Stop and Search
- Thread starter Cap10pat
- Start date
Funny how many agencies patrol Croton...all except the village of Croton, they actually patrol the Croton River but stay out of the Hudson. The reason, there are tons of illegals trespassing to swim and drown in the Croton River. Neighbors have identified a problem and the Police are rectifying it.
Pete, the reason these folks receieved the ticket...revenue generator.
Seriously though, I consider my boat more of a summer home than a mode of transportation. It really burns me that we can be stopped and boarded for doing absolutely nothing wrong. It isn't nearly as easy as a road block / DWI stop (which also pisses me off). Why is this acceptable? I think the answer is simple...Joe and Johny cop petition their chief for a boat, he goes to the town, they approve it. Now we're paying the police to work on their tan. Actually, an off-duty officer from one of the boats used that term "I'm just out there to work on my tan". Once in a while they get pressured to justify the expense. If there were only one or two boats and they had a coordinated effort once in a while, that'd be a bit more tolerable. Instead, it just seems to be a "free-for-all".
What a joke, they should turn some of those police boats into something useful like a pumpout boat.
Pete, the reason these folks receieved the ticket...revenue generator.
Seriously though, I consider my boat more of a summer home than a mode of transportation. It really burns me that we can be stopped and boarded for doing absolutely nothing wrong. It isn't nearly as easy as a road block / DWI stop (which also pisses me off). Why is this acceptable? I think the answer is simple...Joe and Johny cop petition their chief for a boat, he goes to the town, they approve it. Now we're paying the police to work on their tan. Actually, an off-duty officer from one of the boats used that term "I'm just out there to work on my tan". Once in a while they get pressured to justify the expense. If there were only one or two boats and they had a coordinated effort once in a while, that'd be a bit more tolerable. Instead, it just seems to be a "free-for-all".
What a joke, they should turn some of those police boats into something useful like a pumpout boat.
Mike, the only Greenburg I know of in NY is land-locked...are you sure it's Greenburg? As far as jurisdiction's concerned, I was told (by one of the heads of police in Croton) that the village has jurisdiction 500 feet from the shoreline. If that's the case, I assume County, State and Feds can patrol Croton Point but not Yonkers, Greenburg, Rockland, etc. Isn't that true? I figured you would know.
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Chris, the Town of Grenburgh does abut the river, however, according to their own map the town ends at Beekman St, which is in Sleepy Hollow, several miles south of Croton
http://gis.greenburghny.com/map.html
http://gis.greenburghny.com/map.html
I stand corrected, I never realized they were on the Hudson, I thought they were more toward White Plains. I guess Irvington and Tarrytown are in the town of Greenburgh...never knew that.
What about the jurisdiction question? Can the Rockland sherriff issue me a ticket at Croton Point forcing me to have to travel to Rockland County court house to fight it?
PS - A person drowned swimming in the Croton River yesterday evening...just read about it in the Journal News.
What about the jurisdiction question? Can the Rockland sherriff issue me a ticket at Croton Point forcing me to have to travel to Rockland County court house to fight it?
PS - A person drowned swimming in the Croton River yesterday evening...just read about it in the Journal News.
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Mike,
Are you doing your research to prepare Tim's defense???
Jonathan
Are you doing your research to prepare Tim's defense???
Jonathan
You know Chris, I think what bugs me about all this is that it seems to be so easy to do something wrong unintentionally and get a ticket. Say I forget to put an orange distress flag onboard. Or I leave the registration in my tackle box and forget to put it on the boat. Or something along those lines. Its one thing to be stopped, checked, and instructed if you make a mistake somewhere. Its another to have to be paranoid that one little omission is going to provide you with a ticket. At the risk of sounding stupid I'll admit that after all these years I'm not even 100 percent sure exactly what I need on the boat to placate the Sheriff's Department. Is it the same as the Coast Guard requirements? The USCG Auxiliary Safety Decal requirements? Some other standard? Which is correct??????
That's not what bothers me. You really should be more careful about your paperwork. What bothers me is, you're cruising down the river on plane looking forward to a nice weekend when for no reason, you are stopped. You must come off plane, explain to the kids what's happening, deal with other boats wakes, give a tour of your "weekend home", find all the BS they require, etc, etc, etc, push off, get back on plane and continue your trip 20 minutes later. WHY is that acceptable?
lexfilipowski
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- Jul 19, 2007
- RO Number
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- 8
My name is Lex Filipowski. I live in Wappingers Falls, NY. I absolutely love and appreciate the beauty of the Hudson Valley which is truly one of the most beautiful places in the world to live and raise a family.
This is my personal experience which reflects a much larger and deeply disturbing national trend which is chipping away at the rights of all of us, the citizens of the U.S.
I own a 21' Larson Cuddy Motor Boat. It has been my dream to own a boat my entire life. I grew up with smaller boats and absolutely loved the experience of spending time on the water.
I started my own consulting company last year and purchased my first boat about 3 months ago. I keep it at White's Marina in New Hamburg and am on it every chance I get.
I write this because I am deeply disappointed with how "We the People" are being harrassed in the name of "security against terrorism" in our own community, namely on the Hudson River. The numerous law enforcement agencies are jumping over each other to stop and "Inspect" safe, responsible, recreational boaters like you and me. This is ludicrous and harrassing. We are asked to "Show Our Papers" for doing nothing more than enjoying the Hudson River. The last I heard, I thought we lived in America! "The land of the free and the home of the brave, not the home of the, "Show me Your Papers"!
I have been stopped 5 times so far this summer! 4 TIMES IN TWO DAYS by 4 different agencies in a 2 mile range of the Hudson River between Gullys and Cold spring! The 1st time I was stopped was near Chelsea Marina. I was pulling up my anchor when a police boat came alongside me and asked what I was doing. “Pulling up my anchor”, I politely told them. Pulling up an anchor must be listed as one of those highly suspicious activities which puts you on "The Watchlist!"
"Well, since we're here", said the police, let's do a safety check." A waste of my time but I showed them all of my equipment which is complete and up to date. After several minutes they left.
The 2nd time I was stopped was in front of Gullys by the Stony Point Park Police. They proceeded to go through a complete written checklist and asked for my registration, my drivers license and my telephone number. After completing this checklist they left.
I then spent some time at Gullys drinking bottled water. After I left Gullys on the way to Cold Spring I was stopped for the 3rd time before I got to Bannermans Island by the Dutchess County Sheriff. This is crazy! This is not how we are supposed to live. What happened to enjoying a nice leisurely trip on the Hudson River?
The next day I was out enjoying the river and was stopped for the 4th time by the Putnam county sheriff in front of Sandy Beach. I spent some time at Sandy Beach and was stopped for the 5th time between Sandy Beach and Cold Spring by another agency. Does anyone see a theme here??? This is unacceptable to me and I will not tolerate the direction that our country is headed! However, "evil triumphs when good people do nothing!" So many people COMPLAIN about the state of things but do nothing to change them and they simply complain more to their friends as things get worse but still do nothing!
SO MANY PEOPLE THINK SOMEONE ELSE WILL DO SOMETHING! WELL THAT SOMEONE IS YOU AND ME!
I choose action! Writing this message is step one. I want to hear from others who will also not allow the freedoms we have for so long enjoyed, the freedoms which are the foundation of our country, be legislated away in the "name of security” resulting in the unacceptable de-evolution of our democracy!"
Most security measures are a farce. They are meant to give the illusion of security. This is clearly illustrated in the news just yesterday when a government report was released and admitted that after all the hundreds of billions of dollars that have been spent on the "war against Terror" and the countless lives that have been lost that Al-Qadia is as strong as they were before the events of 9/11. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE???
By the way, i was not singled out. The 5 police agencies were pulling over every single boat they could.
The boats that got through for the most part did not get checked because the police agencies were engaged with other boats.
5 Police boats - 5 Stopped boats. - Other boats got through. IF THEY WERE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE THEY WOULD HAVE HAD A TOTAL BLOCK OF THE RIVER SO THEY COULD CHECK ALL OF THE BOATS.
I want to make something VERY clear! By no means do I fault the individual police and Sherriffs and other agencies that are doing the stopping. They have always been very professional with me. They are doing what they are told to do.
I am writing this to bring focus to the source of this local police activity. It is much bigger than getting stopped on the river.
The source of this is the fear-mongering philosophies of the politicians, local, regional and national who tell us we will "win the war on terror" with the present inept strategies that are being used at home and abroad. We are told, "we must all be vigilant" and that we need to sacrifice a certain amout of our rights if we want to be safe and secure. We are told we need the”Patriot Act” to allow OUR government to be able to monitor and track us in the name of freedom so they can “keep us safe.” Next, MARK MY WORDS, we will be told that we need to have cameras installed everywhere because this will help our government “keep us even safer!”
Well my friends, George Orwell was indeed a man who saw into a very scary future. I do NOT accept that future and choose to create with you a different future for ourselves and our families.
I tell you this, we will have "LOST THE WAR ON TERROR” if we allow ourselves to live in constant fear of being attacked and change the way we live our lives. We will have “lost the war on terror” if we accept as “normal” a continued intrusive police presence in our lives. We will have “lost the war on terror” if our children grow up thinking that having more and more and more of our rights taken away is simply how America is.
Our country was created on the foundation of liberty and freedom. We were NEVER supposed to become a police state!
The political leaders used to say after a terror threat or attack, "Keep living your lives. Go about your business as usual." That is one of the ways we start to win the war on terror, by not playing the victims. By not being “terrorized.” However the current political leaders are using a very different mantra with the American people now!
Terrorists judge their success not on how many casualties they incur, but by how much fear and terror they illicit after an attack. They judge their success on how much a society will change their lives in reaction to their attack. If we live in fear, the terrosits win. We have a choice!
I AM NOT ANTI- WAR! I AM NOT ANTI-ANYTHING! I AM NOT REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT! I HAVE NO POLICTICAL AGENDA! IN FACT, WHEN YOU ARE ANTI-ANYTHING YOU CREATE MORE OF WHAT YOU ARE AGAINST!
SIMPLY LOOK AT THE PATHETIC RESULTS OF THE WAR ON DRUGS, THE WAR ON POVERTY, THE WAR ON GANGS AND THE WAR ON TERROR!
INSTEAD, LET US FOCUS ON WHAT WE CAN DO TO CREATE A BETTER WAY OF LIFE! SAY YES TO FREEDOM! SAY YES TO ONCE AGAIN LIVING AND EXPERIENCING THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS THAT EACH OF US HAVE TO PURSUE LIFE, LIBERTY AND HAPPINESS!
ONE REFLECTION OF THE DE-EVOLUTION OF OUR DEMOCRACY IS THE ESCALATING POLICE INTRUSIVENESS ON OUR HUDSON RIVER.
THE CHOICES IS YOURS! YOU CAN CONTACT YOUR LOCAL, STATE AND NATIONAL POLITICAL LEADERS AND TELL THEM TO CHANGE COURSE OR YOU WILL VOTE THEM OUT OF OFFICE!
WE THE PEOPLE ACTUALLY DO HAVE THE POWER! WE ONLY NEED TO EXCERCISE IT STARTING TODAY!
Sincerely,
Lex Filipowski
Wappingers Falls, NY
This is my personal experience which reflects a much larger and deeply disturbing national trend which is chipping away at the rights of all of us, the citizens of the U.S.
I own a 21' Larson Cuddy Motor Boat. It has been my dream to own a boat my entire life. I grew up with smaller boats and absolutely loved the experience of spending time on the water.
I started my own consulting company last year and purchased my first boat about 3 months ago. I keep it at White's Marina in New Hamburg and am on it every chance I get.
I write this because I am deeply disappointed with how "We the People" are being harrassed in the name of "security against terrorism" in our own community, namely on the Hudson River. The numerous law enforcement agencies are jumping over each other to stop and "Inspect" safe, responsible, recreational boaters like you and me. This is ludicrous and harrassing. We are asked to "Show Our Papers" for doing nothing more than enjoying the Hudson River. The last I heard, I thought we lived in America! "The land of the free and the home of the brave, not the home of the, "Show me Your Papers"!
I have been stopped 5 times so far this summer! 4 TIMES IN TWO DAYS by 4 different agencies in a 2 mile range of the Hudson River between Gullys and Cold spring! The 1st time I was stopped was near Chelsea Marina. I was pulling up my anchor when a police boat came alongside me and asked what I was doing. “Pulling up my anchor”, I politely told them. Pulling up an anchor must be listed as one of those highly suspicious activities which puts you on "The Watchlist!"
"Well, since we're here", said the police, let's do a safety check." A waste of my time but I showed them all of my equipment which is complete and up to date. After several minutes they left.
The 2nd time I was stopped was in front of Gullys by the Stony Point Park Police. They proceeded to go through a complete written checklist and asked for my registration, my drivers license and my telephone number. After completing this checklist they left.
I then spent some time at Gullys drinking bottled water. After I left Gullys on the way to Cold Spring I was stopped for the 3rd time before I got to Bannermans Island by the Dutchess County Sheriff. This is crazy! This is not how we are supposed to live. What happened to enjoying a nice leisurely trip on the Hudson River?
The next day I was out enjoying the river and was stopped for the 4th time by the Putnam county sheriff in front of Sandy Beach. I spent some time at Sandy Beach and was stopped for the 5th time between Sandy Beach and Cold Spring by another agency. Does anyone see a theme here??? This is unacceptable to me and I will not tolerate the direction that our country is headed! However, "evil triumphs when good people do nothing!" So many people COMPLAIN about the state of things but do nothing to change them and they simply complain more to their friends as things get worse but still do nothing!
SO MANY PEOPLE THINK SOMEONE ELSE WILL DO SOMETHING! WELL THAT SOMEONE IS YOU AND ME!
I choose action! Writing this message is step one. I want to hear from others who will also not allow the freedoms we have for so long enjoyed, the freedoms which are the foundation of our country, be legislated away in the "name of security” resulting in the unacceptable de-evolution of our democracy!"
Most security measures are a farce. They are meant to give the illusion of security. This is clearly illustrated in the news just yesterday when a government report was released and admitted that after all the hundreds of billions of dollars that have been spent on the "war against Terror" and the countless lives that have been lost that Al-Qadia is as strong as they were before the events of 9/11. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE???
By the way, i was not singled out. The 5 police agencies were pulling over every single boat they could.
The boats that got through for the most part did not get checked because the police agencies were engaged with other boats.
5 Police boats - 5 Stopped boats. - Other boats got through. IF THEY WERE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE THEY WOULD HAVE HAD A TOTAL BLOCK OF THE RIVER SO THEY COULD CHECK ALL OF THE BOATS.
I want to make something VERY clear! By no means do I fault the individual police and Sherriffs and other agencies that are doing the stopping. They have always been very professional with me. They are doing what they are told to do.
I am writing this to bring focus to the source of this local police activity. It is much bigger than getting stopped on the river.
The source of this is the fear-mongering philosophies of the politicians, local, regional and national who tell us we will "win the war on terror" with the present inept strategies that are being used at home and abroad. We are told, "we must all be vigilant" and that we need to sacrifice a certain amout of our rights if we want to be safe and secure. We are told we need the”Patriot Act” to allow OUR government to be able to monitor and track us in the name of freedom so they can “keep us safe.” Next, MARK MY WORDS, we will be told that we need to have cameras installed everywhere because this will help our government “keep us even safer!”
Well my friends, George Orwell was indeed a man who saw into a very scary future. I do NOT accept that future and choose to create with you a different future for ourselves and our families.
I tell you this, we will have "LOST THE WAR ON TERROR” if we allow ourselves to live in constant fear of being attacked and change the way we live our lives. We will have “lost the war on terror” if we accept as “normal” a continued intrusive police presence in our lives. We will have “lost the war on terror” if our children grow up thinking that having more and more and more of our rights taken away is simply how America is.
Our country was created on the foundation of liberty and freedom. We were NEVER supposed to become a police state!
The political leaders used to say after a terror threat or attack, "Keep living your lives. Go about your business as usual." That is one of the ways we start to win the war on terror, by not playing the victims. By not being “terrorized.” However the current political leaders are using a very different mantra with the American people now!
Terrorists judge their success not on how many casualties they incur, but by how much fear and terror they illicit after an attack. They judge their success on how much a society will change their lives in reaction to their attack. If we live in fear, the terrosits win. We have a choice!
I AM NOT ANTI- WAR! I AM NOT ANTI-ANYTHING! I AM NOT REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT! I HAVE NO POLICTICAL AGENDA! IN FACT, WHEN YOU ARE ANTI-ANYTHING YOU CREATE MORE OF WHAT YOU ARE AGAINST!
SIMPLY LOOK AT THE PATHETIC RESULTS OF THE WAR ON DRUGS, THE WAR ON POVERTY, THE WAR ON GANGS AND THE WAR ON TERROR!
INSTEAD, LET US FOCUS ON WHAT WE CAN DO TO CREATE A BETTER WAY OF LIFE! SAY YES TO FREEDOM! SAY YES TO ONCE AGAIN LIVING AND EXPERIENCING THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS THAT EACH OF US HAVE TO PURSUE LIFE, LIBERTY AND HAPPINESS!
ONE REFLECTION OF THE DE-EVOLUTION OF OUR DEMOCRACY IS THE ESCALATING POLICE INTRUSIVENESS ON OUR HUDSON RIVER.
THE CHOICES IS YOURS! YOU CAN CONTACT YOUR LOCAL, STATE AND NATIONAL POLITICAL LEADERS AND TELL THEM TO CHANGE COURSE OR YOU WILL VOTE THEM OUT OF OFFICE!
WE THE PEOPLE ACTUALLY DO HAVE THE POWER! WE ONLY NEED TO EXCERCISE IT STARTING TODAY!
Sincerely,
Lex Filipowski
Wappingers Falls, NY
I agree all these boardings can be a hassle but there are several problems out there on the river. One is this problem that Homeland security is looking at with the large ships throwing items overboard to small boats as well as people that are out there bwi. Lets not forget the people that dont have any of there safety equipment on board never less the boats that should not be on the water.
They can go overboard at time and do seem to issue citations for some of the smallest issues they can which is annoying.
I have been luck so far this year and have not been boarded, but with all this chatter about boardings I checked my equipment and found my flares had expired last month. Oh wait till you try and buy the 12 gauge flare, they no longer sell them so new gun as well as flares...
They can go overboard at time and do seem to issue citations for some of the smallest issues they can which is annoying.
I have been luck so far this year and have not been boarded, but with all this chatter about boardings I checked my equipment and found my flares had expired last month. Oh wait till you try and buy the 12 gauge flare, they no longer sell them so new gun as well as flares...
Hey Lex, you had me through the first half of the story but I lost interest when it went political. Personally, I don't think it's as much a "war on terror" issue as so many departments wanting their own boat. Perhaps a homeland security grant paid for the boat and now they are being asked to issue summonses to pay for gas and upkeep.
I'd like to see everyone turn in their boat to say the CG or NYS police. From there, they will hire, train and coordinate patrol of the river. In your case, if you get pulled over once, you should be good for a few weeks at least. If the operations were coordinated, perhaps the officers would have a list amongst themselves of boat names and/or reg numbers that have been harassed, er checked in the last few weeks.
I'd like to see everyone turn in their boat to say the CG or NYS police. From there, they will hire, train and coordinate patrol of the river. In your case, if you get pulled over once, you should be good for a few weeks at least. If the operations were coordinated, perhaps the officers would have a list amongst themselves of boat names and/or reg numbers that have been harassed, er checked in the last few weeks.
Lex has a point though - are other people being harassed to the level he was??? Any ideas why he was singled out in this manner???
Dumb question, but did you mouth off to the cops or something? They have radios you know. Perhaps one boat said to the other, "hey fellas, lets have a little fun with this guy" or something like that...
BTW you should pay the $$$, get your anchor and join us over at the Not Boating Related section - you'll fit right in with the rest of us maniacs and we can argue politics and religion all we want
!!!
Dumb question, but did you mouth off to the cops or something? They have radios you know. Perhaps one boat said to the other, "hey fellas, lets have a little fun with this guy" or something like that...
BTW you should pay the $$$, get your anchor and join us over at the Not Boating Related section - you'll fit right in with the rest of us maniacs and we can argue politics and religion all we want
!!!lexfilipowski
Member
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2007
- RO Number
- 27576
- Messages
- 8
Hi Pete!
It's great to hear from you!
To Clarify my experience. The agencies were stopping as many boats as they possibly could. I was not singled out. At one point there were 5 different agencies in front of Sandy Beach which is between Cornwall and Cold Spring.
They were stopping every boat they could get to. Big boats, little boats, jet skis. One gentleman I spoke with at Sandy Beach didn't want to leave the beach until after the police presence left.
He said he didn't simply didn't want to be hassled. However, the police boats including a coast guard cutter were there the ENTIRE day stopping boats on Friday, Saturday and Sunday!
It's great to hear from you!
To Clarify my experience. The agencies were stopping as many boats as they possibly could. I was not singled out. At one point there were 5 different agencies in front of Sandy Beach which is between Cornwall and Cold Spring.
They were stopping every boat they could get to. Big boats, little boats, jet skis. One gentleman I spoke with at Sandy Beach didn't want to leave the beach until after the police presence left.
He said he didn't simply didn't want to be hassled. However, the police boats including a coast guard cutter were there the ENTIRE day stopping boats on Friday, Saturday and Sunday!
Hey Lex, By any chance did the law enforcement officers on any of the stops ask if you were pulled over and had a safety check recently? If not, did you volunteer that information. Everytime you are questioned or inspected on your vessel, you are then provided with documentation of the stop. Save the document on your vessel. For the next time. If you were to prove and show that you were in-fact inspected, than they would have said, Thank you and have a great day of boating.
lexfilipowski
Member
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2007
- RO Number
- 27576
- Messages
- 8
Hi Pete!
When you say to me that "it wasn't my day", you are missing the point. I wasn't singled out. What I experienced with getting stopped is what many others have experienced as well. Whether it's getting stopped one time in a day or more. The random stopping and detaining of recreational boaters like you and I is not acceptable!
There was a gentleman who was stopped in the Albany area a few weeks ago 7 TIMES IN 1 DAY!
Two boats were searched and torn apart by police last weekend! The police found nothing. They were completely innocent boaters.
I posted my comments to bring this to the forefront of discussion so that we can do something about it and change the escalation of police intrusiveness in our lives.
So many people talk and complain but do nothing. Let's individually as well as collectively contact our local, state and national politicians.
We are NOT a police state. How many people have been stopped at checkpoints in their cars as we merrily drive down the road?
The police stop us and check our inspection and registration and seat belts. In a truly free country, this would not happen! But people are getting used to it. That is truly scary!
If you take a frog and drop it in boiling water, it will jump right out. However, if you place a frog in a pot of room temperature water and slowly heat the water to boiling, the frog will stay right in the pot and boil to death completely unaware of its' plight.
When you say to me that "it wasn't my day", you are missing the point. I wasn't singled out. What I experienced with getting stopped is what many others have experienced as well. Whether it's getting stopped one time in a day or more. The random stopping and detaining of recreational boaters like you and I is not acceptable!
There was a gentleman who was stopped in the Albany area a few weeks ago 7 TIMES IN 1 DAY!
Two boats were searched and torn apart by police last weekend! The police found nothing. They were completely innocent boaters.
I posted my comments to bring this to the forefront of discussion so that we can do something about it and change the escalation of police intrusiveness in our lives.
So many people talk and complain but do nothing. Let's individually as well as collectively contact our local, state and national politicians.
We are NOT a police state. How many people have been stopped at checkpoints in their cars as we merrily drive down the road?
The police stop us and check our inspection and registration and seat belts. In a truly free country, this would not happen! But people are getting used to it. That is truly scary!
If you take a frog and drop it in boiling water, it will jump right out. However, if you place a frog in a pot of room temperature water and slowly heat the water to boiling, the frog will stay right in the pot and boil to death completely unaware of its' plight.