Legal Question in Appeals and Writs in Illinois

My bf was followed by two cops tonight at a Walgreens parking lot and was questioned what he was doing there. He said "my girlfriend works here, I'm just picking her up". When I finally came out and approached the car the driver of the police car rudely said "hi" to me. I ignored him for I don't say hi to strangers. Then he backed up with anger and repeated himself saying louder than the first one which is already loud to begin with and said "hi" to me again and I ignored him once again and got in the car. The next thing he did, got off his car asked my bf for his license, registration, and insurance. Unfortunately the copy of our insurance card is expired but it's still active, We just don't have a current printed one. They made my bf get off the car and pushed him against our car and searched his body but in a very inappropriate way, it's hard to describe but they were more like pushing him while searching him. Then the other cops asked me if I have an ID which I do not and I asked him "what's wrong with your friend over there?". They told my bf "we were gonna let you go but your gf is rude". I just want to know what are our rights? Is there something we can do? I mean, as an individual I believe I have the right not to say hi to him if I didn't want to. Also he seemed high, like he was drunk but couldn't tell because it was cold out or at least he seemed he was on something. Btw they were not on a regular police car. At the end they eventually let us go. I called my work to get me a copy of the video surveillance and I'm gonna get it tomorrow morning.


Asked on 2/05/12, 11:44 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Zedrick Braden III Ainsworth & Associates PC

Hello. You may want to file a complaint with the police department regarding the unprofessional manner of the police officers. In my opinion, other than the inconvenience, there is no basis for making a claim for damages. I am sensitive to the fact that an event like this can cause you to question the manner in which law enforcement officers are trained to interact with the public.

However, you may still decide to seek the counsel of an attorney of your choosing, if you feel that specific rights were violated, after viewing the surveillance video. I hope my comments have been helpful.

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Answered on 2/09/12, 6:28 pm


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