Aggressive policing and bogus ticket
On the morning of December 30th, 2017, my family and I were traveling 95 south in McIntosh County. We were on our way to my hometown of Brunswick, Georgia. I noticed that a police officer had pulled a vehicle over in the emergency lane. Per the Move Over Law: Georgia Code, Title 40-6-16, I slowed down and proceeded to the middle lane. The law states the following:
“Motorists travelling in the lane adjacent to the shoulder must move-over one lane when emergency and utility vehicles are stopped on the side of the highway and operating in an official capacity. Vehicles included in the law include all first responders (law enforcement, fire, EMS), utility vehicles, DOT vehicles, HERO Units and wreckers tending to an accident. The law is meant to keep officers AND traffic violators safe from crashes with passing cars.
As I approached the two vehicles, the one that had been pulled over by the sheriff's deputy pulled off into the right lane. Thus, I eventually moved back from the middle lane to the far right lane. However, soon afterwards, the same sheriff's deputy got behind me and pulled me over. Once the deputy approached my vehicle, I questioned if I had been speeding. She affirmed, “No!” I further inquired if I had a broken taillight, and again, she divulged, “No!” She then admitted that she had stopped me to find out “why” I was traveling so slowly and that I failed to maintain my lane. She further stated that she had clocked me at 61 MPH and that it was too slow for conditions. I was flummoxed as to why I had been stopped because the minimum speed posted was 40 MPH and the speed limit posted was 70 MPH. At any rate, the officer, who I now identify as B. Hogan requested my license to conduct a background check. She proceeded to her patrol car and returned to my vehicle shortly afterwards after finding nothing amiss. Officer Hogan aggressively stated the following things in a bullying, abusive, threatening, unprofessional, and condescending manner:
"You need take Highway 17. You're traveling too slowly and these other vehicles are going to run you over. (Please note that we were in a Toyota Sequoia, which is a very large SUV). I should impound your vehicle and you would have to get a rental car. I should issue you a citation for traveling too slowly, but instead I'm going to ticket you for failure to maintain your lane. Your court date is February 14th. If you do not pay the fine, you’re going to be arrested and your license will be suspended”.
Officer B. Hogan’s behavior was unprofessional, unmerited, downright despicable, and I believe, racially driven. I was very intimidated by the officer's aggressive behavior which ultimately has caused me to have panic attacks and lose sleep. In addition to that, my husband and children were frightened by the officer’s demeanor and aggressiveness. I felt that she was prepared to arrest me if I responded with the same level of condescension and aggression that she had provided me.
The officer then proceeded down the highway to the medium where at least three other sheriff's vehicles were located. In fact, we noticed that there were at least 6 McIntosh County Police vehicles aggressively policing the area on this day.
Although I disagreed with the officer, I refused openly to verbalize it. I feared becoming another victim such as, George Alston, who filed a lawsuit against the Darien Police Department due to constitutional violations of the First Amendment and Fourth Amendment. I actually imagined myself becoming the next Sandra Bland. So, I immediately contacted the sheriff's office to issue a verbal complaint. I was told to report the complaint in person. However, I’ve decided to issue my grievance by paper due to learning that those who file complaints are often retaliated against, arrested, and charged with making false statements.
As a result, we're requesting a full investigation of this matter. There were three other adults present who are willing to collaborate my story and interview with others about this encounter.
2 January 2018
Unprompted review