COPS! ive been stopped 4 times!

T77911S · 04-21-2009, 05:55 AM

i dont know whats going on with the cops around here. i have been stopped 4 times in a month and a half.
first one i was speeding. but no faster than i normally go on that road. problem was, it was 5am and there were no other cars. i only got a warning.
the next time, i got pulled by the surfside gestapo,(small time cops that think they run the world). it was about 2 am, my band played at a bar. he pulled me for no tag light, so he claims. of course he asked were i was coming from. i told him a bar and then waited for his response. he of course asked if i had been drinking, which i had not. then he lightened up and let me go with a warning.
oh, the first one was in the 911, the second was in the truck.
then i got pulled in the volvo one night for, one headlight out, the plastic thing around the license plate is illegal and i think the other reason was the licese light was out, cant remember, something stupid. he said the plastic thing around the the plate was a $125 fine. i only got warnings.
i got pulled yesterday, in the truck, for no seat belt, $25.
before this, it has 15 years since i was pulled over, at least.

i have also noticed everytime i got out, i see several cops with people pulled over.
are they trying to make up for budget cuts or what?

Arizona_928 · 04-21-2009, 05:59 AM

Yep, just don't speed in SoCal. They're out for blood.

TerryH · TerryH's Garage

They must be lonely. If it were a budget quota, you would have 4 tickets.

gprsh924 · 04-21-2009, 06:03 AM

I agree with your sentiment that getting pulled over by the gestapo sucks, but it does seem like each time you were pulled over was for a valid reason.

Laneco · 04-21-2009, 06:10 AM

Between 2 am and 5am, the only people on the road are odd-night shift workers, weirdo/criminals and drunks (generally). In order to go "fishing" for weirdo/criminals and drunks, the cop needs probable cause.

Inoperative lights and no seat belt are all probable cause. If you don't want to be stopped, you need to quit giving them probable cause.

Of course, I've got no room to talk... I'll admit to getting my first ticket a few months ago - based very justifiably on an equipment probable cause traffic stop... I have a project car I'm building. Just got the engine fired and wanted to drive it around the block in the rural area where the shop is located. Open pipes, black primer, no seats, no seat belts.... I am SUCH a dork... I got a ticket and had it coming. Pled guilty and paid the fine for inoperative lights.

The officer told me he figured that based on the appearance of vehicle alone "somebody was going to jail" LOL!

angela

Jim Richards · 04-21-2009, 06:17 AM

Get your cars in order so they can't use that as an excuse to pull you over. Speeding on a deserted road is not wise. A pack of cars or a "rabbit" to draw the police's attention is a must. Finally, 2-5AM is not the best time to be out on the street. They want to keep drunks off the road, both to limit injuries/fatalities and to collect $$$ from busting them.

Big Ed · 04-21-2009, 06:26 AM

Probably a good idea to replace some bulbs on your cars, eh?

masraum · 04-21-2009, 06:52 AM

Hmm, you're *****ing, but in almost every case you got a warning. I'd love to have that experience.

Fix the bulbs on your cars, wear your damn seatbelt, and take the plastic frame off of your license plate.

There, fixed!

You still might get pulled over (although it'll be less, I bet) and you'll still probably be getting warnings.

Heel n Toe · 04-21-2009, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T77911S

i have also noticed everytime i got out, i see several cops with people pulled over.
are they trying to make up for budget cuts or what?

Maybe... but it does sound like they had a legit reason each time they pulled you. Fix all that stuff and they won't bother you.

Angela, is that project car the "Father's Day Project Car" or something else you're working on?

L O L @ "based on the appearance of vehicle alone somebody's going to jail." Sounds like he was a car guy to some extent, huh?

masraum · 04-21-2009, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laneco

no seats

Did you stick a milk crate in it? How in the heck do you drive a car with no seats?

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

One word - revenue.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Ed

Probably a good idea to replace some bulbs on your cars, eh?

+1 And wear your seat belts!

m21sniper · 04-21-2009, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laneco

Of course, I've got no room to talk... I'll admit to getting my first ticket a few months ago - based very justifiably on an equipment probable cause traffic stop... I have a project car I'm building. Just got the engine fired and wanted to drive it around the block in the rural area where the shop is located. Open pipes, black primer, no seats, no seat belts.... I am SUCH a dork... I got a ticket and had it coming. Pled guilty and paid the fine for inoperative lights.

The officer told me he figured that based on the appearance of vehicle alone "somebody was going to jail" LOL!

angela

Definitely BTDT.

LOL

Joeaksa · 04-21-2009, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZ_porschekid

Yep, just don't speed in SoCal. They're out for blood.

Huh? Everytime I drive in SoCal its "10 mph min over the speed limit" and if I drive the limit everyone is passing me.

Moved to San Diego in 1985 and was driving on the highway one day and a CHP car pulled up next to me. Still had the out of state tags on the car and he shouted on the bullhorn "drive it, or park it, but if it will not go fast enough to flow with the traffic it needs to be off of the road and out of the way!" From there on out just added 10 mph to the speed limit and it worked just fine.

NO ONE that I have seen in SoCal drives the speed limit...

Jim Richards · 04-21-2009, 08:32 AM

or NorCal.

JavaBrewer · JavaBrewer's Garage

I went 15+ years without a single stop or incident. Then a couple months back I was an idiot and was stopped in the neighborhood going 35 mph (25 mph residential), not wearing my seatbelt, and talking on my phone. Got a warning... wow what luck. Then the next month wham -

1. Tried to merge into an occupied lane resulting in fender bender. $3K damage to the other car, didn't even lose paint in my Audi TT.
2. Ticketed for a rolling stop in a 3 way intersection = $195 thank you very much.
3. Wife backs SUV into a Dodge Neon that stopped right behind the wife in the parking lot. $1.5K damage to Neon, cracked lens on the Discovery

Can't wait to see what the insurance co is going to do to our rates...

Yep the highway flow of traffic is usually 80 mph around here with the lifted 4x4 trucks and commercial stuff going +10 mph on that.

Moses · 04-21-2009, 08:41 AM

No headlight and you wonder why you were stopped? What cop in the world is going to let that fly? That's catnip, baby.

Shawn 357 · 04-21-2009, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmoolenaar

I went 15+ years without a single stop or incident. Then a couple months back I was an idiot and was stopped in the neighborhood going 35 mph (25 mph residential), not wearing my seatbelt, and talking on my phone. Got a warning... wow what luck. Then the next month wham -

1. Tried to merge into an occupied lane resulting in fender bender. $3K damage to the other car, didn't even lose paint in my Audi TT.
2. Ticketed for a rolling stop in a 3 way intersection = $195 thank you very much.
3. Wife backs SUV into a Dodge Neon that stopped right behind the wife in the parking lot. $1.5K damage to Neon, cracked lens on the Discovery

Can't wait to see what the insurance co is going to do to our rates...

Yep the highway flow of traffic is usually 80 mph around here with the lifted 4x4 trucks and commercial stuff going +10 mph on that.

Make sure to go to traffic school for that ticket that will at least help your insurance premiums a little.

Pazuzu · 04-21-2009, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T77911S

i only got a warning.

Quote:

let me go with a warning.

Quote:

i only got warnings.

Quote:

$25.

Quote:

are they trying to make up for budget cuts or what?

Yes, obviously. It's a steep learning curve for them though, give them some time, maybe some moral encouragement, they'll get better at it.

Shawn 357 · 04-21-2009, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gprsh924

I agree with your sentiment that getting pulled over by the gestapo sucks, but it does seem like each time you were pulled over was for a valid reason.

I make sure I have no burned out bulbs, no license plate plastic cover thingy, a current registration sticker, etc. and sometimes it just doesn't help. While driving at about 2:00 AM I got pulled over for my registration sticker being dirty (I had never even heard of that). The cop said he couldn't see the registration sticker from his car because of it being dirty....I laughed and said that we both knew he pulled me over because it was late and he was fishing to give someone a DUI or similar. I had been working on the race car all night and hadn't seen a beer for a week so the cop "let me go with a warning" for the registration sticker.

I kind of expect to get pulled over if I'm driving at 2:00 AM....I am not okay with it but it just doesn't surprise me.