Mesa Police Department
Illegal Impound and Search Procedure - Truck taken from Private Property

On Febuary 19th, A Mesa Policedriveway - located on N. 74th Street, in Mesa, Arizona.
I recognized the Mesa Police Officer, and locked my truck doors. This same officer had forced me back to my truck, at gunpoint, a few months prior to the Febuary 19th incident - to serve a simple traffic citation.

The prior incident occured on September 3rd of and I learned very quickly that this officer was not to be trusted. The ticket he wrote me on September 3 caused my driver's license to be suspended.

However, I paid the ticket 3 months thereafter and was given an abstract to once again go to the Motor Vehicle Division to reinstate my license.
When I requested the same, I was informed that there was an outstanding payment due on an incident report.

I knew this was wrong because I had paid all outstanding debt to the local courts, and was legally driving when stopped on September 3rd of 2007.

To make a long story short, the Mesa Police Department or Court Officials yet to be indentified placed a series of obscure citation and docket numbers on my paperwork - thus buying the time needed by this same officer - to
stop me again, and impound my truck due to operating a vehicle without a drivers license.

Additionally, The same court system, in Mesa, Arizona is posting conflicting court docket dates to confuse defendents, cause bond forfeitures, and eventually arrest warrants.

Anyway, It is now early in the A.M., on Tuesday, the 19th of Febuary, and I have locked myself inside my truck, at a private residence belonging to my
friend, and I have this same policeman, gun drawn, jerking violently on the driver's side door handle of my truck.

I call home, my parents arrive, and they now have a small army of officers surrounding my truck. My parents are really concerned because the officer, who was in charge, claims he is going to ramp-up the situation.

Eventually, I did exit the truck even though I had my reservations. I locked the truck before I left it - with the keys inside. During the entire incident my keys were out of the ignition and my motor was not running.

After exiting the truck, I was placed under arrests, handcuffed, read my rights, and placed in the rear seat of a patrol unit - under close supervison of officers.

Even though the new Arizona Impound Law states that a licensed driver can drive the vehicle home, if the vehicle is insured and has legal registration - the Mesa Police refused to allow this to happen.

My mother had asked permission to do so - but the Sergeant in charge flatly refused the request. I cannot talk to much about the case because it is still
pending, but I want everybody in Arizona to know that via the new Impound-Search statute citizens lose all of their Fourth Amendment rights.

It is also important to be advised not to assume you are safe, in Arizona, when it comes to carrying a handgun for your own protection. It leaves every citizen with no alternatives. It is far too easy for third parties to conceal the same and charge you accordingly.

A few days ago, I received a notice that my truck was abandoned. Nothing could be further from the truth. I just don't believe I should be responsible for paying for an impound, when there were family members present qualified to drive my vehicle 4 blocks to my residence.

Company: Mesa Police Department
Country: USA
State: Arizona
City: Mesa
Address: 130 N. Robson Rd

  <     >