www.CostaRicaTicas.com

You guys sure make a lot of assumptions.

1) I am not staying at a hotel. I live in Escazu, no way the cops are going to drive me all the way to escazu to get my original passport. Even honest cops wouldn't do that.

2) I don't have a "safe" to keep my money in, because i'm not bringing a chica back to my house. I have to carry the money with me, otherwise I have no money to pay the chica. Further, he searched me, including my wallet, so he knew exactly how much money I had on me (it was just over $200). And no, I didn't flash any money around. In fact, I keep my "beer" money in my pocket, not in my wallet so I don't have to dig in my wallet to pay for my beer.

3) I was on my way to Hotel Asia, which is just around the corner. So no, i'm not getting into a taxi for 1 block. I don't understand why anyone would think this is hard to believe.

4) I'm pretty sure they were cops. It's the little blue clown car though, not the nice new white trucks. The car was typical, beat up and the paint was not new. I don't understand the different levels of cops in this town. Yes, I knew it was all bullshit, and they weren't talking to anyone at the station, but it didn't matter.

5) Yes, i did think it was a typical 10k or 20k shakedown, which is why i insinuated the bribe in the first place. This was only after about 15 minutes of harassment and they were trying to force me into the car. Unlike most of you, I work during the day, so I can't risk being taken down to the station for the weekend. I had no idea how long they'd keep me down there. The fact of the matter is, my weekend is worth more than $100, hell, half a day is worth more than that, so it would be a net loss for me.

6) Yes, I had thought about calling their bluff, but I didn't think they were really going to take me to the station. Which means if I pushed them to take me, they'd just kick me out in the bad neighborhood. In my mind, it was not a three way choice (pay, station, walk) it was a two way choice (pay or walk).

7) No, the cops did not speak english. My spanish is poor, but i can get the gist of what they're saying and make myself understood. The guy on the phone did speak english.

As for reporting them, I am 99.9999% sure that such reports end up in the circular file. It's a waste of time, and you risk becoming a target for revenge. Maybe if SJ gets serious about busting crooked cops, i'll consider it, but as things stand now... it doesn't accomplish anything. They knew I lived here. They knew I wasn't a transitory tourist that was likely to be gone in a few days, and they didn't care.

Bitch at me all you like about being part of the problem, but they engineered the situation to make it impossible for me to do anything but pay a bribe, otherwise i'm am certain they would have kicked me out.

Thanks for the in-depth information. I was not aware you live in CR. I'm sure there are many good reasons to live in CR, but I feel sorry for you that you live in a society with such police corruption. It just wouldn't be for me. It's a rare occasion when something like that happens in the northeast USA. But, that's just me. What do I know?

YMMV,
Zebra

I wonder if anyone else caught this on youtube that can translate what exactly is happening. It does look like a shakedown of some type.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYfDOiRY1vs

Actually, if you read my story, they were basically one step short of that.

No, they would not have pulled the trigger themselves, but by dumping me on the street in a crack neighborhood, they may as well be pulling the trigger.

It never fails to amaze me that anytime someone posts a thread like this someone comes along to second guess. MG did what I would have done, money is not as important as the positive outcome. I agree that we should not fall for their corupt BS but MG I believe did the right thing under the cirumstances he was brought into. You never know what kind of trumped charges they might have come up with. By the way MG you didn't pay the chica up front did you?

Not being critical, I suggest maybe a lot of communication is not the best thing. They get more of a 'read' on you with more interaction. I have been stopped about 10 times in 3 years while driving either at transit stops or by local police. I have always given them my documents and said , "sorry I don't speak Spanish" when asked any questions. I refuse any back and forth conversation.

You did what was best for you. If someone had overstayed their "90 Days" then $100 would be a bargain to walk away.

I have to think that the more guys that pay them will increase their appetite.

I prefer to carry my passport to avoid these situations altogether. Big Deal if I lose it or it gets stolen. I can get a temp in one day and a new one in 10 days at the Embassy. For me, its worth the risk because I see a bigger risk of loss from not having it to show to the police than I do from losing it in a theft or loss. Plus I believe it's the law to have the actual passport when driving.

I understand a lot of guys don't like to carry their passport . It has been discussed on this board many times to have a legible copy and keep the stub from your airline ticket with it.

There seems to be a lot more CRT member losses from Polica than muggers. I think we have had 3 muggings reported in 3 years. You can carry it in an inside pocket in your pants.

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* These are the "Good Ole Days". Enjoy Them.

* RENT but, "Don't Buy a Home in Costa Rica" until you have lived here for THREE years.

So far nobody can report themselves or anyone else they know ever being beaten up or shot by the police for refusing to pay a bribe. Nobody has reported any instance where they or anyone else they know being brought to and left off in any part of the city they couldn't walk away from. And nobody has reported anytime when they weren't brought to the police station or simply let go when they've refused to pay any bribe. MG says he his cops would NOT have pulled any trigger but THINKS they would have left in a place where he THINKS he would have been shot. Of course, they wanted him to believe that but he doesn't really KNOW that and the cops might have been (and probably WERE) bluffing. After all, can you imagine the deep shit they'd have been in if it got back to their police captain and their higher ups that not only did they fail to prevent a crime to a foreign tourist but were actually directly responsible for putting him at risk.

Now Mark raises the specter of trumped up charges for refusing a shakedown. Dudes, the trumped up charges were already there - immigration violation - and they weren't working (or shouldn't have) because they couldn't stick. What makes you think the cops would have upped the ante by suddenly making up something else rather than just cut their losses and recognize that their bluff hadn't worked? Does anybody really think they really wanted to go back to police HQ with ANY charges against you after they had just shaken you down for a bribe and would probably report that to their boss as soon as you got there? Has anyone here ever ACTUALLY been dragged down to police HQ on trumped up charges after refusing to pay a bribe? I didn't think so.

http://tts.imtranslator.net/334t

Lanrac.....interesting youtube video. Central Avenida in front of the Patio Restaurant at the Hotel Balmoral. I think I've seen the heavyset cop with the moustache before.

Makes me wish I was there....except for the cops looking over the gringo's passport.

Reporting it might or might not accomplish anything but you can be sure that NOT reporting it most certainly won't.

The very least a tourist should do is notify the US Embassy. No, they most likely won't do anything but if they get enough reports they just might.

TMG, a tough situation. For everyones safety, I would not get into a policia's car without having them first calling another officer. Tell them you want to verify you are being sent in for a legit reason. Really, you want to be sure they are cops. The spector of bringing in more people into the fold may be enough to back off.

I always carry phone numbers of the OIJ, the embassy, and State Dept. with me. If I were stopped I would write down there name and tell them to call my amigo first at OIJ. Also, let them see your embassy and State Dept numbers. Also, let them see a phone number for A.M. Costa Rica which we should be reporting incidents to as well. They don't seem biased as Tico Times.

Also, if with a Tica, bring her with you. TMG, being by himself with these crooked bastards, could have really gotten into some serious shit. These guys could have beaten him saying he assaulted them, they could have a female accomplice calling Rape, or worse accuse of Ch*ld porn. I would not want to be in a "their word vs. our word" situation. Dropping us in bad areas wouldn't be good either. I actually had a taxista attempt to do that to me once b/c I wouldn't go to Atlantis but luckily, a good cop realized something was off and pulled him over and told him to take me to my hotel pronto. Having witnesses is key.

Good luck and don't bow down to these bastards. This govt. is really gonna sit and watch CR go down the toilet. They really don't get the importance of tourism. If this crap starts with eco tourists, forget it. Not even to mention the impending CR real estate meltdown.

Stay safe, and that being said, I'll be in next week.

PURA VIDA!

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Livin' & Lovin' in Key Largo....oh....And the one in The Keys, too!

Sorry, ICSA, this is not just a matter of what a lot of guys like or don't like to do. The following is a direct quote from the US Embassy for CR website taken from the very top of their long list of security measures US citizens should take while in CR:Of course, they might be a little biased because most of the incidents reported to them involve stolen passports. That's because if its just a wallet or something else that is stolen, a lot of people don't bother reporting it because they figure "what's the point?" The cops or the embassy can't really do much about it and particularly not help them recover the stolen goods. When their passport is stolen they figure reporting it is NOT any more likely to accomplish anything but it IS a necessary step to take in order to get a replacement one.

What about getting a replacement? No big deal? That depends on your definition of "no big deal". First, you have to get a local police report describing the theft or loss and we all know what dealing with them can be like. Once you've taken care of that, you need to schlep yourself out to the embassy in Pavas during their regular working hours. That is 8-11:30AM M-F and 1-3PM on Mondays only. If you get robbed Friday or any time over the weekend, by the time you get the police report you'll probably just have to wait until Monday morning. You also need a couple of properly sized photos for the replacement passport, but there will probably be someone that can take care of that for you at the embassy. Once you have all your photos and documents in order, you'll still have to wait your turn at the embassy, which can easily take a couple of hours. The replacement passport will cost you $100. It should be ready the next day (unless you're in there on a Friday morning or there is some holiday goind on), but unlike your old passport, that emergency one will only be good for 1 year. You'll still need to get a regular passport a lot sooner than you would have had to and that will cost you another $75. So now, you're looking at $175 in costs (not including the costs of photos and various taxis back and forth to the police and the embassy each day), PLUS all the time and hassle involved with dealing with various bureaucracies. I haven't been through this myself in CR, but I have been through it in Managua. And I can tell you that, while it may not be a huge deal, it is a real hassle and something that is best avoided.

What about needing it to drive a car? I've never heard that one before and could find nothing to support it. What I HAVE seen is that you need a valid Drivers License, not necessarily a CR one or even an International one, though those will also do. In some, but not even all cases, you need to present your passport to the agent when you RENT the car, but they say nothing about needing to have it with you after that.

Finally, as to the last comment about there being only 3 muggings of CR members in the last 3 years but a lot more police shakedowns, I don't know what forum you've been reading but there have been a LOT more than just 3 muggings and we still have a lot more to fear from the crooks than from the police.

We can argue whether MG did the right thing succumbing to police pressure once he was in the cab and I would NOT be the one to say one approach was definitively right or wrong. His real mistakes were twofold. Number one, it was a mistake getting into their car without first establishing their legitimacy by clearly noting their badge numbers or car number or better yet the other precautionary steps that Capt. C just described. Once he was in there and on his way to god knows where his options WERE much more restricted. Secondly, and probably more importantly, he made a HUGE mistake having that much cash on him (at any time of day but particular at that hour). That precaution not only applies to reducing the amount the cops can squeeze you for if it does come to that but is also advisable to reduce the consequences if you were to get mugged by outright criminals. And by the term "cash" I'd include anything of value, which includes fancy watches, expensive cameras, AND a passport that will cost you nearly $200 to replace.

Lanrac2, that's a funny video. It's not a shakedown of any sort!

The "Gringo" had a meal at Mariscar for the amount of 3,500 colones. But appears that he lost his money and wasn't able to pay for the meal. At 4:15 he says: "I had the money in my pocket but now it's gone"

He showed the waiter his passport and told the waiter he will come back tomorrow to pay the bill.

Apparently the waiter went outside, called the cops and the cops started looking at the Gringo's passport. The cop claims that the passport is expired and told the waiter that the Gringo most likely was not going to come back to get his passport since it's expired.

At 4:27 the Gringo said: "I will come back and get it tomorrow"

The cop told the waiter that because of the amount, it was not a crime. He also told the waiter to take the passport to court and file a claim.

Wow, not a very smart traveler!

Prolijo,

Please, explain to me how i'm not supposed to carry enough money around to pay for the session, drinks, taxi fare, etc.. I already mentioned that I am not staying at a hotel, so I can't keep the money there.

So please, tell me how this was a "mistake", other than the fact that if I wasn't carrying the money, I wouldn't have even been there.

ALso, i'm not supposed to get in the car? A cop tells you to get in the police car, and what? I turn and run? Is that what i'm supposed to do? Resist arrest? Attack the cops? You want me to make things even worse on myself? In the states, if you don't do what a cop tells you to, it's bad news for you, I can only imagine what it must be here.

The fact of the matter is, I wasn't expecting to have ot pay more than 10 or 20k colones for this.

As for your comments about what has or hasn't happened in the past. you know the saying, Past performance is not an indication of future results. In the past, the cops haven't shaken me or anyone I know down for $200 either, yet it happened to me. I am not going to blindly assume that just because nobody has ever heard of something, it's not going to happen to me.

In the last 3 weeks, 10 friends of mine have been mugged. 10. Nearly all of them tico's. One was mugged for his cell phone and they beat him with a steel pipe so bad he had to have plastic surgery. One was a in a store full of people and they came in and robbed the whole store at gunpoint.

Shit's getting bad out there, and the cops are doing nothing but harassing gringos to pay their rent.

TMG,
You don't have to explain yourself or justify your actions. A lot of guys know exactly how they would have handled that situation, when they are sitting in front of their computer at home. I wonder how many would have those same brass balls when it was real, not hypothetical.

I think the only thing you could have done is pay, like you did, and take down their names if possible, or at least their plate number, and reported it. I disagree that it won't do any good. If everybody thought that way, this will get worse.

About calling their bluff... as a poker player, you don't call a bluff unless you can live with the results if you call and it isn't a bluff. In this situation, I don't think any of us would, nobody would like to get dropped off in the middle of a bad neighborhood by ourselves in the middle of the night with no stores open, no taxis anywhere, and having to walk down dark streets.

TMG,
Orange is exactly right. You don't have to justify your actions and I wasn't asking you to. I was just offering my own thoughts on what you should have done. Everyone else is free to agree or disagree. Orange is also exactly right that it is easy for someone like me to say how one SHOULD react HYPOTHETICALLY in such a situation while seated safely at home. How we'd ACTUALLY react if we ACTUALLY were in that situation is quite possibly another story. I actually acknowledged as much myself at least a couple of times already. IF I had a lot of money on me and was trapped in a patrol car in some strange and dangerous neighborhood and was being threatened with the things you were, I might have done exactly as you had done or even probably would have.

Where I'm a little more certain I wouldn't have done what you did is in a) I'd NEVER have had nearly that much money on me that late at night and b) if I were asked to get in a police car when I knew I'd done nothing wrong, I'm pretty sure I'd at least ask a few basic questions like verifying they were real cops that I could positively ID later if I had to (based on badge numbers or the car number if nothing else). Maybe, I'd have still wound up in that bad neighborhood and felt forced to give the officers whatever I had, but I'm willing to bet the chances would have been better the cops would have backed down as soon as they realized they weren't going to get as much for their efforts and faced a greater risk of getting in trouble for what they were trying to do. I think it is a real possibility the reason you were picked out in the 1st place was because they were tipped off that you had a lot of money on you or at least once they saw the money on you and the potential amount they could hit you for were much less inclined to back down.

So the key difference is not how we each would react after we're already stuck between a rock and a hard place, but what we would have done or would not have done to lessen the chances we were even in that difficult position to begin with.

Since you asked me to explain certain things, I will. The bulk of my remarks as they were directed at you were prior to your additional explanations. My "assumptions" though wrong in certain respects were not unreasonable inasmuch as your reasons for key areas like having that much money on you or not being able to ask to go to your nearby hotel to get your passport, etc. are NOT typical of what most of us face and yet you were presenting this as a common situation that all of us have to watch out for.

It does not take $200 for drinks and taxi fare or even sessions per night. Most of us return to our hotel or apartment whereever that might be every night and so do not need to have more than 1 night's supply of cash on us. Most of the time for most of us when we do a session at night we bring the chicas back to our hotel and so do not even need to carry session money. But even if one lives in Escazu and is sessioning at some strip joint or is taking a chica to some ST hotel like the Asia, we don't need $200 for the session. And as for the rest, drinks and taxi shouldn't amount to even $20-30 (unless we're alcoholics) particularly at 2 in the morning when we would have already spent most of what we planned to drink. And even if I did have that much money on me and even if I didn't want to take a taxi the short distance to the Hotel Asia, I probably would have kept the bulk of whatever money I had stuffed down my shorts or some other secret place rather than in a wallet along with my passport copy (or am I making another incorrect assumption).

What about your other questions? Are you not supposed to get in the car, are you supposed to turn and run, resist arrest, attack the cops? Where did I ever suggest anything as ridiculous as that? Who is making assumptions now? All I said was that before you meekly just get in the car, you politely ask to see their badges, which were probably plainly visible anyway. At the very least the number of the police car must have been plainly visible and simply reading the number to let them know you were taking note of it might have helped dissuade them from pursuing their shakedown further (at least if all they thought they'd be getting was the $10-20 that most of us would normally have on us). I don't see how such mild and reasonable information requests could really make things even worse for yourself as you suggest. I think Capt. Cohiba's suggestions were even better than mine, like requesting to call the embassy before getting in the car. Even asking if you could go back to the HDR so you can tell a friend where you were being taken, would have been a reasonable request in such a situation. Maybe the cops would not have complied with any of it, but at least you would have come off as not such a compliant target yourself.

Last comment: Past performance is not a GUARANTOR of future results, but a complete absence in the past is at least as much an indicator of the future as 1 isolated current event. I'm not going to "blindly assume" that something could not possibly happen to me but I'm not going to blindly assume that something that did not actually happen to someone (getting roughed up by the cops or being left by them in a rough neighborhood to be mugged) is suddenly more likely to happen to me either. Shit IS getting bad out there. People are getting mugged. But this was not a thread about the risks we run from the criminals. It was a thread about getting harrassed by the cops. That may be on the uptick as well but is still a FAR lower risk and, unlike with the real criminals, as long as you don't carry excessive cash the worst thing you might suffer is a small dent in your wallet.