I knew when I mentioned that I was a retired cop that I was going to receive negative feedback but I understand that. I have friends who are envious of my $150,000 pension. Hopefully I will collect it for many years to come even with my old throbbing red vein.
- Thread starter hard times doug
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Driving while Gringo (Police corruption alive and well in SD)
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I wonder with such a large Pension ($150K) why Doug complains about 5,000 pesos ?
Doug you are an ex cop ? I thought most cops, particularly New Yorkers, knew when keep things more private - like identity.
Let's see if Doug is your real name, you have a Cedula, your a retired ex-cop from New York, own a condo on the Malecon, have a friend whose a 'major' in the PN or military, jog along the Malecon when you are here - put out the name of a Police Sgt that stopped you and you carry a semi-automatic handgun and possess a Dominican gun permit.
You know if this was a message board for Dominican ladrones how many people would be able to track you - maybe just for the gun or a small piece of that large pension, you must bring with you? I know you did not intend people to get into your business when you started this thread but you put too much out there on social media.
And with a $150K pension - how come you call yourself "Hard Time Doug" I'd call myself Lucky Doug?
Doug you are an ex cop ? I thought most cops, particularly New Yorkers, knew when keep things more private - like identity.
Let's see if Doug is your real name, you have a Cedula, your a retired ex-cop from New York, own a condo on the Malecon, have a friend whose a 'major' in the PN or military, jog along the Malecon when you are here - put out the name of a Police Sgt that stopped you and you carry a semi-automatic handgun and possess a Dominican gun permit.
You know if this was a message board for Dominican ladrones how many people would be able to track you - maybe just for the gun or a small piece of that large pension, you must bring with you? I know you did not intend people to get into your business when you started this thread but you put too much out there on social media.
And with a $150K pension - how come you call yourself "Hard Time Doug" I'd call myself Lucky Doug?
The car is in Wife's name and she does the driving here in RD... I get to see all the country.
In SDO I use my favorite Taxi driver....... Got stopped en route to Santiago once and She told the PN where to get off at and we were flagged on.... he did not want to mess with her.
Best synopsis ever! This line might of cost me a cell phone (it gets easier with practice)laughed out loud knocked over drink on phone...
it's the internet. every poster is Bill Gates, or John Wayne , or...
there are no irrelevant old men, sitting in life's departure lounge. it is all a collection of adorable megastars.
First off, i feel sorry for the OP. Its never a nice thing to be shaked down.
What I dont get is :
A. Why you handed over the ammo with the gun.
B. Why you let him in your car.
C. Why you wouldnt let things pan out, as, I take it from your post, that your gun was legal, you had a license for it, the car and papers were in order and that you didnt have 5 illegal haitians and a K of yeyo in the boot.
Honestly I have never had a problem with a " gun control roadblock " as you mention ( but we hardly take firearms when we are out and about anymore ).
Usally its a "do you have a gun ? " " yes " " gun permit please " and then we are on our way. Maybe once every 3 times they actually check the gun ( presumably serial numbers or whatnot ). And after 5mn, we are on our way.
Never been threatened to have our firearms confiscated ( well, when all the papers are in order ).
Once a young PN got all excited for a shotgun, saying the license was out of date, bablabla...... but when the person in charge came over, he explained to the young PN that shotgun licenses are permanent permits......lol.
Anyway, I would have stood my ground, as all your paperwork was in order, and after a time, I am guessing he would have sent you on your way.
And 5k pesos !!!! Thats probably half his salary !!!
Years ago i got parted with 1k pesos, after been taken to a military " fort" after they stopped me at a road bock ( the 2nd time i went through it------ i was lost, lol ), as the hand gun license was expired, and I had the gun, whereas it was my wife's gun and license.
I guess its called inflation !!
What I dont get is :
A. Why you handed over the ammo with the gun.
B. Why you let him in your car.
C. Why you wouldnt let things pan out, as, I take it from your post, that your gun was legal, you had a license for it, the car and papers were in order and that you didnt have 5 illegal haitians and a K of yeyo in the boot.
Honestly I have never had a problem with a " gun control roadblock " as you mention ( but we hardly take firearms when we are out and about anymore ).
Usally its a "do you have a gun ? " " yes " " gun permit please " and then we are on our way. Maybe once every 3 times they actually check the gun ( presumably serial numbers or whatnot ). And after 5mn, we are on our way.
Never been threatened to have our firearms confiscated ( well, when all the papers are in order ).
Once a young PN got all excited for a shotgun, saying the license was out of date, bablabla...... but when the person in charge came over, he explained to the young PN that shotgun licenses are permanent permits......lol.
Anyway, I would have stood my ground, as all your paperwork was in order, and after a time, I am guessing he would have sent you on your way.
And 5k pesos !!!! Thats probably half his salary !!!
Years ago i got parted with 1k pesos, after been taken to a military " fort" after they stopped me at a road bock ( the 2nd time i went through it------ i was lost, lol ), as the hand gun license was expired, and I had the gun, whereas it was my wife's gun and license.
I guess its called inflation !!
malko, it is a study in picking your fight. if it is 2 o clock in the afternoon, and there are tweny cars behind you waiting to get checked, by all means stand your ground. if it is 2 o clock in the morning, and you are alone out there, standing ground could go sideways real quick. ''oops...i feared for my life.''
Mmmh..... I can imagine the PN guy landing in a world of pain if he shoots a gringo, as we still are ( even though less than before ) a protected spicies
.Honestly, I wouldnt stop in an isolated place, day or night. I drive on and stop somewhere with lots of people and/or a PN station.
It happened to me once in santiago, in broad daylight. 2 anti-drug police on a motorbike trying to get me to pull over. It was isolated ( on the " motorway "/ overpass through santiago ).
My first thought was to run the 2 c.unts over, they were on a motorbike. They looked more like narcos than police guys....lol.
I turned off the motorway and pulled into the National supermarket parking.
The 2 guys were going ape****.
One proceeded to search my SUV while the other stood back and "covered " me with a shotgun. My wife was 2 inches away from him spitting at him " no way i am stepping back. I am checking and filming to make sure your dirty hands are as clean as can be ". ie, making sure they dont plant anything incriminating.
All this time I had my hands on the bonnet, my legs spread out and the 2nd guy pointing a shotgun at me. ( strangely he left my gun in my waist band------ well wife's gun lol ).A bus of tourists were taking pictures of us....... hahahha.
I was like if I disappear send the footage to the UK and swiss embassies !!!! ......only half kidding lol.
If possible, never, never stop at isolated places........
Probably due to coming from a city and country (NYC, USA) where you are taught to obey the police and law
Mmmh..... I can imagine the PN guy landing in a world of pain if he shoots a gringo, as we still are ( even though less than before ) a protected spicies
Honestly, I wouldnt stop in an isolated place, day or night. I drive on and stop somewhere with lots of people and/or a PN station.
It happened to me once in santiago, in broad daylight. 2 anti-drug police on a motorbike trying to get me to pull over. It was isolated ( on the " motorway "/ overpass through santiago ).
My first thought was to run the 2 c.unts over, they were on a motorbike. They looked more like narcos than police guys....lol.
I turned off the motorway and pulled into the National supermarket parking.
The 2 guys were going ape****.
One proceeded to search my SUV while the other stood back and "covered " me with a shotgun. My wife was 2 inches away from him spitting at him " no way i am stepping back. I am checking and filming to make sure your dirty hands are as clean as can be ". ie, making sure they dont plant anything incriminating.
All this time I had my hands on the bonnet, my legs spread out and the 2nd guy pointing a shotgun at me. ( strangely he left my gun in my waist band------ well wife's gun lol ).A bus of tourists were taking pictures of us....... hahahha.
I was like if I disappear send the footage to the UK and swiss embassies !!!! ......only half kidding lol.
If possible, never, never stop at isolated places........
we had a pair of those anti drug asshats pull us over in Santiago once, trying to shake us down. luckily, my buddy recognized one of them as being a guy who was at a party in POP, and asked him if he knew Paco. the cop said Paco was his friend, and so a conversation got going, and we went on our way, otherwise it would have been gloomy.
next time i saw the guy was sitting on a chair in Pepe Motors, holding a colostomy bag. he had been shot full of holes by some gangstas in the hood..
Well, where I come from, thankfully, if I am all in order ( as in paperwork, etc....) police have no cause to detain/hassle me.
I have never, never ever seen an european police man ( or customs, drug, etc....) get into someones car and and then drive off with them.....w.t f ?
Depending on what agency they are from, they can search my car, search my person, check my ID, etc...... but at the end of the day they will send me on my way without getting into my car.
I had an AMET stop me for tinted windscreen in santiago. The guy just wanted a tip, and i wasnt in the mood to oblige.
But he is doing me a favour, if he takes me to AMET HQ it will take hours and paperwork...blabblablba.
I told him fine lets go to AMET.
So he tries to open the backdoor to my car.....lol.
I am like w.t.f ? I aint no taxi, take your own bloody vehicule.....
He says he doesnt have 1.
Not my problem. Meet us there, take a cab or walk under the rain, its up to you.
........... and he sent us on our way.
Just as it is prudent to take steps to gather evidence if you are in a vehicle collision by installing a dash cam or two, unfortunately it is also necessary to take steps to protect yourself when you are driving around this island and find yourself having an interaction with the poorly paid and unprofessional official.
The are several inexpensive ways to document these encounters should it prove necessary to recount the events in a way that does not allow for biased interpretation.
Most of us come from countries where paying officials directly is completely unacceptable. When you come here you quickly learn that if you don't have all your ducks in a row, you are a prey item. Those with residency, a Dominican Driver's License, a valid gun permit, the correct vehicle documents, stickers and plates should have little fear standing up to these corrupt opportunists.
The vultures see a white face and immediately make some poor assumptions. They want to meet the tourists here for less than 30 days in their rental vehicles who are on a budget and a timeline. These are the people who will throw money out the window at the mere suggestion of a problem. I don't blame these tourists, as a one off occurrence during a short stay, sure it's infuriating but it is the easiest and cheapest way to get out of there and immediately return the rental car.
Non-status residents know the game and cough up the cash eventually because they know at the end of the day, they are not standing on the most solid of legal footings and accept the occasional payment as "the cost of living here" without residency. As long as the costs of living this way do not amount to more than $750 USD/year it's cheaper than getting legal but you remain vulnerable from day to day to more of the same.
If people stopped making the roadside shakedown profitable, we all would be better off. I understand why some choose to pay, but it annoys me to no end when I get lumped into the pale-faced easy mark stereotype. I choose not to pay. Because of the choices and opportunities I have availed myself of since moving here, when I identify myself I'm on my way again knowing that at least the next 10 gringos are going to get waved straight through while the "Highway Robber Barons" allow their adrenaline levels to fall as they contemplate what has just happened.
Clearly corruption is the main problem. Highway robbery remains a problem because it is profitable. It is profitable because many choose to pay. Tourists are told not to drive here by at least one person they know. Partly because it is dangerous to do so, but also because it leaves them vulnerable to predatory behavior from officials - yet they choose to do it anyway. Those who live here in a state of legal limbo also contribute to the problem because they choose to pay to avoid having to explain what they are doing in the country. Those who lay the foundation for the profitability of this type of corruption are both a big part of the problem and also a big part of the solution.
As long as we continue to make it easy, the open hands will be thrust in our direction. Those who knowingly put themselves into a situation and pay their way out time and again, make it more difficult for everyone who follows. Stop feeding the corruption either by not getting into the situation in the first place, or by growing a pair and refusing to reinforce the cowardly quacking gringo stereotype that all too often accepts being a victim as par for the course.
The are several inexpensive ways to document these encounters should it prove necessary to recount the events in a way that does not allow for biased interpretation.
Most of us come from countries where paying officials directly is completely unacceptable. When you come here you quickly learn that if you don't have all your ducks in a row, you are a prey item. Those with residency, a Dominican Driver's License, a valid gun permit, the correct vehicle documents, stickers and plates should have little fear standing up to these corrupt opportunists.
The vultures see a white face and immediately make some poor assumptions. They want to meet the tourists here for less than 30 days in their rental vehicles who are on a budget and a timeline. These are the people who will throw money out the window at the mere suggestion of a problem. I don't blame these tourists, as a one off occurrence during a short stay, sure it's infuriating but it is the easiest and cheapest way to get out of there and immediately return the rental car.
Non-status residents know the game and cough up the cash eventually because they know at the end of the day, they are not standing on the most solid of legal footings and accept the occasional payment as "the cost of living here" without residency. As long as the costs of living this way do not amount to more than $750 USD/year it's cheaper than getting legal but you remain vulnerable from day to day to more of the same.
If people stopped making the roadside shakedown profitable, we all would be better off. I understand why some choose to pay, but it annoys me to no end when I get lumped into the pale-faced easy mark stereotype. I choose not to pay. Because of the choices and opportunities I have availed myself of since moving here, when I identify myself I'm on my way again knowing that at least the next 10 gringos are going to get waved straight through while the "Highway Robber Barons" allow their adrenaline levels to fall as they contemplate what has just happened.
Clearly corruption is the main problem. Highway robbery remains a problem because it is profitable. It is profitable because many choose to pay. Tourists are told not to drive here by at least one person they know. Partly because it is dangerous to do so, but also because it leaves them vulnerable to predatory behavior from officials - yet they choose to do it anyway. Those who live here in a state of legal limbo also contribute to the problem because they choose to pay to avoid having to explain what they are doing in the country. Those who lay the foundation for the profitability of this type of corruption are both a big part of the problem and also a big part of the solution.
As long as we continue to make it easy, the open hands will be thrust in our direction. Those who knowingly put themselves into a situation and pay their way out time and again, make it more difficult for everyone who follows. Stop feeding the corruption either by not getting into the situation in the first place, or by growing a pair and refusing to reinforce the cowardly quacking gringo stereotype that all too often accepts being a victim as par for the course.
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