Got stopped, not a sympathy thread

[jcampos]

I know it sounds ridiculous but i had an offer from a different CJ agency that to me sounded like better opportunity for advancement. Plus, SAPD gives like an extra $350/month with someone with a degree. I spent years of money and studying for what? To be a cop? Hell you can become a police officer with no degree and that was my reason for backing out plus, the added negativity lots of PD's are getting right now are BS! Plain and simple i realized i didnt want to be part of that world so I left before training. Its a tough agency to get into nonetheless but cops get alot of criticism. It seems that most people in this generation are out to get cops for petty mistakes and i didnt want to be part of that, can you blame me? I have alot of LEO friends and they love it but that doesn't mean that I would have. Im content with what I do now. Same job security, great benefits, basically the same pay without all the stress AND i get to use my knowledge from college, unlike LEO's.

[Evil-Bee-NH]

Originally Posted by spadz93

So, i got stopped, kinda, today.


I saw a cop with his lights on a few bus lengths back when stopped at a traffic light. Light turned green, so I continued as normal. I saw him pull up behind another car that was behind me, and as I rounded the curve, I didn't see him follow. I went to turn left into a pizza shop (i had inched forward and was over the line at this point), and he pulled up behind me and went to go around on my left, almost cutting me off. He rolled down his window, briefly stopped next to me, and gave me this weird hand motion, then sped down the road past me. I pulled into the pizza shop to pickup my lunch, and when i came back out, he was in front of me with his lights on.

I got written for tints and radar detector (obstruction of view), which I can understand. Now, the third ticket was "Failure to yield to emergency vehicles" (citation 39:4-92). Am I really in the wrong for this? Perfectly okay if I am, just trying to get some outside perspective.

He also tried giving me citations for my rear window louvers, and my exhaust being too loud, but gave me verbal warnings.

I'd fight the ticket regardless the only time you shouldn't fight a ticket is when you know your 100% screwed. You know your gonna get the radar detector and maybe the tinting but the failure to yield is easy to get out off he has to provide dash cam for that and even if he does bring the footage you'll likely get out of that citation given the area you were in.

[Quicksilver 1LE]

Originally Posted by spadz93

View ticket was from detector. I'm going to go to court for these, or try to at least. See what I can have thrown out/reduced if anything. Maybe he won't show and I'll get lucky

While sitting in the driver seat with your radar detector in its normal place take a pan pic, print it out and bring it to court. If it don't obstruct your view of course. You will have to set a trial date to fight the citations.

[spadz93]

Originally Posted by Evil-Bee-NH

I'd fight the ticket regardless the only time you shouldn't fight a ticket is when you know your 100% screwed. You know your gonna get the radar detector and maybe the tinting but the failure to yield is easy to get out off he has to provide dash cam for that and even if he does bring the footage you'll likely get out of that citation given the area you were in.

Originally Posted by Quicksilver 1LE

While sitting in the driver seat with your radar detector in its normal place take a pan pic, print it out and bring it to court. If it don't obstruct your view of course. You will have to set a trial date to fight the citations.

Thanks guys, yeah I have a court date set already. Just found out my uncle may know an officer on the town's force, so I'm going to see if I can use that to my advantage. As for the detector, it's really directly to the left of the rearview, like it almost touches the rearview mirror and it pokes out just below that black rim on the windshield. I tried tucking it up as far as possible for this reason exactly.

[punkindave]

In NJ "obstruction of view" is normally what they'll write as a warning ticket for another offense if they're feeling generous. Sounds like a cop with a 30# badge to me, especially since he came back to look for you, most wouldn't bother.

[Drumminxx]

Damn I have a radar detector and a dash cam and can see just fine...

[jd10013]

though it sounds like that cop was being a total tool, sounds like, legally at least, he's in the right. as others have said, when they flash the lights your supposed to get over. in some states, even if they are on the side of the road, like when they pull someone over, your supposed to get in the next lane. same with the obstructing view ticket. in most states, it's illegal to have anything on your windshied but a mirror and any required stickers like inspections and so forth. by law, even an air freshener hanging from the rear view is illegal.

as for what to do, if they aren't moving violations that result in points, I'd just pay them. if they're moving violations I'd show up for court as this is all pretty much BS, and as long as the judge isn't a dick, should throw them out or reduce them to something that doesn't carry points.

[jimlem]

Originally Posted by jcampos

I know it sounds ridiculous but i had an offer from a different CJ agency that to me sounded like better opportunity for advancement. Plus, SAPD gives like an extra $350/month with someone with a degree. I spent years of money and studying for what? To be a cop? Hell you can become a police officer with no degree and that was my reason for backing out plus, the added negativity lots of PD's are getting right now are BS! Plain and simple i realized i didnt want to be part of that world so I left before training. Its a tough agency to get into nonetheless but cops get alot of criticism. It seems that most people in this generation are out to get cops for petty mistakes and i didnt want to be part of that, can you blame me? I have alot of LEO friends and they love it but that doesn't mean that I would have. Im content with what I do now. Same job security, great benefits, basically the same pay without all the stress AND i get to use my knowledge from college, unlike LEO's.

It's not my place to 2nd guess you and no, I don't blame you. If you found a different path that still allows you to help people, then I wish you the best. I started in the '80s and people back then actually supported their cops. Now, it's a friggin' witch hunt. You lose your job or worse over the tiniest slip of the tongue. the whole world is just waiting to play Mon morning QB with something you had 1/2 second to decide if you should lay hands on a person.

I hope you find a way to make a change, ANY change for the better, from the inside. It's a good feeling. I found warning people on petty BS traffic violations was 100X more effective than writing 20 chickenshit tickets. I took a lot of borderline tipsy drivers to the 24Hr Dennys for coffee. I'd have them lock the keys inside the car beside the road and tell them if they could get a friend or wife to come get them that would fine but if I found them driving again before 0500, then they were going to jail for sure. [/end soapbox]

Anyway it's not about me and I'm not trying to boast but those are just a couple ways I found to do better from the inside.

Whatever your new CJ job is, you're likely going to have to work with the police at sometime. So maybe let up on the HATING COPS part. It's unprofessional and beneath you if you are going to be a professional you cannot go on ranting that stuff at work. If people could just understand cops are just people. They're all different but they are not there to screw with you on purpose. They have bad days like you. They get yelled at for being late to work like anyone else. They make mistakes, they get embarrassed like anyone else. They feel a bit weird, shy and dorky standing in the middle of a busy intersection trying to direct traffic (like herding cats). In other words they're just like you and 90% of the others on this board. They're just people. Don't embarrass them by speeding past them on their beat and they won't feel like they need to chase you.

Sorry this got long. I didn't mean to get preachy. I just hope things go well for you and you can accomplish those goals you set for yourself. Best of luck and always watch their hands.

[spadz93]

Originally Posted by bmnbhj

obstruction of view from your radar detector?? Did you ask him what the hand gesture was all about and why he didn't just get behind you and light you up? Nice looking ride by the way!

Originally Posted by bvnchj

It sounds like he was looking for a reason to give you a ticket and hit you with every infraction he could think of.

thanks... complete sidenote, anyone else notice a lot of similarities between these two profiles?

[b4cz28]

Sorry to hear that....I used to be a cop years ago and the cops now days a total tools. An old friend of mine blames it on all the guys coming back from Iraq and afghan and getting on the force. Got pulled over the other day for taking a picture of an off duty Leo's license plate...long story.

[BMR Sales]

Originally Posted by jcampos

Coming from the criminal law field all i can say is i hate cops. That is just it.

Originally Posted by jcampos

I have alot of LEO friends and they love it but that doesn't mean that I would have.

This doesn't make Any sense to me at all!

[Jay_LHD3]

This is what I've learned from this thread.

If you're pulling into a parking lot and a cop gives you a strange hand gesture, don't park. Exit parking lot and get lunch on the other side of town!

[b4cz28]

Originally Posted by Jay_LHD3

This is what I've learned from this thread.

If you're pulling into a parking lot and a cop gives you a strange hand gesture, don't park. Exit parking lot and get lunch on the other side of town!

Damn skippy lol. I doubt op was out trying to be an ass. People seem to be digging for any little thing to tear him down seems op only mistake is not hualing ass.

[spadz93]

Originally Posted by Jay_LHD3

This is what I've learned from this thread.

If you're pulling into a parking lot and a cop gives you a strange hand gesture, don't park. Exit parking lot and get lunch on the other side of town!

for real... lol, should have just bolted!