I had an encounter with the RCMP the other night

[TrogL]

She pulled up behind me and turned on her overhead flashers.

Then she held a flashlight while i finished changing my tire.

No guns, no Tasers, no ID check, no strip search (dammit). She probably ran my plate to see if anything interesting popped up.

[Moebym]

8. Indigenous Canadians would disagree n/t

[TrogL]

29. Yeah, I taught in Drayton Valley for a year

Big indigenous population working the oil fields. Some of their kids were a bit wild (my tuba player kept being picked up for auto theft) so I'd have frequent conversations with the RCMP, some of whose attitude towards indigenous people was pretty awful.

[caraher]

17. As Moebym pointed out...

Canada may be better than the US in many ways but it's no utopia, and they share our settler colonial legacy. I immediately thought of this incident involving the RCMP this past weekend at Fairy Creek

Stacy Gallagher, who is Anishinaabe and has been arrested for mobilizing against the Trans Mountain Pipeline, said he’s seen police target Indigenous people at Fairy Creek. (Gallagher has been to Fairy Creek several times.)

“We’re being targeted. The first ones to get arrested are Indigenous people—always,” said Gallagher.

Gallagher said he’s been followed and pointed at by police, handcuffed and put in a paddy wagon, and taken to a police station while protecting the trees at Fairy Creek. His niece and other Indigenous youth have also been targeted, Gallagher said, adding he’s seen white, European folks pass by police officers without trouble.

[caraher]

22. Yes

I've had generally good experiences in Canada too. It probably doesn't hurt that I'm white.

[Sanity Claws]

2. They put overhead flashers on Mounted Police horses?

I can't imagine that being very comfortable for the horse.

[KS Toronado]

16. What's more uncomfortable

is the 2 12 volt batteries to run the flashers. They're real heavy.

[Klaralven]

25. With today's LED flashers and lithium ion batteries, you could really do that!

[TrogL]

30. LOL

[RKP5637]

3. So often I wish I lived in Canada. I had a great time when working there and

it was very relaxing. Years ago I had a chance to go to school in Canada, but I turned it down ... often I wonder, "what if."

[IA8IT]

4. It can happen here. County Sheriff car pulls into my driveway starts looking at my sons car....

it was a big old highway cruiser. His daughter had turned sixteen and he wanted it for her first practice car just like it was for my son.
I tell friends it was the bravest thing I ever did selling a used car the Sheriff.

[mitch96]

5. I had a problem going thru a border crossing from US to Canada..

He must have had a bad day cause no matter what I said or paper work I showed him, he did not like it.. Repeated questions then a march into "the room". No strip search but a strip search of my motorcycle and all my gear.. He would not let me open the bags or show him anything. I stayed in the room while the bike was taken apart.
"Do you own a gun?" no.. "if you did where would you keep it" I don't know, I don't own a gun. "I know many of you bikers down there have guns, where is the best place to keep it?"
I don't know, I don't own a gun.. "Don't get wise with me".. Sorry, I don't own a gun..
After about an hour I was turned out on the Canadian side. All the gear from my bike was scattered around my motorcycle. Took me about ½ hr to get it all packed up with the border guys watching... Off I went..
Like I said, they must have had a bad day...
m

[ret5hd]

6. Spouse and I were crossing from u.s to Canada...

in the Glacier National Park area returning to our hotel in Alberta. We had never done anything like this before, so we were very naive/inexperienced.

The patrol (youngish female) is in a booth, not much more than a toll booth setup…

“Do you have any cigarettes with you?”

“Yeah, sure!” I reach in my shirt pocket, grab my open pack, shake it so one is sticking out, and extend my arm with the pack out the window.

She looked at me like I was a total idiot and raised the arm so we could drive through.

[Woodwizard]

10. Back in 1982

Me and some friends were driving an old ratty Chevelle into Canada, customs searched the car for about an hour never found the Marlboro pack under the dash full of joints, us 18 year old kids were sweating for a while.

[KS Toronado]

14. For an hour?

They noticed you guys were nervous about something because of your sweating, hence an hour long search.
When cops ask any drugs in your vehicle, tell them "no but get your drug sniffing dog if you want" they
always drop that line of questioning thinking they're barking up the wrong tree.

[Woodwizard]

24. 18 year olds do not have much world experience.

We also had a big cooler of beer for camping, we had not drank any yet. And dumb ass Greg got in an argument with a customs agent when we pulled up.

[mitch96]

21. I had a similar situation going from Matawaska Maine into Canada.

The border guard was BEAUTIFUL.. Blue eyes and jet black hair. She asked if I had any contraband. I was staring at her and really did not understand her French Canadian accent. I said ?what? CONTRABAND.. cigarettes? food? armes? she said. OH!! sorry, no.. and she waived me on prolly thinking I was a stupid yank.. Did I mention she was BEAUTIFUL?
m

[Mr.Bill]

11. California plates?

I've heard that can be trouble. Years ago my room mate was moving to Alaska. He bought a used truck from U-Haul which he planned to sell when he got there. (He made money on that because of the value of trucks there, but that's another story) He had a brother in Alaska and he advised him to get Alaska plates on the truck before the trip. This was 30 years ago, no internet so they Fed-Xed the documents and got the registration and plates before the trip. His brother said they would have completely unloaded that truck at the border looking for drugs if it had California plates on it.

[Hortensis]

7. So nice, isn't it? Protect and serve.

My last personal encounter with the notorious LAPD was when my car stalled in the giant intersection of Wilshire and Westwood boulevards, blocking lanes of disgusted rush hour drivers on both boulevards. Not a happy situation.

Before I could call for help, a tall, absolutely gorgeous cop (who must have come out to be a movie star) pulled up instead of driving by, spoke to me with respect and courtesy, and quickly and effortlessly pushed my car out of the intersection. My car was dusty, but he came and left billboard spotless.

Never forgot him, never will.

These protesters blocked that intersection much better than I accomplished while waiting to turn left in the middle of its daily curb-to-curb traffic.

[George II]

9. I had a run in with a town cop about a month ago. It was shortly after midnight there was a knock...

....at the door. I looked out and there were lights flashing.

I went to the door and a cop was there, "I just wanted to tell you your garage door was open, we've had some vandalism lately. Have a good night."

[treestar]

12. there are lots of US stories like that

they just don't get publicity.

[Hamlette]

13. my best RCMP story

years ago we drove from Salt Lake City Utah to Calgary to get a cheap flight to Scotland to see my parents. It was summer and we did not anticipate a closed road in Glacier Park which meant a long detour. We got to the airport 20 minutes before our flight was to leave. Freaked out, we parked at the curb, grabbed our luggage and ran inside. Running around like mad a RCMP officer approached and asked if we needed help. We explained our problem and told him about our car. He said: "Give me the keys, I'll move your car. park it and meet your return flight." Of course, we thought we might have been had but he met our flight on our return six weeks later. He had parked our car in a dusty area where parking was free and told us he'd washed our car as it was dirty. Gave us our keys and took off.

Kindness of strangers.

[Hamlette]

26. as for the US, my other story

My mom had a stroke while driving home from the store. They took her away by ambulance but died a day or two later. Two of the EMTs drove her car back to her house, took her groceries out and put them in the fridge (her car had been left in the middle of the road with her purse and ID in it which included her address) then took her purse and keys to the hospital. When I got there, a nurse told me she had $500 cash in her purse so I would know not to leave it lying around. Nice.

[jaxexpat]

15. I've heard Mounties can bore one to tears though.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

31. Darren Varley, Allan Adam, Mona Wang, Jason Collins, Dafonte Miller, starlight tours...

ACAB, even Canadian ones. The problem is not USian cops. It's cops.