Comment by: Noemi

My 13-year-old nephew, whom I have legal guardianship of was questioned [more like harassed] by a city police officer on school grounds for wearing a U.S. Postal Services sticker on his shirt [a silly fad at the time]. Apparently, these same stickers had been seen stuck on school property. The police officer threatened to put him in jail or cite him for having “stolen property” in his possession [these stickers are available from any U.S. Post Office]. She also called him a liar repeatedly because he didn’t know the last name of the friend who had given him the sticker. Did the Police Officer abuse his power or authority and can this line of questioning be considered harassment? Thank you.
Dear Noemi: We’re sorry this happened to your nephew. You would need to look to the police department’s rules and policies concerning contacts with minors and/or the laws to see whether the incident constituted harassment. Since you have concerns about the way in which he was questioned, you could make a complaint to the department, so there’s documentation about the particular officer. Her supervisor should know about any inappropriate questioning techniques. Good luck.
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