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Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | One of our members, (who maybe should be unmentioned) recently spoke of members of the Law Enforcement Branch as follows: Only problem with Va. are the cops in that state where they all act as if they haven't bedded a female in their life. 
Pricks...the entire lot of 'em.  I am interested in hearing some Tales Of Woe that would cause our brothers to speak about Police in this manner. Anyone? | |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 965
New York State | I have found that if all of the paperwork is in order,driver's license regristration and insurance card I usually get away with a warning to slow down. 
Edited by Trekwolf164 2008-11-18 5:16 PM
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | Here are my last three meetings on the road with the Law.
Five Years ago on a Monday morning, at 5:30 AM driving to San Angelo, TX from San Antonio.
Menard, TX. The ticket writer was writing the ticket before he asked me for my license and insurance. He told me I was spending and I disagreed. He did not care and ran my license and when finished asked me to sign the ticket. The place is a famous speed trap. I had no way to back my story. I took defensive driving and paid them $140 for the privilege plus money for the DD Class.
Two Years ago driving to dinner in San Antonio with the wife.
SAPD got me cold on an access road running 60 in a 45. My bad. The cop felt bad writing me the ticket considering the punishment I was taking from the SO. I signed the ticket and took DD again.
Driving through Floresville, TX on a weekday sunny afternoon two weeks later. I was on a business trip with two company officers in my Trailblazer. I was on the south side of town as the speed goes back up to 55.
As I passed the 55 MPH sign I was still going 42 on my GPS and made a comment to my passenger about it. A quarter mile past the 55 sign I saw a Floresville City Police car slow down on the other side of the highway about a quarter mile ahead of me. The ticket writer slowed down, turned around and was behind me.
They turned their lights on but did not pursue me at first. They probably realized their mistake that I was in the 55 MPH zone going 50 MPH not in the 40 MPH zone. I pulled over. She ran my plates and came up to the window. I asked what I was pulled over for and she said speeding. I told her that I was not even going 55. She informed me that I was in a 40 MPH Zone.
I told her that I was going 42 as I passed the 55 MPH sign and that I discussed this with my passenger that read it on the GPS. She took my license and insurance and found out that I have no warrants.
She wrote me a WARNING ticket. She told me that she was giving me the "benefit of the doubt". If she had a doubt why not let me just go. She had no case. I had a track from the GPS and two witnesses. I could prove beyond a shadow of a doubt in court that I was in the right and the ticket writer was wrong. I will never do any business in Floresville again. They are corrupt to the core, incompetent or both.
I would not call this female officer a prick......maybe other names but not that one. | |
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Cruiser
Posts: 212
Tavares, Fl | I've been driving for 44 years and have been stopped twice. Once when I was 17 drag racing on a city street and another about 9 years ago for doing 65 in a 55. Deserved it both times........ | |
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Cruiser
Posts: 212
Tavares, Fl | Oh yea, I forgot to mention I drove a tour bus for years and can't even guess how many miles I drove in those 44 years.... | |
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Cruiser
Posts: 261
Sugar Land, TX (Outside of Houston) | I have not had a ticket in 28 years. Oh .... Did I mention I work for the Houston PD for 28 years? I am sure that is just coincidence
Funny story - When I got out of the Academy, I was placed with a Field Training Officer. He did not remember me, but I reminded that he wrote me a ticket in High School for spinning my wheels leaving the school. He laughed and said - Yeah, I wrote many of those kinds of tickets (I think my evaluation that night was a bit better though). Then not a month later whan I was booking a DWI in County, a Texas DPS trooper walks in and I said - You probably don't remember me, but you wrote me coming home from Texas A&M one weekend. We had a good laugh about that also.
In my patrol years, I let more people go than I wrote tickets to. Like Trekwolf said - if everything is in order, and you are polite, things usually go better for you. I can not tell you how many people I stopped who were just beside themselves that I would even think of pulling them over. Usually laced with profanities and the phrase we all hear "Why aren't you out catching real crooks". Those fine citizens usulay get a closer look and more tickets.
Are there A$$holes out there - YOU BET, like in every other profession. There are cops I know who would put their mother in jail for littering.
The majority, however, just want people to be safe and think about what they have done. If a warning can do that, then they will do that. Unfortunately in Houston, we are not allowed to write "Warnings". So it is write them or let them go with a scolding.
So be careful not to generalize all Police Officers by the turd that pulled you over. We probably don't like him either.
Probably the best Traffic Stop I ever had was on Halloween Night. I was young and so were the girls in the car dressed as "Kitty Cats". They were pleasant to talk to, nice (and probably were flirting with us), but they invited us to follow them down the street to the Halloween Party they were going to. After we convinced the people there we really did not just have cool costumes, but were the "Real Thing", they invited us in to judge their Costume Contest.
So - be nice to them and most if not all of them will be nice right back.
Richard | |
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Tourer
Posts: 320
Savannah, GA -Year round riding!! Yay! | I have been stopped many times over the years. I ususally deserved it. I am always polite, get my paperwork in order ASAP. Have been let off with a few warnings, a few tickets. The only ticket I am pissed about (no pun intended- you'll see what I mean), was when I was 8 months pregnant with my son. I lived on the outskirts of town. There was limited access road to my house, but the exits had nothing commercial off of the them. I lived about a mile off of the limited access. I don't know how many of you have been pregnant or with a pregnant woman, but, when they are 8 months pregnant, and the baby rolls and lands on the women's bladder, you have to pee, now!!!!. I was just about at my exit, and *boom* baby lands on the bladder. I speed up to about 68-70 in a 55. "Nice" young trooper, fresh out of the academy happens to be running radar there, and pulls me over. I 'splain to him what is happening, and he said that I should have made better plans and urinated before I left where I was going. (I did, 'splained that, too....). I was doing the pee pee dance in my seat, even ended up wetting my pants and the seat waiting for "Trooper No Nuts" to write my freaking ticket.... He wished me a happy day and told me to head the mile home and observe the speed limit (yeah, sure, ride home slowly in my pee covered seat.... Joy, joy.). Had fun shampooing my carpets and seat that afternoon in my very pregnant condition..... Another good warning I got. My son and I were driving cross country a few years ago (the baby from the previous story). He was 9 years old at the time. On the interstate in TX somewhere, there was a bad accident, and the interstate had to be closed down for the Life Flight helicopter to be brought in, and accident to be cleared from the scene. We ended up sitting there for over an hour in traffic. Well, we had just had lunch and said 9 year old drank a lot of Coca Cola (oops, but you have to do something to entertain on the cross country road trip. Was counting on the burping contest for that one...). When they finally opened the interstate, he had to pee (there were no bushes on the side of the road for him to run to). The next exit is about 9 miles up according to my GPS and has a gas station, so I high tail it to get there. Needless to say, there was a trooper sitting about a mile back from it running radar. He pulls in behind me just before the exit. I exit, and pull into the gas station, and gets out and comes over to my car and asks why I didn't stop on the interstate. I show him the 9 y.o. doing the pee pee dance in the front seat and explain how we had been stuck in the traffic jam for over an hour. He tells him to go ahead and go to the restroom, and lets me off with a warning. (I'm sure he was running opportune radar trying to get people who were going to fly to make up time...)He was a father and a grandfather and understood....
I have the utmost respect for all of our military that protect us from "them" and for the people here who choose a life in Public Safety to protect us from ourselves. I know that I have deserved every one of the tickets I have gotten, and even the ones I got warnings for. I was grateful for the warnings. I still think that young trooper was an insensitive prick. I hope that he has since been married and lived through a pregnancy, and is a little more compassionate to the situation...
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | donetracey - 2008-11-18 3:57 PM One of our members, (who maybe should be unmentioned) recently spoke of members of the Law Enforcement Branch as follows: Only problem with Va. are the cops in that state where they all act as if they haven't bedded a female in their life.
Pricks...the entire lot of 'em. I am interested in hearing some Tales Of Woe that would cause our brothers to speak about Police in this manner. Anyone? Well, having been born, reared and growed up in NoVa I have a few tales to tell, like getting 13 points assessed against my record in one year, and only an 18 year old buck. They were just flat out speeding, and running a stop sign, so there is not much to tell. Every time I was pulled, I thought the officers were the nicest people on earth. One State Policeman even took the time out to explain exactly how the radar detector worked. Most of the time I paid my ticket knowing I deserved what I got. The best one though when I didn't get a ticket. I grew up in Fairfax City in the mid-70's and ran the city roads in a Datsun pickup. I had a habit of chirping gears and squal a few tires now and again. My buddies with the muscle cars got pulled a few times, but rarely got a ticket. They would sometimes hear it from the cops to tell their buddy in the white pickup to cool it or they were going to get him. One evening, I was particulary squierrly and was scooting in and and of the gas stations, and made a u-turn and was headed back up the road when i saw the red lights. The friend I was with told me to take a short cut and run behind the strip mall into the subdivision. When we got behind the strip mall the cut-thru into the neighborhood was blocked, and he exclaims "when did they do that?". There was no way around and it came to a dead end. I knew I had it so I stopped. I got out my papers and waited. He asked me to step out of my truck. He asked me what I was doing because he saw my entire episode as he was sitting off to the side of one of the gas stations. I knew I had a ticket for sure, but he ended up giving me a lecture, told me to take it easy and that he never forgets a face. It was one of our most notorious ticket writers of the time TR Lee. We always called him Tunnel Ram. One other time, I turned off onto a side street that connects the two main roads and another buddy that was with me told me to floor it. I had the 65 cutlass at the time with a holley 4-barrel and a turned over air-cleaner lid. When it opened up it would sound just like the cop Torino's and it was cool to hear. The street was 35 and the last I looked at my speedo I was doing 65, I saw a police officer lay down his radar and step out into the street. This buddy tells me to run, and I said no because I saw the second cop car and the officer was ready to go. I stopped and got a ticket doing 55 in a 35 and plus I didn't have my registration so I got a ticket for that. I had to go to court to show the registration and I got the ticket reduced to 44 in a 35 taking away the reckless. Personnally, I appreciate our LEO's and take the time to wave every chance I get, even to and fro on my Texas trip. I hope they'll keep the road safer so we can continue to ride.
Edited by varyder 2008-11-18 11:31 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 388
Salisbury, NC | The last ticket I got was for 75 in a 45 zone. I tried to explain that I still in 2nd going for 3rd gear. He wrote me the ticket anyway. I was on the Hammer and had not rode it for a while. And yes I deserved it. ET | |
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Cruiser
Posts: 59
Pocono Mountains of PA | Like most young bucks I had a few, but not too many. The best one was back in the '70s when I was in the service in Florida.
The area in Lee County had lot's of 4 lane divided streets that were posted 35mph. It was about 12:30 in the morning and I was about a mile from my abode and I had just turned onto one of those 4 lanes and it looked deserted, so I thought. I stomped on the pedal and took off to "blow out the carbon" on my Camaro. About 1/2 mile later, I saw the glint of a light bar sitting in the median and I looked down and saw I was at 70+mph. Befor he even turned on his lights, I pulled over to the side and got out my papers. When he came up I politly told him my story, I'm guilty of blown the carbon out. He just shook his head. I guess he may have been expecting me to keep running hot, because a second car showed up but he waved him off. He came back with his pinch pad and had me sign it, and said just slow down., but he only wrote me for 40 in a 35. A VERY big break, allowing me to keep my license. I remembered that while I spent my 18 years in law enforcement. If you're honest and courtious, most LEs will do the right thing... | |
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Cruiser
Posts: 170
Houston, TX | Since we're on the subject I feel compelled to share this one.
Fall 2005: Iwas heaed to Beaumont from Houston at 5:30 am. I was in a 65 zone but due to traffice I was actuallay doing 60. TX DPS flashes his lights so I pulled over. Without discussing why he pulled me over he orders me out of the vehicle. I told him I would prefer to remain in the vehicle if possible because it is dark and we are on a busy freeway (I-10). He said if I did not get out right now I would be forcibly removed from the vehicel, so I readily complied. He pulled me over because he said my license plate lights were out. Upon inspection it was obvious he was incorrect. Both lights were working. He then stated that the dealer ad ring around my licence plate is illegal. To make things worse I had just registered the vehicle that week and had forgotten to put the current ins. card back in the truck. The trooper refused to re-inspect the lights even after my 2 passengers got out and confirmed that the lights were working. I later found out that the dealer ring was in fact illegal but it is not a moving violation meaning you cannot be pulledover for just that. So it would seem the trooper fabricated one violation to write up another. WHAT A PAIN. Fortunately I did have current insurance so that charge was dismissed. I took the ring oof when I reached beaumont. I fought these other tickets. Thankfully the DA was more reasonable than the officer. She dismissed both tickets. But still you wish you tax dollars would allow those that protect us to be more couteous and undersdtanding. i have a great respect for those in law enforcement and appreciate the work they do and haw they put theie lives on the ;ine for us every day. But there's no need to treat those who do their best to comply with the law with discrespect and contempt.
That is certainly how the trooper made me feel.
Just My $.02 | |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | With all the other stuff that goes on out here in the world I find it amazing that an LEO would even bother over such trivial infractions. Perhaps they are hoping to make a big nab over the suspecion of other things to be wrong when they find something simple, like a deadbody in the trunk. Since I'm chiming in, I do like to make note of the number of cars pulled over and the individual is standing away from the vehicle, in cuffs, while everything in the car is removed. I noticed this to have taken place a lot more on my latest trip to and from Texas. | |
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Cruiser
Posts: 273
| Had just entered the interstate three miles from my house going to the Buick Open in Michigan. Speed limit in Indiana is 70, and the area where I entered is a known haven for cops needing to fill quotas. I was in the left lane as it's smoother, and running an honest 71 mph as per the GPS and the Head's Up display. Didn't slow down as I had no need to...wasn't speeding. Go by "Mr. Donut Muncher" (Indiana State Trooper), and here he comes, pedal to the floor as if I'm going to outrun him.
So, I pull over by a guardrail. He pulls in behind and demands that I move to the closest location where there is no guard rail because "his life was in danger" (no offense to officers on here, but some of the gene pool needs to be eliminated so they never breed).
So, I move....another 15 feet and pull over again.
He saunters up, all "God Like", asks for the paperwork which I give to him.
"Sir, what did I do", I asked.
"You're speeding", said Mr. Muncher.
"But sir, I wasn't speeding, the GPS had me at 71 as did my Head's Up", I replied.
"Well, I clocked you a lot more than that", said the Muncher.
"Please show me my speed on your radar sir,".
"I don't have to do that. I'll be right back", he said.
So, here he comes and I get a warning for doing nothing wrong...unless 1mph is verifiable on his radar unit, which has a built in error factor of plus or minus 5% from the factory.
What he got was one of his required 115 verifiable (read ticket) monthly contacts, which gets him an "atta' boy" from his post commander. Great system, huh. I'd bet while he had me pulled over, three cars with dope went by, two illegals, and one with no valid license went on down the road.
And had I been in a Buick, instead of a Corvette, he would never have looked twice.
The guy who does my paint work on my bikes and cars wife was recently issued for 3 mph over the limit, and written for a court appearance.
I was almost hit by an ISP who crossed the median to pursue a guy who couldn't have been going more than 10 over. I had to lock it up, to avoid hitting him with the motorcycle. Had an interesting chat with his post commander who I knew.
Last fall, I had to lock the car up to avoid hitting one of our new type A+ personality State Motor Cops who swung around on a two-lane highway right in front of me.
The new cop, who loves wearing the fatigues, who thinks he can because he is, is now all over Indaina, and there's 19 of 'em who refer to themselves as the "wolfpack" who's primary job is to get motorcycle riders who speed. They were actually quoted on the news saying that.
The older guys...most are pretty decent and I have several local cops as friends who I ride with. Funny thing is, they can't stand the new ISP at all. | |
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Tourer
Posts: 506
Woodland Hills, CA | I never got a ticket I didn't deserve. Never got a warning either ........ not in California anyway. | |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 25
Aurora Colorado | It is plan and simple. If you are doing something wrong and you get caught. Don't get mad if an Officer gives you a ticket. Alot of it has to do with attitude. Some departments make it mandatory, that if an Officer stops a vehicle, they have to write a citation. The department I work for leaves the decission up to us. So if you are mad you got a ticket because you were speeding in an area you know to be a speed trap. Then if you want to blame someone, look in the mirror. Sorry sometimes the truth hurts. | |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 965
New York State | Diablo - 2008-11-19 2:08 PM
It is plan and simple. If you are doing something wrong and you get caught. Don't get mad if an Officer gives you a ticket. Alot of it has to do with attitude. Some departments make it mandatory, that if an Officer stops a vehicle, they have to write a citation. The department I work for leaves the decission up to us. So if you are mad you got a ticket because you were speeding in an area you know to be a speed trap. Then if you want to blame someone, look in the mirror. Sorry sometimes the truth hurts.
Hey Mr. I pay your salary , Think your pretty tough with that 9 mm pistol , Let me give you a prostrate exam with that nightstick... May have thought it but never say it. 
Edited by Trekwolf164 2008-11-19 2:34 PM
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | I agree we pay their salary, and hope that we get our monies worth. If I'm doing wrong, I'm not somebody special to be let off, but thankful when I do. It serves as a reminder that my stupidity can keep me from coming home tonight, as well as someone else's. well, | |
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Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | Thanks for the stories - good stuff! Here is mine:
Two speeding tickets in 50 years of driving. One in my Jag XK150 doing 100+ in Oregon back in '63
- wrote me up at 10 over since he just saw me drive by, and was a nice guy. Another in '72 from a
really nasty Vancouver motorcycle cop who pulled my Suzuki ring-dinger over - I was wearing a suit having
just left the office - and I gave him shit for picking on a tax paying business man when he should be
out catching tatooed monkeys that beat up old ladies.
As a general rule - I speed constantly - when it is safe to do so - use your eyes and brain. This keeps me out of the herd and visible.
My favorite traffic cop story happened back in the '80's. I was escorting several visiting biker friends from Winnipeg
out of Vancouver on their way home.
There was some construction on a curvy piece of highway and traffic got stopped for a while, with
about 6 or 8 cars ahead of us. When we were allowed to continue - I quickly led my friends on a tear
to get past the cars ahead, knowing that we would have miles of free road due to the long stoppage.
Once free of the pack, I slowed down to near the speed limit, to enjoy the winding, traffic free, heavenly mountain road.
About 15 miles later, we round a curve - and see a line of Canada's finest - RCMP - standing across the highway.
At least 8 of them.
So we all pull over, bikes in a line, and an officer walks up to each of us.
First words out of my mouth - "Having a boring day, Officer?"
"Yep", he says. I point to a distant aircraft up above - "That yours?" I said.
"Yep", he says. "Didn't get a number on us, did he?", I says.
"Nope", he says. "But our guy figures you had to be speeding to get by those cars so quickly, so...."
Just then, the first of the cars we passed goes by. Then the next....
After checking our papers, and after all the cars had gone by, the officers waved us goodbye - no tickets,
no warnings, except "Just be careful out there, folks.."
I have never met an RCMP officer who was offensive in any manner. Usually, nasty types don't even make the training
phase of the RCMP - and any who do, are quickly filtered out. Unfortunately, the dropouts often make their way on
to local police agencies. Luckily for Canadians, we have few cities who do their own policing, almost all contract
the RCMP to provide that. They will 'get their man' - but they will be polite doing so. | |
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Tourer
Posts: 506
Woodland Hills, CA | I think cops are no different than the rest of us. Yeah, there are jerks, but there are jerks among the general population as well. Sure I pay their salary, but if I am doing something I shouldn't be doing, and get caught, its my fault, not theirs. I just don't understand getting pissed off at someone else when the fault is yours. Sure, some cops harass, but most don't. I have been the victim of both kinds of cops, but I have found that if you treat them with respect, even the jerks, you get much farther, no matter the outcome.
Cops get paid a minimal salary for a dangerous and relatively thankless job. Don't get mad at them if YOU screw up. Like the man said, look in the mirror first. | |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 965
New York State | When I first got my 1979 Bonnie I was twenty years younger and not as bright. I was on one wheel on a highway when I saw the red and blues flashing behind me I pulled to the side produced my paper . The officer started to explain that I was Wrecklessly driving. I just looked him in the eye and said " Your giving me a ticket for having fun" He sighed and handed me my papers back. I was very pleased that he had not written me up. Now in hindsight I think he fiqured I would not live very long. | |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 623
| got to agree with the VA opinion.....VA state trooper gave me a ticket for going 72 in a 65 zone....i was full of No sir" and "yes Sir" and as polite as I am to everyone. when he handed me the ticket i looked at my watch...it was the 30th of the month....I said " well I guess that quota thing is for real....I must be your hump ticket" and off I went....doing the same 72 in a 65 : ) | |
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New user
Posts: 1
| Ok...I've heard a lot of nasty stories about VA cops...so I will add my tale of woe about the Virginia State Police. Two years ago I was returning from Carroll County VA on Interstate 77 north. If you know the highway, there is a long tunnel just south of the VA / WVA line near Bluefield. Me and the Missus were riding my 2002 Concours and moving pretty good as traffic was light and the weather was clear. We entered the tunnel and being the only vehicle traveling through it at the time, the resonance of the inline four was sounding pretty damn cool if I have to say so myself. I downshifted and was running the bike up on cam and about 600 feet from the end of the tunnel, I really picked up the revs and started accelerating. I came shooting out of that tunnel at a really nice clip like being shot out of a cannon!
Once we came bursting out, I saw a maroon Dodge Intrepid turning across the median. "DUMBARSE!" I yelled to my wife..."That idiot is going to get a ticket for crossing over the median...obviously he don't know about the VA Nazis that patrol this road!" HAHAHAHAHA...Ha..ha...oooops. The idiot in the Dodge turned out to be a VSP and he had me dead to rights at about 90mph. CRAP! After my Nagivator whacked me upside the head and yelling something like "you moron", I pulled over up the road a ways and I figured might as well try to be nice. I did not want to be snippy to the cop cuz if he requested to go through the luggage, I would be trying to explain two loaded firearms stashed on board.
Got off the bike as the trooper approached, heard him tell me about the sub-sonic exit speed out of the tunnel, and accompanied him back to the un-marked cruiser. Sat in the front seat making small talk and joking about me thinking he was some dimwit crossing the median. Really, the cop wasn't a bad guy and when he found out I was from Ohio, he wrote down the ticket to keep me from coming back to VA and going in front of the local judge. Not so bad. He could have been a jerk and caused me all kind of grief. The ticket cost was $111 plus court costs and after about 15 minutes, handed me the ticket and we went on our way.
I heard about my knuckleheaded stunt from my passenger all the way back to Ohio which in my opinion, was worse than the ticket itself. The cop was pretty cool about the whole thing and I didn't get a free ride to the pokey. Lesson learned about speeding in VA.
Tom | |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 26
| I have been stopped many many times in the past, I have not received a ticket in over 15 years though. However, I got pulled over in August of this year in Texline, Texas by a young sheriff's Deputy. I was going 72 in a 70. When he asked for my license and registration I asked why he pulled me over. He raised his voice and started telling me that "If I talked back to him one more time I was going straight to jail." I have always had respect for law enforcement and have never argued or talked back to an officer. I realize that they never know what they are walking into every time they stop someone. I told him that he had no right to talk to me that way and that I was not talking back to him. He again told me that he would take me straight to jail. I handed him my license and registratioin and while he was running it, I called the Sheriff, who I have worked with many times while he was doing funeral escorts for me, so I had his cell phone number in my phone. I told him what was going on and he called the deputy before he could even finish running my info. He came back and handed me my license and registration and walked back to his car and drove off. The Sheriff fired him that day because this was just one of many very bad reports about him.
I have many friends that are in law enforcement and I greatly respect them. I completely understand them controling the situation, but that was way overboard. | |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 30
| Only got two tickets in over 37 years of driving and never really had a bad experience...
last ticket I got was back in 2000. I was in the military and assigned to Stuttgart Ge. I came back to the states for bussiness...flew into Dulles IAP and was driving down I95 to Ft Monroe, Va. Being in Germany for several years I was used to driving the autobahn and looking at the Km part of the speedometer on my chevy. So the good driver I am, I set the cruise control on the rental car for 140Km and cruised down the road. When the Va trooper pulled me over he remarked that I was going 78 in a 55...and that I had passed him about 5 miles back and he thought I would slow down....I handed him my US Army Europe drivers liscence, told him I rememberd passing him and explained about the autobahn and speedometer and that I had spaced it out...The trooper was an ex GI and cut me a break...he wrote me a ticket for 65 in a 55 and saved me a big fine and a reckless driving charge...so not all Va Troopers are dicks.
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Tourer
Posts: 363
Goldsboro, NC | I, for one, have been hasseled by the cops an annoying number of times. Sometimes I deserved it, sometimes not. Usually not.
At 40 years old, I'm supposed to have developed an appreciation for the job they do. SWAT teams? sure. Robbery, murder, rape and drug enfforcement? yeah, go for it guys!
Here is my huge beef with cops.... in my life, I have had occassion to ask the cops for helf exactly 6 times. Couple accidents, couple burglaries, etc. NOT ONCE HAVE THE PRICKS EVEN BOTHERED TO SHOW UP! They MAIL me a police report to file (I have to pay the return postage, no less) and the problem goes off into the aether for me to deal with on my own. On those two accidents, the lack of a police report as impartial witness cost me thousands of dollars.
I could deal with the harrassment. I must deal with the taxes I pay. But it will be a cold day in hell when I fake a conciliatory attitude to these beweaponed bureaucrats. There are so many ways we have allowed government to fall into decadence, but that is a story for another forum. | |
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Cruiser
Posts: 261
Sugar Land, TX (Outside of Houston) | For those of you saying you got tickets for like 72 in a 65, 62 in a 55, etc..., that is a cop who needs his quota (and yes, there are unspoken quotas on tickets everywhere even though they say there is not) but also cutting you a break. Police Officers are expected to "Produce" on the job and writing tickets, doing reports and making citizen contacts are usually the way they are evaluated.
When you get written for 10 miles an hour or larger, the fines start to increase exponentially and most states will not let you take Defensive Driving in lieu of the ticket for that much over the limit. So that is why they usually write it for less than 10 miles over.
In most places, they will not even bother you for undfer 10 miles per hour. So that means you probably were going well over 10 miles an hour past the limit and they were cutting you a break.
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Cruiser
Posts: 79
Austin, Texas | Texas is full of 'em. Two miles this side of Del Rio, I was driving 65 with three others in the truck, a catholic missionary and two other church leaders. I saw a Tx state trooper coming down a hill in the distance in this 70 mph zone. I saw him behind another truck because he flashed his light bar at two cars going uphill past him.
For whatever reason, I pointed out to my passengers my speed and commented that it'd be typical if he stopped me. Sure enough, he whirled around in the ditch behind me after he passed me, spraying gravel and hauling butt to catch up with my truck. After he pulled me over, he strutted up in front of the truck, looked it over (very dangerous maneuver for a cop to do) and then told me to get out of the truck. He put me at a low spot in the ditch and stood on a rock over me, quizzing me on "how fast were you going" and my "what did you clock me at" and his your going to tell me how fast you were going" and my "and your going to tell me what your radar shows" and on and on in a circular discussion.
He never showed me the radar speed. He wrote me a ticket for 77 in a 70 with specific instructions to either mail or show in person, but don't call because this JP did not accept phone calls. Further, the ticket had an address but no phone for the court and the JP.
What a racket. I live in Austin so taking a day off work to go back and fight it was impossible.
I would add that i've gotten out of many more that I really deserved so I guess it's a karma thing.
Edited by dtoddrship 2008-11-20 5:56 PM
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Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | WOW - I found some WILD cop stories! I have been following varyder's thread "Tale of the Dragon" with great interest.
I did some searching on 'the Dragon' and found this website: www.tailofthedragon.com
There are police stories and videos on there that should be manditory viewing/reading for all riders. Check it out.
Maybe VA cops aren't the worse ones - seems TN LEO's are. | |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 742
North Orange County CA | About 15 years ago Tennessee's DMV decided to start putting social security numbers on drivers licenses. I doubt that they still do in light of modern identity theft issues; but I learned a couple of interesting things as a result of a speeding violation I received just south of the Kentucky border.
Factoid 1) The first 3 digits of your social indicate the office that issued the card.
Factoid 2) No matter how long you live somewhere - you will never truly be "from around here".
Factoid 3) There really are folks who are still fighting (their version of) the civil war.
I was pulled over on I-65 headed north about 2 AM in the family minivan. Our van had TN plates, there was nobody else on the very straight road, we had good driving conditions. The wife and kids were asleep in the back. I was moving about 90, so admittedly I probably needed to be pulled over.
The state trooper was initially very nice (I am always respectful to LEOs) and told me he was going to issue me a warning for which I was suitably grateful; UNTIL he noticed that I had what he called "a Yankee social security number".
Instead of the promised warning I received a wreckless driving violation; because even after 20 years as a Tennessee resident I was still a "Yankee" in the mind of the officer who stopped me.
I can honestly say that his experience was atypical; most of my encounters with Tennessee law enforcement professionals have been positive no matter how many wheels I had under me. But there are always exceptions.
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Visionary
Posts: 1324
So Cal | I have noticed that the cops that have been in the service and have seen real combat are more understanding of a situation. I lived in a town for three years, got pulled over seven times, because I rode "chopper" and had long hair. Moved eight blocks west, to a diffrent town and have had no problems in the last ten years. I have learned that you cant lump people into one catagory. What they do is just their job. Who they are is another story. Some will do their job without thinking. Some dont have to think, they already know. | |
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Cruiser
Posts: 273
| cjnoho - 2008-11-23 2:15 AM
I have noticed that the cops that have been in the service and have seen real combat are more understanding of a situation. I lived in a town for three years, got pulled over seven times, because I rode "chopper" and had long hair. Moved eight blocks west, to a diffrent town and have had no problems in the last ten years. I have learned that you cant lump people into one catagory. What they do is just their job. Who they are is another story. Some will do their job without thinking. Some dont have to think, they already know.
The guy who's been around is usually the smartest about how to handle things. More lenient, more forgiving, more understanding.
These new guys, especially those in Indiana, Ohio, and Virgina (all their cops are pricks  ) are real jerks. Or so it seems. | |
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Tourer
Posts: 367
Cottage Grove, Mn | Never got a ticket I didn't deserve and didn't get some I did deserve, and over the years I have deserved plenty. I have always treated LEO's with respect and always got treated the same.
Ride Safe
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Visionary
Posts: 1484
LaPorte,Tx. | Smitty - 2008-11-23 10:33 AM
These new guys, especially those in Indiana, Ohio, and Virgina (all their cops are pricks ) are real jerks. Or so it seems.
All the policeman are pricks in Indiana, Ohio, Virgina and the new policeman are jerks! OR so it seems. WOW that's putting some judgement on a lot of folks. Smitty, what are you telling us, you're under marshall law up there? I used to live in the midwest, lot's of nice folks and I did not think the police departments were any issue. Pricks and Jerks.........hmmmmm!  | |
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Tourer
Posts: 423
northwest florida | good cops and bad cops, everwhere you look that is the rule. one or two bad cops make the rest of the cops look bad. Like the old saying goes: " the bad is always remmbered, the good is soon forgotten." | |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 30
| I was driving through Austria with my wife and son back in 2000. We topped the crest in a hill only to find to guys standing in the road pointing a cars and directing them to the shoulder. While these guys were dressed in the yellow shirt and green trousers of the Austrian polizi, their neck ties were FUBAR and they had on white Rebocks. They looked like Barney Fife with at hangover....We were suspect that they were not cops, but didnt want to argue with a guy holding a big stick. When the officer spoke to me he said "you go to fast" For those of you who have lived in Germany, you know the Polizi expect you to pay the fine on the spot. When I asked for the fine he said 140...I replied that I have no Shillings, only DMarks...he said Marks are fine...140 Shillings was about $20.00 and 140DMs about $90.00...got screwed, but try laugh about it now | |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 742
North Orange County CA | http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1759791.stm
Check out this article from the BBC in 2002 about the costliest speeding ticket in history.
I'm sure many of you will remember seeing this before, as it was in both the motorcycle and mainstream press.
Traffic fines in Finland are based on income, the more you make the more you pay. The head of Nokia got popped on his Harley doing 75kph in a 50kph zone.
The fine 116 thousand euros.
It ought to be noted that if we had the same system here; a guy making minimum wage would still pay close to $928 for doing 50 mph in a 30 mph zone.
I'd say were all getting off lucky.
Edited by Tarpits99 2008-11-24 5:45 PM
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Cruiser
Posts: 273
| VisionTex - 2008-11-23 10:14 PM
Smitty - 2008-11-23 10:33 AM
These new guys, especially those in Indiana, Ohio, and Virgina (all their cops are pricks ) are real jerks. Or so it seems.
All the policeman are pricks in Indiana, Ohio, Virgina and the new policeman are jerks! OR so it seems. WOW that's putting some judgement on a lot of folks. Smitty, what are you telling us, you're under marshall law up there? I used to live in the midwest, lot's of nice folks and I did not think the police departments were any issue. Pricks and Jerks.........hmmmmm!
a new ISP Super who hired 295 new type A personality coppers. Not many are worth half what they make.
I've seen two drive past stranded motorists, one a woman, only to have a car pulled over two miles down the road.
Pricks. But you are right, most folks in the Midwest are pretty nice folks. Until they become cops. | |
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Tale of the Nasty Cops