Burning Man Shakedown by LEOs.

[Risky]

The ratio is pretty small in most areas.
As a matter of fact, many departments are broke and disappearing.
Cities are subcontracting police services to the County or neighboring cities.

A big reason why officers are trained to take control of the situation - they are easily outnumbered and the odds are not in their favor. Ever wonder why ALL of them show up for even a minor incident?

[Bay Bridge Sue]

By the way... they started a new public awareness campaign recently, just for people like our gentelman MV video star...



Problem is it cost the departments too much in overtime, so they changed the policy to the following...



Awfully considerate, dontcha think??

I'm sorry, went off topic.

To answer the question posted about cops showing up...

Lessee.... they're bored.

No... they're trying to walk off the calories from that extra donut.

So when he breaks his nightstick someone can loan him a spare?

Hmmm, that ain't it. Actually, it's so they can all sit there and laugh at the idiot who taunts the cops acting all badass on camera until he gets pulled over and acts all joe citizen.

Yeah, I'm sure that's it. Or drawing straws to see who the unlucky sap is that has to throw him in the back of their patrol car to take them in for processing. And then clean out the back of said patrol car.

[Parasitoid]

My friend must be incredibly fortunate because he never gets caught.

[psynurse]

I used to read these posts and laugh at all the idiots that have problems with LEOs - mostly related to drugs. This year was different, even I noticed a difference in the attitudes of officers this year and found that in general police seemed to be working against us rather than for us or with us. Even as an emergency worker I felt like I was burdening the cops instead of assisting them with my professional skills. I was often ignored when I asked for names or badge numbers even though it was required for my paperwork. During one case, they all but surrounded me and told me to get lost even though I was caring for a participant and I was clearly ON DUTY. Most of my negative experiences occured with Pershing County. Crappy attitudes aren't isolated to police though- I had a Jr. Ranger threaten to put me in "Ranger Cells" on the Esplanade because I asked him to leave my friend alone and someone at Artica body checked me into a huge piece of rebar because I didn't have my cash in hand when I got to the front of the line. Why do people powertrip so badly in BRC?

[spectabillis]

i used to read eplaya posts like yours and laugh, because i thought it was just another random sock account making stuff up. you would be surprised at the people who either loose some argument, or get all bent out of shape and do that just to fuck with people.



i wish i still thought you were making all that up

[Kinetik V]

Pershing County. That would be Ron Skinner's department. It will be a great day when that sorry idiot gets booted out of office. Corrupt at the top and packed with attitude in the ranks, it's a sorry excuse for a Sheriff's Department.

As far as the Artica staff having an attitude? I can kinda see why they would have one considering how they get slammed. But while I understand why it exists it's still not acceptable. I've found that treating them with genuine kindness, respect, and some empathy goes a long ways. And I have a knack for getting even the crabbiest people to smile sometimes...so that helps.

And since when did BRC Rangers have access to "Ranger Cells"? If I'm detained and put in some "cell" by someone and they are not a sworn officer, you can bet your ass when I get back to civilization or if not earlier I'll be filing charges. And I'll be looking for a payday from the experience, like it or not someone's going to be coughing up serious coin.

In any case we have Rangers on here...can anyone explain this "Ranger Cell" thing?

[Bay Bridge Sue]

From one ESD'r to another....

If you work for ESD, and this happened while on duty, you really REALLY need to contact Joseph. I'm sure you did, but if you didn't, you really should. This is the kind of stuff that not only needs a LEAL intervention, but needs to be documented and brought up to the staph.

If LE is harassing ESD, ON-DUTY ESD wearing yellow and with laminate et al, it needs to be adressed, as LE is inhibiting the safety of the event, which is in, um, as I recall, violation of the BLM permit, and endangering the public safety... which is why LE claims they must be at the event.

As a personal aside - last I heard, The County of Pershing, int he State of Nevada, was still on United States territory (regardless of the personal political or sociological bent of its officials)... AFAIK, that puts them subservient to the US Gubbermint, who issued the BLM Permit for BRC. I wonder if inhibiting or interfering with on-duty safety professionals somehow doesn't violate that permit... >>evil grins<<

[Sanddog42]

someone at Artica body checked me into a huge piece of rebar... Why do people powertrip so badly in BRC?

I had a weird experience at Artica, too. I was halfway through the line inside with the woman moderating pointed at me across the room and shout "Hey! Red wagon!" (I had a small Radio Flyer in tow.) She pointed at the ground in front of the line. I was confused until she shouted "park it!"

I was little put off by her rudeness, but I didn't make a big deal. I put the wagon where she indicated and continued to wait in line.

When I was near the front of the line I noticed she was giving hugs to each person as they reached the front the line. She seemed pleasant enough, so I figured maybe her gruff attitude was just a bit of schtick. All the same, I was feeling like hugging her. After all, no one likes to be dehumanized and ordered around.

As soon as the person in front of me got his hug and moved forward to buy ice, the line monitor looked off into the line and exclaimed "hey I know you. You're friends of mine! You don't have to wait in line!" She let through her friends who were towing a yellow wagon at least twice the size of the one I had.

I realized that it was a just a coincidence that out of all the people in that line I got dicked over twice by that woman, but it felt like I had been singled out.

I know this is a thread about LEOs, but I'm riffing off the "power trip" idea. It doesn't take a LEO to bring the the us-v-them abuses of the default world to BRC.

[Simon of the Playa]

Pershing County. That would be Ron Skinner's department. It will be a great day when that sorry idiot gets booted out of office. Corrupt at the top and packed with attitude in the ranks, it's a sorry excuse for a Sheriff's Department.

I would beg to differ...I spent 58 days in the Pershing County Jail and i found Sheriff Skinner and his deputies to be Professional, Considerate and Capable.

this isn't stockholm syndrome, it's just the way it is. They are Doing their Jobs, and regardless of what you think of the Drug Laws (i despise them too) they are not at liberty to re-write statutes on the spot.

i was not arrested for drugs, by the way.

I was treated Fairly, with respect, and I appreciate the fact that there are some over-eager beavers trying to rack up "points" by making intrusive searches and in general, being assholes.

there is always going to be assholes, in EVERY group or team or demographic or camp or neighborhood.

the key thing is to single them out, identify them and then Complain Appropriately to their Bosses.

Believe me, Pershing, Humboldt and Washoe counties do NOT want to kill this lovely Golden goose and lose it's precious eggs every year, that it pretty much lives on for the other 50 weeks of the year.

When Marijuana and eventually all "Illegal" drugs are no longer a crime (as it SHOULD BE) i look forward to smoking a joint or two with some of my LEO friends as we laugh over how ridiculous and wasteful This Prohibition has been.

in the meantime, i dont smoke on the open playa, in fact i warn all newbies, if you can see anyone, than they can see you...Do it in Private, Take as much care as you would in any public place in Nevada, because as much as we like to think it's a TAZ, it's still falls under the jurisdiction of Nevada until we can legally create our own State.

so Kinetic, to get back to Ron Skinner and Co., i never saw anything that would back up your assertions, just the opposite.