I think the cops were called on me today

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im not sure if im being paranoid or not but i think someone called the cops on me today they were in the cop car less than half a block down and it looked like they were watching me :/

if this was the first time i would say coincidence but this happened once before.

i was waiting for my paratransit bus outside work on the corner and it was late so i was waiting on the corner for an hour already. I know i work in a more well to do area and across the street from a fancy restaurant so someone in the resturaunt may have saw me from inside. i dont why id be suspicious looking. except for the fact my body language screams something is different about this person. (and the fact i was playing with a yo- yo)


when the police came and sat there i was so scared i was trying to act as neurotypical as possible which was really hard considering i was frustrated at waiting for my ride home for an hour an a ahalf and i was hungry but i knew if i started stimming or pacing or even playing yo- yo the cops might come out and question me .


Do you think i was being paranoid?

someone may well have called the cops, but i don't think playing yo-yo, pacing, or even stimming would have gotten you in trouble.

Hopefully this is just paranoia. If you have not committed any crimes, then there is no way you could possibly be in trouble.

A big part of policing is being visible, so they often take lunches or park in obvious places. They want criminals to be paranoid and the public to feel safe. Nothing bad came of it! Woo! I've been stopped as a kid because people thought I was shoplifting because I'd walk around very quickly with my head down and hands in my pockets, it's nerve wracking but I understand why it happened.

One time I was just waiting outside of olive garden for my family and the manager came out and asked if I was ok and if I needed anything or needed to come inside. I guess when you wait outside for a little while, people become suspicious.

stimming, pacing, or talking to oneself (like I sometimes do), to someone unfamiliar with the spectrum, says "on drugs"

I think you made a good read of the social situation and I don't think you're being paranoid.

This is a situation where one of those "Autism cards" would have been handy. While they can't arrest you for acting odd (unless they find some part of the USA Patriot Act that says they can ), they can hassle you and ask you questions. They could also, theoretically Baker Act you if they think you are crazy. However, I don't think it is likely that they would do any of this at all. They usually have more important things to do than hassle every person that looks a little strange. I don't think you handled it at all badly. Most of us would have been a little nervous in a similar situation and probably would have spent too much time thinking about it too. I know that I have had a few "interesting" encounters with cops over the years but happily, none of them ever lead to anything other than irritation.

Not really paranoid, no. It's possible. Sometimes, somebody sees an autistic person out and about, and we look odd enough to them that they are worried we may have dementia or a severe mental illness and have wandered away from a supervised situation. They call the police, and the police hang around. Sometimes they talk to you, sometimes not. Occasionally it will be because they think you are drunk or on drugs, and that can be a dangerous misunderstanding.

I've had campus safety called because I had a public meltdown, and then again when I freaked out during a fire drill. I didn't attack anyone either time; the first time I dropped my backpack and bolted; the second time I just became unresponsive and couldn't figure out how to interact, and had to pick somebody and follow them out of the building because the fire alarm overwhelmed me so much. I was vaguely aware that there was a cop-type person shadowing me, but I couldn't figure out what to do about it, so I just headed outside and waited until I could talk again. By the time I was back in action, the security guard was no longer there, probably having been told by someone else that I was autistic and would be fine (I was at the time with some friends who are also disabled and who know about my autism).

Don't worry too much about it; recovering disabled people who have gotten themselves into dangerous situations is part of a police officer's job. It doesn't mean the cop hates you, just that somebody saw you weren't quite NT and called them about it. Maybe they were worried about you, or maybe they were scared of you. It's just people being people. Best thing to do is get yourself a good mental list of things to do when a police officer talks to you, very simple things like staying still, making sure s/he can see you're not reaching for anything dangerous, and not throwing anything so s/he doesn't feel threatened; it can be a good idea to have a card or MedicAlert bracelet that explains that you're autistic and you're okay on your own, but you might look odd and may not be able to talk right away, or whatever is relevant for you. You want to make sure that the police officer knows that you are not a threat and not in any kind of danger; you're just disabled, and people often don't know what to make of you. When you plan, assume that the police have been called because you are in serious overload or have had a meltdown, and you can't count on having your high-level skills available. So make the plans simple and easy to remember and follow.

Unless you've committed any crimes recently or you happen to be carrying any drugs on you then I wouldn't worry. Get an autism alert card (seen links to some on this forum) if you are worried about them taking you in because they speak to you and you freak out.

My husband called the cops on a man at our old apartment because he didn't live there and he was digging through the recycling there. My husband was concerned he was looking for identity to steal. We were there to get our other stuff and the bed we were giving to my in laws.

Yeah, police doesn't necessarily mean you've done something wrong. Someone might have been concerned for your welfare for some reason (autistic people can often be thought to be on drugs or behaving strangely)

To be honest though, if they'd had a call about you, I'm sure they would have come and spoken to you. It sounds to me like you're probably paranoid about it. Autism Alert Card is a good idea though for these situations.

Cops usually use the same spots over and over so you're likely to see them there again. And it seems like they are watching you because they are. That's what they do, watch whats going on around them and look for crime. Like someone mentioned before, if someone had called the cops specifically on you they would have come over and talked to you.

Once, when I was about 19, my car broke down and I had to call a friend to come get me. I walked to the corner to wait on him, and stood there for about 20 minutes waiting. It was in a business district. One of the guys from the business on the corner came out and asked me what I was doing, and I told him. He told me I should probably wait near their door or inside, because a girl standing on the corner like that can make people think you are a hooker and people may stop and harrass you. I had no idea, and thanked him and came inside and watched by their window.

I doubt somebody called them on you, because like someone else said, they would probably have come and talked to you. If they were watching you they may have been wondering why you were standing on the corner for a while, thats all. I wouldn't worry about it.

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The cops once came and spoke to me and my friends while they were doing some kind of watchout for some serious criminals around a busy street and gas station. We were hanging out near the scene of the crime I guess. They said we need to get along, no hanging out right now, because they are watching for someone who's been causing a lot of problems. For our safety and theirs, they asked us to leave.