Mar 2, 2006
Swabbed
This morning, I was about to enter the subway on my way to work when I was stopped by a cop and asked to step over to the side to be searched. This had happened to me before maybe a month ago—I had opened my bag and they had looked in it and then, seeing nothing particularly dangerous they had waved me on my way.
This time was different. There were about 6 cops altogether over on the side. One had rubber gloves. They asked me to stand behind a white line next to the joking cop (his job was to joke and make everything jovial). Then the cop in the rubber gloves swabbed my bag with a strip of something and put it through some machine. And then because they didn’t find what they were looking for, and apparently my bag still contains nothing dangerous, the mood remained jovial, the joking cop made another joke and everyone was all smiles when the rubber gloved cop told me I could go.
Yes, there are strange devices in the subway these days. I saw a guy with a machine on the platform at Bedford. It looked like a beachcomber's metal detector attached to a large machine, concealed with canvass.
ReplyDeletethat's very theatrical
ReplyDeleteThat's one of the creepiest copstories I've ever heard. I truly can't imagine what the whole swab business is all about.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you've been color-coded, so that they can see you walking down the street with their infra-red goggles.
I myself have made it into several home movies, snapshots, and helicopter cams taken by feds and cops during the RNC Critical Mass.
Maybe your file will be placed next to mine.