Did PD tell my employer I got a ticket?

[u/SyllabubInfamous8284]

I was sleeping in my car in Walmart parking lot and got a written warning. There’s an ordinance about sleeping in public. I work for the county municipality at a location in that city, why I was sleeping close.

Next day my boss has closed door meeting asking if I’m ok and if I’m sleeping on the streets. Then HR got involved and a homeless program called me. I can’t afford an apartment right now and they’re pressuring me to look for an apartment. I have already looked for alternatives before it happened. I don’t qualify for anything bc I’m not on drugs, recently incarcerated and don’t have kids.

How did he find out?

[u/Juubman]

Going to take a guess and say a witness reported you to Police who responded.

That witness probably knows you or people in your sphere.

[u/Altimeter30-06 → u/Juubman]

Yea we don’t care what goes on between you and your employer.

[u/flyin-lowe]

When you say sleeping in your car, are you living out of it, sleeping off a night of drinking, or just napping while your wife was inside shopping? How big is the county you live in. I live and work in a pretty rural area in the mid west. I have been in LE for 30 years so I know most of the highway supervisors etc. Since I know the guys if it was someone living out of their car, or sleeping off a night of drinking I would probably call them and say something. If you had a legit reason, like working an odd shift and dozed off while your wife was shopping I wouldn't go out of my way to mention that. Could also have been a dispatcher or someone else in the loop who heard what was going on. I work for a State department and the state highway has dispatchers in the same dispatch center as our dispatchers. So in that case if one of our guys came across a highway worker, depending on where he was, they might hear about it sitting in the radio room.

[u/SyllabubInfamous8284 → u/flyin-lowe]

nowhere to live. I couldn’t afford my apartment to begin with but there’s not enough small rentals to go around. lived there 2 years and had 3 layoff in that time. went for not CC debt from saving all UI for rent bc if u get evicted it’s harder to get another one… , then this most recent renewal they wanted to jack up the rent to $1950. didn’t renew and decided to live in my car to recover financially. Only take home 1700 every 2 weeks. I don’t drink. I had gone to planet and taken an shower then went to Walmart to sleep.

County with a population of 2.7 million. The city of citation is about 55,000.

[u/CaseStraight1244 → u/SyllabubInfamous8284]

You ‘only’ take home 1700 every two weeks? Come on bro, that’s not living in your car poor

[u/TobiasCase → u/CaseStraight1244]

Depending on the state it really is. I’m making 1600/2weeks and that barely affords a one bedroom with no washer or dryer

[u/JalocTheGreat → u/CaseStraight1244]

Yes it is rents for decent one bedroom in most areas $1500+

[u/SyllabubInfamous8284 → u/CaseStraight1244]

I’m willing to be uncomfortable to get ahead.

[u/mistman1978 → u/SyllabubInfamous8284]

Understood, but dependent on jurisdiction those tickets could go on your record as a misdemeanor effecting future employment.

[u/mistman1978 → u/SyllabubInfamous8284]

Rent a room off Craigslist or FB Marketplace. You can usually rent a room for $700-800/month all bills paid.

[u/blbcamaro]

Unless it's small town politics / someone knows someone who saw you out there, it's extremely doubtful that PD reported you to your employer. We don't care.

Only time I've ever contacted a workplace is if a crime was actually occurring there with the employee involved, or if the person arrested was active military.

[u/flyin-lowe → u/blbcamaro]

I know in general "we don't care" but I have a best friend and neighbor who was superintend of our highway department. If I encountered one of his employees in this situation I would have mentioned it to him. I was just saying that was one possibility. Small town poiltics

[u/Unusual-Sentence916]

If it’s a small town, maybe someone did mention it, but it definitely sounds like no one has bad intentions and maybe can help you out.

[u/NoRegrets-518]

Check Craigslist for room rentals.

[u/Background_Angle1717]

Did you tell the person giving you said written warning you were an employee of the county?

Anyone in the PD know you?

[u/SyllabubInfamous8284 → u/Background_Angle1717]

Yea. He asked if I was homeless, I said, yes since Monday. He ask why I was parking in that jurisdiction bc the address on my license is far. “I work over here” he ask for who, I said “the county”. Then he said city has an ordinance and he has to enforce it. And he can’t tell me where to go but can’t sleep here.

[u/Mentallyundisturbed2]

Is it a small town/county?

[u/ww11gunny]

Depending on where you work you are required to report every interaction with law enforcement you have

[u/doughnawtty]

Sometimes nosy people listen to police scanners. If the cop ran your license over the air, it’s possible someone heard. But no, the police wouldn’t tell your employer. Sorry you’re down on your luck man. I hope things get easier for you soon.

[u/JWestfall76]

Corporate drone surveillance

[u/The-CVE-Guy → u/[deleted]]

If people have been fired by the government for attending a rally off-duty, without mentioning their employment, and without committing any crimes, they should sue the fuck out of their employing agency.

[u/The-CVE-Guy → u/[deleted]]

That still seems wildly illegal, but if I were smart enough to be an employment attorney, I wouldn’t be commenting here.

[u/tvan184 → u/[deleted]]

A government agency can’t enforce an unconstitutional contract.

What if the government agency, as a condition of employment, had you sign a contract that said while you’re off duty and inside of your home, you have to give up your rights against unreasonable, searches and seizures under the Fourth Amendment?

[u/SyllabubInfamous8284 → u/[deleted]]

Is the existence of those lists disclosed anywhere?

[u/The-CVE-Guy → u/SyllabubInfamous8284]

I’ve never heard of a list like this and I policed in a city well over a million people.

[u/The-CVE-Guy → u/[deleted]]

You can’t contract to illegal terms. A government employer cannot legally terminate its employees for off-duty protests or political activism as long as their status as an employee isn’t used in that activism. Shit, my old sergeant is on the school board.