Chicago police officer follows a woman home at night. Then claims he doesn’t need a reason to trail her: ‘Because I can’
"I don't have a reason."
Women being followed around is, unfortunately, nothing new, but it still remains equally concerning. In one woman’s case, however, she was allegedly followed home by a police officer. The incident was shared by Yarelilove (@yareliloveee) on TikTok, which has since amassed over 1.3 million views.
“POV: A dumb*** cop follows you home unprovoked with no reason of cause,” Yarelilove said in the video’s on-screen text. The video didn’t show footage of what happened prior to Yarelilove arriving home, nor did the TikToker explain much aside from the on-screen text she added.
Yarelilove, however, claimed that a police officer had followed her back to her home at Elmwood Park in Cook County, Illinois, during the evening, and described the act as “unprovoked.” She can be heard confronting the officer in what appeared to be the driveway of her home as he stepped out of the police cruiser.
The officer doesn’t give a reason for following her
“Why are you following me? You don’t need to follow me. What was the reason?” Yarelilove repeatedly asked the officer. The officer could be heard responding to Yarelilove’s questions, yet he didn’t clearly communicate the actual reason why the TikToker was followed home.
“Because I can,” the officer said in response multiple times to Yarelilove’s questioning. But Yarelilove was seemingly not satisfied with that answer and continued to challenge the officer’s presence at her home. “You’re not saying the reason why. Why are you following me?” she said.
Yarelilove also told the officer that he “can’t” follow her, and claimed that he was “abusing your power” before calling him “weird” for not having a valid reason. “What do you mean, the reason? I don’t have a reason,” the officer said before insisting he didn’t need one to follow her, and if he did, he wasn’t required to explain himself.
Yarelilove eventually left the officer when her questions remained unanswered, but not before telling him, “Goofy a**. You’re goofy. You’re a f****** goofy. Please get the f*** out of my face.” This isn’t the first time an officer seemingly did something objectionable simply because of their badge, as one officer allegedly trespassed on a couple’s property and argued that he was a police officer.
The video triggered a strong reaction from viewers, who were also left dumbfounded by the officer’s actions. “’Because I can’, is CRAZY!” one viewer wrote. Another viewer claimed the officer’s actions were borderline harassment, saying, “That’s called stalking.”
Police can legally follow you within reason
It seems this isn’t an isolated incident, as other viewers shared their own experiences of an officer allegedly following them. “A police officer did this to me before lights off I drove to a police station I was so scared,” a viewer said. A second viewer wrote, “Go inside! Girl I had a cop do this to me in Harper woods, and it turned serious.”
Viewers also urged Yarelilove to file a complaint and use the footage as evidence. “Report him to Internal affairs division quickly and show them the video,” a viewer said. Some claimed that the officer is legally allowed to follow her.
According to Lawyers For The People, police officers can follow an individual, but only for legitimate reasons and as part of surveillance. This means that officers can follow you if they are investigating a crime or as a way to keep the community safe. However, there are limits before their surveillance turns into harassment.
Police surveillance may turn into harassment if officers repeatedly monitor or follow an individual without a valid reason, and the concern for public safety shifts into intimidation. The Fourth Amendment protects individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures, and officers are required to have reasonable suspicion to begin following you. Individuals also have the right to privacy, even from authorities.
It can’t be determined if the officer had any legitimate reason for following Yarelilove based on the video alone. However, the way the officer handled the incident didn’t help assuage Yarelilove’s concerns as a private citizen. It is yet to be confirmed if there are any violations or harassment on the officer’s part.
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