Laval woman charges police harassed her

Posted By: Margoe Edwards · 7/27/2012 5:01:00 AM

A Laval mother says she was frightened and shaken up, not by a criminal, but by a police officer, who had pulled her over for speeding last Tuesday afternoon near du Souvenir and Armand Frappier.

Amy Politakis from Chomedey was hurrying to pick up her two kids.  With her, another son, who is severely autistic.  She tells CJAD she politely asked the officer, if he could quickly write up the ticket.

Then the situation turned nasty.  After waiting for some time for her ticket,  she got out of her vehicle, to find out why the delay, and walked towards the officer's vehicle.

"At that point he decided to lock my car door, he then took my keys."  All the while, her autistic son was in the car screaming.

Amy then asked for his name and badge number.  He refused.

"He was cursing, he was saying if I didn't sit down and shut up, he would arrest me."

When contacted by CJAD, Laval police spokesperson Franco di Genova confirms a complaint had been registered.

The Police Ethics Committee will eventually meet the officer in question.  They will ask for his version of what happened.  If found guilty, punishment could be a reprimand in his file, to maybe, a day or two of suspension."

Amy hopes her story is a wakeup call for both motorists and police.

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  1. Carol posted on 07/27/2012 07:43 AM
    What are you doing speeding with your son in the car? Hope this is your wake up call as you definetly need one.
    1. AMY POLITAKIS posted on 07/27/2012 10:58 AM
      @Carol CAROL I SHOULD HAVE NOT BEEN SPEEDING YOU ARE RIGHT .I SHOULD HAVE AT THAT POINT GOT THE TICKET. I DO NOT SEE WHERE IT IS THE RIGHT OF THE OFFICER TO HAVE TREATED ME IN THAT MANNER .AND THAT IS THE POINT .
  2. Kyle posted on 07/27/2012 09:17 AM
    @ Carol, never speeded? Always drive the exact speed limit? Don't think so. The bigger issue here is police abusing their authiority. This is only a minor uinstance but it happens all the time. People need to film every interaction with the police to keep them accountable. It is your right to record them in their duties along with anyone else in a public place. They are public servants after all. They are not infallible. They are human beings with emotions. It is thier job to keep their emotions in check. We are not slaves to autority. We are free human beings. If this woman's story is true, then the officer should be severely reprimanded. If it is an ongoing problem with the officer then he should be taken off the street.
  3. SusanP_7013 posted on 07/27/2012 10:24 AM
    As a single mother of 4, I remember exactly how it goes when you feel rushed to pick up your kids somewhere and try not to speed while on route.
    But, I was pulled over by the Laval police a few months ago, for not making a full stop, and I have to say the officer was very, very rude, even after I agreed with him that I hadn't made a complete stop and agreed he should ticket me.
    There's not much consideration and understanding left, is there????
  4. amy posted on 07/27/2012 10:48 AM
    Hi , just like to clarify that I never got out of my car ..I sped up a few inches to see what was taking the officer so long that is when the officer approached me locked my car door ,I then turned of the ignition so he doesn't think I would try to leave ....
  5. amy poltakis posted on 07/27/2012 10:54 AM
    JUST WANT TO CLARIFY I DID NOT GET OUT OF MY CAR I SPED UP A FEW INCHES TO SEE WHAT THE POLICE OFFICER WAS DOING ,THAT IS WHEN HE APPROACHED ME LOCKED MY CAR DOOR .AT THIS POINT I CLOSED MT CAR SO AS NOT FOR HIM TO THINK I WAS TRYING TO LEAVE .. HE THREATENED TO ARREST ME ,DId NOT GIVE ME HIS NAME OR BADGE NUMBER WHEN I ASKED ,AND WAS SWEARING ALL SORTS OF PROFAINITY ....
    1. Terry posted on 07/28/2012 06:49 PM
      @amy poltakis While I don't agree with the cop's behavior in any way, I would just like to say that I too have an autistic child and I understand why you wouldn't want to get out of your car, but driving, even just a little bit had to be a really stupid decision now that you think about it? I agree that the cop should have removed your keys at that point, but instead should have asked for them and explained why and kept them until you got your ticket. At that point if you refused, then should have taken them on his own. Not sure what they're protocols are, but like carol said "a little politeness goes a long way" and not from you, but the cop.
  6. Carol posted on 07/27/2012 05:39 PM
    Have not driven in years. I got caught speeding one but was alone in the car. I had enough sense not to get smart or argue with the police officer. He was only doing his job. A little politeness goes a long way.
    1. Terry posted on 07/28/2012 06:40 PM
      @Carol In other words, you were scared to say anything because the person who was issuing the ticket and upholds the law might abuse their privileges just because they don't like what you said and/or how you said it? It is not their right to threaten you if you speak. Freedom of speech is not against the law. If you think an officer is being an asshole, you should have the right to tell them that and to ask them to stop. If they don't, they SHOULD be held accountable, but since cops like this are so corrupt, they're going to lie about the whole situation and nothing is going to happen anyway. I hope the video camera was working and didn't go "missing" so this asshole can get what he deserved.
  7. Terry posted on 07/28/2012 06:31 PM
    Would just like to put in my 2 cents. Cops are SUPPOSED to uphold the law, sure, but what exactly is the law? My understanding is that in certain situations like emergencies, they are supposed to help out and issuing a ticket is not in their best practices, but only to a certain few who think it's their right. If you use youtube you'll see a lot of instances where police abuse their privilege (not a right) to be a police officer. There should be situations also where a ticket cannot be issued, for example, not stopping at a stop sign, but only slowing down enough so that it can be considered a stop, in the middle of the night when there are VERY few, or no cars present, and speeding on the highway when there are again, few or no cars and since any rational person can judge wether there's an oncoming car at night when there are headlights coming at you and possibly, but not in all cases, their distance. There are very few police who use their better judgement anymore and will stop you wether the "crime" is deemed safe or not. I got stopped a year or 2 ago for not stopping at a stop sign and the speed at which i was going through it was 3km/hr. They rely more on their devices and excuses to get their quota in than using a brain. I agree that everyone would probably abuse these privileges if the cops stopped issuing tickets for stupid "mistakes", but if i were a cop I would use my head a little more than the device and if it were a speeder at 120 or 130 on the highway and a maximum of 100, with no one around or didnt quite make that stop, by all means, be safe. I've had cops following me and I've purposely not stopped at a stop sign, just slowed down or i've followed them on the highway at 120, i've passed cops doing 110 while they were at 100 and none of them have done anything. The only cops I've really ever gotten ticketed from are the ones hiding, waiting to suck anyone they can into their abuse of privileges. I've also been in very minor accidents (just a few dents) where the person was completely and utterly stupid. I was driving by a taxi and the passenger opened his door just as i was driving by and scraped up my front end. Taxi driver told me to go buff it out. I wanted to beat the crap out of the idiot. This one happened at night. Another one is when a guy was about 3/4 of a city block in front of me, parked his car at the end of the street to figure out if he wanted to go left or right. i figured he was just parked or waiting for someone cuz his car was still running and just as i went by him, he decided to go left and slam into me. luckily again it was just a dent but it felt like he could have taken my door off. This one, again, happened in the early morning while it was relatively dark, trying to get to work. His excuse was "you didnt give me enough time to turn". This guy I wanted to knock some sense into. Because of stupid people like this, the laws can't change. Don't get me wrong, I agree the law needs to be there, but in certain situations it should just be let go. Some cops are doing a great job, others a good job, but some just need to shove their badge where they know it won't hurt anyone but themselves.
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