Ask A Police Officer

[Mach1 EH]

Originally Posted by Mustanger2

Don't worry about it! There are literally thousands of "illegal" setups running around in Calif. just don't drive to attact any attention & cool it for sure when the officers are in sight. Some areas are cracking down hard on street racers & modified cars, like Sacramento. As far as the Canadian plates... LOL Calif is a melting pot tourist attraction, you will see plates from everywhere... no problem at all.

Thanks!!

I noticed when I drove to Vegas in 04, Canadian tags were FEW and far between on the interstates, ESPECIALLY from the east.

[IMachU]

Originally Posted by Mach1 EH

I apologize if this has been posted already.

I believe I have read that aftermarket exhaust may not be legal in Calif.
IF (for some fortunate reason) I am required to get to Calif, I would LOVE to drive there in my vert.
My vert has Borla exhaust, would I be pulled over and ticketed.
Would my Canadian tags be a target??

(can I get a Get Out Of Jail Free card? - probably been asked before, eh?)

First, if you just have a cat-back, you are not automatically illegal. If you have an off-road H or X pipe, then it's time to worry, unlike what Mustanger2 says. Also, if you have headers, they must also be 50 state rated. We have to go through smog inspections every 2 years here. Additionally, police can inspect your car for illegal modifications.

Once someone moves to Calif, you have 10 days to register your car and get a Calif driver license. Otherwise, that's another trip to court for ya. Just a friendly heads up Eh....

[Mach1 EH]

Originally Posted by IMachU

First, if you just have a cat-back, you are not automatically illegal. If you have an off-road H or X pipe, then it's time to worry, unlike what Mustanger2 says. Also, if you have headers, they must also be 50 state rated. We have to go through smog inspections every 2 years here. Additionally, police can inspect your car for illegal modifications.

Once someone moves to Calif, you have 10 days to register your car and get a Calif driver license. Otherwise, that's another trip to court for ya. Just a friendly heads up Eh....

Thanks for the reply, but that is putting the cart WAY infront of the Mustang. (could have said horse but ...)
I strongly doubt I'll be moving to Calif any time soon, but I have ALWAYS wanted to see and visit.

To get a Calif driver license, test; road & written? or just @ par because of the one I have now?
What does it cost to register an out of state car in Calif?

[IMachU]

I may have misunderstood. It sounded like you may move here. If you are just visiting for a month or so, there is no need to register your car or get a license, etc.

As for the costs, I have NO idea....sorry! If/when you get to So Cal, let us know!!

[Mach&Roll]

Sounds like cali is pretty hard core. I guess they have to be huh?

[Mach1 EH]

Originally Posted by IMachU

If/when you get to So Cal, let us know!!

DEAL.
The workshop I am in may be taking a trip in February to LA.
If I can afford it and convince the wife to go, I'll let you know.

Thx. :THUMBSUP:

[Fubars Mach 1]

Hey, i got a ticket about a month ago for "Improper Start" and when i got pulled, the cop came up to my car, stroked it as he walked up, and asked me why i burned out. and i replied" ummmm, i burned out??? im sorry, i didn tknwo i could burn out with $250 dollar tires going 10mph behind a green talon that wasnt even hitting 15mph" and the cop told me not to get smart with him, cause "im lucky he gave me a no point violation", CAN COPS GIVE YOU FALSE TICKETS????

also, to prove my point, he gave my friend a ticket for runnign a stop sign, and i was in the car, and we oucldnt even see the cop form where he was when he pulled us, and he definitly couldnt see us through 2 cars and 2 10ft beasty bushes. and michael, the driver, did a double stop, for safety, then the cop pulle dhim over... the same one... and micheals drives an 89 mustang.

and he also ave a guy a ticket for goign 28 in a 25... (sorta understandable... sorta...... maybe..... well, not really understandable.....)

this really isnt a lie, and i didnt burnout, so my real question is, IS THERE ANY WAY TO GET RID OF COPS THAT GIVE FALSE TICKETS???? or atleast put them in for inspection or something, cause this cop really needs to go back to school. this post is no offense to any police officer out there, i go out and eat with a group of cops every sat at wendys and arbys and stuff, cops are pretty cool guys.

[IMachU]

This is not the forum for questions worded like that.

If you feel you got a citation that is not fair, it is your right to fight it in court.

Good luck.

[Mach&Roll]

If you are speeding you are speeding even if it is one mile per hour. I know I wouldn't give a ticket for that, but you know you could. Most cities have a 5 to 10 mph rule above the speed limit.

Oh and try taking it to court and see what happens.

[IMachU]

OK now that I'm awake I can answer your posr a little more in-depth:

In calif, if you squeal your tires from a stop, you can be cited for exhibition of speed. That is a misdemeanor, not a "no-points" cite like you got. It is quite the hefty fine! Again, if you didn't do it, you have the right to take it to court.

Yoou gotta remember, this is all from your own perspective. Even though you may not have seen him at the stop sign, he very well may have seen you. We have some pretty sneaky hiding spots!

If you feel the officer is not acting in a professional manner, you also have the right to complain about him/her. By law it must be fully investigated, and a letter provided to you on the outcome (at least here in Calif).

Again, good luck with your situation!

[MvCrash]

The officers demeanor and the facts of the case have nothing to do with each other.
(Sarcasm to follow) Next time you get "pulled" just ask him why he is not out catching the real bad guys and eating donuts. That should go over well and get you some brownie points with the local POPO in your hood.

[FstMach04]

Hello my fellow law enforcement officers! I just had a quick question. Last Friday night I was driving home and I was coming through the busy part of the city, somewhere around 11:00p.m. I was approximately 1,000 feet from a redlight at a major intersection in our city when I see a police car coming opposite direction of me turn left in front of me into an entrance into Lowe's and continues to complete a u-turn. He immediately pulls up behind me into the turning lane I was in. There is actually a good bit of traffic out, so when the light turns green and we make the turn, a car ends up getting between us. He makes every effort to get back behind me as quickly as possible. He continues to ride my bumper (literally a foot from my bumper) for the next approximately 2 miles, until he finally backs off and does a u-turn again and heads back the opposite direction. Any idea what this guy was doing? I was not speeding, actually I was nowhere near the speed limit, probably running about 30 in a 45 because I was approaching the redlight when I saw the police officer. I wasn't doing anything illegal, however I do have a tinted tag cover, which I am surprised he did not pull me over for. Other than that, nothing wrong with my driving. Did he possibly think I was someone else and maybe was running my tag number??? Just curious. Thanks!

[birdman941]

Originally Posted by IMachU

OK now that I'm awake I can answer your posr a little more in-depth:

In calif, if you squeal your tires from a stop, you can be cited for exhibition of speed. That is a misdemeanor, not a "no-points" cite like you got. It is quite the hefty fine! Again, if you didn't do it, you have the right to take it to court.

Yoou gotta remember, this is all from your own perspective. Even though you may not have seen him at the stop sign, he very well may have seen you. We have some pretty sneaky hiding spots!

If you feel the officer is not acting in a professional manner, you also have the right to complain about him/her. By law it must be fully investigated, and a letter provided to you on the outcome (at least here in Calif).

Again, good luck with your situation!

I got a ticket like that when I was young.
Problem was, one of the neighbors was watering his lawn,
and the street corner was wet.
I squealed for a split second and backed off, then went on my way.
Cop pulled me over and gave me a ticket.
I went to court and told the judge what happened,
and brought pics of my car
( A 1978 Mustang II with a fully chromed Cleveland 4V in it).
I also mentioned to the judge that if I wanted to squeal the tires
that the car was fully capable, but I don't drive that way.
I even brought the driver's ed manual and showed the judge
what was termed a "power skid".
Judge asked the cop if that's what happened,
and if the corner was indeed wet.
Cop said it was and the ticket was thrown out.
True!

[Low Drag]

Originally Posted by FstMach04

Hello my fellow law enforcement officers! I just had a quick question. Last Friday night I was driving home and I was coming through the busy part of the city, somewhere around 11:00p.m. I was approximately 1,000 feet from a redlight at a major intersection in our city when I see a police car coming opposite direction of me turn left in front of me into an entrance into Lowe's and continues to complete a u-turn. He immediately pulls up behind me into the turning lane I was in. There is actually a good bit of traffic out, so when the light turns green and we make the turn, a car ends up getting between us. He makes every effort to get back behind me as quickly as possible. He continues to ride my bumper (literally a foot from my bumper) for the next approximately 2 miles, until he finally backs off and does a u-turn again and heads back the opposite direction. Any idea what this guy was doing? I was not speeding, actually I was nowhere near the speed limit, probably running about 30 in a 45 because I was approaching the redlight when I saw the police officer. I wasn't doing anything illegal, however I do have a tinted tag cover, which I am surprised he did not pull me over for. Other than that, nothing wrong with my driving. Did he possibly think I was someone else and maybe was running my tag number??? Just curious. Thanks!

It's hard to say without being there, but it could have been just about anything. It's possible that something could have happened in the area involving a vehicle of a similar description to yours. He might have been waiting for more information on the radio and when he got the information it ruled you out. Maybe he saw something he wanted to get a closer look at like your tinted plate covers and he was planning on stopping you but got a call for service and changed his mind. There are plenty of scenarios that could explain it.

[FstMach04]

Yeah, I figured it could be a number of things, but I wasn't really worried because I knew I hadn't done anything wrong. We do have a bad problem with street racing in our city, so maybe that had something to with it. Oh well, I kind of like it, makes me feel like the law is doing their job. As long as they aren't harrassing me, I'm cool with whatever they do. A few buddies of mine and I saw some other guys at a common "hangout" where people go and talk about cars (It's in a parking lot in front of a shopping center) and stopped to chat with them and we were there only about 5 minutes when a county unit rolls through the parking lot. He pulls in front of us, rolls down the window, and out of all the cars there, starts asking about my car! He says things like nice looking car, I've never seen a mustang like that before, things like that. I thought that was cool.

[gvervoren]

Here is a question that was brought up at work today. A co-worker of mine got busted for underage drinking at a party. He said the officer busted a couple of people outside and then went into the house without permission. He is wondering if the cop could go into the house like that or does he need someone to open the door for him or otherwise have a search warrant?

[gvervoren]

No answer yet?

[gvervoren]

Originally Posted by gvervoren

Here is a question that was brought up at work today. A co-worker of mine got busted for underage drinking at a party. He said the officer busted a couple of people outside and then went into the house without permission. He is wondering if the cop could go into the house like that or does he need someone to open the door for him or otherwise have a search warrant?

I guess noone wants to answer my question!

[8616v]

Your going to be told that at that point he had PC to go into the house and investigate the crime...

[01TruBluGT]

Originally Posted by 8616v

Your going to be told that at that point he had PC to go into the house and investigate the crime...

Not neccesarily, there are certian requirements that have to be met for police to enter a residence without a warrant or consent.

Now if a door to the house was open and there were minors drinking in plain view thats one thing but people drinking in the front yard does not constitute PC to enter a residence. Then again a good lawyer would contest the ability of the officer to accurately guess the age of someone as seen from a distance.

PC for entering a residence is ALOT different than PC needed for a stop and frisk, or MV search as once out of the house there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.

If you look at it another way, lets say a few crack heads just so happened to be walking across my front lawn,(and manage survive long enough for the Police to show up haha) police stopped them and found controlled substances on them. Does that give the officer the right to search my house just because they were on my front lawn, no it dosen't.

However they are entitled to make a sweep incident to an arrest so that could be what they claim seeing as the kids they arrested were probably just hanging out on the front parch getting wasted.

Either way your buddy is fugged on this one.

[Low Drag]

Well, there's really not such a thing as using probable cause to enter a residence unless you're just using the term PC to imply they had a valid reason to enter. Pretty much the only way to legally enter a residence without a warrant is by having some sort of exigent circumstance that is immediate in nature. Examples are are criminal fleeing into a residence while an officer is giving pursuit, an officer witnesses a crime taking place that requires intervention. Or a valid attempt to perform a public caretaking function of law enforcement such as kicking in a door to get to someone who is having a medical emergency etc.

Just because they found some kids drinking in the front yard or on the porch wouldn't give them the right to enter under and make a sweep under the wingspan rule. That would pretty much only apply if they were already in the residence and arrested someone. Then they would be allowed to make a cursory search of areas that the arrestee had immediate access to in order to secure evidence or ensure the environment was safe for them.

My guess would be, and it can only be a guess without being there and knowing exactly what happened for sure, would be that one of the people caught in front of the house helped them out. I'm willing to bet that in the course of speaking with those that got caught they were able to get enough information out of one or more of them to validate their entry into the residence.

[fjt226]

Originally Posted by gvervoren

Here is a question that was brought up at work today. A co-worker of mine got busted for underage drinking at a party. He said the officer busted a couple of people outside and then went into the house without permission. He is wondering if the cop could go into the house like that or does he need someone to open the door for him or otherwise have a search warrant?

As a fellow law enforcement officer I read both the question and the answers provided by my badge carrying buddies with interest. My buddies did a great job of answering your question. The only thing I would like to add, when it comes to search and seizure questions is for you to realize that officers, in most departments, receive yearly training and re-training on the legal issue of search and seizure. Scholars have written tons of books on the subject. The US Supreme Court regularly rules on these questions. But no matter how good the cop is, no matter how much he knows, and no matter how hard the cop tries to do the right thing, the end result of whether he was right or wrong is decided by the court, not the cop. We can be right today and wrong tomorrow for the exact same decision for the exact same circumstance. So next time you see something like you saw, or heard about, please remember that the vast majority of us are just trying to do the job the best we can. My hat is off to my fellow officers.

[gvervoren]

Thanks for the responses. I told my co-worker what you said and he told me a little more of the story. He said that him and his underage buddies were drinking in the house. Apparently someone called the police because there was a party going on. My co-worker said he and one other guy walked outside to lock up his car and that is when the police officer walked up to them. He asked if they had been drinking and they said yes. He then told my co-worker to go back to the front door and knock. When his buddy opened the door, that is when the officer entered the home and ticketed the other minors. He feels that he was used as a guinnie pig in order for the police to get inside to ticket the rest of them. Wether they can do that or not, I don't know. Me being a non-drinker, I think it was good thing for the officer to do but he dissagrees. I know the officers do the best they can and I applaud their efforts. What would the world be like without them.

[Machy uno]

I had a question for the officers of the board that is similar to the one above. I live in Lubbock, a college town known for huge parties. I live in a fairly nice neighborhood where I own, not rent my house. I am in college, but do not throw parties very often, so my house is not labeled as one of the "party" houses by the cops. Last fri night I had my annual halloween party. (5 kegs, 400 jello shots, 50 gallons of punch) This is the ONLY party I through this size all year. The cops showed up around 230 to bust it up saying they got a call because of a fight. When I saw him pull up I walked out to meet him. He told me the party was done and he was going inside to shut it down. I politley replied I would shut the party down but I would appreciate it if he didnt go in my house. He then said he didnt think I understodd, he was going in my house and closing the party down. I agian politley said I would appreciate if he didnt come in my house. He grabbed me by the arm, dragged me to his car threw me against the car, frisked me(very physical in all this) and told me I was going to jail. After taking my id and seeing I am of age he told me I had a choice, to either go to jail or take a ticket and let him in my house. At this point I had done nothing other then refuse him entrance into my house, I didnt even fight him when he dragged me out to his car. At that point I said screw it and let him in to close the party. He never gave me a ticket, but he blackmailed me with the chioce of jail to get into my house. There never was a fight like he said, there wasnt anyone outside because the kegs were in the garage, and the music wasnt loud enough to hear in the street. So it all stemmed from the cars in front of my house. Anyone see any problems with this? Can he take me to jail simply because I wont let him in my house?

[Aerowrench]

No, get a Lawyer. He would have to have probable cause, in this case hearsay about an alledged fight. Sounds like he made up the fight as an excuse to enter private property. Bad Cop, No Doughnut!