How I Was Racially Profiled

I could hardly believe what happened to me this past weekend, I was racial profiled!  CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!
Here's the rest of the story as it actually happened on 12-18-2011...
Driving north bound on I-10 just outside of Casa Grande, I was pulled over by an Arizona State Trooper badge #7019 at approx. 1717 hrs.   Once pulled over, (I parked on the right shoulder of the road) and this Asian Officer walked up to the passenger side of the vehicle. Down comes my window and I asked him if I was speeding!  He asked me for my drivers license and vehicle registration.  (Since I was driving a rental car I gave the officer all the necessary paperwork that he asked for).  He immediately asked me to step out of the car, which I did and I walked over to him.

All of a sudden it dawned on me that the officer was testing my motor skills to determine if I had been drinking or under the influence, by nonchalantly watching me walk to the spot where he was standing (behind the car to the right, on the shoulder of the road).  He told me the reason why he pulled me over was because I was driving to close behind the lead vehicle.  I told him that traffic was coming to a slow down from what appeared to me that he was shooting radar so the traffic began to break and as a result I compensated anticipating slower traffic.  I made sure that I was at least 4 to 5 car lengths behind the lead car.

Nonetheless, I was asked to step closer to him out of sight of the dash camera, which was to the far left of the passenger fender nearest the door hinge, (if facing the car).  He told me that he was going to give me a warning ticket.  While he was writing the ticket he began to ask me questions about where I was coming from, I told him Tucson.  He asked who was I visiting, I hesitated reluctantly to answer him at first because I believed his questions were irrelevant as to why I was pulled over.  I was not breaking the law and it was none of his business, but I answered and said, Reggie!  It was at this time I informed the officer that I had to use the restroom and he told me to hold it.

Next, the officer asked who's in the car, I told him Lee.  He walked over to the car and asked Lee (who was still sitting in the front passenger seat) for his ID.  What I found out to be true later, is that he asked Lee the same line of questioning that he asked me, but WHY? Was he conducting some sort of investigation and why all of the interrogating questioning?  I am sure that he ran a back ground check on me and I know without a doubt that I have no arrests for drugs/narcotics or felony convictions for alcohol or any other drug related charges in my history and the same goes for Lee.

I told the officer that I was a retired State of Arizona Law Enforcement Official and I mentioned some of the location where I worked.  I stated to this officer not to receive any favors but to hopefully put him at ease and to inform him that I was a tax payer, law abiding citizen of good character.  But to no avail, he finished writing the warning ticket and gave it to me.

As I began to walk away he said, "Oh, one more thing, is there any drugs, narcotics, weapons etc, in the car?"  I told him no!  He asked me If I would give him permission to search the vehicle and allow him to run his dog through and the around the vehicle, and I told him no!
He then told me I 'm going to search the vehicle anyway.  He said first let me (frisk) pat search you, then he directed me to go and stand over there, (which was in the mud as it had been raining) off the shoulder of the road.  He walks over to the car and asks Lee to step out of the car and stand on the shoulder of the road and told him that he called for another officer to help him search the vehicle.  He goes and takes his drug sniffing or K-9 dog out of the police truck and began to run the dog around the outside of our rental back and forth, then puts the dog back in his truck.  On October 31,2008, flip spangnoli posted an article on P.A.P. - BLOG HUMAN RIGHTS ETC., entitled Racism (2): Racial Profiling, and had this to say. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://filipspagnoli.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/racial-profiling-4.gif&imgrefurl=http://filipspagnoli.wordpress.com/2008/10/31/human-rights-facts-76-racial-profiling/&usg=__Ck1eYmvAaNPzZqeR0mTjo2Z1Yus=&h=323&w=504&sz=31&hl=en&start=3&sig2=ZcbfFLoY613p5WUMZrdp9A&zoom=1&tbnid=fl_ivh5Jpb4mFM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=130&ei=pyjyTtr1MeWFiALAzoiIDg&prev=/search%3Fq%3DAz%2Bracial%2Bprofiling%2Bstats%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1

The officer then entered the vehicle by opening the passenger car door and enters the vehicle as half of his upper torso is now inside the car and he appeared to search the vehicle and then punched the trunk release, I believe that is on the key remote control.  He walks to the rear of the car and began to search the luggage.  Again, I told the officer that I really had to use the restroom and told me to go behind the bush, 20 yards away off the shoulder of the road in the mud.  After which he told Lee that we were free to leave and that sometimes rental cars and new cars give off a false scent and the dog alerts on the new car scent.

I watched the dog as the officer worked him around the car and at no time did the dog alert, by scratching, sitting near a particular area or aggressively barking at a spot and sitting. Remember, I told you I am a retired State Law Enforcement Official, believe me I know difference when a K-9  or not, I know the training.  All the dog did was put both paws on the hood of the car for a second then down again because the officer moved his hand up and down and the dog followed his direction.  Besides, the engine of the car was still running and the traffic passing by was at an apporx. rate of speed of the posted limit, which was 65 mph.

As we began to drive away I observed a second officer pull up behind the K-9 unit.  Lee told me that he asked the officer why he pulled me over and he was told by the officer that I was driving to close behind the lead vehicle.  Lee told me that he looked the officer directly in the eye and said, "really!" To mean you he must be kidding and that he was not being truthful!

I have never been so humiliated before in my life.  Me, Racially Profiled, Harassed, illegally searched and forced to use the restroom outside on the side of the road in the sight of the viewing public, THIS IS A VIOLATION OF MY CIVIL RIGHTS.  How can you give someone permission to violate the law of public indecency. I AM OUTRAGED!  The officer had no cause under the plain view doctrine to search and or detain beyond the point of issuing the warning ticket.

This is Arizona's Immigration Laws in effect at it's finest!  Believe it or not, the laws pertaining to immigration not only affects hispanics but it also affects african americans and all other people of color.  Racial Profiling still exists in Arizona, which is flat out DISCRIMINATION!!!.

Come on America, I really need to hear from you on this issue.  I welcome your advice, comments and input regarding this matter.   Thank you for taking time out to read this post and be careful, you could be next...