I think that I see the problem. Clare, you do realize what the US - Canada border represents, do you not?
Your argument is veering dangerously close to something like "If my hunchbacked brother had a compressor instead of the hump, he might be a refrigerator."
I KNOW there is a border - and Canada isn't the USA (Thank everything that's holy!!) but federal motor vehicle standards are pretty well harmonized between the two countries since NAFTA
True, but minor illegalities can be used as a reason to pull someone over even if they aren't outright doing something wrong. Commonly called a pretextual stop. Sometimes all the po-po need is an excuse and anything they find afterward is in play. (more or less)
My police friends have told me that they will use things as simple as clear plexiglass over a license plate as a reason to pull someone over if they suspect something is amiss. Technically, the plate is "obstructed", so no one can later claim that they were being harassed or profiled.
I used to have a van with clear plexi over the personalized plates. I got pulled over for speeding (67 in a 55) but after the officer realized what a nice guy I am he decided to lessen the charge.
Nice guy indicators: My plates say DERBYDAD and I was taking my 9 YO daughter and a couple of her friends to their basketball tournament, all dressed in their uniforms.
He went back to his car, came back a few minutes later and said "When I pulled you over I called it in, so I can't just let you go. I'm giving you a ticket for an obstructed licence plate. $15, you can mail it in. Keep it under 65, OK?" Then he looked into the back of the van and said "Good luck, girls." :-)
MOST cops are pretty decent people, most of the time. Some decent cops have some bad days - and spme cops are just miserable human beings on their best days. Nephew is a cop. Uncle was a cop, brother-in-law was a cop, 2 cousins were cops, several friends kids are cops. Only one would give me concerns about hew he/she might handle a situation (if having a bad day)
SWMBO and I were driving home in her mustang convertible about midnight, after a movie. I was going about 60 in a 50 and got pulled over. Once the cop saw our gray hair, he backed down and gave me a warning. I'm sure he was looking for kids or drunks. We certainly didn't fit the profile.
I was driving on what is typically a deserted 4 lane highway. After mid-night, doing 75 in a 55. I haven't seen another car for almost an hour. Dodge conversion van, rear bench in the bed position, my son's Soap Box Derby car on resting on the bed.
Cop pulls me over, asks me where I'm heading in such a hurry. I point to the Derby car and say "Going home after working on my son's car all evening." He smiles and says "Well, that explains the plates. I'm sure you know we give folks a little leeway out here. Try to keep it under 70. Have a good night."
But the police, in Houston, are not pulling these vehicles over because they are going to issue a ticket for the wheels.
Vehicles can be pulled over for most any reason, like driving erratically, whether you are actually driving erratically or not. This is happened to me late at night so that the policeman could get a look inside the bed of my truck. He also said that I had a tail light that was out, which I did not.
They use anything that could possibly be illegal as an excuse to look for other stuff. If they find nothing, odds are they'll send the driver on his way, unless of course the driver is an a-hole.
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