Daily Routine Interruptus

[Bill of Rights]

I'm going to have to disagree here. I think that the door reversing direction was interpreted similarly to someone opening their front door, i.e. "Yes? Can I help you?"
OK, granted, you wouldn't then walk in the front door, but by the same token, at the front door, there would be someone right there AT the door.
All said and done, it sounds like he was trying to give a warning (as in a "heads-up; some other officer might cite you for this, but I'm not going to) as opposed to a "warning", i.e. written type.

MondayAM QB time:

His tactics sucked. As many of our other members have said, at their homes, he might well have been facing a drawn gun. It could have been a tragic ending to a nice guy trying to do a nice thing, a nice lady of whom I think highly, or both.

I'm very glad that that neither of those resulted from this.

Also, thanks for posting this, Annie. For those who drive straight into their garages, rather than backing in, some may start to ensure that they're the only ones in the garage prior to opening the car door. Reps to you.

Blessings,
B

 

[JetGirl]

As many of our other members have said, at their homes, he might well have been facing a drawn gun. It could have been a tragic ending to a nice guy trying to do a nice thing, a nice lady of whom I think highly, or both.

I'm very glad that that neither of those resulted from this.

Also, thanks for posting this, Annie.

Thank you for the kind words and the reps.

Did the officer have his lights on headlights or emergency lights etc?

If it was that important to follow you to your garage and interact with you...seems like he had better have had his own headlights and rollers or emergency lights on to alert passing drivers to his presence on such a curve in the road.

I don't know about headlights, but no police lights and no siren...

 

[Episcopus]

For those who drive straight into their garages, rather than backing in, some may start to ensure that they're the only ones in the garage prior to opening the car door. Reps to you.

Blessings,
B

I pull straight in to my garage. I always check my mirrors on the way in and make sure there is no one there before I kill the ignition. Once the engine is off, I get out and face the door as quickly as possible. My wife takes what seems like 15 minutes to get out of her car when she gets home. It drives me nuts. Thankfully my dogs notice when she gets home, and I can go look out the window. Unfortunately, I am not always home before her.

 

[JetGirl]

Apparently, I am a cop-magnet.
And "like it" I do not.
Today I got followed home through all the random turns I made, right to my driveway. I signaled to turn into my drive and pull into my garage, and Mr.Copper paused at the end of my drive. I sat there watching in my rear-view...but not opening my van door or closing the garage door. Just watching...
All of the sudden, he just pulled out and away and split. I don't know what he was looking for or doing, but he never interacted with me other than to follow me from the school home.
If he was going for celebrating the two-year anniversary of our first meeting...he missed. :/

 

[Leadeye]

Sounds spooky to me. People sometimes use the end of a drive as a place to pull off the road for a minute but based on your previous experience this sounds a bit odd.

 

[ghostinthewood]

There is the possibility that he was trying to be a nice guy and was concerned that your safety was at risk.

Thats what I got out of it.

 

[RichardR]

thats criminal trespass...very scary---they dont respect any boundary anymore

If the garage is an attached garage (to the dwelling), it's actually "unlawful entry".

 

[mrjarrell]

Holy thread resurrection batman... 2 years...

IBTL

INGunGuy

It was resurrected by the OP to report that she was followed by a cop to her house, despite making randon course changes. Either the guy was just waiting for her to do something (and trying to make her nervous in order to make a mistake) so he could meet his "performance goals" or he could have been a freaking stalker. It's not like someone in uniform has never abused their power and raped someone before. I'm just glad Jetgirl made it home safely and that the guy sped off. Too bad she didn't get his numbers to file a report. This person might have a history.

 

[rambone]

No, just the opposite. He said, "I'm not here to write up a ticket about any law"

"I don't really have any legal grounds to be talking to you or entering your house, but..."

 

[Colt556]

That sounds pretty scary to me. I think it odd that an officer would duck under a closing door to inform you about a minor issue. Is that not the same as walking into your front door uninvited. I can see all sorts of bad things happening. What if you had not seen him and the door continued to close? What would have happened had you gotten out of your vehicle and saw him standing there? I know that after the initial shock I'd have been reaching for my weapon. Would he see that and draw also? Just seems like a poor decision on his part. If he was really that concerned about your safety wait until the garage door closes and go to your front door. Another point is that there have been cases where people impersonate cops to pull women over. Anybody can buy a uniform and drive an unmarked Crown Vic. I hate to think what could have happened once he was in your closed garage. I'm glad that everything went well for you though. Was it the same cop both times? Maybe you have a secret admirer, well not so secret I guess. It pays to be on your toes 24/7.

 

[RichardR]

Is that not the same as walking into your front door uninvited.

Yes, legally it's the same as if he had strolled in the front door uninvited.

 

[JetGirl]

just waiting for her to do something (and trying to make her nervous in order to make a mistake) so he could meet his "performance goals"

That ^ was my first thought. But carrying makes me a super duper law abiding til it hurts citizen... If he'd have stopped me for anything, it would have been made up.
I just don't like the whole "roll to a near stop and stare into my garage" bit.
Nothing in there but two vehicles, camping junk, and some storage...but I felt like he was waiting for me to get a dead body out of the back seat or something...

 

[jeremy]

Should have told him to leave the first time...

 

[88GT]

*shivers at the thought of being watched like that **

Y'all can argue all you want about whether his entry was legal or not, but the bottom line is that it was stupid. And disrespectful, but in the scheme of things, disrespectful is less likely to get ya dead.

The door was already going up. So he knew she knew he was there. How hard would it have been to patiently wait for it to rise the rest of the what? 4 ft?

JG, I'm glad both incidents turned out the right way. Here's hoping nothing comes from the second following incident.

 

[ATM]

...but I felt like he was waiting for me to get a dead body out of the back seat or something...

I always wait until it's dark out.

 

[jsharmon7]

I always wait until it's dark out.

Even in the summer time? I can't imagine the smell if you left it in the trunk of your car in a garage for hours on end.

 

[jeremy]

Even in the summer time? I can't imagine the smell if you left it in the trunk of your car in a garage for hours on end.

That's why I have a pickup...

 

[jsharmon7]

That's why I have a pickup...

Well then you aren't too concerned with what other people think about your payload of dead bodies. I admire those confident enough in themselves not to care what other people think. Dead bodies or otherwise! ATM is an OC'er, you'd think he wouldn't care what people thought of his dead bodies but apparently that's not the case.

 

[ATM]

I don't care what they think of the legal dead bodies, but I've been known to transport more than my personal limit on occasion.

I was just holding them for a friend, I swear.

 

[jeremy]

There is a Limit?!