I was driving back from Dallas at about 4:30am Sunday morning and some small town cop passed me then slowed down so that I could catch him, he looked over at me and hit me with the spotlight, I was blinded for a few seconds and could have crashed, but pulled over to regain my bearings. I posted something similar to this a while back and was surprised at the response, some people actually think that this kind of behavior is appropriate, it is not. Also I STILL take issue with the "Radar Gun". Cops sit on the side of the road and point this pistol-like mechanism at you and expect this not to disturb anyone. Cops are some of the most depressed people in society, their suicide rate ranks among the top among vocations and we are not to think one day some cop might be pointing a 200 magnum as opposed to a radar gun. I'd be willing to bet that if you pointed something similar at a cop you would get a hellava lot more than a ticket. Finally, I have 2 cars, an older SUV and a 2003 Benz. I have never gotten a ticket in my Explorer but am pulled over in my Benz twice a month, and old complaint but still very annoying. I admire cops, hell I was one for 5 years. However, sometimes their judgement is bad and one day something really horrible is going to happen that will shed light on that fact.
today i got a speeding ticket turning out onto montrose from banks trying to catch the richmond light. well...nobody really goes 30-35 on montrose (30mph SL). getting a ticket basically right outside your front door in the very car that was broken into christmas day 2003 IS VERY AGGRAVATING! break down the speed trap team in my neighborhood and start patrolling the neighborhood.
I was coming home from class last week on the interstate. It was a little after 9, so it was really dark out. Anyway, there was this freaking trooper just sitting in the median of the interstate with his lights off (of course), hoping to get a speeder. Fortunately for me, he was turned in the opposite direction I was going, but damn, seeing stuff like that pisses me off to no end!
I've gotten the blinding light flashed in my vehicle as well, for doing absolutely nothing wrong. One of the few times I WASN'T speeding, and I still raise suspicion.
I had the same thing happen to me when I used to own a classic 65 chevy Impala. And yes I'm hispanic. One day I was pulled over 4 times. No tickets were given any of the times. One guy pulled me over one time because he said I looked too young to be driving. What a load of crap. One time they gave me a ticket because they said I wasn't wearing proper seat belts because I didn't have the 2 strap kind just the one that goes across your waist. He knew damn well those cars came like that. Oh yeah and he said my exaust pipes were faulty so he threw in another one for that. There was nothing wrong with my tail pipes either. Hey either you are clearly breaking the law by having expired tags, faulty equipment, speeding or any other moving violations or you are not. And you should not be harrassed. Don't get me wrong I've met some o.k. ones who were just intrested in checking out my car but some of em acted like they hadn't gotten any at home from thier woman so they were going to take it out on me. A holes. Oh and I'm not going to mention the jerk that stopped me on Christmas either... o.k. I feel better now.
Shiyat! Try being a do-rag wearing white guy that "fit the description"! Seriously, I can't imagine being in either of your shoes AB/jiggadi and having to deal with that crap on a regular basis. I'd end up going to jail for sure or pulling a Ricky Williams.
I got pulled over all the time when I had my Trans Am. Now that I drive non-descript sedans, I don't get pulled over, even though I've been driving for a year with expired license plates. But I'm also a thirtysomething white guy. I have a feeling an African-American in a Mercedes would get pulled over a lot in my neighborhood, too, unfortunately.
Actually, I had to take 2 classes by correspondence and it sucked, so I can live with the inconvienence of having to drive and risking a ticket.
the cops who turn their lights off bothers me from a safety reason. .. I know they are usually pulled at least to the side but having your lights off when its very dark outside near a major roadway doesn't seem like a very safe thing to me...
The last time that happened to me (years ago thankfully) I wasn't speeding either.... I was HIGH but I was NOT speeding.
I'm sure it's nothing to compare with what minorities face, but try driving a beat up car with very long hair like I used to in college. You have no idea how many times my car was searched, simply because I looked like a stoner. Of course they never found anything. After a while I began to just refuse to allow them to search my car. They easily sidestepped that law by simply arresting me and searching whatever they wanted. Never once did they find drugs. You may find it no shock that I indulged in the reefer when I was young, but I wasn't the type to pull and Eddie Griffin and drive all over town with it. But of course, I looked the part. I still get pulled over now even with a much more conservative haircut, and was arrested near New Year's for having fireworks in my car in Oak Ridge North. Not using fireworks... just having them in my car as I was driving through town to get back to Houston. They arrested me because, of course, I declined to let them search my car. My car had to be towed while I was taken to jail, and I had to pay $160 to get it back. The ticket for the fireworks was over $300. No, I'm not kidding. For a pack of bottle rockets. It's hard to respect cops when this crap happens, but then again, I won't hesitate to call them if I ever need them.
AB -- Do you have special after-market rims on your car? I was debating with a colleague whether certain mods would make people more likely to be pulled over by police. I have driven in Houston for 7+ years and never been pulled over. 2 of those years my car wasn't even registered.
Forgive me for stating the obvious. You know he is talking about DWB. Newsflash, the reason you weren't pulled over is because you look white. Therefore, You either A. Knew that and are stating the most sarcastic post EVER or B. are an idiot.
Mulder, I will have you know that I am one of the best drivers on the road. I don't give the police a reason to pull me over. Also, my luxury SUV isn't one that raises any alarm bells for being 'high risk' (i.e. Escalades). Additionally, given the tint on my windows, it is unlikely that a policeman could even identify my race.
