Say What!?
Flipping Off the Police Is Legal, But So Is Picking Your Nose
Just so you know? It's your constitutional right to flip off the police. I'm not saying you should flip off the police. I'm just letting you know, if you happen to have the bad manners to flip off a police officer, he doesn't get to pull you over and arrest you for it.
This came up recently when John Swartz flipped off a police officer using radar at an intersection. He was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. Swartz and his wife sued the police, and a court ruled that this "ancient gesture of insult is not the basis for a reasonable suspicion of a traffic violation or impending criminal activity."
As for the officer who arrested Swartz, he claims he pulled the man over because he thought he was "trying to get my attention for some reason." Ha, yeah right, said the court. Obviously, "nearly universal recognition that this gesture is an insult deprives such an interpretation of reasonableness."
So to summarize: Everyone knows that when you give someone the finger, you're trying to insult them on purpose. But insulting a police officer with your middle digit isn't illegal because it's just your stupid finger, get over it everyone.
Okay, so there are probably times when you feel truly justified in flipping off the police -- say, when they're pepper-spraying your best friend for protesting. But for the most part I feel like this falls under the category of "just because it's legal doesn't mean you should do it." I mean, farting in public is legal, too. But please don't! Maybe we could all resolve in 2013 not to flip off anyone at all.
Would you ever flip off a police officer?
Image via qwrrty/Flickr
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Vegeta
sarah
KarmaGrant
Sorry but flipping off a cop is just immature. Unless you're a 15 year old kid there's no excuse.
In previous cases they all used the 1st Ammendment defense. Good for them. Just remember that cop you're flipping off simply because you can will likely be the person coming to your aid if you ever find yourself needing 911.
Doomy234
Elise48
Yes, I would, but that's because I pretty much dislike all police officers. They all seem to be on an unjustified power trip.
Mom2fourlove
Mom2fourlove
dirtiekittie
it's legal, but doesn't make it smart. and personally, i'd rather not draw the attention of a cop to me for something stupid like flipping him off when he's not bothering me and vice versa. i've had some incredibly crazy and rude experiences with cops over the years, and even when they were jerks - i never flipped them off. mostly because to me it's just silly and i'd rather be the cool, collected person on the other end than the crazy person screaming at cops until they're forced to be arrested.
FellyScarlett
Good god, sounds like high school all over again. Bunch of upper middle class kids with a 'fuck tha po-lice' attitude thinking they're so thug for flipping off an officer of the law, Let me tell you what, when I was 15 I was almost kidnapped and the only thing that stopped the guy was a police officer.
Jenkins