OK so I was walking home frome the closing shift at work tonight. ( I live close enough to my work that I would end up wasting gas waiting for the traffic lights to and still take longer because of said lights to drive as compared to the 5-15 minute walk. ) I locked up at 12:30 a.m. and started my walk home. I normally pass by one cruiser that sits rights across the street from my work parked in the jewlery stores parking lot watching for any teens that like to race along that portion of St. Route 48. They never stop or say anything to me since they can see me locking the door when I leave work so they know what's up. When I get to my street I pass by another cruiser every now and then and they normally ask what I'm doing and when I tell them I'm on my way home from work and were I work they normally say OK have a good/safe night.

Well tonight as I'm coming up to my street there is a cruiser parked there with an officer I haven't seen before. I walk right by the cruiser turning the corner since he didn't say anything and had his windows up. I then hear the cruiser turning around and see the lights reflected on the speed limit sign getting brighter and he pulls up next to me and stops me right in front of my next door neighbors house. I'm thinking , " Great, figures he stops me just one house away from mine. Plus on the night I'm in my trenchcoat because it was raining when I went to work. Oh well. My work uniform is visible including the logo even with the coat on. No biggie. " and figuring he's going to just ask what I'm doing and then be on his way. He goes through the usual routine I'm used to asking what I'm doing and I tell him and make mention that mine is the next house. Then he throws in a surprise for me and asks for my ID. I figure he's just going to check the picture and make sure it's me and that the address on it is the same that I told him. He looks it over and then types the information into his computer after having to ask for the ID number again since he typed it in the wrong box. After he does that he tells me " OK. Sorry about that. Just not used to seeing anyone walk around this neighborhood this late at night." and then he sits there for a minute as I proceed up to my house and I see him out of the corner of my eye driving by slowly as I open the door and go in.

What I'm wanting to know is what are the chances that I've been entered the police database for lurking or some other thing when he typed my ID info into his computer? I may just be feeling paranoid for no reason but since he's the only one who's ever asked for my ID or typed into their dash computer I'm wondering what may be up. I really don't wanna have any type of record before I've even gone on a patrol in uniform yet.

Police are nowhere near as diabolical as some would have you believe.
Worry not friend you have not been entered into any "Secret" police database
he most likely did exactly what he said he did, put the ID in the wrong field.

I was just worried since NONE of the other officers who have ever stopped me have ever asked for ID and typed it into the computer. It just seemed off to me. I expected him to trail behind and watch to see if I actually went into the house I said but not to type in my ID data.

I get pulled over all the time on my way home from work...I get out of the bar at like 1 or 2 am and I mean, I look like I'm 17, (admittedly playing loud music, lol). They always run my id and such, and I was JUST as curious as you are. So, when I went on a random patrol with my uncle, (a cop in a nearby city), while we were in his police car, I had him run my license. Nothing out of the ordinary came up. Just the usual info about me..when they search your ID...they just search it. I'm sure they can enter a note in there, but they most likely wouldn't even care enough since you had proven your residence.

So, here's a pro tip: If you know a cop, have them run your license with you at their computer in the cop car. It'll put your mind at ease. :]

No probs. It's actually kind of fun to see if anything fun comes up.

Here's a thought...

I'm not sure about the area you live in, but Pine Bluff (where I currently live) is rated as one of the worst places in America to live and has one of the highest crime rates of any city in the country. One big problem here is that the police are not as appreciated as they should be. This is in part due to one or two bad apples, but mostly due to the fact that they have the unpopular job of sweeping up the pieces when things fall apart and are not backed up by the city council or the mayor when things go awry. Its not uncommon for an officer to be thrown under the bus to further some political agenda here. The police chief himself was fired last month because he crossed the mayor (It is suspected BTW that the mayor has ties to the drug dealers locally and the chief was getting too close to his interests)

Anyhow...

You said that you normally pass two cruisers on the way home from work. What would happen if you stopped THEM and offered them a cold soda or a cup of coffee when you passed them? I can tell you what would happen. They would begin to notice you and would enter you in their memory as a kind person who cared about them and the effort they put out to keep the city safe.

Imagine how good would it be for you to have several officers who actually KNOW you as a person rather than a name or an ID number? Imagine how helpful it would be for you if you were stopped on patrol one night if the officer recognized you as the guy who brings him coffee every night? Think about that for a moment and let the possibilities dance through your mind.

I make a habit that when I see a police officer, fire fighter, EMT, or military service member to stop and thank them for their service. A quick handshake and a thank you goes a long way. When I've had to deal with the police professionally I tried to always thank themas they were finishing up. Its not always possible to shaike their hands when they are hauling off some crackhead, but they remember the kind word and the show of support.

If you really want to get on their good side, then learn their names. If you call them by their name it will break down that wall of indifference between the two of you. At any rate you should call them "Officer" and use "Sir" or "Maam" when addressing them as it shows respect and it will cause them to return that respect. It may take a few encounters before you see results, but you WILL see results.

The police tend to become hardened, or bitter because they deal with the worst of society on a regular basis. When you find ways to encourage them, you have effectively doubled the good you can do because they will pass that friendliness on to the rest of the people they encounter.

And as for that 1%-5% of officers that are rude, self centered, and basically useless examles of humanity. This effort will help you identify them for future use.

I know some in the RLSH movement will disagree with this idea, but I say "don't knock it til you've tried it." I've seen the results first hand.

If he was new to that patrol, perhaps even new to the Force in general, he may have just been being very by-the-book. No worries.

Gadgetastic!

@ Crossfire: That's the thing though. It struck me as odd because the area I do live in has pretty much no crime. Most of the officers here are more on the lookout for teen vandalism and racing since school is out. Now I fully well expect to be stopped once I get all my gear and start patroling downtown Dayton since it was in the top 20 when CQ Press released the list of the most dangerous cities in their 2009-2010 City Crime Rankings. I do like your drink idea but I'm wondering if it's really a good thing to do late at night when they already can't see me well. As for police acting rude, bitter & etc. I really haven't seen it so much from the seasoned officers as I do from the new guys.

@ Gadgetastic: I didn't take that into consideration. Good point.

The officer may have had a legitimate reason to stop you and check your ID. Trench coats are classic gear for hiding the tools of misdeeds, and if it was not raining at the time of the stop, it might look a bit off to him (not accounting for the earlier rain). If he would've asked you to consent to a search, that would've been overstepping his authority. He had no real reason to suspect that you had committed a crime or were about to do so. Now, if he had typed your info into the proper screen the first time, he would not have needed to type it in again to get any other info he wanted to get on you. So it seems likely he was telling the truth, and was just verifying your ID data. I wouldn't worry about him making notes on you, either. If you have no record and he had no cause to do a search, he likely just noted the stop. You will not have any legal record and nobody can access that information (employers, I mean).