Ask A Police Officer

[mewok85]

ok, here is my question

My vehicle is licensed and registered in South Carolina where tinted license plate covers (among other things) are perfectly legal. However I live and drive in Washington state where they are not legal. Can I get pulled over and cited in Washington for these offenses?

[MvCrash]

Originally Posted by mewok85

ok, here is my question

My vehicle is licensed and registered in South Carolina where tinted license plate covers (among other things) are perfectly legal. However I live and drive in Washington state where they are not legal. Can I get pulled over and cited in Washington for these offenses?

Nope, as long as you comply with your home state regulations your OK. The interstate compact on touring privileges permits you to drive in a foreign state.

[streakn]

Unless you established residency in that state.

[IMachU]

In Calif perspective.......Say you have a car registered in Nevada, where tinted windows are legal. But, you are attending UCLA, and are living in So Cal for school. If you have been in CA over 14 days, you have established residency in the state, so you must obide by CA equipment laws.

Sounds like you have established residency in Wa., so I'd ditch the plate cover to be on the safe side.

[kopacko]

I'd agree, plate covers make it harder for us to read your tag, so I take a more in detail look at cars with plate covers.

[sshakrr]

Ive got a question, hope its not a repeat. What jurisdiction does a neighboring town or village have when they are out of their borders?? Also do town or village police have any right taking radar on an interstate road. Just curious cause i see it all around where i live Thanks

[streakn]

In Ca. I am employed by my city, but I am a Ca. Peace Officer. Technically I could go to northern Ca. and give someone a ticket. If the radar/lidar is vehicle mounted, it automtically calibrates and adjusts for moving speed. It is perfectly legal in Ca. Not sure on Wisconsin laws though. Hope it helps.

[MvCrash]

In NJ, all police have the same authority anyplace in the state.

[torchredmach]

Just curious, if you are driving yourself (or I guess it could be someone else) to the emergency room (for a serious situation) could you get away with speeding? I know "there's 911, use it" but what if you dont want to or cant wait for 5 minutes for the ambulance crew to arrive at the station, and another 10 minutes for them to get to the scene?

What would happen if you failed to stop for a cop trying to pull you over until you got to the hospital, or if you called 911 and said "hey I'm on my way travelling at mach 1, dont pull me over"

[Mustanger2]

I ran a stop sign in front of a city cop taking my wife to the hospital in my 69 Mach 1 when she was delivering our second child... I mean the baby was COMING as we were driving... the officer flipped the red lights on me... I pulled over & shouted she is having a baby RIGHT NOW! LOL... he replied. "Follow me!".... I had a red light & siren escort the rest of the way and a quick "Good luck" farewell.... no ticket but I think it was all at the discretion of the officer. Plus I am sure he wanted no part of a roadside delivery!

[streakn]

The situation Mustanger2 described could happen or the cop may initiate the delivery...or he will call for medics.

[torchredmach]

Well I really wasn't reffering to someone that's having a baby lol

[kevsrcode]

In texas, it is a defense to prosecution for speeding that you are en route to "an emergency". Again it is up to the officer. Depending on how close we are to the hospital and the emergency room, I may call the medics, or just may tell you to slow down. I would not give an escort as this opens me up to liability if you hit someone or someone hits you. I would caution you, however, to stop and explain the situation to the officer, otherwise, you may have a large contingent following you until they figure our what's going on.

[streakn]

Originally Posted by kevsrcode

stop and explain the situation to the officer, otherwise, you may have a large contingent following you until they figure our what's going on.

Exactly

[torchredmach]

What if you called 911 and explained to them why you were speeding, so the dispatcher could relay it to the officer? Because obviously if you dont have time to wait for an ambulance, you don't have time to pull over and talk about things...

[IMachU]

Originally Posted by torchredmach

What if you called 911 and explained to them why you were speeding, so the dispatcher could relay it to the officer? Because obviously if you dont have time to wait for an ambulance, you don't have time to pull over and talk about things...

Arright, OJ ....that will jet get you proned out on the ground at gunpoint when you reach your destination. Not a good idea. It will take 30 seconds to stop and explain yourself, and you will not get to see what the muzzle end of a .45 will look like.

[torchredmach]

Originally Posted by IMachU

Arright, OJ ....that will jet get you proned out on the ground at gunpoint when you reach your destination. Not a good idea. It will take 30 seconds to stop and explain yourself, and you will not get to see what the muzzle end of a .45 will look like.

Actually I'm JW! And you would hold a 17 yr old at gunpoint for driving to the hospital? So calling the dispatcher before you even are seen by a police officer, they still wouldnt allow you to speed in a non-wreckless sort of way?

EDIT: Oh, and if I stopped and told them why I was going to the hospital in such a rush, they would probably laugh and put handcuffs on me.

[IMachU]

Originally Posted by torchredmach

Actually I'm JW! And you would hold a 17 yr old at gunpoint for driving to the hospital? So calling the dispatcher before you even are seen by a police officer, they still wouldnt allow you to speed in a non-wreckless sort of way?

EDIT: Oh, and if I stopped and told them why I was going to the hospital in such a rush, they would probably laugh and put handcuffs on me.

Dude....maybe because you are 17, you didn't see the levity in my post. So, I'll break it down for ya....

First, calling the dispatcher before you go speeding to the hospital is pointless. How do we know you have an actual emergency? We don't.

If you are speeding and fail to stop, that (in California) is 22806 (a) CVC, Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehilce, among other violations. Depending on your actions during the pursuit, you could violate the felony "failure to yield" law. Either way, when you finally stopped, you would be the subject of a "High Risk" vehicle stop. Which means about 10 guns pointed at you, and you would be taken into custody. Then and only then would you be allowed to explain why you failed to stop for the red lights and sirens.

If you stop when the officer wants you to, you avoid all the above and you get a chance to explain from the comfort of your car, not on your face in the street.

You have a bit of maturing to do yet, as evidenced by your "edit" statement. That was uncalled for, especially since you came here looking for advice. However, to rebut that statement, no you would not be taken into custody if you are stopped for speeding and explain why. THAT is the whole point I have been trying to make.

Moral of the story: See red lights (blue in some states), STOP YOUR CAR as soon as is safe to do so, on the right side of the roadway and out of traffic.

[MvCrash]

Originally Posted by IMachU

Dude....maybe because you are 17, you didn't see the levity in my post. So, I'll break it down for ya....

First, calling the dispatcher before you go speeding to the hospital is pointless. How do we know you have an actual emergency? We don't.

If you are speeding and fail to stop, that (in California) is 22806 (a) CVC, Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehilce, among other violations. Depending on your actions during the pursuit, you could violate the felony "failure to yield" law. Either way, when you finally stopped, you would be the subject of a "High Risk" vehicle stop. Which means about 10 guns pointed at you, and you would be taken into custody. Then and only then would you be allowed to explain why you failed to stop for the red lights and sirens.

If you stop when the officer wants you to, you avoid all the above and you get a chance to explain from the comfort of your car, not on your face in the street.

You have a bit of maturing to do yet, as evidenced by your "edit" statement. That was uncalled for, especially since you came here looking for advice. However, to rebut that statement, no you would not be taken into custody if you are stopped for speeding and explain why. THAT is the whole point I have been trying to make.

Moral of the story: See red lights (blue in some states), STOP YOUR CAR as soon as is safe to do so, on the right side of the roadway and out of traffic.

Another word of advice. Do not stop, jump out of your car and run towards the police car. This too can get a large caliber weapon pointed in your direction.
Pull over, talk to the cop, and see where it goes. Continuing on your way is reckless and dangerous in any form.

In my case, I would tell you to put your pregnant wife in the police car, advise you to drive carefully, and take her to the hospital as SAFELY and quickly as I could. The emphasis on SAFELY.

[MvCrash]

Originally Posted by IMachU

Moral of the story: See red lights (blue in some states), STOP YOUR CAR as soon as is safe to do so, on the right side of the roadway and out of traffic.

Are there still police with blue? I have not seen any in a while. Just wondering.

[kevsrcode]

Most of the cities and counties here are red and blue. The state police here are all blue, as are the state police in LA, MS, and AL.

[torchredmach]

Originally Posted by IMachU

Dude....maybe because you are 17, you didn't see the levity in my post. So, I'll break it down for ya....

First, calling the dispatcher before you go speeding to the hospital is pointless. How do we know you have an actual emergency? We don't.

If you are speeding and fail to stop, that (in California) is 22806 (a) CVC, Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehilce, among other violations. Depending on your actions during the pursuit, you could violate the felony "failure to yield" law. Either way, when you finally stopped, you would be the subject of a "High Risk" vehicle stop. Which means about 10 guns pointed at you, and you would be taken into custody. Then and only then would you be allowed to explain why you failed to stop for the red lights and sirens.

If you stop when the officer wants you to, you avoid all the above and you get a chance to explain from the comfort of your car, not on your face in the street.

You have a bit of maturing to do yet, as evidenced by your "edit" statement. That was uncalled for, especially since you came here looking for advice. However, to rebut that statement, no you would not be taken into custody if you are stopped for speeding and explain why. THAT is the whole point I have been trying to make.

Moral of the story: See red lights (blue in some states), STOP YOUR CAR as soon as is safe to do so, on the right side of the roadway and out of traffic.

Whoa... I'm not trying to start a fight here, and I didn't intend anything I said to be disrespectful (and I'm very mature for my age ) From my own experience with many people, when you tell them that you've had a heart attack (I did about 9 months ago at age 16) they laugh and say yea right (that's where the "edit statement" comes from). I wouldn't doubt if a police officer thought I was being a smart *** and would love to throw me in the backseat with handcuffs.

I just figured that there was some way to let the police know that you've got an emergency and that you would like an escort to the hospital. But I guess not.

You can't even imagine what it is like to be 16 having chest pains and thinking you're having a second heart attack. It's scary as hell and nobody should have to go through it. If I was having another one, I definately wouldn't be thinking clear enough to pull over anyway. Luckily though I should not have to worry about having another heart attack until I'm an old man.

And IMachU, I apologize for anything you took the wrong way, I didn't intend to make you think I'm just some arrogant immature teenager. I hope you don't look down on me because of my last post, because I do respect my elders and law enforcement.

[IMachU]

No offense taken. The fact that you are 17 years old creates the illusion that you are healthy as a horse, so I had no idea the issue you are dealing with....for that I apologize.

And don't you think that if you believe you are having another cardiac episode that you may NOT wanna drive? What if you lose consciousness while at speed? Then you will wreck the Mach, and the whole board will be mad at you! Just kidding....I want to see that you are alright, and if you wreck on the way to the hospital then that increases your chances of NOT making it out OK.

Remember....cops are your friend, and we have basic life-saving skills. We can help uintil the medics arrive, which is usually within 6 minutes. Then your ride to the ER will be event-free, and you'll arrive safely even if you do lose consciousness.

I hope things work out OK for ya....I'd like to see you some day at a car show in 30 years and tell me you bought your Mach in 2006!

[torchredmach]

Originally Posted by IMachU

The fact that you are 17 years old creates the illusion that you are healthy as a horse

Yea, I was quite the celebrity at the heart hospital, all of the nurses would walk by my room and ask "is that the sixteen year old?!?" then they would look at my charts and say "wow!"

Up until December of 05, I was perfectly healthy. Never broke a bone, a common cold or the flu is the most sick I'd ever been, and never to the hospital. Missed only a few days of school my whole life. Then one Friday I wasn't hungry at lunch, went home after school and went to work, then came home feeling like crap. The whole weekend I thought I had the flu, went in to the clinic on Monday and they said the same thing, "just come back if it gets worse." Well the next day my side hurt so bad I couldn't walk, and it was getting worse, so I went back and they said I needed to get my appendix out. Woke up from surgery and the doctor came in and said "son, you had a heart attack while you were on the table. Are you on meth by any chance?" "Um, No" "Are you sure?" "Yea I'm pretty sure I'm not on meth doc!" What a shock waking up from surgery and having the doc say that (plus it was scary because it was my first surgery ever). Happened to be December 13th, what a lucky day to have surgery on. I'm not overweight, cholestoral and blood pressure good, and run cross country and track. So I was like

Well I guess the same virus that infected my appendix also infected my stomach, intestines, lungs, heart, etc... and happened to attack my heart muscle during surgery. Now looking back, I realize that cramp/discomfort in my left shoulder before surgery wasnt just from being nervous, it was actually the start of a heart attack. Thank god I was unconcious the whole time after that. Couldn't do anything really for 3 months, then slowly start to excercise and just 2 weeks ago I got the ok to run all out for track or cross country. Heart is healed very close to 100% now and the doctor was very pleased with my quick recovery. Said he could hardly see anything that still wasnt healed, and that he's very conservative and I won't hurt my heart from pushing myself to the max. I had one of the best heart doctors caring for me, he was the one that blew the whistle on all of the bad pacemakers that the manufacturer wouldn't recall. Very good feeling.

The reason why I asked about speeding in the first place is because back in June, I had really bad chest pains and went to the ER scared as hell, turned out everything was fine with my heart, but due to the problems I've had before, I overreacted to probably just a sore muscle, and my blood pressure went through the roof because I thought I was going to die, making my whole chest hurt.

So now I'm glad to say I'm a healthy normal teenager now!

IMachU, I'd be glad to show my car in a car show next to yours :ORANGE:

[pwmach]

WOW! Glad to hear you're doing fine Torchredmach! Um, know this is going back a few, but in regards to blue lights Chicago also uses them. Hopefully by the end of September, and if this thread is still going, I can help answer questions. Just have to pass one more exam for CPD to be accepted into academy. IMachU this was a great idea for a thread!