  “Does not approve”
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A Canadian who demanded courtesy from a U.S. border security guard says he was pepper sprayed and held in custody for three hours for asking the disrespectful officer to “say please” when ordering him to turn his car off during a search.
“I refused to turn off the car until he said please. He didn’t. And he has the gun, I guess, so he sprayed me,” said Desiderio Fortunato, a Coquitlam, B.C., resident who frequently crosses the border to visit his second home in the state of Washington. “Is that illegal in the United States, asking an officer to be polite?” The incident occurred on Monday at the Aldergrove border crossing, east of Vancouver, shortly after 12 p.m. He said he was questioned by a border officer who demanded he turn off his car and, when asked to make the request more politely, threatened to spray him with his pepper gun if he did not comply.
“I just felt I should stand my ground about it. I should not be treated like that. No matter what kind of position you are in, if you want respect you have to show respect,” he said yesterday. “I asked him three times and when I didn’t turn the car off, because he didn’t say please, he pepper sprayed me…. It was terrible. For half an hour or so I couldn’t see anything.” Mr. Fortunato said after he was sprayed he was forcefully taken into custody by several officers. He was held for three hours before he was released without being allowed entry into the United States. Mr. Fortunato says he was dismissed with a warning to be more cooperative in the future. By his own admission, Mr. Fortunato is a stickler for courtesy and respect. Once, he said, he asked a Canadian border agent to be more polite when requesting documents, to which the agent responded with a sheepish “please.”
He’s just lucky he didn’t end up on Dvorak’s “Bad Cop Beat Down of the Week.”
He should have received a wood shampoo.
[Geez, S.E., you have such a way with words. – ed.]
Pepper spray stings eh?
Oh come on the I-94 dual CCW drunk driver high speed SUV shootout is a better story than this!
#4 At least he didn’t get killed by a Mountie using a taser…
He is lucky he was not barred from entry for 7 years – which can happen at any land crossing, but NOT at an airport.
Ever since borders went DHS they have gone insane with Marine Drill Sargent like politeness.
I was once going across in the Nexus lane (so it was a while ago) and was told to go ahead, he then screamed at me after rolling a foot to stop and he drew his side arm. I guess he thought he saw something in the tinted back window.
Seriously, most young Border and Customs guys have major fucking god complexes. So take my advice, skip the white guy with a buzz cut who is standing outside the booth. The best ones to get are black women, then white women, then old guys.
Again–another early warning red flag identifying an incompetent person/employee. Probably get the employee of the month award instead.
“Border Security” with CANADA!!!! America goes slowly down the tubes.
He should have known better.
It will take Obama at least a year and not 45 days to cleanse this nation of the hateful mentality exemplified by the Dick and Bush regime.
One year from now, we will be a nation that values international relations and tourists.
You’d figure the little monarchist was used to being treated like a subject! ha!
But seriously…unfortunately you can’t “mouth off” (I say with sarcasm) to a cop even if it is to ask for a little less rudeness. They’ll think you’re being a smartass to their “authority” and give you a really hard time…
I guess the Border cops near the Canadian border might have an inferiority complex as their coworkers on the southern border get all the action…no need to at like a Federale though….
I have a whopping total of TWO US-Canadian border crossings under my belt.
The Canadian guards were assholes.
The US guards were polite, and one even kidded around with me some. (He saw my canadian cigarettes and asked why I hadn’t brought back any cuban cigars. Well, I think he was kidding around. He was nice about it anyway.)
I was expecting exactly the opposite.
I’ve never had a problem going either way across the border. They’re doing thier jobs, no need to beat around the bush.
However, I do agree, pepperspray? Come on. If the guy said, no, f u. They yes. But, say please?
One shouldn’t anger the Picard.
Why should he say please? The driver is the one who’s asking to be let into the country.
For some reason, the US police demand respect, rather than earning respect.
The guy was being a smart-arse but the tase or pepper spray him is just stupid. Id have just made him wait or do extra vehicle checks or something. The guard might as well have punched him in the face.
Sorry, you don’t ask a cop to “say please”. Stupid hurts.
4,
Yeah. But, on the other hand, that mountie is now in court and the audience in the court room laughed at him when he demonstrated the “threat”… On top of that, all his falsified documents have been brought to light.
I guess in the US he would be given the Congressional Medal of Honour (spelled CORRECTLY)
Border guards from Canuckistan can be just as nasty. I was living in Canada in the 80’s right on the Niagara Falls border, so my family and I would go over the border at least once a week.
One day, all we bought in Amerika was a newspaper. Going back to Canada, the guard thought Dad was joking, so not only did a three-man team search our car from stem to stern, but they made us fill out all the formal paperwork so we could pay import duty and taxes on a 50cent newspaper. Yet not once did they ever even slow us down when we’d claim $40-50 worth of cigarettes and groceries each and every week. For eight years.
16,
Of course you don’t. Police are not human. They don’t understand civility. Just that the civilians pay their salary.
I’m sure the border gaurd will be reprimanded. What I can’t understand is why people like this guy take it for granted that some border gaurd doing his job owes him respect. Common sense, treat authority the way they expect to be treated or get hurt. Same as it ever was…
18,
Wow. Sucks to get pepper sprayed and incarcerated for 3 hours for a newspaper…
Nothing like a one sided story.
PROSECUTE TORTURE
How DARE you smart-off at ME, mister! We have a little thing here left over from the Bush administration called ZERO TOLERANCE!!!
We will SHOOT you through the brain if you even so much as look crosseyed when you don’t respond exactly as we expect you to!
Goddamn motherfucking screwup shit for brains Canadians!
In the US he would have called 911.
lol
I have probably crossed the Canadian Border between 50 and 100 times. The one time we were pulled over to secondary inspection the American Border Agent apologized for the wait and was quite pleasant.
Because we have done this so often we are ready with our papers and answers.
I’ve noticed a few Agents less than friendly even if quite professional. As I leave I try to make a habit of thanking them for being there, even if I got the third degree. That always gets a smile that hopefully carries over to the next car.
He was given a lawful order three times and each time he refused because he didn’t like the way the man said it.
If you refuse a legal order and get sprayed you asked for it.
Shouldn’t pepper spray only be used in situations where there is an immediate threat to either the officer of the general public?
Smarting off at a border check point that has previously captured a terrorist bomber will get you pepper sprayed.
If you risked your life by approaching these cars every day you might be edgy too.
What next? Asking cops to say “PLEASE drop your weapon”? or “Please, freeze!”?
gee/
Man with OCD asks for politeness.
Man with sociopathic tendencies sprays him.
This kids is why people need to not forget their meds.
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