Interesting experiences with local law enforcement?

[AJAY]

The thread about "Your First Ticket" (age 16 for me) got me thinking about an incident when I was eighteen.

Was young and stupid (ain't it funny how those two go together?) and had the personal motto "95 on 95" (I95 is the major east coast highway). Had pulled off the ramp at a high rate of speed when the radar detector went off. Cop had me going about 70 on the ramp (posted at 35).

We talked a bit. He noticed my crewcut and Marine Corps sticker in the window. Semper Fi. He also noticed my radar detector, which, back in 1979 was a pretty new thing to have. So we set up a test with us about a 100 yards apart, him aiming the gun and me telling him when the detector went off. We both learned useful things about the each others 'weapons'.

In the end, he admonished me to slow down and drive safer, and gave me a ticket for "Driving in excess of the speed limit," only a $15 fine.

So that's my story. What are YOUR interesting experiences with local law enforcement?

 

[SANDFLEA85]

so he kept you there and tested his radar gun on you as you made passes by him and you would let him know when your radar detector identifyed his radar gun and he still gave you a $15 tix which back in the 70's was like getting a $100 tix today???


"crew cut" you mean "High and Tight " Marine! army soldiers get crew cuts..

 

[Robot]

That is when radar guns were very 'leaky". Methinks slowly cooking some users who sat with them all day

 

[Dino]

Ajay- Why yes officer you stand there and I will make a couple test runs.

I think I would have made a test run right the heck out of there.

 

[HT_USMC]

My ride in to work is a 48 mile one way trip each morning. I regularly ride through downtown Dallas, as I live east of Dallas and work a pretty good distance to the west of Dallas. So, I've become accustomed to where local law enforcement sits to monitor the fun people are having on their daily commute. Armed with that "knowledge" I treat the morning commute like a checkpoint race where I need to be doing the speed limit at each checkpoint. Between checkpoints it's up to traffic conditions, or lack thereof, how fast I want to ride, within reason of course.

So, two weeks ago, just as I am leaving downtown and highways are merging I end up in the construction zone that has existed there as long as I can remember. What was different on that particular morning was the presence of construction workers. I take a look at the festivities and I see a pearly white SUV parked on the right hand shoulder with a surveyor standing outside the vehicle. He's sighting in one of those surveyor tripods across traffic. Wait a tick. After a double take with almost no head movement, I realize there's no tripod. Turning my head as I go by at 75mph, I realize that it's not surveying equipment at all and looks a lot like a radar gun.

Confused and baffled by what my eyes have seen, my brain begins arguing with the optics. Did we or didn't we see what we think we just saw and what the heck does that mean if we actually did see that?! Well, about 3 minutes go by in my less-than-peaceful state before that same pearly white SUV is all lit up behind me. Instinct takes over as my eyes convince the brain it's seeing red and blues in the mirrors and I begin the parade to the shoulder. Of course he follows. However, my brain is screaming, "Hey idiot, you're being pulled over by a construction worker!"

After taking the white hardhat off and placing it on the dash of his SUV and stepping out and taking the orange and yellow reflective vest off, I notice his oh so shiny badge. He walks up to the bike we discuss my "fun" and he asks for my paperwork. As he steps away, I let him know that I'm going to get my phone out of my backpack so he's not thinking I'm looking for a weapon. Asking why, I inform him that I have to have a picture of this. He tells me to leave the phone in the bag and to sit tight. After running everything and everything being good to go he comes back up to the Busa and informs me that while I was speeding by 10mph it wasn't enough to warrant a ticket in his opinion since everything else is in order. I ask again to take a picture and he states, "Look I'm not giving you anything to remember me by why would you want to remember me later. Just suite back up and head on your way", or something very similar to that.

I tell you the next 25 miles or so were spent trying to let my brain get a grip on what just happened and whether or not I just got pulled over by a cop or a construction worker.

 

[AJAY]

so he kept you there and tested his radar gun on you as you made passes by him and you would let him know when your radar detector identifyed his radar gun and he still gave you a $15 tix which back in the 70's was like getting a $100 tix today???


"crew cut" you mean "High and Tight " Marine! army soldiers get crew cuts..

Don't know if most folks would get High and Tight. And a $15 ticket was way better than having my car impounded for double the speed limit!

 

[shadetree57]

My ride in to work is a 48 mile one way trip each morning. I regularly ride through downtown Dallas, as I live east of Dallas and work a pretty good distance to the west of Dallas. So, I've become accustomed to where local law enforcement sits to monitor the fun people are having on their daily commute. Armed with that "knowledge" I treat the morning commute like a checkpoint race where I need to be doing the speed limit at each checkpoint. Between checkpoints it's up to traffic conditions, or lack thereof, how fast I want to ride, within reason of course.

So, two weeks ago, just as I am leaving downtown and highways are merging I end up in the construction zone that has existed there as long as I can remember. What was different on that particular morning was the presence of construction workers. I take a look at the festivities and I see a pearly white SUV parked on the right hand shoulder with a surveyor standing outside the vehicle. He's sighting in one of those surveyor tripods across traffic. Wait a tick. After a double take with almost no head movement, I realize there's no tripod. Turning my head as I go by at 75mph, I realize that it's not surveying equipment at all and looks a lot like a radar gun.

Confused and baffled by what my eyes have seen, my brain begins arguing with the optics. Did we or didn't we see what we think we just saw and what the heck does that mean if we actually did see that?! Well, about 3 minutes go by in my less-than-peaceful state before that same pearly white SUV is all lit up behind me. Instinct takes over as my eyes convince the brain it's seeing red and blues in the mirrors and I begin the parade to the shoulder. Of course he follows. However, my brain is screaming, "Hey idiot, you're being pulled over by a construction worker!"

After taking the white hardhat off and placing it on the dash of his SUV and stepping out and taking the orange and yellow reflective vest off, I notice his oh so shiny badge. He walks up to the bike we discuss my "fun" and he asks for my paperwork. As he steps away, I let him know that I'm going to get my phone out of my backpack so he's not thinking I'm looking for a weapon. Asking why, I inform him that I have to have a picture of this. He tells me to leave the phone in the bag and to sit tight. After running everything and everything being good to go he comes back up to the Busa and informs me that while I was speeding by 10mph it wasn't enough to warrant a ticket in his opinion since everything else is in order. I ask again to take a picture and he states, "Look I'm not giving you anything to remember me by why would you want to remember me later. Just suite back up and head on your way", or something very similar to that.

I tell you the next 25 miles or so were spent trying to let my brain get a grip on what just happened and whether or not I just got pulled over by a cop or a construction worker.

What a brilliant plan. Under cover traffic cop and ity WORKED.

 

[Benesesso]

~1972, just before the big crackdown on police corruption. Drove my '65 Vette to NYC. Had to park in a towaway zone for ~10 min. Came back, tow truck had front of Vette up in the air. NYC police car right there. Asked cop if he would tell tow truck dude to put car back down.

Reply was "We're not supposed to put them down once they're up". Decision time for me. Noticed cop seemed to be stalling for time a bit. Great idea light bulb came on:

Me: Well, nobody's seen you pick the car up (this in midtown Manhattan, ~noon).

Cop: That's right, just me and my partner.

Me: Er, how much does something like this usually cost? (meaning the bribe, not the ticket)

Cop: Oh, whatever you think's fair. Ah, lemme see your license and registration.

Me: Take out reg and a $20 bill from wallet.

Cop: Looking around "Jeez, watch it, just put it between your documents".

Handed the stack to the cop. In one well practiced move, he swept the stack from my hand and was looking at the registration. Never saw where the $20 went. Talk about smooth.

Cop to tow driver: OK, put 'er down.

Parking ticket still on windshield. Would've cost more for it to disappear, but since I lived in Jersey I just threw it out the window as I left the Lincoln tunnel on the NJ side. Never heard diddley.

 

[AJAY]

~1972, just before the big crackdown on police corruption. Drove my '65 Vette to NYC. Had to park in a towaway zone for ~10 min. Came back, tow truck had front of Vette up in the air. NYC police car right there. Asked cop if he would tell tow truck dude to put car back down.

Reply was "We're not supposed to put them down once they're up". Decision time for me. Noticed cop seemed to be stalling for time a bit. Great idea light bulb came on:

Me: Well, nobody's seen you pick the car up (this in midtown Manhattan, ~noon).

Cop: That's right, just me and my partner.

Me: Er, how much does something like this usually cost? (meaning the bribe, not the ticket)

Cop: Oh, whatever you think's fair. Ah, lemme see your license and registration.

Me: Take out reg and a $20 bill from wallet.

Cop: Looking around "Jeez, watch it, just put it between your documents".

Handed the stack to the cop. In one well practiced move, he swept the stack from my hand and was looking at the registration. Never saw where the $20 went. Talk about smooth.

Cop to tow driver: OK, put 'er down.

Parking ticket still on windshield. Would've cost more for it to disappear, but since I lived in Jersey I just threw it out the window as I left the Lincoln tunnel on the NJ side. Never heard diddley.

All you really did was save everybody from extra work, right?

 

[werdkat]

Spring 2007 I decided in wet weather that my 06 hemi quadcab ram needed to go off roading....while on the interstate. After bouncing around in the ditch, I immediately hop out thanking the almighty one I am alive. I call 911 they send ambulance and county leo's. Ambulance leaves reluctantly when I tell them to leave I'm good. The leo's cop (no pun intended) an attitude with me. Understandable its raining and they don't want to be standing in the rain...heck I didn't want a wrecked truck. He takes my info goes back into his squad car, at this point my wife shows up to check up on me wanting to know what is going on and what is up with this attitude.

The two leo's weren't in the car 2 minutes when Out they jumped with great haste! I thought one of them saw a king cobra or something in the squad car. Both were koolaid red and coughing, crying, and gasping for air. I now notice the driver's right side with about a 3ft diameter circle above his utility belt. I immediately start trying not to snicker. His partner was highly upset and started using profanity. It was a much needed break to the painfully bad day.

 

[werdkat]

Another one, this was back in September. I am flying down one of the many back country roads in my high speed low drag pedal car (Nissan versa 4 door hatch w/ 6 speed..) I was on the way to trade it for a quad cab titan. When I see a charger ahead...I decide to keep moving at my 95mph......when I immediately down shift and about drop my motor out. GEORGIA STATE PATROL...DOH!

He throws on the blue lights and pulls me over. I as usual am curteous to the leo, I figure they can really f' u if you are a d to them ya know, he wants to know where I was going in such a hurry. Then asks what kind of car I am in, sweet tea man debadged it for me Asked me what the kanji was on my left corner I told him "I dont know if I should tell you at this point I also ride a sport bike." , he laughs and gets back to his car.

Comes back and tells me, his brother rides with him and he has a busa as well so this will be his nice gesture to a fellow biker. Promptly told me to slow it down, handed me my documents back and said "you never know who you will run up on that might not be a rider out here."

I got back in the car...the wifey stared at me....said Un-fricking-believable. I immediately drove the speed limit to the dealership. I am glad he was feeling generous...that would have sucked over and beyond anything I could imagine.