Police Officer Pulled Me Over

[shortbun]

The police are grasping for a good reason to talk to you because IF you came 'from that party on the corner', you might be a DUI candidate.

 

[CPT Tripss]

What state were you in? I grew up in PA and the only surrounding state that does 2 plates in NJ. Now I live in VA and we do 2 plates. But its a rarity. We're surrounded by military so we see all 50 states on the plates, and 2 plates is unusual

Don't NY and MD have two plates?

 

[SandrA9810]

Several of the east coast states do not need two plates, but possible to get two plates. Most west coast states require two.

My weird stop: I was on a road trip with my aunt and grandmother last summer. Driving from Dallas to Indiana, I got pulled over in Missouri with hardly any traffic in the middle of the day, right lane, and cruise control on at the speed limit. My aunt started freaking out because I reached for the emergency lights and told her there was a cop behind me.

I don't even think I showed him my license or paperwork. He just started accussing my aunt of breaking the MO law because her tinting was too dark. She didn't like that one bit. He said that MO and TX have similar tint laws and yada yada ya. She told him it was installed by the dealership 12 years ago when she purchased the car new off the lot, and the dealership would not go any darker than state law. So he went bqck to his car and got his little tester. Came in at a perfect 28%, legal limit in both states. He then tried to back pedal with excuses and that it looked too dark. We weren't even in the corner of the state for more than a few hours (from I55 to I57).

She has also travelled this way practically every year without issue.

 

[Spriesty]

What state were you in? I grew up in PA and the only surrounding state that does 2 plates in NJ. Now I live in VA and we do 2 plates. But its a rarity. We're surrounded by military so we see all 50 states on the plates, and 2 plates is unusual

Your neighboring state of Maryland requires 2 plates.

I know because my husband bought a custom truck, with no place to hang a front plate, and he got a ticket. When he explained to the cop that he didn't put on the front plate because there was no place to put it, the cop said it wasn't his problem.

So my husband paid the ticket, and drilled holes in his front bumper to hang the second plate.

 

[maslex]

Didn't get pulled over but had to deal with an idiot of a cop the other day.

I'm a school bus driver. During the summer I actually drive a mini van that has the "Carrying School Children" on top.

The other day I get to a railroad track with it's lights going off. There is no train in sight, no worker there to let everyone know it's okay to cross, etc. But being a school bus we are not allowed to cross unless there is a worker or an officer there. So I call into base and they tell me an officer is on their way. ****side note. While waiting for the officer to show up a car stopped next to me and informed me that this railroad light had been going off at least since 6am when he came through the first time (It was now a little after 7am)

This is the conversation between the officer and I as he approaches my window.

Officer: You gonna go or what?

Me: I was told to wait until you got here and tell me to go.

Officer: Well, I'm here but I'M not telling you that you can cross because if you cross and get smashed by the train I'M not getting sued. So you can just turn around.

Me: I can't turn around because my student lives up there past the tracks.

Officer: kind of throws his hands up and shrugs his shoulders

Me: Well, can I go or not?

Officer: That's up to you but I'M not telling you to go.

Me: Can you at least tell me who can shut these lights off so I can go?

Officer: Well, I can tell you that it's NOT me. That's P&W's job.

By this time, I'm completely dumbfounded that I just had this conversation with this idiot, that I tell him that I'm just going to go and I went.

Out of my 11 yrs of driving school bus, there have been quite a few times that a railroad light was going off and that there was a worker or an officer to assist us over the tracks. Why this day was any different, is beyond me. Not sure why his panties were in a twist that morning.

 

[aprilgail2]

So, now I'm thinking what the heck did you pull me over for if you couldn't even see whether or not I was doing something wrong and were just going to take my word for it that I wasn't? I'm assuming he was trying to catch people leaving the noticeably large, slightly rowdy party who had been drinking, but man that was a waste of a couple minutes. Anybody else have any weird cop stops like this?

I used to work the 7pm-3am shift- --- 3am is bar closing time. The route I took home had me coming out a side street right next to a major nightclub and 2 nights in a row I was pulled over- first night they asked me where I was coming from and I said work---"where do you work" etc. Then they said "have a good night." Second night- SAME cops pull me over again. I roll down the window and said "I am coming from the same place as last night-work" they said "oh sorry, you again" LOL. Coming home at 3am was always an adventure- cars going the wrong way down the highway, swerving all over the road. I was always thankful when I pulled into my driveway after that ride!

 

[LisaInNc]

That has happened to me three time driving late at night and I always get asked "have you had anything to drink?" Yes a copious amount of soda.

Another time I was asked where I was coming from and why I was out so late at night. That particular time I was wrapping Christmas presents at my Mom's house.

Probable cause......what a joke!

Lisa

 

[lustergirl]

That shouldn't be a valid excuse, you should need real reason to pull someone over. I'm all for crackdowns on DUI's but I'm more for not letting the police do whatever they choose. Probable cause or better actually breaking the law should be required to pull someone over, not just leaving somewhere that has alcohol.

You have never been to Buffalo have you?

 

[Colleen27]

That shouldn't be a valid excuse, you should need real reason to pull someone over. I'm all for crackdowns on DUI's but I'm more for not letting the police do whatever they choose. Probable cause or better actually breaking the law should be required to pull someone over, not just leaving somewhere that has alcohol.

While I agree in theory, in practice I think that's worse than random stops because it puts pressure on police to find something ticketable to justify every stop. It doesn't prevent anyone from being pulled over in the first place, it just means a lot more tickets for 1-2mph over the speed limit, not coming to a full and complete stop at a stop sign, not wearing a seatbelt, having something hanging from your rearview, etc.

 

[HM]

My husband got stopped out of state by an officer who wanted to know why he didn't have a front plate. My husband explained that our state doesn't require a 2nd plate. Then the officer began to yell at him about our state not needing the front plate and how could he verify that??? My husband told him that it wasn't his job to verify it for him, but if he wanted to call it in my husband would be happy to wait as long as needed for the officer to get his answer. The officer swore at my husband and let him go with a warning.

Our state doesn't give out two plates, so how is that my husbands fault????

I have friends who were ticketed back in the early 80s in New Jersey (I think) because the car they were driving in didn't have matching plates. They were from NC, where you only have a rear plate. The front plate was a vintage plate from another state that was from the year her car was made. They were actually stopped twice. The first cop that pulled them let them go, the second one ticketed them. They had to stop at a garage and take off the front plate so they wouldn't have trouble again.

I also have a friend who was leaving a late night job once that was stopped by a cop who we're sure thought he'd been drinking. He ended up ticketing him for excessive wear on his tires, so that he traffic stop wasn't empty handed. After all there was no way anyone could see how someone's tire tread looks at 1am in the morning.

 

[janjan1970]

While I agree in theory, in practice I think that's worse than random stops because it puts pressure on police to find something ticketable to justify every stop. It doesn't prevent anyone from being pulled over in the first place, it just means a lot more tickets for 1-2mph over the speed limit, not coming to a full and complete stop at a stop sign, not wearing a seatbelt, having something hanging from your rearview, etc.

In the Uk random stop checks are allowed and are indeed common practice. Also common if you are stopped and spot fined for say, taling on your mobile, the police will check your vehicle for any other offences like bold tyres, road tax, valid insurance, defective lights.Infact, in Scotland police now have daily targets for driving offences to meet!!!

 

[luvsJack]

Older ds used to live in TX. Every time he came home for a visit and was out at night on a certain highway, he would get pulled over and they would ask to search his truck. Finally, he got frustrated and confronted the officer about pulling him over simply because he had TX plates. The officer realized that ds had done nothing wrong and admitted that was exactly why they pulled him over. The officer said it was because they were looking for drugs in vehicles with a TX tag. --not saying people in TX do more drugs, but I am guessing a lot are transported through here from TX, that highway would be the way they would come.

 

[Tralliam]

Just this past Sunday I was coming by from my son's cycling practice with 2 bikes on the back of the car. Driving down a through street in a residential neighborhood I saw a sheriffs car parked on the other side. I actually like seeing cops out running radar so as I passed a looked toward him to see if he had his radar gun out. We ended up making eye contact and after I went by he swung around and pulled me over.

He walked up and introduced himself telling me he stopped me because my inspection was expired. "It was due .." (he leans forward to look at the sticker) "... oh ... that's an 8 ..... not a 3 ........ sorry about that, you're free to go"

"oh, that's an 8" has instantly become a family joke for when someone makes an error.

 

[piperdown]

DH has a similar story to OP that occurred a couple of years ago. DH calls it his “driving while hippie” stop. At the time, he had long hair, a full beard and drove an old and usually dirty Subaru station wagon with many bumper stickers.

He was on his way home at night from visiting some friends in a nearby college town. Came up to a stop sign, stopped completely (no one else at the intersection) and then proceeded forward. Cop that was parked near the intersection pulls him over. Says that DH didn’t stop completely, and DH politely explains that he always stops completely because he’s seen cops patrol that area quite often. Cop asks him where he was coming from, what he’s been doing, has he been drinking, etc. All the while, using his flashlight to search DH’s car. DH has nothing to hide. He hadn’t been drinking and had nothing illegal in his car/possession, but the cop seemed very suspicious. After several more questions about DH’s various exploits that evening, he was eventually released with no ticket.

DH thinks he was stopped based on his car and his appearance. I tend to think it was a random stop in a college town known as a party school on a weekend night. However, I do agree that the interrogation and attitude of the officer was related to DH’s appearance. Frustrating, but makes an amusing story to tell.

 

[crayon3448]

One morning I was going to stop at McDonalds for coffee before work. I was driving up the road past the McDonalds, which was on my left, to get to the drive-thru entrance when I see a cop car turn on it's lights on a side street on the right. I stop the car and the police car pulls out in front of me....and goes into the McDonalds drive-thru!! They turned on the lights just to get into the line ahead of me (and there were no other cars in line). I guess they were really hungry?

 

[MickeyMom2Boys]

My Mom was just talking about this yesterday. My parents have always had show cars. Years ago a cop stopped her because "she was driving way to careful for that kind of car". It was a 1967 Camaro. She responded with "Well, that's typically what you do when you see a cop behind you!"

My Dad has had cops stop him in his show cars because they wanted to see the car!

 

[MomofKatie]

I was driving to the store with DH last spring when I got pulled over on a 35 mph street. I was going about 37 (the slowest car on the road, btw). When he approached the car, he asked my if I knew why he stopped me. I told him, no, honestly I didn't. He took my license and registration to his car without answering me, and proceeded to run me through the computer.

He came back, looking a little put out, and told me there was a law passed in NC last year prohibiting license plate frames and that I still had mine and it needed to be removed "as soon as you get home!!" This was the frame the dealer put on the car when we purchased it and didn't cover any of the plate (I didn't even realize it was a plate frame). I told him that we would remove it- he said, well you really need to, ma'am, and I'll be nice and let you off with a warning THIS TIME".

On the way home, we took the time to notice, and at least 50% of the cars around us had frames around the plates (the cop, btw, sat at the light right behind a big decorative one that covered almost half of the driver's plate and didn't pull him over...). DH says he must have had a tip that someone driving a similar vehicle to mine had outstanding warrants or something.

It was a really weird experience, especially because I've only been pulled over twice in my life- I am not a fast or unsafe driver AT ALL.

 

[Lucille1963]

I have had two incidents, both happened in suburban Chicago.

Years ago I was stopped because "I looked too young to be driving". I was 20 at the time.

Another time in my 20s I was stopped for having fuzzy dice on my rear view mirror. They called a bunch of other officers and did a search of the car... while joking about how they were hoping to find drugs so they could keep them for themselves. UGH.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Slightly off topic but a few posters mentioned the one plate vs two plates on a vehicle so my curiousity got the better of me Not a big fan of wikipedia but scrolling down to the "mounting of the plate" section there is a USA map and a code for the states that shows the requirement Seems like about 14 states still use the 2 plates if this is accurate Having had cars registered in NY most of my adult life moving to a one "tag" state still feels weird



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_the_United_States

 

[DVC-Don]

What state were you in? I grew up in PA and the only surrounding state that does 2 plates in NJ. Now I live in VA and we do 2 plates. But its a rarity. We're surrounded by military so we see all 50 states on the plates, and 2 plates is unusual

New York requires two plates. $100 fine if one is missing.