[gps-talkusers] Re: They thought I was a terrorist

You know maybe at one point the gadgets would have been to much but it's hip in 2007 to sport your gadgets proudly. So while a "rig" might have looked odd in the past it's likely the in thing now. Figure what folks where these days. Between the bluetooth devices especially headsets, pda phones, laptops and associated gear, possibly more than one phone, IPOD, and so on we're all carrying and wearing around a lot of technology. I'm finding myself wearing and using two different bluetooth headsets each blinking and changing color in my ears. (the Plantronics puts on more of a light show over the jawbone) So I think the gear maybe more of a fassion statement than fassion no no. As for the cop, I'd have totally ignored him and when he made an agressive move taken him and the city to the cleaners. I might call the local citizens police group or possibly the chief and detail your experience. It may be as simple as just having the captain give a reminder that when dealing with blind citizens you have to take a little extra step to identify yourself. 

Thanks
Scott
----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael May" <mikemay@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
To: <gps-talkusers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 10:44 AM
Subject: [gps-talkusers] Re: They thought I was a terrorist



Rick,
I have felt selfconscious a time or two wondering what people think of the electronic rig. I don't think anyone ever called the cops on me, and you are right about the officer not identifying himself. 
Mike


At 07:22 AM 9/25/2007, you wrote:

Hi folks,
Sunday was a perfect late September day in New Jersey, where I live, so I decided to take me and my guide dog on a 2-mile walk at around 8 am. We have a wonderful route in a quiet residential neighborhood. I was carrying mhy BrailleNote QT 32, and my old Magellan receiver, since I had left my newer one at work. I stopped to adjust some route settings and proceeded. About 5 minutes later a car pulled up beside me, and the driver said, "Excuse me, are you blind?" I told him yes, though I thought it a strange question with my dog and harness in full view. 
"What's that thing on your shoulder?" he inquired.
I told him about the BrailleNote and the GPS, and some things it could do, and then I heard the police radio. I found that one of the neighbors was concerned and suspicious because I was typing into a little computer in front of the house. For the life of me, I don't know what they thought I might be doing in full view in broad daylight. The thing that bothered me most about this amusing encounter was the officer didn't immediately identify himself as a policeman before asking me questions. A person believing a questioner to be a civilian might ignore him or tell him to go to Hell or worse, which is not the kind of talk a policeman likes to hear. 


Rick Fox
VP, Field Operations
De Witt & Associates
700 Godwin Avenue
Suite 110
Midland Park, NJ 07432
Voice: 201-447-6500 Ext. 213
Fax: 201-447-1187
Email: <mailto:rick@xxxxxxxxxxx>rick@xxxxxxxxxxx
www.4dewitt.com


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