Though a few times I got just a warning for being polite, there is one time something different happened:
I got a speeding ticket in a small town...it was obviously a trap and a way for the community to make money...but I was very polite.
The fine was so small I was not worried about it but he told me to take it to court and they would "so something" for me. When I realized that a speeding ticket could make my car insurance go up I figured it would be a good idea to go to their court.
I did not have to say a word, the magistrate simply asked if I wanted the ticket changed to a non-moving violation of the same dollar value fine.
I took that option and paid the $90 and my insurance was not effected.
Only thing is my records now say that I vandalized a street sign!
All a "bad" cop had to do in this situation is say that the guy's eyes appeared glazed and he thought he smelled alcohol in the car. Which isn't much of a threshold at all, when some AH is dissing you. At that point, he could order the guy out of the car for field sobriety tests. Then what? The guy refuses? He'd probably be technically right within the law, but you refuse, they bust your window, drag you from the car, good luck with that. You could sue them in court, probably lose.
Are you for real? Let's say you think the cops in this case didn't have any right to detain the guy. That isn't true, this has been litigated, DUI stops have been found constitutional. But let's say you believe the cops don't have the right to detain you. You don't see any difference in that and some civilian criminal detaining you for no possible legal reason? A deranged boyfriend restraining and locking up his GF is the same as a DUI checkpoint? WTF?
All the cops I ever engaged with treated me fairly and I think in most cases they had my best interests at heart. As I stated previously, I've been pulled over after drinking, cooperated, had no problems. Yes, I'm annoyed when I get a speeding ticket once in 10 years, and maybe they are doing that more for revenue than safety, but other than that, the cops have been very nice and helpful to me.
In this case, unless you were drunk, it's obvious why you were being stopped. It was a legal DUI checkpoint.
How is it his fault? HE didn't put up the check point, HE didn't stop the police, HE didn't almost kill the cops, etc.
Yes, I know about cops. Was harrased by 'em when I was only 16 and many times since then. I usta brag on my record of being pulled over
11 times in 2 yrs and never once being cited. It was all plain ol' harrassment. I've been self rightous enough about my situation up to the point where I told off the cop off and got away with it (cuz I was right and the cop was dead wrong!).
I've even beat the cops in court. Why? Cuz they were either liars or too stupid to know what they were citing me for. I loved that the judge gave a pre-court speech claiming "everyone is innocent until proven guilty, then, when I beat the case cuz the cops filled out the ticket incorrectly, the judge admonished me with a parting shot, "I know you did something wrong". Apparently, that "innocent until proven guilty" myth is highly subject to a judge's whims. ;)
Why are you talking about killing cops in response to a statement about some dick wasting people's time?
The "time wasting" is his fault because a simple DUI check takes less than a minute, maybe 2. He spent ~6 minutes being a dick, getting more than one officer involved and holding up anyone that was behind him.
Under the law, you were innocent. That doesn't mean you didn't do something wrong. The judge didn't say you were *guilty*, he said you did something wrong. Based on your description of the situation ("I beat the case cuz the cops filled out the ticket incorrectly") he was absolutely right.
My daughter did something wrong but was not found guilty because the cop took a vacation day on her court day. Under the law she was "innocent" but I still took the keys away because she did "something wrong". Even as an
But you still were sentenced to a day in court weren't you. Didn't you just love wasting all that time? (While the cop got paid to take a break from the street and relax.)
So the ticket was good then. You just beat it on a technicality. You could have saved yourself a lot of time and grief by just obeying the law. Or at least by being a little more polite to the officer when stopped.
But judging from your posting style that's not likely so please enjoy your many upcoming court dates... ;)
Yes, it does change things because things like my example happen. My point is, the police have some discretion and you can help in the way they apply it. After giving the police a hard time today, don't expect a break tomorrow.
I'm glad to hear you've never had a light turn red or exceeded the speed limit. BTW. when you were cruising along at 29 in a 30, it was me that gave you the finger as I passed you.
Exactly. I sometimes play with telemarketers and scammers that call but I don't see much point in hassling a cop at a checkpoint just because I can. Yes, there are times to be a PITA, but I'd just want to be on my way.
I'm not stupid enough to think the police are out to help me out when they pull me over or I run into one of their checkpoints. Like I said, I'm not that gullible. I've never had one stop because I was on the side of the road with my hood up. I'd be real impressed if they actually performed the 'serve' part.
Heh. If you passed me, you weren't doing the speed limit, either. I don't roll slower than the speed limit, you can be stopped for that too. Sure, I've had lights turn red, but, I was still able to stop in time. It's called maintaining control of your vehicle. Some of us are good at it, some, like you, obviously aren't.
It's a long read, but, possibly very educational for you. Since you wanted to bring up the constitutional aspects. It has been ligitated, many times, and various states have taken it upon themselves to overturn convictions based on the fact, the supreme court chose not to protect citizens in favor of lobbyist and paid for 'laws'.
I have no idea where you make such a crazy comparison to what I wrote.
I'm glad you've had positive experiences with the police. I cannot claim the same. I don't trust them, I know for a fact they lie (even in court, under oath). And, I've had very little police encounters. I try to avoid dealing with them whenever possible.
For you. You aren't everyone else, though.
The legality of the checkpoints is still being challenged in court. With various convictions being overturned as a result. Some states do protect their own citizens when the 'supreme' court gets it wrong.
This is not nazi germany, I do not have to show you my papers just because you asked for them. I do not have to roll down my window so you can lie and claim you smelled alcohol on me to get probable cause to continue with the bullshit stop, either.
And, contrary to what the officer claimed on the video, if you do decide to turn around and not roll through it, you'll get pulled over by a cruiser that has now decided to pursue you. Been there, done that.
I asked him why he stopped me, he said I was avoiding the dui checkpoint. I asked if that was illegal, he said, technically no, but it makes you suspicious. I asked if I was being detained, he said no. I asked if I was free to leave (I had to ask multiple times, because he tried to ignore me and continue asking for me to roll down my window further and show him my drivers license). Eventually, he said, Yes you're free to leave. And I did. Without rolling my window down far or showing my license. He had no right to stop me and he knew it.
At one point, TN had a 'driver license' checkpoint which wasn't legal. The cops would tell you it was, though. You know they can lie to you and it's okay, right?
heh heh..... I knew some bozo would take the bait.....
Yeah. The ticket was good. In fact, I was hammered and if Ida hadda submit to a breathelizer, Ida been screwed. But! ....I leaned heavily on my trusty Harley and they jes issued a ticket fer speeding.
After beating the ticket in court --ticket sed 25, sign sed 35 and my motorcycle was blu/silv, not blk-- the issuing officer lingered to talk to me. Turns out we'd been neighbors about 10 yrs before, when he was jes a young newlywed husband, so we shot the bull and caught up on times. It was like we were still neighbors. Strange, but true. ;)
I'm usually cynical, but I have had help from the police. Not all of them are bad guys.
If the limit is 30, I'm probably doing 40. If 65, I'm doing 75, traffic permitting. . At 29 you'd not be stopped for under 30 but you would be on the interstate.
Sure, I've had lights turn red, but, I was still able to stop in
Some of us make other choices. You can stop, you can go. Every once in a while the light turns red sooner than anticipated.
In 55 years of driving and well over a million miles, I've been stopped a few times. Couple of tickets I deserved, a couple questionable that were dismissed. Couple of times stopped and on my way in seconds as I was sober. If I decided to play the "rights" game nothing would have been gained. Good chance I could have been ticketed and would have had to take the time for court.
Push me, I;ll push back hard, but Im smart enough to know when to just be polite and give no one a reason to push.
I had a incident recently where I was riding with a friend at night when the car suddenly died. We coasted off the road as best we could, but were still on the shoulder close to traffic. A local cop came by in just a few mins, saw us, stopped and helped us out. He offered to push us another 30 feet or so where we could get well off the road and that's what we did.
I see cops on the turnpike and parkway all the time helping motorists that have broken down too.
What is wrong with your country? The police don't have power to ask you to get out of your car, or to get you to answer questions, or to test you for being drunk? So I can drive around drunk and just tell them to get lost?
Followed up by your pension when my lawyers are done playing with you. It's very clear that your comfortable being a sheep. I wouldn't ever want to try and change your line of thinking. Sheep can be useful too.
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