We were able to = get a copy=20 of the fax that was sent to the local police. The = =E2=80=9CTip=E2=80=9D came from=20 Customs and Border Patrol in CA. And the local Police chief was = actually=20 apologetic because he knew it was bogus. The tip itself = is=20 BS. They made it up. IF they had been watching me or = investigating=20 me they would have known my wife was with me and not some dude. = That is=20 the only part that is really a violation, they are making up an excuse = to get=20 the locals excited, and then seeing what they find. Another = example was=20 a guy accused of transporting computer chips that were stolen. I = can=20 imagine them making up stories over the coffee in the morning. =20

How would the = public react=20 if any Fed agency routinely made up tips so the cops would come to = your house=20 and want to search? Imagine the news coverage. That is the = same=20 thing going on here. If they have something on you, then = absolutely go=20 for it. But they did not in the 3 cases we know about just at = our local=20 airport.

The lesson you = derived is=20 correct though. Know your rights, and also know how you can help = them do=20 their job without violating your rights. That is the best thing = you can=20 do (if innocent) while saying the least amount possible.

Bob=20 R

From: Lancair = Mailing=20 List [mailto:lml@lancaironline.net] = On=20 Behalf Of William Wilson
Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 = 7:05=20 AM
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Sub= ject:=20 [LML] Re: beware, you may be searched!

Seems pretty = standard to=20 me. They checked out a tip that proved to be bogus. I = don't see=20 any rights violations here or anything out of the ordinary.

The = main=20 lesson IMO is that, while there are plenty of cops who abuse power, = for the=20 most part if you behave in a civilized manner and realize they are = just trying=20 to do their job, most of them will treat you fairly. That seems = to be=20 what happened here.

On Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 4:13 PM, Bob Rickard = <r.rickard@rcginc-us.com>=20 wrote:

Fellow LML=E2=80=99ers

It seems inevitable that the govt will search you at = some=20 point. Just some info on what happened to me yesterday, you can=20 hopefully use this to react appropriately for your situation. = This is=20 the third incident just at our little airport in Missouri of this=20 happening=E2=80=A6..

Bob Rickard

IV-P

On 18 April, 2011, I filed IFR from KGEU to K1H0 = direct, with=20 my wife on board. At 0845L, I departed KGEU VFR and picked up my = filed=20 IFR clearance to K1H0 at FL210 with ABQ center. The flight was=20 uneventful and I cancelled IFR approximately 10 miles from K1H0 with = St. Louis=20 Approach and landed at 1443L. Upon landing and taxi to my hanger = (P3) at=20 Creve Coeur Airport, I was surrounded by 6 Maryland Heights Police = cars and=20 about 10 officers. I exited the plane and was approached by the=20 supervisor and asked if I had any identification. I produced my = military=20 ID (I am a LtCol in the Air Force Reserve flying F-22=E2=80=99s) as = well as my=20 driver=E2=80=99s license, and asked the supervisor what the problem = was. He told=20 me that he got a =E2=80=9Ctip=E2=80=9D from the Federal Government = that there may be a federal=20 fugitive on board by the name of Robert Mcrae. He wasn=E2=80=99t = sure of the=20 name and asked me if I knew anyone by a name similar to that, to which = I=20 answered =E2=80=9Cno=E2=80=9D to all. He also stated that he was = surprised to see a=20 woman in the plane with me since his informant said there would be two = men in=20 the plane. I inquired as to who would give a tip like that, and = he was=20 vague. A this point my wife exited the plane and was asked to = produce=20 her ID as well and was questioned as to what we were doing and where = we were=20 going and where we came from. It was apparent to the = supervisor=20 pretty quickly that my wife and I were not federal fugitives as they = ran our=20 ID=E2=80=99s, but he asked to search the airplane anyway. I told = him that I was=20 aware of my rights and he could not search anything without a warrant, = and he=20 was quick to add =E2=80=9Cor your permission=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9CI = could have the dogs come=20 out=E2=80=9D. (side note =E2=80=93 they don=E2=80=99t need a = warrant to have the dogs check out=20 your aircraft =E2=80=93 if the dogs find something and indicate, then = they have=20 probable cause to search you without a warrant. If the dogs find = nothing=20 they cannot search your aircraft until a warrant is issued). I = told him=20 that I would play nice, had nothing to hide, and that my plan was to = take my=20 belongings out of the airplane and put them in my car to go home, and = I would=20 allow him to see what I took out and visually see inside the cockpit = and=20 baggage compartment, but I was not allowing a search of the = airplane. He=20 agreed to this. I took my 2 pieces of luggage out of the back and = showed him=20 the contents briefly (not a complete search but opened up the zipper = and=20 showed clothes on top) as well as the couple of vases we had bought in = Phoenix=20 and lunch/sodas we had in the cockpit. They saw nothing of = interest and=20 returned my wife=E2=80=99s ID, but kept mine and made further = calls. The=20 supervisor indicated =E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m on overtime, I am outta = here=E2=80=9D and left, but another=20 officer checked with =E2=80=9CEPIC=E2=80=9D (unsure of the spelling) = which he told me was an=20 international consortium that traded information on travel, etc. = He told=20 me he was aware of my trip earlier this year to Mexico and the Cayman = Islands=20 (honeymoon cruise) but there was nothing to get me in trouble. = He then=20 returned my ID and let us go.