Harassed by Police Officer off Duty

First time poster. Today I was driving down Punt Road (Melbourne) was back to back traffic around 12 pm. The traffic wasn’t moving so I zoned out a bit. Guy behind me in a Ford Ranger starts beeping. I look in front of me and the space is around 1 meter.

Anyway, two minutes later same thing happened again. No traffic lights missed still in traffic guy in front of me just creeped up a couple of metres. This guy honks again then I see him hop off from his Ranger.

Thinking he was a nutcase I lock my doors. He then pulls up a badge quickly and starts yelling. Get off your phone you f***wit and concentrate on the road. I didn’t even have my phone on me as he looked into my car. I couldn’t really see his badge as he put it away fast enough and hopped back into his vehicle before I got to tell him anything.

I thought that was ridiculous behaviour. I got his number plate. Would it be worth reporting that behaviour?

I also saw him do some dodgy driving (changing lanes right after traffic lights where there are no lines. Cutting people off. he wasn’t in a police car though and had what looked like his wife who was shoving chips down her mouth.

Poll Options

  • 697
    Report
  • 24
    Let it go
  • 38
    You are a fwit

Comments

  • +17

    So… I have to ask:

    "Get off your phone you f****wit and concentrate on the road." I didn’t even have my phone on me as he looked into my car.

    You were on your phone, right? Just not specifically when he looked into your car?

    Also - are you sure it was a police badge? Could have been for something else.

    • +11

      Nah, it's usually someone eating a sandwich and they think it's a phone. There is a youtube video on this.

      • +3

        Eating a sandwich whilst driving is also illegal though lol

        • Is it really?

          • @Liger Zero: Can fall under careless driving would have to be a grumpy cop to fine you for it

    • +13

      Nah I wasn’t on my phone was just staring at the Richmond training ground.

      I was connected to CarPlay just maps on.

      • Good to hear you weren't on your phone at least - in fairness, most distracted drivers are. Definitely not excusing the guys' behaviour though

        • +39

          Have to ask, you constantly post saying people are wasting their time here when they have questions. Aren’t you wasting your time if there’s nothing in the forums for you?

          • +5

            @Randolph Duke: If he's just here for consistent downvotes, the guy's a winner by a mile.

            • @rumblytangara: I don't he's after down votes, he keeps changing user names to try avoid it.

              • @JIMB0: Is there a way to track username changes?

                • @rumblytangara: You can save their profile page if you want, but the content/style and pattern of their posts usually gives it away.

                  • @JIMB0: There are so many generically dimwit and information-empty posts on OzB that the less notable ones all blur into the same persona. It's only the really 'special' profiles that I remember.

                    • +1

                      @rumblytangara: We should compile a list. Notable ones of the top of my head are slavoz, amazingone/HeWhoknows/Dr Phill and Alan C (who posted absolute nonsense).

                      Muppet detector used to go by a different name, what gave it away were his nonsensical wanna be lawyer replies.

                      • +1

                        @JIMB0:

                        Muppet detector used to go by a different name, what gave it away were his nonsensical wanna be lawyer replies.

                        Was nucleus accumbens.

                        Same account, nothing nefarious. Not in stealth mode.

                        Thinking about changing to "My Favourite Poster" next year.

                      • @JIMB0:

                        amazingone/HeWhoknows/Dr Phil

                        That makes a lot more sense.

                      • @JIMB0: jv is definitely top of that list. there was an old poster frugal_rock who got his account banned for being frequently the most toxic person on earth.

                        • @Charmoffensive: I actually find some of jv's comments to be rather amusing at times.

                          • -2

                            @JIMB0: I'd find his trolling more amusing and less pathetic if he didn't report all your posts to the mods if you call him out and he's losing the argument. It's the difference between a larrikin and a 12 year old edgelord.

                            • +1

                              @Charmoffensive: Ah, I never realised he's the sort of bloke that can dish it up but not take it. If I ever I got one on him I was just ignored, didn't know he was a dobber! I'm not surprised though, seems typical for an avid LNP supporter.

                              • +1

                                @JIMB0: He even went through like 2 months of my post history over the space of a week and negged all my comments, then replied to my most recent comment with "How can you call me a troll when all of your comments have negatives on them?". Yeah jv, they all have exactly 1 negative on them all of a sudden, wonder where that came from?

              • @JIMB0:

                don't he's after down votes, he keeps changing user names to try avoid it.

                So, you award your votes to a post based on who wrote them regardless of what they actually say?

                If you were awarding your votes based on the content of the post, why does it matter what name is used to author the posts?

                • +1

                  @Muppet Detector:

                  don't he's after down votes, he keeps changing user names to try avoid it.

                  I suspect that was just a typo for "I doubt he's after downvotes"

                • @Muppet Detector: It doesn't matter to me what name is on the post. I go on the content and will generally downvote when people post misinformation. That said, it’s funny how often I’ll read a comment, get déjà vu, and a bit of digging confirms it’s the same person under a new alias.

      • +1

        Nah I wasn’t on my phone was just staring at the Richmond training ground.

        In other words, not concentrating on the road?

        Behaviour of the supposed police officer aside, it seems like you zoned out twice in a few minutes, and even after someone had already honked you - "a couple of meters" as in your story is a gap of a few car lengths.

        When people do not react quickly to the car in front moving and take their sweet time, it causes further traffic congestion. Even if you were taking a few seconds longer than you were supposed to, just imagine adding that up - if everyone was zoning out like you, traffic would be chaos.

        • +3

          Yeah alright mate. Traffic was there regardless of what I did. Traffic light was red regardless of what I did.

          It’s not like I was at a green light and I missed it.

          The fact that the guy got out of his car came to mine said his BS and went back to his car and we were still not moving says everything about the situation

          • @Melbournedriver:

            It’s not like I was at a green light and I missed it.

            You're right, but the thing is you wouldn't know if it is green if you're zoning out. It's not good to zone out while driving, period.

    • +9

      I thought he was coming to have a fight to be fair. So when he rocked up pulled a leather thing from his pocket and flashed a badge. Looked like vicpol from the colours ( blueish) I couldn’t really stare at it as he shoved it up his ass quite quickly

      • +5

        It could have been a $2 badge off Temu

    • +37

      It was most likely a Paw Patrol badge.

      • +5

        I think the officer's name was Chase

        • Damn, he sure was on the case!

          • +2

            @kenshin824: No horn too big, no car gap too small, off duty copper is on a roll

        • OP should of yelped for help!

    • +2

      Maybe its just a plumber or sparky badge, suits the Ford Ranger well.

    • +2

      if OP was on his phone he would definitely get booked

    • +4

      I'm not spending a day in court challenging

      They don't want to either. More than likely they'll just drop it because it's not in the public interest to pursue.

    • +14

      You should challenge every one of these. It happens because people don't challenge them

    • I got a $190 fine the other month for supposedly doing 46km in a 40km school zone, which I know I wasnt. The photo on the paper of my car was zoomed in so you couldnt tell where I was. The only thing was a house with a blue fence and a pole in front of it. I live on that road. Theres no blue fence anywhere. I asked them for a better picture and they said thats the only one. Glorious.

    • Suits well he lost, glad that majority voted well, unlike trumpets.

    • Is jaywalking really not allowed ? I do it all the time.

      Thought it was only in the movies or something where it's not allowed.

      • -7

        Yeah, jaywalking shouldn't be a crime at all, but it's not worth it for me to challenge.

        I probably make $1,000 in just a few minutes whilst trading futures.

        Net effect is up, but you can just as easily lose $10,000 in a few minutes such as during a London trading session when President Xi retaliated.

        • +8

          Yeah, jaywalking shouldn't be a crime at all, but it's not worth it for me to challenge.
          I probably make $1,000 in just a few minutes whilst trading futures.
          Net effect is up, but you can just as easily lose $10,000 in a few minutes such as during a London trading session when President Xi retaliated.

          Weird flex but ok

          So in other words, you lost the opportunity to make several thousands of dollars while making these comments? Ahahah

      • +1

        I got done for jaywalking at the top of Queen Street Mall Qld about thirty years ago.

      • Happens all the time in Sydney. The cops regularly stake out city intersections for jaywalkers, and they even make a day of it by inviting along the media.

  • +51

    What was your crime?
    Thinking about a succulent chinese meal?

    • +1

      A succulent beef wellington from the mother in law?

      • With mushrooms.

        • You make Beef Wellingtons without mushrooms?!

          Gordon Ramsey: where's the lamb sauce (profanity) mushrooms!

  • -3

    changing lanes right after traffic lights where there are no lines

    If there are no lines how do you change lanes? having lines is the very definition of lanes

    • +3

      It’s when two lanes go right and he cut off the other car in the intersection.

      • -6

        so the "other car" tried to overtake on the inside?
        Wrong car at fault

      • Except that there aren't any of these two lane right turns on Punt Road near the oval.

  • +15

    Were you just waitin for a mate?

  • +1

    New account. Surely a troll post.

  • +2

    Were you on your phone?.
    It sure pisses me off when the twit in front of me is head-down in his phone in traffic, and fails to take off.

    • +6

      Nah I wasn’t on my phone. I get what you mean though I get annoyed sometimes when this happens and you miss a traffic light.

      No traffic lights were missed in this incident.

      Net time lost/gained was 0 whether I creeped up to the guy in front of me or not

    • Then speeds through the amber light and you get stuck at the red.

  • +6

    Dang! I was convinced this was going to be a Pam post going by the title

    • +1

      New account. Might be Pam incognito.

      Keep engaging with her. She might get confused swapping between accounts and accidentally post with her Pam account.

      Then it'll be on for young and old.

    • Who was this Pam person legend that keeps getting brought up? Must've been some good drama before I became aware of this forum.

      • +4
        • +2

          Ugh, thanks but I shouldn't have asked. Now my brain hurtz :(

  • +1

    dodgy driving (changing lanes right after traffic lights where there are no lines

    That’s not illegal in Victoria

  • Did he claim to be a police officer, or just show you some sort of badge that you assumed was a police one?

    If he didn't claim to be a police officer, what offence did he commit?

    • -1

      He just branded a badge in a leather wallet (designed for the badge)

      Guy was pretty confrontational in the middle of traffic.

      • Could be someone pretending to be a police officer. I wouldn't know what a local police badge looks like.

        If you captured the encounter on dashcam do share.

        • +1

          never seen off duty on Ford Ranger yelling his a** off, they normally turned on their off duty car flashing lights as seen in the youtube dashcam channel.

    • It's illegal to impersonate or say you're a police officer. It's not illegal to flash a phony badge. Remember the Chaser APEC stunt? The guy could possibly be charged with intimidation if the cops get enough complaints.

  • +4

    I am guessing this happened in Melbourne.

  • +7

    OP, even with the dumbing down of the police force, guy was probably not a cop and flashed a fake badge. Report it.
    Nothing illegal aboput leaving a couple of meter gap between cars at an intersection. That's generally preferred.

    • Those people then go on to become those couple metres behind the stop line and the sensor doesn't get triggered

  • +18

    average ford ranger driver. worst drivers on the road

  • +4

    Police officers are always on. As in, they are always Authorised Officers underthe law, they just may not be on duty. But not being on duty doesn't remove their authority. Hope that makes sense?

    Following that, it makes it a double edged sword. They have standards to uphold all the time. Assuming that behaviour is correct AND you have evidence, then report it.

    But be aware of the process. This isnt some ICAC level of abuse of power and questions will be asked, assuming the individual was an officer, why they approached you. And if they state you were seen obstructing traffic due to being on your phone and verbally cautioned….

    Sometimes, just accept there's nothing good going to come from this for you.

    But ofc, it could just be an ahole who flashed a business card.

    • I think that’s the hard bit getting proof.

      There isn’t any recording or anything just my word vs his.

      • Youve got the plate and you were at lights so it may be caught on traffic cameras.

        Not saying dont report. Just know you may hear nothing back 🤷‍♀️

      • Not that it helps now, but front and rear dashcams, with audio recording turned on.

        • Would’ve been handy.

          Then again thinking now what would I gain if this goes my way anyway?

          • +4

            @Melbournedriver: If you were going to pursue it, you can demonstrate that traffic wasn't moving, his license plate, and the verbal interaction with unwarranted aggression and you confirming that you were not on a phone. So there's no "he said, she said" argument.

            Or an "This all being recorded you know, maybe you want to head back to your car and stop hassling me"

            But overall, this isn't a thing worth pursuing.

        • Would need a third, in cab camera to confirm they weren't on the phone.

  • +3

    Just report it and move on. You'll never hear back, he probably does it to a lot of people and but if enough complain something may be done.

    • +1

      he probably does it to a lot of people

      If he behaves that way, based on nothing more than a bit of a gap opening up in traffic, its likely he does it a lot. If he is a cop, that's an anger management problem that makes him unsuitable for the job. If he's not a cop that's probably why he's got a fake police-looking badge, and doesn't flash it long enough for people to read what it says.

  • -5

    Of course this happened. Same thing happened to me back in 'Frisco in 1973. I gave the guy my unwanted cat and he backed off.
    Back then we never used imaginary phones in imaginary scenarios.

    • +1

      I gave the guy my unwanted cat and he backed off.

      Is that slang for something?

      • Yes.But it's true meaning is a secret.

  • Its totally unacceptable harassment but you're best to let it go.
    Hes obviously unprofessional but in reality, most likely unhinged.
    If you report him, its only going to be your word against his so there wont be any evidence for him to face any discipline. Plus, it means one way or another, he is going to be able to figure out who you are and once he knows that, you are wide open to all sorts of harassment and potentially bogus accusations.

    Always bear in mind that modern day police officers are selected due to their personality and ability to follow orders. The system is set up for them to be officers who enforce the law and not apply their individual judgement to a given situation.
    While in theory they are required to be held accountable for their interactions with the public, this doesn't always play out in theory because of the imbalance in power.

    People who are critical thinkers, questioning, challenging and able to understand the uniqueness of specific situations are generally not chosen to be police officers so you cant be under any illusion that you are dealing with an organisation that is going to apply fairness to your individual situation.

    To a degree, the overall situation may improve with the advancement of AI and the replacement of human officers with robots. However that could be shortlived if a cyborg officer is developed with human qualites like Robocop.

    • Are you in politics?

    • Liam Neeson is that you?

      • Can't be Liam Neeson if you got to the last line without either falling asleep or wanting to slam ice picks in your ears and eyes.

    • So, tell me how you feel about police officers in 25 words or less.

    • -1

      To a degree, the overall situation may improve with the advancement of AI and the replacement of human officers drivers with robots

      Fixed it

      If a robot car failed to notice a whole car in front of it moving, it would be taken in for diagnostics.

    • +1

      Not sure what AI is going to solve. The AI isn't going to be rude to you but it won't apply any individual discretion.

      The AI cop would have probably charged OP with an offence for failing to control their vehicle after performing an alcohol and drug test. Letting small things go is what humans do when they apply their own discretion and don't enforce the rules strictly.

  • +1

    Rego please

  • +1

    Harassed by Police Officer off Duty

    This recently happened to me too.

    Did it look like this bloke?

    • +1

      Bikies

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