Gettin' Pulled Over By The Fuzz...Cuzz

[Soulstation1]

before today about 4 years

i tried to make a quick U-turn before the oncoming traffic and was cold busted

i was given a warning / lecture and went to pick up my lunch

i was told the fine woulda been $180 BIG Ones

[connoisseur series500]

You smoothie!

How did you get out of that?

I bet if you carried out of State license plates, it would have been a different story.

I got pulled over three times last year for speeding to work in Dearborn, Michigan. I had Ohio plates of course! Each time, I was in an unfamiliar freeway and wasn't sure of the speed limit.

[Spontooneous]

My work shift ends after midnight. On the way home, the cops in my little suburb have pulled me over at least three times this year, on some made-up premise ("You didn't signal that turn" -- yes, I did). All for the sin of being a different-looking person out after midnight in my little whitebread community.

No tickets yet.

[Soulstation1]

once after coming out of a bar...

i was pulled over for having tinted windows and no passenger's side mirror

i told the cop, "i've had this car for over 10 years and tonight my tinting illegal????"

only had 2 drinks over 3/4 hours, watched the diamondbacks baseball game that went like 14/15 innings

passed their "tests" and went on my way, which was 2/3 minutes away from my place

ss1

[Alexander]

I've only ever been pulled over once. I was driving home from a friend's farewell party (he was leaving Barnes & Noble, as I would eventually do as well) at about one in the morning. The road was empty and I was probably speeding, but I honestly wasn't paying attention since there were no other cars on the road. A cop car pulled up behind me and I pulled over. I immedately started thinking of all the things you're supposed to do when you get stopped: I turned off the radio, rolled down the window, got out my license and registration, etc. The cop came over and asked me where I was coming from.

Me: I'm coming from a party.

Cop: Had anything to drink?

Me: No (true).

Cop: Where are you going?

Me: Home.

Cop: Where's that?

Me: Right up the road there.

Cop: Know how fast you were going?

Me: Honestly, no. I wasn't paying attention.

Cop: I'll let you go with a warning. Just please watch your speed.

Me: Thanks. Have a good night.

That was it. I didn't get a ticket.

[ejp626]

I got my first and only speeding ticket when I was 17, many years ago. It was particularly annoying because it was a bit of a speed trap where the posted speed dropped by 10 mph, and of course that's where they parked the squad car. That's not to say I didn't deserve tickets for bad driving on other occasions, but I felt this one was particularly undeserved. After college, I've basically lived in big cities where I either didn't own a car or very rarely used one, and consequently never was ticketed or pulled over again.

[Jim Alfredson]

Last time I was pulled over was this fall when I was coming back from a gig in small-town Hillsdale. The bassist from Root Doctor was driving with me (who happens to be black) and this cop pulls us over because my license plate light is out. The strange thing was he asked for both our licenses, even though I was the one driving.

No ticket, but not a good impression of Hillsdale, that's for sure.

[AllenLowe]

where I live, South Portland, Maine, there's not enough crime so the cops, lazy butts that they are, love to stop people. In my first 25 years of driving I was stopped maybe twice - since moving here 9 years ago I've been stopped 5 times and gotten four tix, and have beaten 3 of those in court because they were bogus (as was the one I lost on). The cops have lied, etc etc but it has paid to take them to court; on one occasion the DA said to me,"yeah, his notes do seem a little inconsistent," and dropped the charges. On another occasion I beat the ticket thanks to my cosntant watching of cop shows - the DA tried to get me to plead out and used the EXACT technique they use on NYPD Blue - I almost fell out of my chair, but I challenged her, and the judge later dropped the charges. Fun stuff.

Edited December 29, 2005 by AllenLowe

[catesta]

July/05

When making the cross country trip from AZ to NY. I don't even remember the name of the little podunk town, I just know it was in Illinois not far from the Missouri border. Most definitely a speed trap. There were more cops hiding around then probably citizens. I thought I was through it and in the clear when an unmarked car came out from somewhere. He gave me the ticket and was most curious what I was doing "in these parts" with Arizona plates.

I wasn't going to pay the fine but ended up sending the money just in case. I think it was $120.

The ticket is not on my record. I have no idea why other than as I figure they're only interested in the cash.

[Dan Gould]

Never ticketed for a moving violation, and I've been licensed for nearly 25 years (knock wood).

Pulled over twice in all of that time. First was while driving home from college with a couple of friends. It was my turn to drive, and this dude's car had messed up steering, you had to continuously make little tiny adjustments, back and forth. So to the Georgia cop it looked like I was weaving back and forth. Pulled us over, I explained what the situation was and he just gave me the stern lecture on getting home for the holidays safe and sound. Best of all, my supposed incompetence with the guy's car meant that I didn't have to drive it the rest of the way to NYC!

Second time was in Fort Lauderdale, caught speeding in a residential area speed trap. Guy took pity on me (I was all ready to give him the story that I've never gotten a ticket in 20 years of driving, can't you cut me a break?) and said he could ticket me for not having my lap belt fastened. The advantage was, its not a moving violation, so no points. The irony was that I religiously fastened lap belts and made sure that anyone in the passenger seat did too; I had only released it so I could reach the glove box and get my registration out before he reached the car. So I started to protest my innocence on the particular charge he was writing up when he suggested that he could just go back and write the speeding ticket instead. I shut up.

[ejp626]

So I started to protest my innocence on the particular charge he was writing up when he suggested that he could just go back and write the speeding ticket instead. I shut up.

Wise move. It just never pays to argue with cops, unless you want to end up on COPS.

By the way, anyone ever seen Mr. Show, where there is a recurring character (Ronnie Dayne or something like that) who becomes famous after 15 or 20 appearances on COPS? They end up writing a musical about his life. And of course, life imitating fiction imitating life, Jerry Springer - the Musical turned up not long after this.

[sheldonm]

I've also never had a speeding ticket (31 years) but have been stopped for speeding twice and always seem to be going at a little faster than the posted limit. Once was given a seatbelt violation ticket instead and the other time I was on vacation in Maine. The officer asked where I was going and I told him Acadia National Park and he got into a story about how beautiful it was. He also noted that I hadn't had a speeding ticket before and let me off; nice guy. Neither of these incidents were more that 5-7 miles over; can't believe they even stopped me . I have had plenty of parking tickets!!!

m~

[sheldonm]

My work shift ends after midnight. On the way home, the cops in my little suburb have pulled me over at least three times this year, on some made-up premise ("You didn't signal that turn" -- yes, I did). All for the sin of being a different-looking person out after midnight in my little whitebread community.

No tickets yet.

...we're all different lookin'!!!

[AllenLowe]

"I was on vacation in Maine."

it figures - the cops don't have enough to do here -

they should be out beating up non-white people like other law enforcement officials -

Edited December 29, 2005 by AllenLowe

[danasgoodstuff]

Recently got three moving violations within 18 mo after nothing for decades (when I was young I drove cab and wrecked 'em on a regular basis, but that's another story). They restricted my license so i couldn't drive between midnight and 5am, not that any of the tickets occured then and no big deal since I'm rarely out then anyways. Just hoping I don't get a ticket in the mail for the speed trap I blew through a few weeks back trying to get back to work from training in the middle of the day (ironically I worked that day to get my full time benefits kickback, a ticket would pretty much eat all that cash up). I need to find out just how accurate the speedo in the Stude is/isn't so I can make sure no more tickets, it doesn't really like to go fast even though it will if pushed (259 V-8 4 barrell automatic). Have talked my way out of a few, including smashing my dad's Volvo when plastered when a teenager in S'toon, I have no idea how I pulled that off...

[chris olivarez]

The last time was this summer in a Colorado speed trap called Del Norte. I was on my way back from Pueblo after doing some play by play for our high school baseball team. I had slept about three hours in the last two days and I was headed to a rest area a few miles from Del Norte but first I had to run the gauntlet through the town. Unfortunately because I was short on sleep I wasn't as alert as I should have been and I was going 38 in a 25 zone. Typical scenario bored cops watching for speeders and here I came riding to their rescue. They pulled me over just before I got out of town and if that wasn't bad enough I had to deal with one of these punk ass macho young cops. The privilege of driving through Del Norte cost me 60 dollars and two points but on the bright side by the time I left Del Norte I was so mad and had so much adrenilne going that I didn't need the rest stop.

Another time when I was still living in Brawley,California I was hurrying back there from Arizona becuae I had to be on the air at the radio station I was working at in Brawley. Just before I got to the California border I got pulled over by a chickenshit Arizona Department of Public Safety officer and there always just too happy to write up Californians and add to the state coffers. However this wasn't the final chapter in a perfectly shitty day. I finally got to the radio station only to discover that it was off the air and the reason it was off the air was that it was bleeding through the public address system of an alcoholics anonymous meeting that the station owner was attending as a guest of another employee. The owners response was too pull the station off the air and not allow it to return until the meeting was concluded. When I was told this I became madder than a motherfucker. It was a once in a lifetime experience and hopefully it will stay that way.

[Soulstation1]

white folks have different rules for the road

[chris olivarez]

white folks have different rules for the road

Yeah no shit.

[Big Deal]

Just this past Friday night, I went out to dinner with a old friend of mine that was back for the holidays. We had a few drinks and a lot to eat and then when the evening was over, I drove her back to where she was staying. It was late, I was tired, but did not feel like I was anywhere near to being over the legal limit. I have a tendency to hang to the right side of the road and on the highway I was preety much on the fog line.

I passed a sheriff in the median and he pulled out and followed me for a few miles, then pulled me over. He told me my licence plate light was out and since I had weaved over the fog line, he wanted to know how much I had had to drink. I said a couple of beers with dinner. That was it! I was soon out of the truck, saying the alphabet from B to Y with my eyes closed. Then it was march down nine steps heel to toe,left turn and then back eight steps. I guess that wasn't enough because then I had to stand with one foot raised to a 90 degree angle for 30 seconds. I have weak ankles and I doubt that I could do this for that long anyway and I thought the 22 seconds I was able to do it for was pretty good. I guess not for then it was time to blow into the tube! Boy was I scared! The result? .049 well under the leagal limit. Then of course he had to run my licence to "make sure I wasn't wanted in Louisiana for murder". Big laugh. I had to sit for another five minutes waiting for him to get back with my licence and then it was thanks for being honest have a good night!

What really gets me about this is that since I work late and go home after midnight most nights, this was not the first time I have been pulled over for crossing the fog line. I haven't even had a speeding ticket in 30 years ( Yeah Knock on wood is right) and really feel violated by this. Makes me parinoid.

Happy New Years!

[AllenLowe]

"white folks have different rules for the road"

yes, ride between lanes, go 12 miles per hour - well that's OLD white people, where I live -

[Soulstation1]

while driving home tonight, i saw a guy pulled over with 3 cops behind him and the lights flashing...

[JSngry]

DWB is still a crime in many communities...

[Soulstation1]

i guess jim was guilty of

DWABP

Driving With A Black Passenger

[JSngry]

i guess jim was guilty of

DWABP

Driving With A Black Passenger

This Jim has been similarly charged as well. Somewhat regularly, in fact, although now that all of our gray hairs are becoming visible from afar, it's become less of an issue...