"Some guidance on spitting in the USA?" Topic

I watched The Suspect (2013) movie the other night, where two men rob a small town bank and try to convince the police authorities that they did so only as a university experience to expose racial prejudice in the police, and they voluntarily return the stolen money – OK.

What I don't understand, and what I seek some clarity on, is that one of the suspects whilst being interviewed by the police officer in the police station he spat in the officer's face. No action was taken against him.

In the USA (even the world at large) is spitting in a police officer's face, or indeed anyone else's face, not an offence that the perpetrator would be charged with? It's disgusting and a health hazard, isn't it? An assault.

…or is this JUST a movie, heyjoe, get back to war games?

link

I give the movie 6/10.

Well, let's be honest. Some cops just deserve to be spit in the face. Maybe this one instinctively knew it was true and so allowed it.

Or maybe he liked it. There are some cops who…y'know, get off on that kind of stuff.

But I do think these would be in the minority. Spitting in a cop's face will typically earn you a solid, 50's-style beatdown, no matter how much he is asking for it. Trust me on this. My verdict? It's just a movie.

It's just a movie. I'm pretty sure you would be face down, cuffed, with a knee in your back before you could blink. They would then take their time looking for a reason to make things really bad for you.

Its considered assault. And I would say that any demographic would fit the argument above(if you're inclined to believe spitting in anybody's face is warranted). Not something singularly reserved for police officers

I believe that is cause for assault.

But it is a movie, so any claims to real life are excluded for Teh Drama!

I'm no Cop. But if one were to spit in my face I'd show them what used to happen to Hippies that did that to me. And in most places I've been it's considered an assault.

If the spitter had some type of infectitious disease and is aware of it, it would be an aggravated assault charge and might even rise to an attempted murder charge. This is often the case where the individual has hepatitis or is HIV Positive.

So, If I lived in Florida, I could shoot someone who spit at me if I wanted to, then.

Florida is so awesome. It's like someone finally invented Westworld, then added palm trees and margaritas!

I can't imagine an officer, anywhere, letting that slide if he's in a position to arrest the spitter.

I can't speak for all of the US, but you certainly wouldn't want to do that in any part of Texas.

A conviction for doing what you've described to a law enforcement officer in the Commonwealth of Virginia will earn you a Class 6 Felony and a mandatory minimum term of confinement of six months. Deliberately spitting in a cop's face would certainly get you convicted if charges were brought.

It's just a movie. Don't believe everything you see in movies.

It is a felony in Ohio as well.

One day I am sitting in my delivery truck a car length behind a police paddy wagon parked ahead of me. Two officers bring a guy in a T-shirt out in cuffs and open the doors of the paddy wagon. He spits on one of them and the cop rips the guy's T-shirt off, wipes the spit away, then the two cops pick the spitter up bodily and heave him into the van. He tore the shirt off that clown in one smooth downward stroke, wiped his uniform, tossed the shirt in the clown's face, then heave-ho in you go. All this in less than a minute, like a dance routine. I expect they saw me watching and imagine when they got the idiot downtown he got thoroughly thumped. Actually spitting is illegal nearly everywhere in the US due to laws put on the books back when to prevent the spread of diseases in over-crowded US cities.

It is a felony in Ohio as well.

I'm almost certain that assaulting a police officer is charged as a felony offense in every jurisdiction in the U.S.

"I can't speak for all of the US, but you certainly wouldn't want to do that in any part of Texas."

I wouldn't want to do ANYTHING in Texas, especially be there at all. 8)=

Hell, the cops here in Fairfax Co. VA would commence a beat down on his butt at the very least.

I wouldn't want to do ANYTHING in Texas, especially be there at all. 8)=

Lol! Some parts are nice. I think it's actually getting better, as a matter of fact.

Nazrat: There's no accounting for taste, or as in your case, the lack of it. Or am I detecting jealousy, that our state is growing in jobs, has three of the ten largest cities in the nation, has a revenue surplus, a low cost of living, and no state income tax, making it one of the places it is easiest to maintain a high standard of living?

When I first read the title, I immediately thought of:

You don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim

Is it still an offense to use profanity on the telephone?

I was reading a Nero Wolfe story the other day and it was mentioned. Not sure of the exact publication date – early 50's or earlier it would have been.

NYPD for 22 years.

By the book the charge would be Harrassment (a violation). Unless the subject has AIDS and that would bump it up to a Felony.

The District Attorney's Office would quietly drop the matter after a few months here in NYC and the spitter would escape any punishment at all.

Which brings to mind the old saying "Beaten and released."

Make of it what you will.

"Beaten and released."

No, that does not remind me of my brief career as a K-Mart Security Manager. No, not at all.

our state is growing in jobs, has three of the ten largest cities in the nation, has a revenue surplus, a low cost of living, and no state income tax, making it one of the places it is easiest to maintain a high standard of living?

I work with a guy who "escaped" from Texas. He says Texas is a fantastic place, the only thing wrong with it, is Texans.

I've enjoyed my several visits to Austin and Dallas.

"In the USA (even the world at large) is spitting in a police officer's face, or indeed anyone else's face, not an offence that the perpetrator would be charged with?"

I'd think if someone did that in some places of "the world at large" , they'd end up in a remote hole at equilibrium with the environment. My advice would be to be respectful and not let macho bravado rule one's emotions….

If you rob a bank and bring back the money, you can rot in jail until your court appearance. If you spit in the face of a police officer it will not go well for you, even in liberal California.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
SGT Says blog

"Nazrat: There's no accounting for taste, or as in your case, the lack of it. Or am I detecting jealousy, that our state is growing in jobs, has three of the ten largest cities in the nation, has a revenue surplus, a low cost of living, and no state income tax, making it one of the places it is easiest to maintain a high standard of living?"

No accounting for a lack of sense of humor, either, I guess. Lighren up, dude.

I wouldn't want to do ANYTHING in Texas

The Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg makes a quick trip to Texas worthwhile. You can fly in to San Antonio early in the morning, visit the museum and get a late flight out home. Just don't speed on the drive to and from and you should be OK.

given how cops in America can be, I'd not even back chat at them let alone give them any excuse to beat someone up. you always run this risk of getting one of the trigger happy ones too.

Been in the police for 28 in Oz. Spit at me and it's assault, spit at me on duty and it's assault police. Not a felony though, or equivalent unfortunately.

Had it done a few times…….hate it more than getting thumped.

Yup its disgusting cannot condone it at all, never knew it was classed as assault though. Also, i mean the cops in America wont take that kind of carp, not saying they're bad cops.

I think that one could consider themselves lucky if all that got were additional charges.