check for believability or accuracy.
Experience
Police officer with 26 years experience. Ten years in patrol and sixteen years in the detective bureau investigating every type of crime including murder, rape, robbery, theft, fraud, missing persons, etc, etc. Also taught at the police academy in areas such as constitutional law, search and seizure, and lineups.
Education/Credentials
B.S. in Criminology from the University of Maryland.
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You are here: Experts > Arts/Humanities > Social Science > Crime & Law Enforcement Issues & Death Penalty > misunderstandings
Expert: Jack Toomey - 10/28/2009
Question
hi..I had asked you a question regarding my car being followed by a police officer last march for a recap;
My co worker and I work night shift so frequently drive home around 2:30-3am. Last night I stopped at a stoplight, while I was still stopped a police officer passed me going the opposite direction very slowly then made a u turn in the road and pulled up right behind me. The light turned green and I was followed until I reached my coworkers home, I pulled into her drive way and the officer went past me and turned onto the next block over. I then let her out and then proceeded home. Aprox. 1 block from my coworkers house the officer pulled out again behind me. I crossed the hwy they followed me about 2miles, I was doing nothing wrong! I have no idea why I was being followed :( right as I pulled into our trailer park they kept going. I wasn't pulled over, but I was higly annoyed and felt like I was little shy of being harrased by this officer . My question is if any thing like this ever happens again would it be an ok thing for me to pull over to the side of the road and ask the officer why I was being followed? Or do you just ignore it and let them follow you around town while doing nothing wrong? I'm 33yrs old & have never had any troubles with the law no warrants or arrests, only 2 traffic tickets over 10yrs ago. ty LISSA
& you gave me very helpful answers.
I KNOW why now i was being followed!!! A couple weeks ago the police officers ended up doing a drug bust at my coworkers home!!
Now..I have absolutely No part in this i have never ever done any drugs at any time of my life! I don't even drink alcohol! BUT I've obviously been being watched for some time by the police and now being told by my coworker that because I often 2-3x a week take her home & that my car and such just happens to be the same exact i mean same color same make & model of another known drug dealer in the area and i just so happen to be taking her home early 2-3am mornings that I'm being watched very carefully by the police in suspected drug activity as well!!! which has me shooken up! I know for certain they don't have to concerned about me.. I don't do or sell drugs!!! I really don't want that reputation either:( or even to associated with it !!I would just think they would run my plates and id to know that i'm not that person but :( then again i know they don't really know me as a person either they just going by what little info they see & I know they do have grounds to be suspicious now that they did do a bust and i do just happen to be there early mornings dropping my coworker off! I don't know i'm totally up in arms of what to do to clear that suspicion. should i go into the police department introduce myself and talk with them and tell them that i'm concerned about them mistaking my identity? Or should i just leave it alone? no one from the police department has confronted me personally with suspicions. Do you think that would help? Thanks so much
Lissa
Answer
Lissa,
Although I am surprised that a marked police unit was being used in a drug surveillance it could be that is all the resources that they had at night. In a case like this they want to record every visitor to the home of the drug dealer. It might not make much sense to the average citizen but if the same car shows up on a regular basis and also is seen in other drug areas then things add up pretty quickly.
I don't understand how just running your plates would clear you of suspicion. The Son of Sam had no record either and his tags were run several times before he was arrested.
I am not clear on who was arrested. Was it your coworker or someone else who lives there? I am also confused on how you rationalize about "them mistaking my identity". Whose identity?
Chances are that you are just a little pawn in a big case and in the end you will never hear from the police unless it is your coworker who is the drug dealer. I can't suggest that you go to the police station because that would be giving you legal advice which I cannot do.
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