Job Discussion Forums

[6810]

Ever been stopped by the police, for any reason at all?

If so, how many times, where and why?

Inspired by another thread.

[cornishmuppet]

Once, riding my bike at night down a lighted arcade without a light on. They stopped me, took my details, then started practicing their English.

[canuck]

[Glenski]

Only once in over 8 years.
Sapporo train station right after coming out of the turnstyles. Plainclothes officer. Wanted to see my passport, quickly flashed a badge, accepted seeing my alien card instead.

Idiot didn't even look at the back to see where I lived.

Claimed he was looking for illegal aliens, especially Russians.

[markle]

Not so far.

Then again I virtually never got stopped by police in Thailand and it people get stopped all the time there. When I did get stopped I did what they asked for with a smile. No hassles.

[Sherri]

Not once after 14 years of living in Tokyo. I rode a bike all the time, but it was a mountain bike, not a shopping bike.

Sherri

[Apsara]

Never in 9 years of living in Tokyo. My (Japanese) husband has been stopped for riding his bike without his headlight on and for a random stolen bike check.

[Quibby84]

stopped once..have no clue why..maybe my bike (I have been here for 3 months)

[AndyH]

Hasn't happened to me.

[kinshachi]

Once in the past year. To be fair, I've seen plenty of Japanese stopped when I've been ignored, but I was stopped while doubling my girl on the back of the bike, and all the guy asked about was where I got my bike. She gave him an earful, and he let us go on our way, but this leads to another question: Is doubling actually illegal, or just "abunai"?

[SeasonedVet]

Six Times I can remember.
It depends on alot of factors.
the area where I lived the cops were out quite often stopping people. I got stopped there about 3 times. Another area I lived in I got stopped twice. and another area once.
But yet another area I lived in I was never stopped.
Then Aspara and Sherri are female. I have seen cops letting young ladies pass by and then stopping young guys.
I got stopped one night at about 2:am (morning actually).
The cops were on the sidewalk just stopping people.
In that area I knew it often happened and I had just bought a new bike and I purposely kept the guarrantee/receipt in my wallet. When the stopped me and asked for my ID card I showed them and they asked me if it was my bike and I said I had just bought it and showed them the guarantee ( to speed things up) and I was on my way.

[bluefrog]

[earthmonkey]

2 times in 5 years in Tokyo. Never on my bicycle, but I don't ride it that much.

[shuize]

Three times in about 8 years. Twice in Tokyo while on a bike, once in Osaka on foot.

As a general rule, I try to be cooperative. But the post above is probably correct, the more Japanese you speak the more questions they're likely to ask. The incident in Osaka, however, was rather odd. I was walking past a koban and the cop standing outside called after me as I walked past. I debated whether I should just keep walking, but thought that since I passed that point nearly every day, it'd be better to see what he wanted.

This was the entire conversation (translated). And we were at least an hour and a half from the nearest airport.

Cop: "Did you just come from the airport?"

Me: "No."

Cop: "Oh, O.K. then."

[Yawarakaijin]

Never in four years.