An upsetting "police" incident on the street

Well, I had a good day of breakfast with my friend and then research at Columbia, and then this happened. I'm very rattled, actually, an hour later, still shaking. But ate something to calm down and now am off to a poetry reading.

Man that was scary. And I'm so ashamed of myself. I don't say that lightly. But I was completely terrified and I backed down.
Not something I think of myself as doing.

Comments

[Pretty Lady]

MY GOD! That is terrifying. I have lived here for four and a half years and I have never had such an experience. You did absolutely the best thing you possibly could; that Metroblog is excellent.

My feeling is that it was probably plainclothes narcotics squad, but that does NOT EXCUSE their behavior. And if it wasn't, that's even scarier. Or not.

I had an individual ring my intercom a couple of weeks ago and yell 'Police!' I asked him, "why are you here?' He said, 'I need to talk to you!' I said, 'I am NOT buzzing you in. Where is your car? What is the situation? Who called you?' He just kept repeating, 'Police!'

Meanwhile the downstairs neighbor, listening to our conversation on the intercom, called 911. I refused to open the door until I'd seen his badge and driver's license through the window, and my neighbor was there in the hall to back me up.

It turned out that he was a legitimate plainclothes detective, investigating a murder (!) but that does not excuse his complete cluelessness. Police officers get off on being jerks.

[toobeaut]

Good lord. I hate it when that happens.

The police in NY did not make a good reputation for themselves when they behaved the way they did during the Republican Convention two years ago; this incident sort of reminds me of that. But Jeez, without them identifying themselves, it certainly does seem like it could be anything from the Mafia to the Men in Black.

Weird and depressing! I'm sorry.

[blaize]

Hmm very strange and odd indeed but you did your best and in fact went above and beyond the call of duty by putting yourself in danger like that.

Aren't police officers required to properly identify themselves? I'm not sure if this is of any help to you or even applies if they were palinclothes or whatever;

http://www.nyc.gov/html/ccrb/html/news.html

NYPD Adopts CCRB Policy Recommendation to Revise Patrol Guide Procedure Codifying an Officer's Obligation to Provide Identifying Information Upon Request
June 27, 2003: At the recommendation of the CCRB, the New York City Police Department issued an interim order revising Patrol Guide procedure 203-09 (Public Contact-General). The revision clarifies an officer's affirmative obligation to provide upon a civilian's request his or her name, badge number, or other identifying information. The new interim order stems from a study the CCRB conducted and included in its January - December 2002 Status Report entitled, "Refusal to Provide Name and/or Shield Number: An Analysis of an Allegation". The study, based upon complaints raising this allegation which were closed during the first six months of 2002, found that the board substantiated this allegation 16% of the time, almost three times the 6% rate the board substantiated other allegations during this same six-month time period.

[kevin]

This fits with something I just saw on reddit:

http://dailybruin.com/news/articles.asp?id=38958

[minnie]

the video of this on youtube is scary and horrible.