NYC cops dislike seeing ham radios

[KingCobra_CDX882]

this is now second issue i have had with a cop regarding my having and or using a HT ham radio



today sunday july 2ed

anyways

today i took lite rail train from bayonne to hoboken path into mahatten at 34 street

from there was going to take nyc subway to port authority terminal 42 street to catch a bus to northern nj in order to go to store to buy some ham radio equipment and then reverse process to return to bayonne nj (i do not drive and do not have a drivers licence..no need for 1)

anyways

i got into mahatten no problem but then things got all messed up because..

upon leaving path train i then walked still underground to the subway about a block away (in connecting underground walkway)and bought a $4 metro card for subway

when about to enter subway with my metro card all went wrong from there on...for..

an officer asked me what i had in my pocket (an antenna for my ham radio which is about 14 to 18 inches long was sticking out my pocket)i went over to officer and told him it was my ham radio..he said what..so i took it out and showed him..he asked me what it is for and so i told him..i thought he nodded his head so i turned to continue back to use entrance into subway where one swipes the metro cards...when he all of the sudden said i didnt dismiss you...so i said what and returned to him..again he asked what ham radio was and i tried to explain it to him...

next he went to his supervisor who was inside the subway n other side of where people swipe the metro cards and i asked if he wanted me to come with him...he said yes and so i went in to see who i suppose was the supervisor..

he now asked me what i had and i told him it was a ham radio and he seemed to not know what i was talking about...i turned it on and explained i would need to be outside to have it work which he readily agreed (so seemed he knew wha a ham radio/HT was) but he kept asking what or why i wanted or needed to use and or have it..

i explained i was on my way to 42ed to catch a bus to buy yet a new radio and other ham radio equipment

showing ID i was still denied to use subway because i didnt have
a bag in which to take antenna off of HT
(do not quote me headlines etc...i realise the times we are in...that is not a ticket for cops to be unreasonable)

many likly would have laughed
as i a 320 lbs running across to catch a cab

i did make it on time to gene's (KJI Electronics) but barly so
i have emailed the mayor and police commisioner regarding the incident

 

[park]

That's to bad that it has to be that way, but since 9-11 we can't forget. To make a long story A LOT SHORTER, I was in a hotel room in White Plains, NY. One year after 9-11 operating 20 meter CW QRP when I set off the fire alarm. Picture this,,,25 miles from NYC one year after the attack some guy is in a hotel room with a strange looking device sending morse code !

 

[TonyV225]

:shock: fire alarm LMA wow that really sawks park. And King I would also have done the same as you are with writing the letter or making phone calls that radio is also supposed to be a goverment emergency device for help uses ETC and there ruining it.

 

[AudioShockwav]

I carry the small copy of My Ham radio Lic in my wallet for this reason, if anyone asks, I show them my Federal Lic.
It has happened to me several times, so far as soon as I show the Lic, they have let me walk right through.
Times have changed...

73
Jeff

 

[Happy_Hamer]

Well I understand your point but with the recent weekend events in London the alert status has been up and he was being cautious. You should carry your pocket license with you anyhow as Audioshockwave mentioned, it tends to make things go smoother.

Dont let it sway you, enjoy the hobby

 

[Beetle]

I was going to ask whether he showed the cops his ham license. I'd probably include the FCC in my letter writing on subjects such as this.

 

[Happy_Hamer]

terrorist will soon infect the hf bands with perfectly legal ham tickets then what will the self policing aspect of the ham ops become? I predict the fcc will soon become a larger part of the day to day operations of the hf band.

.........and homeland security

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

Hey park

I hear you...
You must of had some exxplainnning to do....LOL

After my episode
on way back i sopped at a cop station on 42

The commander there said basiclly
the guy acted a bit too zeleous
that he (commander i was talking to) saw no threat in me

said basiclly the same
is a sign of the times

just waitting to see what response (if any i get from police comissioner and mayor's office)

i have no desires to press charges or get any of them in trouble

Damm we all know how screwed up things can get in no time if something happens..
so all i am looking to do is make more of them aware and less afraid of how we ham operators are

nothing more....nothing less

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

AudioShockwav and Happy_Hamer

i had a copy of my licence along with copies of my other ID's

it did nothing

it comes down to simply the cop
some are willing to listen
others are on a power trip
others are unsure what to believe and rather causion on side of being too careful

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

Hey Beetle

yes....i did that
i figure
how can they dispute a federal agency

i did same yrs ago when i had a problem where i live
it worked well then

that time though the incident went much further
and so i was far more zelous in following it up

here is more likly due to recent events combined with 2 cops who are not as well up to speed regarding ham radio operators

i simply hoping
this will make it easier in future with myself and others

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

karo

good point and i bet you are right indeed

the age of innocence is gone for american's

 

[EDUK8TR]

This is the second time I have read and item such as this. Interesting that they blew off your ID and pocket copy of your ticket. I guess they were both asleep or were absent that day at the academy during the official documents briefing.

 

[Moleculo]

The very FIRST thing you need to do when stopped by a police authority is pull out your fcc licence and show it to them, then explain that this because you posess a federal license they lack the jurisdicition to perform any further investigation under federal law. They will probably feed you a line of crap amounting to some sort of harrassment. You don't need to get in their face or get angry, but simply state that they need to contact special counsel Riley Hollingsworth (might be a good idea to have his number handy) at the FCC if they wish to pursue further action. Trust me...most cops are just trying to do their best to do their job, but many are waaaay over zelous and have a judge & jury attitude. If you know your rights and explain them in a calm and intelligent manner, a lot of the over zelous types will just see pictures of paper work and let you go on your way.

 

[SR385]

There are no laws that I'm aware of that the local police have any jurisdiction over regarding anyone walking around with a HT.

It's none of their concern or jurisdiction whether you have an HT or not, what rights you have to operate it and on and on. This covers ham/marine VHF/GMRS/MURS/FRS/CB, none of it is their concern or jurisdiction. The possession and operation of a radio is none of their business.

The stop and inquest the original poster cited was completely out of bounds and unreasonable. The police were dead wrong and this is a perfect example of how the power of government creeps along when people turn a blind eye towards increasing it.

There is nothing at all about 'homeland security' that has anything to do with a person having a walkie talkie. Do they check everybody for a cellphone? Of course not....

It was not o.k. and I'm glad the OP said something about it. If it was me, I would have been quite loud about it.

The police in general terms do not have the IQ needed for the level of trust that the general public are placing in their hands. People need to wake up and get their heads out of the propaganda fog and realize what they are doing and what they are losing.

I'm glad I'm not working in NYC these days. It became an armed camp post 9/11 and people are just rolling over and giving up all of their privacy and rights and it's making the polizei more and more brazen as the public rolls over.

 

[Moleculo]

Actually, local law enforcement does have the authority and jurisdiction to enforce laws concerning "citizens band" radio. This includes CB, FRS, MURS, and basically anything that doesn't require a federal license. This was enacted a few years ago by bill H.R. 2346. More information on this can be found at:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d106:HR02346:|TOM:/bss/d106query.html|