Cops and Trucks (got a ticket)

[QRTRHRS]

Originally posted by Mark Kitchell



He started sucking my balls* Eastbound 80 at the 480/Kennedy exchange; I was in the left in a mess of traffic proceeding to the 13th St exit. I crowded the car in front of me as I was clearing the car off my right rear so I could merge right. As soon as I merged right he stopped sucking my balls* so I could see more then the roof of his car then hit his lights and pulled me over.



* my truck has balls, for real, hanging off the back

 

[QRTRHRS]

Forgot my comment, sorry.

Mark, could be he did not see the humor in your "Trucknuts".

 

[Big MAK]

I don't think he thought they were funny either.



DRR-24V; you have a-lot of patience! And you're right; I really thought getting a ticket for too close or minor speeding was due me. I totally don't get the negligence thing. It's like 'pay to play' or 'be your own warranty station'. If you're gonna drive fast pay the ticket when it comes because it will! I'm totally torn about this thing. I'd pay it and walk away if it was a reasonable citation.



I haven't mentioned this... . the cop didn't put in the violation amount... he said the judge would set it. So here's the problem: I go to court to fight it. P/O the judge. He fines me something really horrific. Other problem: the only times the class is offered prior to court appearance are Dec 26 and 27 (family in town, kids home from school for holiday), Jan 2 and 3 (Rose Bowl, go big red, entire family at my house for game party), Jan 12 (son's bday party). So it's pouring salt in the wound. Screw with me and my family all in one fell swoop. Other problem, I called the prosecutors office and they said they can't reveal the officer's statement and/or evidence except only to an attorney. They told me I have to hire $$$ an attorney to see the case (or prove I'm destitute)! Great justice system we have here huh? They know it becomes financially too much of a risk to call them out; so they get away with it. That's were I'm at in this process now. Too much of a risk too fight.



My friends who were cops and always thought it was funny when people would take them to court thinking it was aggravating to the cop... NOT. Around here they get a bonus check for court appearances. They LOVE being taken to court. The downside is that's likely encouraging them to inflate tickets so people will fight them.



Thanks for letting me rant. This has me really torqued off and venting has helped.



Here's my view on speeding (in a nutshell):

There's a really big difference between driving fast and driving stupid. I take great pain not to drive stupid. Stupid is weaving thru traffic, speeding anywhere there's a possibilty of pedestrians, cutting people off, ... etc. As for dropping the hammer on a road open enough to always have an escape route... well, that's a. o. k. in my book (just be ready to pay the ticket! )

 

[DRR-24V]

Mark-Some Advice

You are not going to P/O the Judge by going to court. I have never seen a fine increased by someone going to court. If anything they have been reduced somewhat. Just be honest, not a smart *** and tell what happened. Don't be a Perry Mason and keep it short and sweet. Don't volunteer any damaging statements, but be truthful. I bet they reduce it to following too close. The Officer will tell his story first and you are next. I am betting you will find out that Judges are like anybody else. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Besides you will feel like at least you tried. Now, if you happen to go up in front of some Whacko Judge and he hangs you, I will have to change my user name.

 

[C Schomer]

I go thru Neb a lot. I've had three encounters there - Omaha(city cop), Seward(st patrol)and Binkleman(county dick). All three were the poorest excuse for real human beings I've ever seen. I like Neb and have friend and relatives across the state but I'd sure like to partake in an 'open season' on their *******s in blue! Craig

 

[Bigsaint]

Originally posted by tcourse

There are a lot of stupid cops that don't know how to fill out

a simple violation form. To busy with their power trip.

Originally posted by C Schomer

All three were the poorest excuse for real human beings I've ever seen. I like Neb and have friend and relatives across the state but I'd sure like to partake in an 'open season' on their *******s in blue! Craig

It's posts like these that me wonder why I even bother to reply to L. E. related threads or even read them, for that matter. Two words come to mind... JOB SECURITY.



Scott W.

 

[DRR-24V]

I Know What You Mean !

Scott,

I feel your pain, I'm out of here. Don Rogers

 

[Hammer]

Man what a bummer,,You'd think these,overbearing-nothing better to do than screw with people-why can't they do something constructive,like go bust the local drug dealers-never around when you need them(except when you are at local donut shop) police officers could do their job CORRECTLY,,A few weeks ago I'm on my way home from the hospital late where my mother lays in a coma and get popped,,Dropped my sister off and went the back way home,it was near midnight,,Turned left in a small town just north of me and wound her through the row box(fully knowing the speed limit,which I at the time was not pushing)Never seen the regional cop siting at convience store,,Notice a set of fast approaching headlights behind me then its lights time,,When he walked up to me,he did the normal crap,liscense and registration and dod you know why you were stopped,blah blah,,I say NO,Think it pi**ed him off,,He said and I quote,"Your truck's height is illegal and I'm going to cite you for it",,Got me thinking,mmm,what friggin kind of rocket scientist is this moron,,So after our MINOR vocal disagreement that had me showing him the factory sticker on door(with the factory tire sizes) and the factory stickers still located on my front and rear springs,he adds another citation for my beligerance,improper mudflap angles(seems here in PA you have to have no more than 45 degrees of angle between the bottom of the mudflaps and the ground,mine were the factory dealer installed Ram flaps),,Sent it to my attorney and off we go to court($350 in tickets will do that)and he told the judge that my truck was a road hazard and by the PA Motor Vechicle code it was illegal,,Afetr hearing the arguements and looking over photo's I took of a NEW 2002 CTD at dealers lot witht the same measurements and the parts sheet from my truck that had the spring numbers ran at dealers with the photo's of the same it was tossed out,but what a waste of the tax payers time,,Shame of it was,I know why he stopped me(no muffler)and he never even looked at that,,All my life my father raised me to respect the law(he had 34 yrs in the PA state police) but morons like these listed in our posts make you wonder why you should,,Think they need to make our neighbor hoods safer to live and leave the law abiding citizens alone,,MMMM,maybe its because we won't shoot back like the drug dealer or local street thug so they feel safer messing with us... ... ...

 

[Bigsaint]

Hmmm, that makes three for job security, do we have any more takers ???? Glad to see that Hammer didn't forget to throw in the donut shop cliche', I hate when people forget to use that one .



Okay, lets here from a few folks that have a education that exceeded the 8th grade now... .





Scott W.

 

[Don M]

I gotta say that the overwhelming majortiy of officers are great guys.

I have had little trouble with them in my years of driving. Most of the time I have been in the wrong. I have yet to have a traffic cop trump up charges or give me a ticket for something undeserved.

That being said, I did have a weird situation where I ran out of fuel in my truck (did not watch the gauge close enough and ran out in the middle of nowwhere in about 20 degree weather)

I decided to call the local cops and see if one of them could give me ride to the gas station to grab a few gallons of fuel. They agreed to help. After a few minutes the highway patrol pulls up and says he was called to help out. He seemed like a good guy and gave me a ride up to the station to get the fuel.

My friend stayed behind to watch the truck because we had tools in the bed and did not want them to get stolen.



I returned with the fuel, got it poored in and got the truck started back. As we were saying our goodbyes and thanks the patrolmen decided they wanted to search the truck. No reason I could see to let them. There was nothing in the truck that they needed to see. I told them " thanks for the ride and why would I call the police to come out if there was something in the truck to hide"

It seemed so rediculous to me, I even thought they might have been kiding.

They were not kidding and insisted they search the truck. They said they had reason to believe "something was not right"

I was floored.

I told them they could not search the truck again. They started saying they could get a warrant or something. I told them to go get it. Why not I was already very late to my destination and I wait awile longer.

They had us sit on the side of the road out of the truck in the 20 degree weather while they sat in their car on the radio. After about 10 miuntes or so they came back and said we could go.

I started toward the truck and as I opened the door one of them followed me to the truck saying "I have the same truck as you but it is a year older and I would like to see your interior to see if I like it better than the older style"

I knew he wanted to search the truck under the guise of looking at my interior.

He immediatly started shining his flashlight under the seat and looking all aroung before I could say a word. I could not even get the doors closed because he was trying to stay in the way on purpose. The other officer went to the passenger side and tried the same trick with my friend at the same time. We are freezing our butts off and these guys are not giving up.

I finally said to them I knew what they were tring to do and to get away from the truck without a warrant or cause to search they could not look inside any longer. It was a weird feeling. We were hiding nothing. I felt like they were getting very axious and things were getting out of hand. I told them to back away or arrest us or get busy with a probable casue search or GET LOST.

I was upset and said it very loudly. They freaked out and started saying I was going to jail if I did not shut up. I bit my tounge and complied. My friend was silent as well. After another 10 minutes of them looking at my interior they decided they had seen enough. One officer said we were free to go and have a nice night. The other said "be careful" and smiled.



I was so ****** I went straight to the police station in the middle of the night and explained what happened. Of course the highway patrol is not the same as the police and they told me to talk to the highway patrol. I gave up and went on my way.



After that little incident I decided I would never call them for help on the side of the road again. These guys were not helping the common good at all. I later found out that neither one owner a Dodge truck. My attorney got them both a good tounge lashing from their commanding officer. It was truly a bad experience and I feel the young, tough guy type cops are bad news.



Don~

 

[KennyM]

Alright guys, it's getting ugly. Every profession you have to take the good with the bad. Also remember some people have bad days. I will stay neutral on this. I have had many tickets, some my fault some not. Mad at the moment, couldn't care less now. Two years ago My neighbor was shot dead chasing jewelry store thieves. He left behind 5 kids under the age of six. Three of them were twins. Remember this going into the Holidays. Ken

 

[RustyJC]

Originally posted by KennyM

Three of them were twins.

Ken,



???????



(I'm not making light of a tragic situation - just looking for a sliver of humor in your comment above. )



Rusty

 

[KennyM]

Woops. How about triplets. I read that thing ten times before I sent it and never saw that. Ken

 

[NVR FNSH]

Hammer, is your truck legal or not based on the vehicle code sections cited? I had a traffic school instructor one time say that he could find a least 6 violations on a vehicle as it sat on the dealer lot. Guy was a motorcycle cop & I believed him - still do. In CA front license plates are required. How many sports cars do you see on the dealer lot that don't even have a front license plate mount?



Not going to defend Mark or the cop - I wasn't there. Take it to court. I find it hard to believe that the state won't/can't release the info to Mark. You have the right to represent yourself.



Brian

 

[Scot]

Since everyone else is telling war stories, here goes.



When I was a junior in H/S, I was hit by a fellow who passed me in an intersection as I was turning left. Local shows up and gives him a ticket for passing in intersection. He gives me ticket for "improper use of a turn signal. " I guess maybe I was supposed to either not us it or else use the wrong one. He tells me he will let the judge decide who gets the negligent collision ticket.



On the appointed day I show up in court scared to say the least. I plead no contest and the judge tosses the ticket. The officer meets us and says something to the effect, "I hope you are not upset, I did not want to have to give my cousin the negligent collision ticket. " I was pretty upset at the time. Now I just look back and chuckle.



Just remember guys: "That which does not kill me makes me stronger. "

 

[work2muchplay2little]

Well, I got a ticket once in that big open expanse of land between Raton, NM and Amarillo, TX for driving with just my parking lights on after dusk on a Sunday evening where my alternator had given up about 30 minutes before, and I was trying to make it home without running the battery down completely. I was told that was no excuse, I should have bought a new alternator and fixed it - this on a Sunday evening in basically the middle of nowhere However, I have deserved every other ticket (and then some) I've ever gotten. I consider myself fortunate.

 

[FFutch]

following too close

I admit I get too close to people some times,but how about the little cars at night that get so far under my rear bumper I can't even see them in the mirrors . I usually tap the brakes one time to warn them to back off. Then I use the engine brake(no brakelights)I haven't been hit yet but I figure they'll get the worst end of it if I do. Usually a couple of near misses and the person backs off my a#s. This is not at high speeds it usually only happens in town or parking lots. Doug

 

[C Schomer]

After having a cop in my immediate family and knowing dozens of them over the years, I know there are good and bad ones. There is also the type who grorify their own day by ruining it for others! In 88 I was trying to get to Omaha to say goodby to my dad before he died. My daughter was driving near Seward and I had told her several times to slow down. We were doing 75 in a 65. A trooper gave her a ticket even after I explained the situation - and he had a smirk on his face when he did it. There's no reason to forget the 'Golden Rule'! I'm sorry I put the ticket mongers in the same category as patrolman 'Kevorkian' in my earlier post! I also know that the decent, compassionate cops that have the fortitude and ambition to help people rather than look for ways to ruin their day feel the same way I do about the others. BTW, some of my dearest friends happen to be cops. I'm sorry I turn into Charles Manson every time I think of that trooper in Neb. I'd still like to meet up with him when he hasn't got his badge on! Craig

 

[QRTRHRS]

It used to be around me that you had to be more concerned with the locals rather than the state police. Just about anybody could wear a badge. Fortunately, it's gotten much more professional. I ran well over a million miles when I drove for a living. Overall, I never had a ticket I did not earn. With all the thirsty lawyers out there, perverts, dopers, etc. I would not want that job.



Looking back at Mark's post, I think this cop just felt compelled to come down HARD ON him maybe because of his "ornaments".



Don M's post though, I would have been PO'd too. I understand that the best approach to a search is to demand a warrant. Even if your innocent. Letting someone cross that doorsill is like letting them accross the threshold to your home.

 

[merryman]

Sure in every job there are a few jerks and anyone can make a mistake or have a bad day,

I have over 30 years of trying criminal cases (12 of the early years included traffic--the last 20+ included only felonys including traffic felonys), I have had about as much "cop watching" as anyone around. (I mean in the form of heaing both sides in testimony during trials ) And no, cops and judges are not particularly buddies---many cops resent us greatly feeling we "turn the criminals loose" that they bring in. We even work for different branches of govt. The only bad experience I had with an officer was when I was stopped in another jurisdiction when hauling horses. He assumed I would not have the manditory livestock transportation certificate that many don't know about. When I suggested that was not great police work, he got upset and issued me a cit. for something silly and fortunately wrong after he learned I was a Judge. A little short sighted of him because it was on a point of law and being wrong, it netted him a letter or reprimand from the head of the State Police.

I initiated proceedings that resulted in 3 officers being disciplined and one of them fired from Oregon State Police, so I am not allways on their side.

That out of the way, I can say strongly that at least in Oregon, by far the most of the officers I have had occasion to "watch" have been pretty darn good guys and pretty fair in their work. I have seen as much unbeliveable restraint in the face of wild and agressive conduct than I have over zelousness by officers.



As to laying off traffic and catching "real" criminals, most of the patrol cars you see out there are specifically assigned to traffic enforcement---thats their job. If they catch a real criminal it is mostly incidental to their traffic enforcement (some officers become real good a spotting certain kinds of "real" crimes such as drug violations. You would be amazed at the amount of cash seized on I-5 in Oregon be officers who know the clues that tip them off to a drug runner traveling between L. A and points north. )



Also on the traffic angle; for most of us the most dangerous thing we do is get out on the highway. Traffic enforcement really is a constructive contribution to the safety of all of us.



I allso have trouble buying any class being picked on. I drive a lot; I have been in most states, coast to coast, mexico to Alaska. Just going to town for us now after retirement is over 120 miles round trip crossing several police jurisdictions. I have been driving since 1950, and my wife is allways chewing on me to slow down! I have been stopped by officers 4 times and received 2 citations. One was justified, one was bogus. One of the officers was not real professional.

Well, this is way to long and rambling; sorry.



They stand between us and anarchy, doing a dangerous and largly thankless job for too little pay and too much criticism--Give em a break!!!



Vaughn