Help!! Cop cited me with 3 violations in 1 stop!!
10-14-2004, 10:15 PM
#62
Intermediate
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Lorton...Va
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by silverBean
Justdrive nice, i.e. shirt and tie. Be respectful and only speak when spoken to. Most of these guys are on power trips. Again good luck!!
Yea thats true, i went to juvi court and all these kids were in there "gangster clothes" i went in my suit and was very polite to the judge(which was a lady) and i guess she did let me off kinda
10-14-2004, 10:56 PM
#64
Site Sponsor
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: A great big building in the woods, FL.
Posts: 6,527
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes
on
3 Posts
I only read over your post and not all the ones that follow it. I can take a pretty good guess what they all say and where this thread will eventually end up.
Advice for tickets: no matter what they are for or who is at fault get a lawyer.PAY THE LAWYER!!! That's what they are there for. Why ask a bunch of people online that keep talking out of their collective *** about things they may or may not know anything about.
Advice for tickets: no matter what they are for or who is at fault get a lawyer.PAY THE LAWYER!!! That's what they are there for. Why ask a bunch of people online that keep talking out of their collective *** about things they may or may not know anything about.
10-16-2004, 01:49 AM
#66
Three Wheelin'
Cyrus, since misery loves company, here is my story...
Cyrus, I thought I would share my recent encounter with the police with you. It happened a couple days ago, at the end of my 2000 mile trip to Virginia and D.C. I was only 20 miles away from home, and had been driving through a lot of rain and heavy traffic for much of the day. As you can imagine, I was nearing exhaustion, and could not wait to sleep in my own bed.
I was in the black 968 on a U.S. route about 20 miles from the Interstate when I entered a construction zone with a posted limit of 45. Since it was around 9:00 p.m. in a sleepy town of 2000, the road was clear, and, of course, no workers were present, I kept at the pace I had been going when the limit was 55 mph. All of a sudden, I see "P-U-L-S-E" on my radar detector, and I think, "Oh, no!," not 20 miles away from home... For a bit, I saw nothing in my rear view mirror and thought that maybe the cop had not thought it worthy of stopping me, since it was senseless that the limit should be 45 mph on this 4-lane road at 9:00 p.m. when no workers were present. Well, about two minutes later, here came the town police... I pulled over and yanked down the radar detector as quickly and discreetly as I could (as that basically means "automatic ticket), and he walked up and told me I was going 61 in a 45 mph zone.
I was visibly nervous, I think mainly because I was so tired and because my nerves were shot from the heavy traffic in the heavy downpours earlier in the day. There was a good bit of standing water, and I was concentrating intensely for about an hour as I went through Knoxville. The officer asked me if I had a gun, and I told him certainly not, and that I don't use guns. He asked me if I had any drugs, and I told him absolutely not. He then asked me why I was so fidgety and nervous, and said that it seemed as if I had something to hide. I told him that I was nervous because I was quite tired and that I was upset that I had messed up by going too fast in the speed zone. The officer told me that I was "only speeding and that I hadn't murdered anyone..." I also made the mistake of telling him that I was on my way back home from D.C., and that it had been a long, exhausting haul. He asked me several questions about D.C., and why I had gone there.
The officer then asked me how many tickets I had received since I had received my driver's license. I told him only one, and that was in January of 2001 while I was driving a school van. I told him my story of a speed trap I had gone through in a town that truly is notorious for its speed traps. Surprisingly, he seemed impressed that I had only received one, and that it was almost 4 years ago. Shockingly, he told me that because I had such a good driving record, he was going to issue me a warning. He did this without even verifying what I had told him (It was absolutely true). I couldn't believe it, but I was so relieved!
So, I honored his odd request to stand in front of his car while I signed the warning; the hella lights just about blinded me. I suppose there was a video camera that was taping me. I thought all was well, but then he said that he and his fellow officer were on the drug task force and wanted to search my car. Would I give him my permission? I told him without hesitation that I had nothing to hide and that I would not mind at all if he were to search my belongings. I fully expected him to say, "that's okay, sir; have a nice night." I only wish! He then proceeds to go through every square inch of my car, from stem to stern, and every last piece of my luggage and purchases.
Meanwhile, it starts pouring down rain, and I get drenched. They offered me a seat in the back of the police car, and since I am prone to sickness, I accepted. Now I am in the back of the police car, and can not get out. The other officer joins me and we make small talk. He was a very nice guy; interestingly, he said that I was lucky I didn't have a radar detector, for that would have been an automatic ticket... (GREAT, I'm thinking, when the officer finds the detector under my seat during his search, will he rescind the warning and write me a ticket...?) While in the back of the police car (and I stayed there for a good 20 minutes while the officer combed through my things), I thought, "Okay, this is great, one of my job functions is to help kids to get off drugs, and here I am being searched for them!!!"
When they let me out of the car, the other officer was attempting to open the fuse box! (I'll give him kudos on his throroughness, even during a downpour!)When I offered to help, he said that was okay and that he wouldn't worry about it. Thank goodness! I can't imagine how much electrical damage would have been done if the rain would have poured into the fuse box!!! After realizing that I truly had nothing to hide, the officer was extremely nice, almost apologetic, and shook my hand. I thanked him, and he said, "for what, the warning?" I told him, "exactly." I shook hands with the other officer, who had been kind during the entire search, and was on my way.
Although I felt somewhat violated in that every last one of my belongings had been investigated, I was very glad I didn't have a ticket to pay off. Also, the officers told me that they would recommend I remove my Porsche license frame, as it slightly obstructs "Alabama" on my plate. They told me that I might not be as lucky with other officers, and that would constitute a $200 fine.
When I got home, I began to realize that several of my new books I had bought during the trip were water damaged, thanks to the pouring rain gushing into the car during the search. Also, a battery operated clock I had taken with me on the trip was soaked. My new road atlas, soaked. My interior in several places, soaked. Many of the buttons in the hatch that attach the carpet to the body of the car were either missing or broken...
I guess I can be thankful, however, that I wasn't issued a $150 ticket... I can easily replace those damaged items for much less than that, I suppose. I respect officers and the work that they do, but, in agreement with many others, I think that traffic tickets mainly are a racket for stuffing the town's coffers. I was so shocked that I didn't recieve any tickets, due to this often being the case. I'm still not sure why I was searched for drugs, though... One of my theories, in addition to the fact that I was nervous and jittery is that they must have quota for drug searches, and that they were short.
I was in the black 968 on a U.S. route about 20 miles from the Interstate when I entered a construction zone with a posted limit of 45. Since it was around 9:00 p.m. in a sleepy town of 2000, the road was clear, and, of course, no workers were present, I kept at the pace I had been going when the limit was 55 mph. All of a sudden, I see "P-U-L-S-E" on my radar detector, and I think, "Oh, no!," not 20 miles away from home... For a bit, I saw nothing in my rear view mirror and thought that maybe the cop had not thought it worthy of stopping me, since it was senseless that the limit should be 45 mph on this 4-lane road at 9:00 p.m. when no workers were present. Well, about two minutes later, here came the town police... I pulled over and yanked down the radar detector as quickly and discreetly as I could (as that basically means "automatic ticket), and he walked up and told me I was going 61 in a 45 mph zone.
I was visibly nervous, I think mainly because I was so tired and because my nerves were shot from the heavy traffic in the heavy downpours earlier in the day. There was a good bit of standing water, and I was concentrating intensely for about an hour as I went through Knoxville. The officer asked me if I had a gun, and I told him certainly not, and that I don't use guns. He asked me if I had any drugs, and I told him absolutely not. He then asked me why I was so fidgety and nervous, and said that it seemed as if I had something to hide. I told him that I was nervous because I was quite tired and that I was upset that I had messed up by going too fast in the speed zone. The officer told me that I was "only speeding and that I hadn't murdered anyone..." I also made the mistake of telling him that I was on my way back home from D.C., and that it had been a long, exhausting haul. He asked me several questions about D.C., and why I had gone there.
The officer then asked me how many tickets I had received since I had received my driver's license. I told him only one, and that was in January of 2001 while I was driving a school van. I told him my story of a speed trap I had gone through in a town that truly is notorious for its speed traps. Surprisingly, he seemed impressed that I had only received one, and that it was almost 4 years ago. Shockingly, he told me that because I had such a good driving record, he was going to issue me a warning. He did this without even verifying what I had told him (It was absolutely true). I couldn't believe it, but I was so relieved!
So, I honored his odd request to stand in front of his car while I signed the warning; the hella lights just about blinded me. I suppose there was a video camera that was taping me. I thought all was well, but then he said that he and his fellow officer were on the drug task force and wanted to search my car. Would I give him my permission? I told him without hesitation that I had nothing to hide and that I would not mind at all if he were to search my belongings. I fully expected him to say, "that's okay, sir; have a nice night." I only wish! He then proceeds to go through every square inch of my car, from stem to stern, and every last piece of my luggage and purchases.
Meanwhile, it starts pouring down rain, and I get drenched. They offered me a seat in the back of the police car, and since I am prone to sickness, I accepted. Now I am in the back of the police car, and can not get out. The other officer joins me and we make small talk. He was a very nice guy; interestingly, he said that I was lucky I didn't have a radar detector, for that would have been an automatic ticket... (GREAT, I'm thinking, when the officer finds the detector under my seat during his search, will he rescind the warning and write me a ticket...?) While in the back of the police car (and I stayed there for a good 20 minutes while the officer combed through my things), I thought, "Okay, this is great, one of my job functions is to help kids to get off drugs, and here I am being searched for them!!!"
When they let me out of the car, the other officer was attempting to open the fuse box! (I'll give him kudos on his throroughness, even during a downpour!)When I offered to help, he said that was okay and that he wouldn't worry about it. Thank goodness! I can't imagine how much electrical damage would have been done if the rain would have poured into the fuse box!!! After realizing that I truly had nothing to hide, the officer was extremely nice, almost apologetic, and shook my hand. I thanked him, and he said, "for what, the warning?" I told him, "exactly." I shook hands with the other officer, who had been kind during the entire search, and was on my way.
Although I felt somewhat violated in that every last one of my belongings had been investigated, I was very glad I didn't have a ticket to pay off. Also, the officers told me that they would recommend I remove my Porsche license frame, as it slightly obstructs "Alabama" on my plate. They told me that I might not be as lucky with other officers, and that would constitute a $200 fine.
When I got home, I began to realize that several of my new books I had bought during the trip were water damaged, thanks to the pouring rain gushing into the car during the search. Also, a battery operated clock I had taken with me on the trip was soaked. My new road atlas, soaked. My interior in several places, soaked. Many of the buttons in the hatch that attach the carpet to the body of the car were either missing or broken...
I guess I can be thankful, however, that I wasn't issued a $150 ticket... I can easily replace those damaged items for much less than that, I suppose. I respect officers and the work that they do, but, in agreement with many others, I think that traffic tickets mainly are a racket for stuffing the town's coffers. I was so shocked that I didn't recieve any tickets, due to this often being the case. I'm still not sure why I was searched for drugs, though... One of my theories, in addition to the fact that I was nervous and jittery is that they must have quota for drug searches, and that they were short.
10-16-2004, 02:07 AM
#67
Burning Brakes
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Bay Area, California
Posts: 1,208
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This consensual search business really pisses me off. I am not faulting you Jonathan but you would have been within your 4th Amendment rights to tell him, "No sir I do not give you permission to search my car". The reason he asked for your permission is because he did not have probable cause that a crime was taking place. Probable cause is what he is supposed to have before conducting a warrantless search. The 4th Amendment has been watered down for traffic stops but usually they have to see something suspicous inside the car before searching.
You probably saved yourself a ticket and other harassment by letting them search but it is frustrating that they use the threat of a ticket or other aggravation to intimidate Citizens into surrendering their Fundamental Rights.
You probably saved yourself a ticket and other harassment by letting them search but it is frustrating that they use the threat of a ticket or other aggravation to intimidate Citizens into surrendering their Fundamental Rights.
10-16-2004, 02:25 AM
#68
Three Wheelin'
Originally Posted by jonnybgood
You probably saved yourself a ticket and other harassment by letting them search but it is frustrating that they use the threat of a ticket or other aggravation to intimidate Citizens into surrendering their Fundamental Rights.
10-16-2004, 02:29 AM
#69
Racer
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Arizona
Posts: 358
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Matt H
Caution: Ahole response to follow....
How about you take responsibility for your actions. Admittedly you were:
1) Speeding
2) Cut off a U-haul while
3) Making an illegal lange in a
4) Defective and unsafe vehicle (one without turn signals and tint so dark you couldnt see the lights) while
5) Driving a car with expired registration
He is right, he should have arrested you for being a dumbass.
/
How about you take responsibility for your actions. Admittedly you were:
1) Speeding
2) Cut off a U-haul while
3) Making an illegal lange in a
4) Defective and unsafe vehicle (one without turn signals and tint so dark you couldnt see the lights) while
5) Driving a car with expired registration
He is right, he should have arrested you for being a dumbass.
/
I witnessed a stone drunk woman rear-end a guy sitting at a red light. She was traveling about 65 in a one ton lifted truck, and hit him so hard he flew through the back window of his pickup. I was called in as a witness six months later, and saw the gentleman. He was paralyzed. She was trying to get off on a technicality, as it was not raining when the accident happened, but started to rain shortly after. The officer put rain in the report...and it would have set her free, if it weren't for my expert testimony!
Take some responsibility for your actions. Be polite, apologetic, and learn from your mistake.
You asked...
10-16-2004, 02:33 AM
#70
Burning Brakes
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Bay Area, California
Posts: 1,208
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Jonathan, Have you thought of taking a picture of your water soaked books and other water damaged items and writing them a nasty letter? I guess with them only 20 miles away you could let it rest, oh well.
10-16-2004, 07:11 AM
#71
Race Car
I am sure these officers seen enough tweekers hiding drugs and for someone to be very tired at 9pm seems kinda unusual. This happened to my government teacher in high school 20 years ago and they took every panel off the car and basically stripped his interior where they pulled him over. Afterwards, they left for another call. I guess that's the difference between Long Beach PD vs the guys who pulled you over.
10-16-2004, 09:30 AM
#72
Site Sponsor
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: A great big building in the woods, FL.
Posts: 6,527
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes
on
3 Posts
You could have told them.. " Why don't you guys call a drug dog and make things easier. In the mean time I am going to kick my seat back and catch a few zzz's. Knock on my window and wake me up if the dog smells anything." Police don't like it when you sleep while they are trying to harass you.
But then again, that might be asking for the plate ticket.
But then again, that might be asking for the plate ticket.
10-16-2004, 10:51 AM
#73
Nerd Herder
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
I was told by a wise woman.. "Never agree to an impromptu search". Sage advise, Thanks Michelle. Let them wait for a warrant.
I have nothing to hide, and I dont speed. and I agree, obtain legal counsul ASAP.
I have nothing to hide, and I dont speed. and I agree, obtain legal counsul ASAP.
10-16-2004, 06:51 PM
#74
Nordschleife Master
Originally Posted by Travis - sflraver
. Why ask a bunch of people online that keep talking out of their collective *** about things they may or may not know anything about.
10-16-2004, 07:19 PM
#75
Fight it in court, maybe you'll get the speed/offenses reduced. But do lose the tint, it really makes cops feel uncomfortable, wear your seat belt, and don't drive the car if your turn signals aren't working. Look at it from the cops view; he was after you for a while, you're changing lanes and chopping people without signaling, you're not pulling over, and then he gets close and can't see who's driving it. I could tell this wasn't going to finish lovey dovey just from that.