www.CostaRicaTicas.com

That was a good post Steven and an even better suggestion than merely trying to make a better copy after you arrive. I've heard that sometimes the immigration agents refuse or at least are reluctant to stamp anything other than your passport, but you're absolutely correct that it doesn't hurt to try. Also suggested in your approach, but not explicitly stated, it is probably more likely that you'll get the agent to stamp your pre-made color copy for you if you ask him to do it in as friendly manner as possible rather than flatly demanding it.

Regardless of whether they cooperate with you to the extent of stamping your copy for you at the time of entry, they all clearly know and understand that it is not advisable to carry your passport around and ENCOURAGE visiting gringo tourists to safegueard theirs by leaving them in their safes and only carrying around copies. Given that, one would THINK that they'd also do things to make that easier. If not by stamping your photocopy for you, then by using an ink color that would show up better on photocopies. And if not by using better ink, then by being more understanding if the photocopies do not come out clearly enough. After all do they really think that most of us are in their country illegally or are planning to over stay our visit like some migrant sexworker from Nicaragua? I agree with you that this cop clearly didn't really give a Phuck about any of that, beyond having an excuse to shake MG down and even if he had his actual passport it might not have made any difference.

I also think your theories as to what exactly was behind this are interesting. Lots of guys leave the HDR/BM late at night but not all of them get hassled like this by the cops. Why was MG so "lucky" and was it simply coincidental that he had so much money to pay. Perhaps his little bird (or someone else) saw he had the cash inside the bar and tipped off or signaled the cops that he was a particularly rich target. I also think it was possible that "John Law" was really off-duty or at least acting well outside the bounds of his official capacity (ie not really calling into his station).

BTW, the Colonial is a CASINO that is now part of the Sleep Inn. When you step outside the BM it will be half a block to your left. The Sleep Inn itself is of questionable chica friendliness (ie extremely high chica fees that a FEW guys CLAIM to be able to get around). MG didn't say he was actually staying there, only walking in the direction of the casino. Perhaps to do some more gambling?

I am fortunate to have a CR cedula since I am a resident. But I believe the only way to discourage this bullshiit is to politely ask for identification from the 'officers.' Then write down all the information, including license number of the vehicle. Hell, if you don't have a pen, borrow theirs. Do this before you get too far along. If they stall or refuse, then it's up to you to either go along with the gag or not. Naturally, it would depend on your level of Spanish or their level of English just what you could communicate. I think if they see you writing down the lic # and their ID numbers, they will be much less likely to harass you further.

Some would say that it's not worth risking spending time at the police station. Fine. Kick the can down the road and let them play their game on every gringo they can. I'd like to see SOMEBODY stand up to these asssholes and call them on their bullshiit. But it's up to the individual, obviously.

_________________
"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

HERE, HERE!!! Obviously, I agree completely. It doesn't even take a particularly high level of spanish to say something in broken spanish like:

"Si esta una problema, yo quiero mirar tu identificacion, por favor."

Don't have a pen (una pluma) and don't know how to ask for one? Then pantomining writing on your hand, should get the idea across. (btw, see my recent post on why you should always have a pen with you out on the streets anyway).

They don't want to let you use their pen? Then reading out the badge number on their chests should get your point across as well (e.g. a simple "Cinco Tres Siete Uno" while plainly looking closely at their badge). Even if you can't remember it later, they won't be sure if you'll be able to or not, and if they don't have a legitimate excuse for bringing you and writing you up they're not going to risk having to explain their side to the police sargent when they take you in and you complain up the chain of command.

This can all be done politely but firmly and as non-confrontationally as possible. No one is suggesting getting into an argument with or raising your voice towards someone with a gun and a pair of handcuffs. But you can behave as in "fine, if this is all perfectly legit, then you don't mind if I record the details in the event I need to remember them later, what's that? oh, you're going to do me a favor and let things slide this time around? why thank you very much officer and have a nice night."

"....Takin' names and kickin' ass."

The best way to darken up something light when photocopying is to use a piece of red colored plastic. The best kind is the kind used as a document cover. Photocopiers interpret colors based on intensity. Blue is not an intense color, so photocopiers turn it to light grey, if they can detect it at all. (Which in newspaper graphics shops, they use blue colored pencil for marking corrections. It will not get picked up in final copy.) Red is an intense color and is interpreted by photocopiers as black.


When copying your the visa stamp, put the red plastic on the copy machine screen under the passport. That should darken it up nicely.

I agree with the other posters. Don't carry the chica's money with you. She should only get it in your hotel room, AFTER the session. So, why carry around that much money?

Explain that to him, and say that your bribe money AND your passport are at your hotel. He then has the choice of taking you back to your hotel to get his bribe money. But if your passport is there, too, then he cannot refuse to look at it. Also, once back at your hotel, you can sick the staff on him. They can help weed out the phoney cop, or threaten to call the precinct house.

Got a cell phone? Put the embassy number on speed dial. The best number to use in this situation is Marine Post #1. It is the front armored booth, it is manned 24 hours a day, and the sergeant or corporal of the guard is trained to handle emergency calls. He can call the Regional Security Officer 24 hours a day, and the RSO has the local police officials on HIS speed dial.

While on the phone, explain to the cop you are calling the Embassy. "Officer, you don't understand. I cannot spend the day in jail. I am here in San Jose to fix the Ambassador's wireless computer system. If it doesn work, he will be very angry. Can I give him you name and badge number?"

I once played this trick 20 years ago. In 1987, me and this other lieutenant got pulled out of the reserves and got sent down to Panama. I got sent out to the boonies of Honduras for six months. He got to be a rear echelon mo-fo in Panama City, so I was a little resentful. When I rotated back to PTY prior to going back stateside, we hung out. One night, he, his PTY girlfriend, and I were driving around the city after dinner.

We got pulled over by the traffic cops, who caught him doing some illegal turn. Or maybe not. They told him to follow their car. We were driving around and that is when I decided to mess with his head.

"Bobby! Bobby, man, just stop and let me out! Or just slow down and let me jump out!" I put as much panic in my voice as I could. He asked what was wrong. I blurted out, "Dude, didn't you get the brief on the right wing death squads? Its the phucking Panama Traffic Patrol! They are notorious!
They'll probably kill you and rape your girlfriend! No, worse! They'll rape you and kill your girlfriend! Just let me out! I'll try to get help!"
At this point, he started to panic, saying, no, I spoke Spanish, maybe I could talk our way out of it.

I kept it up for five minutes. When the cops stopped in some desserted foresty area, Bobby's hands were trembling. His girlfriend didn't understand a lot of English, but she didn't give me away if she did understand what I was saying.

The cops got out of their patrol car. We got out of Bobby's car. We started talking and I translated the Spanish for Bobby.

Cops: "With respect to the driver's infraction...it is very serious."
Bobby: "What did they say? Did we make them mad?"
Me: "They wish foreigners would respect them...and take them seriously."
Bobby turns pale.

Cops: "But we can handle this amongst ourselves."
Me: "Bobby, they say they know how to handle people who disrespect them."
Bobby shivers.

Cops: "For a small price, we can resolve his infraction."
Me: "They said, they will make you pay the price, a fraction at a time. Listen, when I say "go" you run to the left and I will run to the right. They can't shoot us both, right?"
Bobby starts to tremble, and begs me not to leave him, and at this point, I take pity on him.

I tell the cops, "Listen, do you know who he is. Look at him, look at his face. Do you read the newspapers?" At this point, I take his face in my hand and point it at the cops.

"This is Robert Alderidge. Robert....Alderidge," like they would recongnize the name. "It was in the newspaper, two days ago, remember? Okay, it was on page three, but...."

Bobby asks me what I am doing. I told him I wasn't going to run, but I was asking the cops not to shoot him in the face, so at least his parents could have an open casket. By this time he shivering like he has hypothermia.

I continue with the cops: "Mr. Adleridge is the guy the canal commission hired to modernize the computers that control the locks on the Panama Canal." By this point, the cops are starting to lock worried.

"He is diabetic. He has to take his insulin. We were heading to his hotel where he has his medicine. If he doesn't get it, he will go into shock, he'll have to go to the emergency room, and then the Canal Administration is going to wonder why he can't fix the computers that control the locks. No locks, no canal..the canal shuts down, it costs the country $2.3 million a day. The ambassador will be very angry. He promised your president the best technical help, and this guy is the best. General Noriega will be very angry. Do you want to explain that to your boss?"

Bobby asks what I am saying to the cops. I tell him that I am begging for his life.

I tell the cops: "See how pale he is? Look, he is shaking. This is the first stage of diabetic shock!"

Well, the cops decided that the smartest thing to do was to let us go. But I wasn't having that. While they were scared , I decided I wanted more. I convinced the cops Bobby needed to get to his hotel room....and fast. They offered to escort us, lights and siren and everything. But that wasn't good enough. I didn't have a Panama or an international driver's license, and Bobby was in no condition to drive. What if he crashed?

So one cop drove his car ahead of us, while the other drove Bobby's car - top speed - back to the hotel.

Unfortunately that no longer makes us immune from harassment. Almost all residencies are expired and have been extended for a year by Immigration. When that year is up you have to call a toll number and schedule an appointment. Currently they are giving appointments from 8 to 12 months from the time you call. That means you spend 20 to 24 months with an expired cedula. The police are aware of this but that does not mean they will not stop you and hassle you that your documents are expired and you have to go to jail or make some arrangement with them to avoid that.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Well I would agree here, but this sounds like a similar experience I had in Panama. The police in this case were robbers. I think you could also technically call it kidnapping.

You can search for my post from Panama. Same thing except they collaborated with taxis. In the end, they drove me out in the middle of nowhere. Robbed me and left me on the side of the road with zero to return to civilization.

Had I have asked for their Cedula, they would have laughed or probably beaten me badly. The cop outside of car was really antsy and was holding a night stick, that I'm certain was used before on gringos. I just sat silent and waited for it to be over with. If you stand up to them, I believe it could get much, much worse.

_________________
http://TipsCostaRica.com for pratical advice on living in Costa Rica.
In order to write about life, first you must live it! - E. Hemingway.

That's what they want you to think.

Two things: First, ID, I am a 'newer' resident and as of now my cedula is up to date. When it expires I'll have to deal with the situation you have described. Secondly, Chi trekker, this incident happened in downtown San Jose and I would not be afraid to assert myself a little. If it happened on a dark road in Panama under Noriega, I'd be much more afraid.

_________________
"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

Good info here amigo's
I will get the laminated copy at the place sugested in a thead not to long ago That may give you a leg to stand on should it happen
I don't stay out that late at night as a rule
I will go to jail if needed I know the Bearthen will
bring me a good pizza with green olives and yellow cheese
The jail is a short cab ride from the DR?

Bilko only said anything about his OWN cedula. When referring to the cop he only said to ask for his "identification". I understood that to mean their BADGE number, which should be plainly visible on their chest or belt (not their personal CEDULA from their wallet). He also said "Do this before you get too far along." Clearly, waiting until you're powerlessly trapped in his car and on your way out to some unknown destination is too far along. The time to do all this is BEFORE you agree to get into their car. Failing be able to see their badge, it should also be reasonably easy to see the number on their car's license plate number or side door. This is not altogether different from noticing the number on the side of any taxi or whether they have a valid certificate or medallion posted on the front dashboard before you get in (another idea which is advisable to do). The badge number or police car number should be written down if possible, but even just making a point of reading it aloud will serve much the same function, make them wary of trying anything that might get them in trouble with their superiors.

Will it piss them off? Possibly. Particularly, if you do it in an obstinate way. But it will only piss them off if they were already intending to do something they shouldn't be doing anyway. And as pissed off as they might be, it makes them LESS likely to follow through on doing anything wrong, NOT MORE. After all, short of killing you or perhaps cutting out your tongue, they risk your reporting back whatever else they do to their superiors along with an unrefutable identification of who did it.

Perhaps, I'm just being naive. But, I think others are just being too easliy intimidated and paranoid. Has anyone here ever heard any reports of gringos being beaten by SJ cops or deserted in some remote and dangerous part of the city or countryside for refusing to pay a bribe or insisting on being brought to their police station for due process? I haven't. Like Bilko said, this is SJ, not Noriega's Panama.

this brings back the old TV ad with the Indian crying only you can make the difference (sic)
Costa Rica has laws just do your best to not find about them
But if you did nothing wrong go with it go to jail do not pass go and let us know about it
BTW has anyone been in the slammer in SJ

This cop was probably looking for drugs. There is a lot of activity in that area with all the pimps outside the Rey. You should have ducked into the Rey. If they had of found drugs on you it would have been $500. They would have given you a choice of taking a trip to an ATM or to jail.
I always carry 5000 colones with my date stamp copy wrapped around it. I have never had to use it in my nine years in CR. The cops will leave you alone if you don't look like you are up to something. There are a few bad cops. Try to limit your walking activities to the daytime. You will have no trouble if you look like a regular Gringo.they will leave alone.
A good test is if you can walk into the Del Rey without getting the wand treatment.
This is all my opinion.

_________________
DO WHAT YOU LOVE AND LOVE WHAT YOU DO

In September at 11:00 AM I was making the walk the walk from HDR to SL for lunch, I wasn't carry alcohol and wasn't drunk. I didn't have a chica and I was minding my own business.

Here's my story from that trip report:




The knowledge gained here helped me immensely. It sucks MG, it really does but thank you for the post reminding us all that this still goes on.

When I entered CR the 23rd of Januarary I recieved a bright red, very readable stamp, Always in the past light blue. Maybe the tico government reads CRT>