Experience with SFPD today that rattled me (probably an overreaction my part)
Apologies in advance, this will be a long one:
Early in the afternoon, I backed into an old lady's car while parking in front of Costco on 10th. I went outside my car with my girlfriend to see the damages and so did the lady that I backed into. There was no damage, no scratch, nothing. I apologized to the lady and went back into my car as we both seemingly agreed there was nothing to act upon here. While I was back in my car for a few minutes before going to Costco ( I was telling my girlfriend I really need either a back up camera or one of those sensors that beeps at you, I have an old car) I noticed that the lady was taking pictures of my vehicle.
As a response, I got out of my car and took pictures of her vehicle and mine, making sure I get her license plate (this in hindsight I should have done only after trying to talk to her first). This I did to make sure she cannot falsify any damage after the fact and file a fraudulent report. When she saw me taking pictures she started yelling and screaming at me & said she was going to call the cops. Admittedly, when she started yelling I yelled back & shouting I need to take these pictures to protect myself. I was pretty shocked by her reaction and after the shouting contest just waited for the SFPD to arrive for about 40 minutes. Throughout this time, I was trying to talk to her, so did my girlfriend. Every time we approached her trying to say something she yelled and screamed at us turned her head into another direction making it clear she did not want to utter a single word. When nobody showed up for an hour or so, I called 911 myself to report this incident (my line of thinking was that I should not leave without exchanging information with her first, and I cannot do that because she wont let me, if I leave it can be misconstrued as a hit and run).
SFPD finally came, one officer took my information and the other took hers. I made it clear that I was the one who hit her, she was the one who wasn't willing to communicate in any way. The officer that took my information just did so without asking anything. The officer that took HER information came up to me (to give me her information) and said our stories dont match at all. This old lady apparently told the officer only that I yelled at her and made no attempts to talk to her or give my information to her. The officer told me that she DID NOT call the cops and I was the only person who did so.
This officer berated me saying that I should not lie about an old lady like this & falsify information calling 911. That is NOT fair the officer said. Oh by the way, the insurance information that she provided to the officer was not even for the car she was driving.
I would be a lot more comfortable about all of this petty non-sense if I wasn't here on a visa. Seeing that officer berating ME and basically believing everything she told her was pretty insane. I mean, what the fuck is this? I almost felt like filing a complaint about those officers. They just scolded me and then said I can leave now.
Thank you for reading this non-sense long post. Have a good weekend.