Police Procedure at a teen party

I did a ride along with a cop that busted a kegger.

It was just him doing the busting which consisted of him creeping up on the house with his lights off then turning them on. He didn't use the siren, but the lights were enough to send the kids (I'm guessing maybe 30+) running like mad. They scattered in every direction, guys and girl, flying over fences. It was nuts.

He stepped out with his flashlight and told a few kids to freeze and they did. But even the kids who lived at the house (their parents were gone) had fled. He made them dump out the hard alcohol and call it a night. The kids that stuck around were all compliant and he didn't issue a citation to anyone. Neighbors had complained about the noise. That was pretty much it. If he were after a certain kid, he might have needed another officer on the scene.

The cop I was with hated working this neighborhood, which was essentially a rich white suburb. The other officers rotated through this duty area since it was considered boring––basically busting up keggers and talking to people about barking dogs...

Anyway, that's my experience.

MMmmmmm... I would say it depends on what type of neighborhood it is in. If it is one known for drugs and crime they would be a lot more free with the citations, searches, and arrests. If it isn't known for any such issues, they would have less reason to suspect anything more than a little partying.

Two cops arrive at a house where a party is in full swing. They're there for one kid in particular. It's obvious the other kids are/have been drinking and smoking pot, but technically, they're only here for the one kid.

I presume they would probably tell the other kids to break it up and go home, possibly after questioning some or all of them, and probably do some field sobriety tests before letting anyone drive -- but how would they do so? The party's not out of control, but there are definitely some laws being broken. The cops are here investigating an assault that took place near the house, perpetrated by one of the teens. They find the kid easy, and he doesn't resist.

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It probably gets more complicated when cops have to deal with not just underage drinking, but with marijuana. If you want to keep things simple, I'd suggest leaving it at alcohol. Then it's safe to assume everything can play out the same--cops scare the crap out of everyone, they'll run; the ones left behind will dump the alcohol. Cops might take some names, too.

Depending on how far you take the bust for plot purposes, kids caught drinking at parties will face ramifications in the school system, especially if they're on sports teams.

If the police do not have a search warrant they can't do anything but notice what is in plain sight--they can't go into closed rooms, open drawers, etc. If there's a person there complaining of date rape that can make the whole thing into a crime scene: arrests, taking evidence, doing a search, etc.

HeronW said:

If the police do not have a search warrant they can't do anything but notice what is in plain sight--they can't go into closed rooms, open drawers, etc. If there's a person there complaining of date rape that can make the whole thing into a crime scene: arrests, taking evidence, doing a search, etc.

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That may be so, but cops lie. A lot. Especially to kids. lol. Kids rarely know much about proper police procedure, and cops are smart enough to take advantage of that situation. Doesn't mean they don't follow procedure, but they might encourage participation that would otherwise be lacking.

"If you don't come out willingly and I have to bust this door down, I am going to arrest your ass for resistance and disorderly conduct."

It's all B.S., but it works to their advantage when someone opens the door, lets them in, and then says stupid things like, "Man, don't bust on us for only have an 1/8th!"

I don't know where the line is...how much they can lie and cajole before it becomes some type of offense against the cop, but I am sure there are some more knowledgeable members around here somewhere.

(Please, don't think this is a bad thing. I hope if they ever catch my kids doing something wrong they tell them the "next" time they are going to ship them off to a hard labor camp in Thailand, just to scare them straight. )

At any large party, there are plenty of things going on that give the cops probable cause to do whatever they want. Mostly, the front door is open and people are wandering in and out. You see a kid a kid staggering around drunk and tell him to come over. Instead, he runs into the house?. Perfectly legit to follow him in. Once you're inside, anything you see is fair game.

Loud music, people yelling? Maybe there's an assault going on in the house. You can check it out.

And technicalities are not observed very closely anyway. Citations are seldom issued unless there's a refusal to comply -- the basic idea is to break up the party and get everyone out of there before things get totally out of hand.

My most disliked party call? Not the ones in the rough part of town. Fraternities. Always lots of alcohol, always lots of privileged kids talking about their "rights," always some asshole who thinks fighting with the cops is cool, with his buddies egging him on.

The diff w/ a generic term like 'partying' is it means diff things to diff people. Hanging out. Listening to music. Drinking. Being drunk. Smoking. Smoking what? Selling it, trading it?

In the sit you describe, FTJosh, your ofcs would call another unit or two to handle the party---they got their suspect and will cont their inv on the assault.

Neither they nor the second unit will be doing field sobriety tests to allow folks to drive. If ya think someone's had too much to drink, then that someone is finding another way home, not getting an A-OK courtesy the ofc that 'yeah, you're ok after all.' No way. Field sobriety is indicative of being over the presumptive limit of drunkenness, but people are certainly impaired prior to reaching the presumptive limit. No cop is going to okay someone to drive because he only exhibited 3 positives on the nystagmus test instead of 4. No testing, just call the cab, call daddy, start walking, whatever.

HeronW said:

If the police do not have a search warrant they can't do anything but notice what is in plain sight--they can't go into closed rooms, open drawers, etc. If there's a person there complaining of date rape that can make the whole thing into a crime scene: arrests, taking evidence, doing a search, etc.

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Uhm...

It's *already* a crime scene!

MIPC and possession of marijuana are still crimes in California.

And in this above situation - regardless - they can search the rest of the house for violators that may be hiding.

Rabe...

FTJoshua said:

That's awesome, everyone. I appreciate it. Thanks for the heads up on the sobriety tests, Horseshoes. That was a prominent image in the chapter. I'll clean that up. Thanks!

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You might also want to make sure that 'assault' means the same thing under the california penal code as you may think it means.

Here in Nevada, people talk about 'assault' all the time when they really mean 'battery'.

Rabe...

Now, here is how we do it around where I live:

We go there, we catch as many as we can and then we determine what is going to happen to them. Repeat/multiple offender? Off to JDC where their parents can come down and get them - if they feel like it. Under the influence of marijuana? Same deal (unless, of course, they're over 18 in which case they go to adult jail regardless of anything below - and will probably have a whole host of additional charges such as 'contributing to the delinquency'.)

If they're not going to JDC, then they are going to have their parents called to come and get them. In the meantime, the alcohol is going to be destroyed. But the marijuana throws things off...a lot.

Usually they'll ask to go to jail before they want their parents called. At least in jail they are protected. Once the parents drive off then the protection is gone. But the 'just let them go' thing? So NOT going to happen. Unless the officer is lazy.

Rabe...

rugcat said:

My most disliked party call? Not the ones in the rough part of town. Fraternities. Always lots of alcohol, always lots of privileged kids talking about their "rights," always some asshole who thinks fighting with the cops is cool, with his buddies egging him on.

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And there is usually a criminal justice major there, ready to tell you how you are supposed to do your job. Yes, I am glad I work investigations now rather than patrol!

I've never seen anyone actually get arrested at a party. I've heard a lot of threats, but I've never actually seen a police officer arrest someone. The most common one is "Everyone take out your ID, if anyone is under 21, everyone over 21 is being charged for buying alcohol for minors," but I've never actually seen an officer follow through. I think they just like to scare everyone a bit before they send them home.

Wow, you yanks really know how to have fun.