Towson, MD man arrested for using $2 FRN's

[cpm9ball]

Did anyone catch this in the May 23 issue of Coin World, p.84? It seems he was buying a car stereo for his son at Best Buy and they sold him one that didn't fit. They had to take it out and replace it with another model so they told him they would waive the $114 installation fee. The next day he received a call from Best Buy and they told him if he didn't come in and pay the installation fee they would call the police.

 

It happens that in his business he uses a lot of $2 bills. Being a little irritated by their threat, he took 57 of them with him to pay the installation charge. The cashier, thinking they were counterfeit, told him that she didn't have to take them if she didn't want to. Then she proceeded to check them with a counterfeit detection pen and they passed. Best Buy summoned a Baltimore County police officer and when he arrived the man was handcuffed and taken to jail. He was there for several hours, still in handcuffs, while a Secret Service agent was summoned. The agent examined the bills and declared them to be genuine and the man was released.

 

Needless to say, he has already retained a lawyer and is suing Best Buy for wrongful detention, false imprisonment and defamation of character and the Baltimore County Police Department is being sued for wrongful arrest.

 

How many $2 bills do you think he will get out of these insufficiently_thoughtful_persons?

 

Chris

[truthteller]

As long as the man was not booked and charged with a crime, the police have the right, under police powers, to "detain" an invdivual for probable cause.As Americans, we think we are "free". This is not the case, and police powers can be broad and severe, depending on the circumstances. Unfortunately, the police were not "smart" enough to figure this out on their own. In larger cities, when the beat cop has suspicions, but is not sure, usually he calls a supervisor, which is a sargeant or lieutenant, and he confirms or denies the arrest. Unless the victim was injured or his detention caused a severe result, such as an epileptic seizure, the guy will receive $50 in gift certificates for his trouble.

 

I am always amazed by ignorance, but find it more and more common, especially among the young clerks. Especially suspicious are Asians. I have spent many very raggedy red seal notes over the years, and the Chinese take out restuarants always give me a hard time, even if I have come in many, many times.

 

 

TRUTH

[TJ]

raggedy red seal notes?

[truthteller]

Red seal notes were the ones issued by the Bank of the United States, not the Federal Reserve. They have been red since the 1870's until it's merger with the Federal Reserve in 1963. The blue seal notes, were silver certificates backed by silver. The Federal Reserve notes were issued 1929 after the banking system collapse and were brown, then they changed to green in the 1930's and have been green ever since. For coin people, the "seal" means the treasury seal on the obverse of the note.

 

 

TRUTH

[TJ]

Thank you. No quiz I hope...

[truthteller]

Quiz: Why are many $2 notes missing the upper right hand corner?

 

 

 

 

 

TRUTH

[TJ]

Quiz: Why are many $2 notes missing the upper right hand corner?

Some sort of test for counterfeitcy <-----new word.

[truthteller]

WRONG: The $2 note was the currency of choice at horse race tracks where the $2 bet was the most common. For good luck, the bettor would tear off the right hand upper corner as he/she gave it to the track cashier.

 

 

Please submit quiz prize.

 

 

 

TRUTH

[TJ]

WRONG: The $2 note was the currency of choice at horse race tracks where the $2 bet was the most common. For good luck, the bettor would tear off the right hand upper corner as he/she gave it to the track cashier.

 

 

Please submit quiz prize.

 

 

 

 

TRUTH

Why the upper right? Sounds urban-legendish.

[truthteller]

I've seen thousands of $2 bills that way, only a very few in other corners, usually by dislyxic bettors.

 

 

TRUTH

[TJ]

I'm sure I've had less than fifty $2 bills pass thru my hands in my life. You must have rummaged thru bills at coin shows to have handled that many.

 

I do however have an uncut sheet of them.

[truthteller]

I've handled many, many estates with tons of $2 bills.

 

 

 

TRUTH

[cpm9ball]

Please submit quiz prize.

 

 

 

TRUTH

 

A quiz prize for someone who initiates the quiz? Gimme a break!

 

Chris

[cpm9ball]

WRONG: The $2 note was the currency of choice at horse race tracks where the $2 bet was the most common. For good luck, the bettor would tear off the right hand upper corner as he/she gave it to the track cashier.

 

 

Please submit quiz prize.

 

 

 

 

TRUTH

Why the upper right? Sounds urban-legendish.

 

Right-handed! Have you ever seen a left-handed person tear off a right-hand corner? That would be like a person walking under a ladder but saying it was okay because there was a black cat in front of them.

 

Chris

[cpm9ball]

I've handled many, many estates with tons of $2 bills.

 

 

 

TRUTH

 

And he tore the corner off of every one of them!

 

"C'mon, Clutz-in-the-Night ! Go, baby! Go! Go!

[braddick]

Detention plus movement equals arrest, generally. The San Diego Sheriff's department's policy is once you handcuff an individual and transport him, the detention changes to an arrest. (It's one reason why, when we have curbstone lineups the victim is transported to where the suspect is.)

 

Even with that stated, it's difficult, if not downright impossible to sue a law enforcement agency unless you can prove arrest with malice.

 

If the police believed it was a lawful arrest (even if it wasn't) any kind of damages against the department will be difficult to prove.

 

Couple that with the police declaring they were acting as an agent of Best Buy and you add another layer of protection for law enforcement.

Now, the suite against Best Buy? Oh, yeah. I'd think there is standing there!