Verbally Abusing a Police Officer?

Dunno bout the legalities but a cop once threatedned to arrest me for saying "sucks" (not directed at him).

I was in blockbuster and my friend asked me if I wanted to rent a particular movie and i said "No, that movie sucks" and he said he would arrest me for "disturbing the peace" even though I'd said it quietly and without causing any disturbance except to his sensibilities.

In any case it turned out to be bluster, but I guess wht I'm trying to say is that whether they can and whether it's legal migth be different questions.

Technically, yes, they could. If you offend them enough, you could be arrested for assault on an officer. They can not only take you to court, they can put you in lockdown should they feel it necessary. There is no point in swearing at cops. It could indeed land you in danger. I have several lawyers and a judge in the family, and we all live in Toronto. It is always best to be reasonable with cops. If you are only verbally abusive, there are two options: You will get away with a warning, or, you will be hauled into the station.

No ticket will be involved, btw.

It started with me refusing his sexual advances and escalated into cursing him out and he promptly kicking my ass. Another officer saw the whole thing and talked him out of hauling me off to the pokey, which was his intention, but not before he busted my lip and drug me down a flight of bleachers.
I don't know what he would have charged me with. Resisting an officer, I guess. haha.

eoe, that's a horrid thing...

Let's face it, cops are supposed to protect us public folk, but many ain't the brightest bulbs on the block. Maintain control, or as Noddy likes to say, hold your dominion. The less you do, the more you have on them, especially when witnesses are involved.

I agree with Cav. The nicer you are to cops, the better off you'll be. I have told off a few cops in my time, but they were my friends, so that didn't count. I was friends with half the PD in the last town I lived in and trust me when I tell you "You don't want to push a cops buttons"! Cops put up with all kinds of crap from people every day and if you give them a hard time, they'll give it right back. I strongly suggest being as nice as you can to them.

Eoe
Jeeez!!!! Did that really happen?

Who's going to do anything about it if they do anything wrong anyway?

It sure did happen. I was in high school, at a football game. Underage, on top of everything else.

Wilso
Exactly!

Eoe
Damn!!!

Your local police department probably has a community outreach department or citizen's complaint department.

You might want to write down in detail exactly what happened, the events leading up to the incident and names of any witnesses. If you're interested in pursuing the matter, contact either of those departments, but make sure you have your story in order and written down before hand.

If you don't get satisfaction from those departments and want to keep pursuing it, contact your local newspaper and ask to relay the story to a reporter so it gets on the record somewhere.

I wish you luck.

When i have to deal with the cops, i always am careful not to give them a reason to escalate a situation. However, when they come on like a jerk in the first place, one of the first things is do is read the name tag, and the badge, and write down the name and the badge number. Combine that with what Butrflynet has written, and you come up with about the only thing which can give a cop pause to consider--the possibility of being made to answer for his/her behavior. It usually cools the situation off right away, although they will resent you for it, and you need not to give any provocation.

Not 100% about US/Canadian police, but over here they would ignore a few swearwords as long as they weren't directed at the officer themselves - swearing about a 3rd party for example - although they would tell you to stop swearing. If you carried on they would probably warn you again, then arrest you. There are a few charges they can use here as 'catch-alls', including 'Breach of the Peace' and 'Causing a Public Nuisance'.

Even if they have no intention of taking the charges to court, they could certainly give you a night in the cells then let you out in the morning. Which would be a pain in the arse and a lesson for most. I speak from experience on this one...

quote drunken me in the street talking to a copper: "Sorry mate, but he's got no f**kin' drugs and I've got no f**kin' drugs so why are you bothering us?"

cue: night in the cells at Leeds Police Station

Everybody should make an individual decision on how they’ll going to interact with law enforcement. Yeah sure it is essential to know your legal rights, but somehow it is also important to when and how you’re going to use them in order for you to protect yourself.