Camaros attract the wrong attention sometimes

[pickwithaustin]

Every other car around here is a Camaro - there must have been a big fire sale. Yesterday, my wife and I traveled about 10 miles total (various shopping) and counted over 30 Camaro's in the traffic around us. At least where I am, I think cops see enough Camaro's that they don't stand out much. When I take one of the the Vette's out, I generally only encounter one or two others. Even still, it doesn't garner any additional police attention (even with the loud exhausts on mine). Generally, they're looking for people who're violating laws.

[guerrillakilla13]

Originally Posted by PalmerGA

Seriously? You feel victimized? First off... a technicality: there is no such thing as "a green stoplight". Secondly... you may have been speeding (55 in a 45 or 50 - you don't know) in which case, he cut you some slack and didn't stop you. Third point... cops can't make "an illegal right turn" when they are in the process of running down a potential violator.

Lastly... I suspect you were speeding, probably 10 over the limit, and he just tailed you for a while to see if you were driving okay (not swerving, etc.). It took him a couple of miles to run your plate. After all, it was 1AM and virtually no one else out at that time. You could have been drunk. It's what they do. It's their job. He wasn't picking on you because you drive a Camaro.

Originally Posted by jimlem

When you work graveyards it gets slow after midnight and you have to make your own fun. For all you guys who get stopped (especially late nights) for a few miles over the speed limit or a burned out bulb, or a lane change w/o signaling, It's not the Camaro it's the game. You're being fished. No cop wants to spend a night shift writing petty tickets, they want to take a bad guy to jail. It's called fishing. You jet all over your area, sometimes w/o lights just looking for a moving car. You see one and look for any legal reason to stop it. Then you contact the driver hoping you'll see or smell something illegal so you have PC to search the car and hope to find some dope or an illegal weapon etc. If nothing else you run the driver's DL and hope for a big warrant. Anything to get away from the monotony of driving in circles all night. If you cannot find anything, you throw the fish back with a warning and jet out of there to get the next car before you're area partner does.

I do want to throw in a disclaimer here, I'm not at all expressing concern that I was being victimized. If I had gotten pulled over and got a ticket for going a little over (is that REALLY a crime?) then It may be a different story. But I know what's up, I was with my local PD for 2 years as a volunteer. If you think I dislike police officers you're wrong.

Thank you for your explanations though. I figured his reason for tailing me was to see if I was drunk driving. But never would I ever in this thing.

What kinda bugged me about it was how he tailed me. Yes he took that right turn, used his radar on me (when the detector went off I kinda jumped. boohoo i know), and aggressively sped up to get next to me anyway. He was looking for every little reason to pull me over. Then when he didn't after a tailing of like 2 miles, he sped up hard to pass me as to prove a point like "I know you did something wrong", then pulled a hard U turn. Granted he may have gotten a call but I doubt that was the case.

Yes if he really wanted to he coulda got me going 5 over. I'm not that kinda guy who just goes out there and says "Oh hey all cops are against us not for us!" I'm always the first to defend their actions and usually get crap for it.

To everyone else cut me a break from the "you're an idiot" talk. I just thought this was a story to share.

The other cop I passed a tiny bit earlier left me alone. When it's 1am and you're tired from running around at work all day, well.. you know how it is.

And yes, it was a green stoplight. You know what I mean!

[WoodBoss]

Drive like you are taking your road test, no speeding, use your signal lights and you won't have a problem driving late at night. The Cops can drive how they need to as long as they don't endanger someone.

[Evil-Bee-NH]

LEO's can't lovem can't hatem atleast not all of them. I'm a fond believer in treat them with the respect they treat you that being said local PD in my area never uses any respect towards me or anyone else but the NH State Police are all generally nice people unless your from MA then they will screw with you. I don't get it don't you have tree's to watch in MA why must you come to NH to watch the leaves change color.

[guerrillakilla13]

haha I do like my local department, they've taught me a lot, there is a bunch of great guys in it and our city is ranked very highly in public safety.

Evil-Bee-NH trust me, I know. Snowbirds are the absolute worst here!

WoodBoss I too would like to think I was driving without endangering anyone. No one was around (well, the cops were) and i was doing max 10 over. I get the DUI part but speeding? tsk tsk tsk my car was made to speed officer!!

[angryv6]

A couple of years ago when I had a LT, I had a cop pull me over around two in the morning just a thousand feet from my house. He came out of nowhere because there wasn't a single car on road I turned off of. So I assume he was following with no lights on. He asked where was I going in such a hurry and replied that he ran my plate and he already knew where I was headed. I gave him my credentials minus ins card. He asked why I had no ins and I gave him my phone with the card on it and he went back to his car. After a few minutes he comes back, gives me my property and tells me to slow down. I had both of my sons in the car sleep the whole time. My guess is he wanted to know who was driving.

[CCMADONNA]

Last year I was coming home after 1 AM from a school fundraiser I had organized. No body was on the street and I was going @30 mph. I passed a police officer at a light and he immediately made a turn in my direction. I was not concerned because I drive carefully all the time. I became concerned when he followed me turn for turn unto my street. I pulled in my driveway and when i got out of the car, the officer called out the open window of the patrol car, "I'll wait till you're inside, Carmen. Great fundraiser by the way!"

I love my small town in the suburbs of L.A.

[Jolp]

Personally I feel like as a 22 year old I get less attention because I drive a nice car, maybe that's just me, but I've went past cops between 5-10 over before and they don't even look but then follow someone else

[Criticalmass]

Cops get bored at night, by 3am they are usually sitting behind some mini-mall chit-chatting and filling out reports unless a call comes in.

The sad part is that most thefts happen between Midnight and Five AM. 3-5am is magic time for thieves during the summer months and that's when most of them are parked somewhere, usually with another cop, just kicking back chit-chatting.

IT sounds like this cop was just looking for something to do. When you're working 7-7, between midnight and whenever the bars closed, they are looking for drunk drivers mostly. After the bars have been closed for an hour, they need to do something to stay alert.

[Battlezone580]

I had my 2012 SS for 3 years and never was pulled over or got a ticket, and I speed quite often and my windows are tinted. I've had cops next to me and they didn't say anything about the Tint.

Just sounds like bad luck.

[RockerBox]

I see this thread going in a bad way.

[sspolo]

Another "guy going over the speed limit being followed by a cop" thread. If he would have stopped you it would have turned into a "I was barely over the speed limit and got a ticket!!1!" thread.

[snarky]

Originally Posted by pickwithaustin

Every other car around here is a Camaro - there must have been a big fire sale.

lol a fire sale

i've been followed by cops who "suddenly" appeared and trailed me for 1 - 2 miles on four different occasions. HOWEVER - when in my DD (which I drive the exact same number of miles) I have NEVER been followed.

make of it what you will. ha ha....

[guerrillakilla13]

I honestly thought that this would just be an interesting story to tell.

I've had my Camaro for a year and a half, Trans Am for 4, first time this has ever happened. Like I said, the cop I passed before him didn't turn around to follow me and I was doing the same rate of speed. It's just one instance of this happening to me. Kinda why I felt like he was trying to get me on something, because most police officers around here don't do that.

Worst I said was "dude really" you guys really can't be calling me out for saying that.