Decided to stop by EWR before heading to JFK, and boy was that a mistake. I was parked in a public cul-de-sac south of IKEA, that didn't seem to have much of a purpose, as no traffic came into it, except for an 18-wheeler that used it to get into a vacant gravel lot, and a pickup truck that also went into the lot. After about 45 minutes of spotting, an Elizabeth PD LEO pulled up next to my car:
LEO: What are you doing?
Me: I'm just taking pictures of airplanes.
LEO: YOU'RE NOT TAKING PICTURES OF AIRPLANES IN *MY* TOWN. LEAVE!
Me: Okay, sorry.
Seriously? I haven't heard the "you're not _____ in my town" line since the 90s. I was polite and told the truth, yet he still barked an order to leave without even letting me talk. Of course, I just immediately left without saying anything else, since he obviously had a chip on his shoulder. But if I was truly doing something wrong, or if there was some security risk, you'd think he would have questioned me more (like "why are you photographing planes?"). I guess it's a step up from having my car illegally searched or having my memory cards taken, but still, his tone was ridiculous given my calm and apologetic demeanor.
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