maninbox1212

So, driving home the other day, I notice a helicopter near the road I usually take home. I live near some farmland, and a decent ammount of forests as well. Driving along, I smoked a bowl, par the usual after a long day (it was night at this point). Now the drive home is only about 10 minutes at most on a backroad(more like 5 minutes), and about halfway I noticed the helicopter was off to the side of me, and was speeding ahead of my car quite a bit. At this point I noticed the red and blue lights on it, and figured it might be a cop or something. Now it continued past me, and I turned off to my road, and went home. After I got in, I saw it circle around a mile or so away, but never really came back to my house per se.

I saw the same (well, I assume the same) helicopter today, not really near my house, but within a mile or so. Am I being paranoid here? Could cops possibly see what you are doing inside your car when in a helicopter? I'm pretty sure I was just stoned and paranoid, but I really want a second opinion here. Thanks

Buzzby

Does your car have a giant marijuana leaf painted on the roof? Are you a big dope dealer? If you can answer "No" to both those questions I'd be fairly sure you were just stoned and paranoid.

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maninbox1212

Well, no, and no. I honestly don't even smoke as much as I used to, so I guess I'm even more paranoid when I do. I guess what freaked me out was that he was off to the side of my car, and I was smoking while he was there (I didn't realize it yet), but then again, it was kinda high up there....

And before anyone else says it, yeah, I know smoking and driving is stupid, and I'm a bad person for it

phuzz01

A police helicopter is extremely expensive to operate. So we only fly ours when we really have to: pursuits, foot chases, missing persons searches, etc. We might use it for intelligence purchases for a MAJOR drug case (i.e. sale of large quantities). But we aren't going to spend $400 per hour to catch you smoking a jay in your car.

Our cessna, on the other hand...

king cola

Even if you were smoking in your car, i think they would atleast have to smell it to say for a fact that it was marijuana. People also use rolling papers for tobacco and even pipes can be used for tobacco, so unless the guy flying the helicopter got a whiff of pot your definatly in the clear. In my state they have a police helicopter but rarely use it. It will only get used during a pursuit which doesn't happen much at all or for other purposes phuzz mentioned. The helicopter is so expensive to run that in my state they couldn't even get the funding they needed to fly around looking for pot plants.

nerphroll

I think it's safe to say you were just being paranoid as everyone else has said. Your story reminded me of a fun memory
A few buddies and I were on the beach at night, up in Rockaway, New York, about 10 years ago, smoking. All of a sudden there was this helicopter we noticed, several hundred yards out to sea, just patrolling the area I suppose. Didn't see us, it was nighttime, and the beach wasn't really lit. Anyway, one of my friends was absolutely convinced that it was a Navy Seals helicopter and they were deploying divers into the ocean to come up onto the beachand ambush us.
It took a long while to calm him down.
'tis a funny thing, the paranoia of weed. I wonder how much of it is due to factors OTHER than just the pure illegality issue.

grillmeats

Ready for take off!

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law420

Thats what happened to Ray liotta in Good Fellows right before the cops busted him.

maninbox1212

Yeah, update on me being paranoid as hell...

Last couple nights since then I've seen the same helicopter in the area, and not even near my house, so knowing me, it probably wasn't even a cop, and has nothing to do with me. Looking back though, its pretty funny how bad I was freaking out lol

Oh and Phuzz, I'll make sure to run from any "police cessnas" I see

phuzz01

We mostly use it for speed enforcement on the interstate. The pilot and co-pilot fly around over a pre-measured course and clock vehicles using a device that basically works like a stopwatch (distance/time=speed). The cars then come around a corner, and wham!, six or seven of us on the ground waving them in.