Oh Rudy. How you truly made one of my nights in Los Angeles my first year here so memorable. What is the deal with the LAPD? I know one cop could just be trying to warn you that your tail light is out and you should get that checked out. OR they could be some asshole on a power trip.
Let me preface all this with a valuable lesson I learned in the good ol' state of Texas. I was working out of a hotel in Dallas and three of our rental cars were broken into. With the responsibility as liaison with the hotel it was my fantastic job to clean up the mess and deal with the Po Po. So, the hotel manager, a sweet lady, helped me deal with the cop who came to check out the "scene of the crime." Ironically, the questions become interrogative and I become on edge because I'm tired and none of this shit was my fault. I didn't leave a stupid GPS in the rental car knowing full well Dallas has become a high crime area because of the influx of individuals cast out of Louisiana by Katrina and left with nothing. The sweet hotel manager lady approaches me asking if I feel like I'm being interrogated and explains her father is a cop. She explains that a lot of cops take a certain tone with all citizens because they don't know what they're going to deal with as you can only imagine the druggies, murderers, liars, cheaters, etc they encounter. With that she kindly speaks to the cop on my behalf asking him to lighten up and in a immediately he turns into the nicest guy who acts like he cares and wants to help me find the thieves who did this. Amazing right?! We so often forget a lot of these cops have children and are just doing their job.
Now I prefaced this story with my experience in Texas because I don't want to hate the Po Po because I understand the above is true and I want to support our local police for doing their job and taking care of the real bad guys. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean the LAPD doesn't have assholes on a power trip or losers wanting to harass young women in Hollywood because they're bored or want to catch a celebrity doing something to make an example of them. So let's talk about Rudy the ridiculous.
It's a Friday night, I've been out with two girlfriends at a bar and then a house party. I'm DD so I'm taking Sunset Blvd. headed to one of their apartments to drop them off before I head home. Now, yes I've had two beers in a matter of like five hours. As a woman I know full well that two beers can put me over the limit if I'm not careful and don't allow enough time. But clearly, I've allowed enough time and knowing me I probably ate some cake at the house party (a birthday party) which absorbed some of the alcohol. My first mistake was I used my horn. I never use my horn. I'm not a New Yorker, I'm a defensive driver and I don't use my horn unless absolutely necessary. On this night, a car full of guys waits as a group of girls cross the street. But instead of going they remain stopped clearly checking out these guys. So I honked just annoyed with the situation and wanting to drop off my friends who mind you are drunk so I can get home. Two seconds later, the lights go up and siren on and I get pulled over. Nervous about getting pulled over with my friends freaking out next to me and in the back seat we wait. Cop comes up and asks if we've been drinking. I say no and explain I'm just driving my friends home. I don't remember the entire exchange at this moment because I was nervous as hell and probably just trying to hold it together. I remember debating crying on cue but I wasn't by myself and my friends are drunk so it wasn't the best move given the situation. He asks me to step out of my car and instead of giving me a breathalyzer or walk in a straight line he puts me in the back of his cop car. Mind you, he didn't take my license or registration so I'm thinking this guy just wants to scare me. I mean here I am as a short blonde in a little yellow bug full of smiles with my two girlfriends and he opts to put me in the back of his cop car? Hmmm. Yeah interesting. It's my turn to take control you fucking asshole. He starts talking down to me like I'm a child so I come back with some shit about my father being a lawyer and I know my rights which he's welcome to read to me if he wants. Not to mention that despite what he might think based on appearance of my vehicle and my going out attire, I'm incredibly capable of driving my friends home. I didn't even mention the fact that he at no point gave me a valid reason that would hold up as to why he pulled me over in the first place. Needless to say, he changed his tune after my response. He's telling me I'm a good kid and introduces himself as Rudy and lets me out escorting me back to my vehicle urging us to go to Mel's Diner for an hour. Perhaps, I played up the southern girl charm but it worked and no, we did not go to Mel's Diner.
Po Po, I ask you, please stop wasting your time pulling over people for no reason or just to meet your quota. If I break the law speeding, swerving, or running a stop sign or light then yes, pull me over. But, otherwise stop wasting your time with pointless paperwork and our time. We're just as scared of you as you are of us. What was it one cop told me when he pulled me over for a busted tail light, "We're not the bad guys. The bad guys are out there. We're here to protect you." Then protect me! Don't pull me over in an unlit area when I'm clearly by myself as a woman and the streets are desolate because it's 2 am when I'm driving home from work or from a friend's.
