Pulled over - Good or bad

[Traildust]

I speed daily, roll stop signs and red lights, talk on my phone, reply to a quick text, don't use my blinker, tailgate and brake check too.

I figure I'm winning about 10K - 1 on popo's oppression. It's a game we all play at one time or the other. Life goes on. Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug.

[MadHatter]

If I get pulled over, I expect them to have a reason. Whether or not they write a ticket or a warning is a different story.

Exactly. Rarely works that way. It's 20 questions of trying to entrap you, so he can make and arrest. 30 yrs and the war on drugs hasn't stopped a sigle gram from hitting the streets.
And we keep letting them pass more laws, so they have more reasons to pull you over. I'm prettt sure we are not in a police state, but fast headed there, under the guise of protecting "YOU".
For the record, I have 0 criminal history, but because I wear a beanie, and have hair, they are all convinced I'm a criminal, and treat me so. Arrested 3 times in Dallas, hauled to Lou Starret, so me and my clothes could be thoroughly searched, for crack rocks. Please.
Put in cuffs in Galveston for cussing a cop, after the dumb bastage, walked a 100yrds, screamin and cussing at me the whole way to stay put, keep my hands where he could see them, etc...
I was in a pair of shorts, drinking a monster, in a white can when they first came out. I appeared to be drunk, and drinking was his reasoning. After so much, you kinda get tired of dealing with the BS, answering their questions, etc..
Always guilty in there eyes, no matter who, what, where, etc...

[Traildust]

My last ticket was around 2004 and haven't been pulled over until a couple years ago by DPS and got off with a warning for speeding.

I drive all over Texas. If you get pulled over frequently.....I don't think it's the cops attitude.....jus' sayin'

[Clay C]

right, because drug dealers usually leave the drugs in plain view and wear a shirt that says "drug dealer" on it...c'mon man

it usually takes a few mins of conversation for them to filter through some things.

So everyone is guilty until the officer decides they aren't?

[dawgkllr]

No quotas. Whether or not a citation is issued is solely the decision of the officer.

"Sec. 720.002. PROHIBITION ON TRAFFIC-OFFENSE QUOTAS. (a) A political subdivision or an agency of this state may not establish or maintain, formally or informally, a plan to evaluate, promote, compensate, or discipline:

(1) a peace officer according to the officer's issuance of a predetermined or specified number of any type or combination of types of traffic citations; or

(2) a justice of the peace or a judge of a county court, statutory county court, municipal court, or municipal court of record according to the amount of money the justice or judge collects from persons convicted of a traffic offense.

(b) A political subdivision or an agency of this state may not require or suggest to a peace officer, a justice of the peace, or a judge of a county court, statutory county court, municipal court, or municipal court of record:

(1) that the peace officer is required or expected to issue a predetermined or specified number of any type or combination of types of traffic citations within a specified period; or

(2) that the justice or judge is required or expected to collect a predetermined amount of money from persons convicted of a traffic offense within a specified period."

Yep but when it comes to evaluation time you can bet your rear end that your "activity" is taken into consideration. I don't care what color you paint it.

[jshouse]

So everyone is guilty until the officer decides they aren't?

Yep, that's exactly what I said.

Look, I get it, you guys have had bad run ins with LE and they all suck, my wife got charged $65 by Car Toys because the plug on her radio worked it's way loose and they reached under the dash and literally just plugged it back in. Should I be mad and get on an internet forum and talk about how car audio guys suck?



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[Clay C]

Yep, that's exactly what I said.

Look, I get it, you guys have had bad run ins with LE and they all suck, my wife got charged $65 by Car Toys because the plug on her radio worked it's way loose and they reached under the dash and literally just plugged it back in. Should I be mad and get on an internet forum and talk about how car audio guys suck?



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I've never had a bad run in with a Police Officer. Every time I've been pulled over they've been polite, professional, let me know what I did and sent me on my way either with a ticket or warning for that specific transgression.

I just don't think it's acceptable to pull someone over for something frivolous, then question them like a criminal. If you smell drugs, or notice the occupant seems intoxicated, then sure.

[equyst]

subscribed, this seems like a very interesting thread

[jshouse]

I've never had a bad run in with a Police Officer. Every time I've been pulled over they've been polite, professional, let me know what I did and sent me on my way either with a ticket or warning for that specific transgression.

I just don't think it's acceptable to pull someone over for something frivolous, then question them like a criminal. If you smell drugs, or notice the occupant seems intoxicated, then sure.

I agree, I've had friends and relatives go through some bad stops too and it will leave you shaking your head. Usually an officer that "looks beyond the traffic stop" can find the information he needs with a few minutes of general conversation during the traffic stop while filling out the ticket/warning... where you coming from? Where you headed? How long you gonna be there?

Doesn't sound like much but those 3 questions put more dope in the burn barrel than you would believe.

[Slew]

Had one bad dealing with a cop in college but outside of that every interaction with police and game wardens has been pleasant!

And the one in college makes for a good story anymore.

[Pullersboy]

Yep but when it comes to evaluation time you can bet your rear end that your "activity" is taken into consideration. I don't care what color you paint it.

Couldn't care less about evaluations. Nor could anyone else on my dept. They don't have the 1st thing to do with promotions or pay raises or anything else for that matter. How many tickets you write isn't even a consideration on our evals anyway.

[Pedernal]

Had one bad dealing with a cop in college but outside of that every interaction with police and game wardens has been pleasant!

And the one in college makes for a good story anymore.

So, what's the college story

[Ætheling]

How ironic, I got a ticket for going 80 in a 70 on 99 yesterday going home from work. I so badly wanted to ask the deputy what he thinks about the fact that right now someone in Harris country is being violently assaulted or raped right now why you are sitting here writing me a ticket for going to work and home a little too fast. I know that that in reality he is just doing what his boss told him to do to make revenue for the county, he doesn't want to be out there writing me a ticket anymore than I want to be there receiving it.

[Pullersboy]

It seems to me that most (not all)of the folks on here who have complained over a "bad" interaction with an officer as a result of a traffic stop are readily admitting that they made a violation of the law and just didn't like that they got stopped for it whether it be because they don't like the law that they were stopped for or they thought it was inappropriate to stop them for that particular violation at that time under those circumstances. In most cases (especially when it comes to Traffic Code) the law doesn't give exceptions for circumstances.

For example, and not to pick on anyone. Somebody stated that they pulled up to a T intersection and didn't signal before making their turn and got pulled over. The poster's logic was that there was no option to go straight, so why use a signal when he's forced to turn? 1) which way are you turning? 2) the law doesn't say you have to use a turn signal at an intersection unless it's a T intersection. 3)you broke the law, so you don't get try cry about getting pulled over whether you personally agree with the law or not.

Like I said. This wasn't to pick on that person. It was just the 1st example of the many on this thread or the other that came to mind.

My point is, that no matter how petty in the driver's mind the reason for the stop is, if it's a violation of the law, then you have no room to complain about getting stopped, let alone call it a "bad encounter" with police.

Bottom line, if you don't want to get stopped, learn a the traffic code and follow it to the letter. If it's not that important, you have made a conscious decision to risk a traffic stop.

I will readily admit that I'm not a perfect driver and that I have been pulled over many times. There has been once or twice over the years that I thought the officer was really stretching for a violation. One time when I was 21, I got pulled over in North Richland Hills because one headlight was more dim than the other. The stated reason for the stop that the officer gave was that my headlight was "about to go out." Knowing what I know now, I'd have been on the phone with his supervisor quickly. There is no law about a light that's "about" to go out. There's only minimum candlepower which pretty much equates to the brightness of a gas lantern because the law is so old. Plus he had no gauge with which to measure the brightness.

Y'all can disagree with officers stopping folks for smaller violations all you want. But, the fact remains that some of our most prolific offenders are captured just this way.

Operating a motor vehicle on a public roadway is a privilege, not a right. You have the choice not to drive if you want a zero chance of getting pulled over on a traffic stop. However, If you want to drive and run a minimal risk of a police encounter, learn these and abide by it, even if you don't like it.

[El Coop]

A long time ago I got pulled over in Abilene. The license plate on the vehicle I was in had expired 20 minutes earlier. Within minutes there were several car loads of cops. They searched the vehicle for hours. Pretty much destroyed the interior. There were no drugs. Didn't bother these guys. They charged us with possession anyway. I guess they had some extra in the evidence room for just this sort of thing. The only thing that saved us was that one of us had an uncle that knew the local sheriff. The vehicle was a VW van and I had long hair. That was enough for them. For the last 20 years or so I have paid for the meals of every cop I've noticed eating where I was eating, as many as eight at a table. My point would be that while I respect them for the job they do I will never trust them. If I'm not breaking the law leave me alone.