caught by police

[Babbs]

Hello All,
Had a scare tonight. I was planning a couple of hours out dressed up tonight. I underdressed so all I had to do in my car was put on makeup, wig, boots and insert my breast forms. (I didn't have to take my shirt off). I went to a secluded end of a parking lot at a shoppers club parking lot. While applying final makeup I was startled by a knock on my window. It was a police officer. Then another appeared at the passenger side window. They asked what I was doing there. What could I say but that I was dressing up. They asked where I was going and said this was an area of drug dealing. Yikes! They asked for my license and checked me out. Want to know what was in my pocket book. I had nothing to hide now so I showed them and offered to let them search the car. After all this they let me go. They were not abusive but I have a question. Since they took my license do you think this will make the police log for this town and will it include my name? I did nothing wrong. I am not out to friends and family so I can't afford to have my name listed in a log as a man applying makeup in his car!! Any police officers out there who know what would get entered in the police log for a circumstance such as this?

Thanks,
Worried Babbs!

[Jenniferathome]

No, if you did not receive any paperwork, there is none and no name to be reported.

[Ms. Laura]

That sucks! I wouldn't worry though.

[lingerieLiz]

Probably ran it for wants and warrants. Common procedure for your situation or actually any time they check something out. You would be surprised how many arrests are made this way on people wanted. I have never figured out why people with warrants do things to bring attention to themselves.

[Jean 103]

Yikes, I guess you need to find a better place. A few weeks ago I was on my way home and stopped in a store parking lot to remove my makeup pull on some oversize pants and jacket to cover up. From across the parking lot a car pulled up on me and turned on his spotlight. Yes it was a cop. He asked what I was doing and I told him. He then told me that this was not a safe place and that I should not stop here at that time of night. I told him I would not do it again and that was that. He did not take my name or anything, thou I know some (if not all) of their cars can scan your license plate and all of their cars are equipped with computers.

[Babbs]

Thanks All. Funny as nervous as I am at being found out, I felt no shame or un easiness talking with these policemen while dressed en femme. When they let me go I still went to the Breezeway pub as it is a CD friendly place. Had a drink and spent about an hour there. It is a gay bar, although I'm not gay it is very cd friendly. Funny thing, for the first time while out at this bar another cross dresser came in. There were only four of us in the bar, I wanted to say hello to the CD'er but I wasn't sure of ediquette and should I leave her be. I wonder if she is a member here? Anyone at the Breezeway pub today?

[Stephanie47]

I believe most local police officers are aware of the normalcy of any place on their beats. I would be really surprised if an officer did not check out a car parked in the secluded end of a parking lot. Most women I know would apply their makeup in the brightly lit areas of a public place.

[Shellycd12]

You will be fine. Nothing to worry about. If you signed no paperwork nothing will be logged.
Hope the rest of the night was good.

Hugs, Shelly

[Rosaliy Lynne]

wow Babs - you survived that ok and not to worry.
I recall the first time I was pulled over driving en femme. I was with a male friend/roommate (no we were not a couple) and on our way to have breakfast at IHOP. My registration sticker had expired but I had a temporary ok from dmv pending getting the car fixed to pass the required smog check. I was some nervous but the officer checked me out, verified the temporary sticker I had in the windshield and advised me I would likely get pulled over till that was fixed. Actually that was the only time I was stopped.

[Leona]

Um, I'm going to disagree with some of the ladies posting here.

You don't have to sign anything or receive any paperwork for your story to show up in the police log. In a lot of situations, this is advantageous. For example, divorced parents having trouble getting visitation can get a police officer to show up and log an event, and the person against whom the event is logged receives no paperwork. The repeated logs would be used later in a custody battle.

There are plenty of other situations where police might log something with your name and you have no knowledge it's being logged. Police are generally supposed to log everything, but being human beings, they don't.

The question isn't "did they log you". The question is what did they log. Based on what you've said, they probably only logged that there was a suspicious car, a person inside applying makeup, and they insured there were no drugs or drug dealing happening on the scene. No need to mention your name unless you explicitly asked it to be logged.

However, some police may have gone ahead and logged the vehicle, at least. There's a lot of CYA in logs.

Chances are this situation still won't be found out by anybody to whom you're not out. But there's a really important takeaway mentioned by someone else. If you want the police to avoid you when you're presenting as female, present as female. Put your makeup on in the same places a GG would do so. Do your preparation in the same places a GG would do a hurried prep for a date.

This was my experience with the police:
http://www.davefancella.com/blog/arr...nsvestite.html

(just, you know, because I've been away, and it's always fun to get abused for this story)

[Nikkilovesdresses]

The fact that you weren't panicked by the event and you felt comfortable to continue your evening seems more important to me than some words and numbers possibly typed into some bottomless system. You weren't breaking any laws- you have nothing to fear.

[Marcelle]

Hi Babbs,

I am sure nothing will come of it as you were doing nothing wrong. I am not sure about the USA but I checked with a friend of mine who is a police officer here in Canada and she indicated that they would have run the name for warrants and record and if you came up clean no big issue. However all police officers keep a Daily Occurrence Book (DOB) and the stop would be entered as a DOB extract . . . it is used to keep track of events that is all. Your name may or may not get entered depending on outcome. She indicated in this case most likely not unless they suspected you were up to some shenanigans. In her opinion they would have just entered it as a routine check.

Hugs

Isha

[DonnaT]

Funny thing, for the first time while out at this bar another cross dresser came in . . I wanted to say hello to the CD'er but I wasn't sure of ediquette and should I leave her be.

My experience is, when a new gal comes in, she usually hopes to meet other gals. It would have been fine to start a conversation with her.

[Cassie Cas]

Sounds like you handled it very well. I don't think I would've been able to get any coherent words. And sine there was no crime there is nothing to put in the paper.

[TxCassie]

Baabs,

I don't think you have much to worry about. While procedures are a bit different with every agency, basically, no detail record of your name or address would be kept in this situation that is notable. The daily log an officer keeps may or may not include your name or address. The log will probably only have the date, time, location of contact, general description of activity i.e. investigation of suspicious vehicle, no charge. An officer may include the License Plate Number but normally, would not because the daily log is to report the activity of the officer, not the details of the contact. It is proper and standard procedure for the officer to ask for identification. The officer or his backup will either call the license number into dispatch or run across his MDT in his car to run a check to learn if there are any outstanding warrants on you. No warrants, no action, no log. Yes, because of the check, your personal information is lying somewhere in dispatch or kept in the history on the officer's MDT but nothing will come of the information as long there is no reason for further action. The information will become lost in the humongous pile of information of logged activity that occurred that night of all the officers on duty during the prescribed shift. No information that you were dressed en femme when contacted will be noted.

If you were arrested, then that would be a whole different ballgame. Once arrested, everything changes. Again, much depends on the arresting agency, the relevance of the information, but generally, once arrested, everything about the situation becomes reportable and eventually, part of the public record.

I agree with one of the gals who wrote, that the best thing to do is to apply your makeup in a more public place, i.e., in the parking lot is fine, but in an area where most of the other cars are parked. A parked car, alone, in a dark area of the parking lot is a red beacon for a police officer who is doing his job well. The other most important and beneficial thing that you did was keep clam. Behavior is the number one trigger for further action by a police officer. While being embarrassed may be a natural reaction in such a situation, acting embarrassed leads to nervousness, and that, will be a trigger for a heighten scrutiny from the officer. Allowing the officer to inspect the contents of your pocketbook and car was a good move because it showed, you did not have anything to hide, and you were confident that you are acting in a lawful manner. Any police officer worth his salt in today's environment will know that a man presenting en femme, while may be initially surprising, is not unusual, nor worth heighten scrutiny.

I know such an experience is not the most fun, and it is most disconcerting for any free person when anytime our freedom is arrested, and that is what happen to you. However, how we react in the moment, is the key, but then, isn't it always.

Good Luck !

Cassie

[~Joanne~]

Here's a lesson that I learned a year ago, do NOT dress in a empty parking lot or some place secluded. All it does is draw attention to you. The busier the better. I think, as long as your wig is the first thing in place, most people will not think much of a woman sitting in her car doing her makeup. That's how I do it now when I do go out.

I am sure they ran your name and such to make sure you weren't wanted or had any warrants or such. They probably didn't mention the dressing on the radio but I am sure they talked about it when they, or you, left. I don't think your going to outed over this event.

[kimdl93]

This illustrates the hazards of picking secluded spots to get dressed of simply hang out en femme. Not because the police stopped you, but because these places can be frequented by genuinely dangerous people. I tremble a bit each time I read of a late night walk in a park or city street. Remember there is safety in numbers.

[Cheryl Ann Owens]

As a matter of reference, our local weekly hometown newspaper does list a police log of various incidents. But, the only listings where people are identified are those where an arest is made. Many times the log will be just a list of traffic stops, service calls, etc.. There is even a disclaimer that in this country, all are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

We have to remember that in this age of major drug deals and other crimes, it's too easy to arouse suspicion in secluded areas.

Cheryl

[Beverley Sims]

I learned a long time ago to be brave and do things under bright lights or in a busy place.
There is a lot less chance of being noticed with all the other activity going on around you.

[Stephanie47]

With regards to Cheryl Ann's post I will agree. When I had more contact with the small town my grandparents lived within in up state New York, I often had a chuckle over the police reports actually printed in the local weekly newspaper. If you got a ticket for running a stop sign your name was in the newspaper. That was a civil infraction, not a criminal offense.

As to the police making a stop you cannot assume no entry was made on your driving record. Th last time I was stopped by a police officer it was for a burnt out brake light. The officer let me go with the proviso that I got it fixed. She told me an entry was made on the driving record in case another officer stopped me. She said if the light was not fixed within a reasonable period of time, I will get a ticket. That is one reason why I do a walk around and check all my lights, if I am going out en femme. I don't need the embarrassment of a police stop for the price of a light bulb. In fact I now carry two spare bulbs in case one goes out. It takes two minutes to pop in a new one.

A friend of mine helped a Washington State patrol officer pull a suspect's car out of a ditch with his tractor. The officer made an entry onto his driving record to give him a pass if he was ever stopped. Well, he was stopped one day, and the entry was on his record, and, the entire conversation changed from the very professional stop to a cordial have a nice day and a smile. I would not worry about an entry being stopped, but, the information on the driving record. Many times it's a condition of employment that you give permission to an employer to get a copy of the driving record. I would not want an officer to have made an entry that I was attired as a woman applying makeup, if I was applying for a job as a school bus driver.

In many jurisdictions there is a requirement the officer make so many stops/inquiries during his tour of duty. You may be that stop.

[Leslie Langford]

Not to add to your anxiety, Babbs, but the sad reality of today's world is that there is no such thing as privacy anymore, and no matter what we do, we always leave an electronic trail behind.

Isha's point about a type of DOB log that most police services use is valid one, and I would imagine that some level of detail surrounding their encounter with you would out of necessity have been attached to it, otherwise any such entry would be totally meaningless (and worthless) to them - be it a recorded name, address, or simply your licence plate number which can be cross-referenced (no pun intended ) to you anytime. The fact that the officer apparently ran your plates for an outstanding charges/convictions check attests to that, and once your plate details and the associated query have been entered into their system, that information will float around in cyberspace forever - even if it is only for hackers to access one day - security levels, encryption, and periodic purges of "non-essential" police records from their IT systems notwithstanding.

The other thing to remember is that most police officers these days wear bodycams, and their cruisers are likely to be outfitted with dashboard cams as well to record all their encounters with civilians. Furthermore, the commercial parking lot that you sought out for your transformation activity likely was outfitted with security cams as well, and may also have captured the entire scene. Your good fortune here was that all this happened at night, so whatever video images were recorded might be difficult to reconstruct in a meaningful way, but there will still be a record of them somewhere, and for some indeterminate amount of time.

Sorry that you had to go through all this, and it is definitely a lesson learned for all of us here. That said, more likely than not, whatever electronic trail you left behind will not come back to haunt you anytime soon, and as time passes, this will probably become just a distant, fading memory. As always in a case like this, the best response is to get on with your life regardless, and not let it cripple or define you moving forward as long as you have learned something from that unfortunate experience.

Oh! - and one more thing...resolve to be on your best behavior when out and about from this point forward - and especially when operating a vehicle - lest you attract the attention of the local constabulary yet again and then default to the status of "known to police" after the next encounter. That's when it could become tricky...

[Cheryl Ann Owens]

I would like to add (despite some of the police incidents reported today in the media that are still subject to investigation) that most cops are okay. I'm willing to bet that they've seen it all, and merely crosdressing is tame in comparison. They're looking for real criminals hoping they don't get shot at. I'm sure they've received some kind of diversity and sensitivty training to recognize the different among us where respect goes both ways. Sure it might give them some laughs in the squad room later but they are also bound by privacy issues. Imagine the defamation lawsuit if one made you a poster girl. With no body cam how could they prove you were dressed if you held your ground (even lied) to say you were just combing your hair. Yeah, far fetched but I doubt it would get that far.

Just follow the traffic laws, don't try to hide anything in a back parking lot, and above all be polite. DO NOT express any attitude! The officer is King or Queen of the road like it or not. Tell the officer you understand he is just doing his job. Leave with nice final greeting such as a Thank You. Respect the officer and do what he or she says. That should work almost all the time. I have police officers in my family who have given me a lot of insight.

Cheryl

[biannne]

Hi
I have been stopped for speeding while I was dressed. It was around 1am in the morning. The police officer was young man about half my age. One of the reasons cops ask for ID is to make sure you are who you say. And that can be difficult if you are dressed as woman and have photo id of you as male. On this occasion, I was fortunate enough to have TG ID Card (Transgender ID Card) with me along with my license.

TG ID Card contain such information as your real name, fem name, DOB, address and even license number. There are number of website you can have one made or you can do it yourself.

Here is sample TG ID Card that I found on the net,
Sample_ID_Card_2a.jpg

When police officer pulls anyway one, by law they have to make out report even if you didn't sign any paper. This routine to prevent them from lawsuit and other action. And sometime they might even turn the dash cam on. They are required to log the make of the car license plate, color, name of the person, time and day and all the other things for future reference. I know this because I have been pouring over police reports made by cops on UFOs. I am part time UFO researcher.

But it usually wont effect you unless you commit a crime or have something in the car that is illegal. The best option is to be very polite and answer all questions truthfully. Most cops are trained to liars. And depending on the officer and where you live, they have already seen this situation and knows how to handle them.

If you don't have a safe place to dress, try going to public restroom where you can lock the it.

Anna

[Babbs]

Thanks for the input. Good points. wig on first then makeup not secluded area. I handled the police well I think. I just need to not have my name in a log that is in the local paper. I've been looking online in Salems police log and online in the local paper...haven't seen benign incidents like this listed...fingers crossed!

[Mystery]

I hope it's all right for me to reply to your other concern within another concern. You see, I went to a gay bar last night, expecting to meet a local LGBT head person, but he did not show after all. Now I was alone in a place I'd never been, actually totally out for almost the first time. I sure was hoping for another cd to say 'howdy'. I believe the remaining pop. of America's smokers were there, and nearly every man was stroking one or more other men. I had introduced myself to the woman bartender/owner (having spoken on the phone earlier) and stated my intentions. Had 2 drinks and left. What else could I do? I thought I'd walked out alone, but it seems that a couple of (straight) young couples followed, and I received a derisive wolf whistle as I walked (hurriedly, with dignity!) to my car. So yes, I'd have to say that I would welcome a hello from a 'fellow' cd if such is around when I am out and about.