Lorena Rodriguez: Police treated us like criminals, and we’re not
On Oct. 28, after dinner with my nephew, we were pulled over on Oakdale Road. The officer approached my driver’s side car door aggressively and demanded my nephew step outside the vehicle. I tried to ask why we were being pulled over, but I was shushed and told to put my hands on the dash. I was at first ignored then repeatedly questioned if there was anything illegal in our vehicle.
The officer handcuffed my nephew and put him in his vehicle. His reasoning was that for the amount of time it took us to pull over, we must have been hiding something illegal. I was questioned as to whether if I was on parole or had any previous drug convictions. He put my hands on my head, illegaly searched me and then demanded that I sit on his bumper. My nephew was released and we were not ticketed as the officer sped off. No license or registration was requested.
Those in uniform need to be reminded that not everyone is a criminal. I am a good citizen. To the officer who did this: I was raised to respect you, not fear you.
Lorena Rodriguez, Modesto
This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 10:08 AM with the headline "Lorena Rodriguez: Police treated us like criminals, and we’re not."