Ask A Police Officer

[dstang]

Originally Posted by rhodeislandmach

another question : is it illeagel to run 10.5's with 315's ? ive heard that your tires can only stick out so far from your body

Originally Posted by AzureMach1auto

In Virginia they cant stick out more than 4 inches or from tire to tire exceed 7 feet wide.
I live in VA but im a cop in Wash. DC.

any idea if 315s are illegal in texas???

[IMachU]

Originally Posted by blk03shkr

So i got my second tint ticket and i also got a no-cats ticket this weekend. My question is if a cop runs my license plate can they see the previous tickets?

No, at least not in California. Once you are convicted, only a check of your driver license status/driver history can reveal the citation. Running a license plate does not reveal this info.

However, if you have a warrant for your arrest it can be attached to your license plate. When the plate is run, the warrant pops up on the screen. It's a great officer safety tool. But we on the Reg don't have to worry about that now....

[blk03shkr]

Thanks, im gonna just pay the tickets and was just wondering if every cop that gets behind me now will know that i got a ticket for no cats and pull me over to check, but it seems that alot of people say they cant see that ticket.

[AzureMach1auto]

Some police have a database that records warnings and tickets for that county only. My dept. in Stafford has that. As I was put in it for speeding one time. He told me if I was caught again it would be seen by the officer that I was given a warning earlier. You can only get a ticket once every 24 hours for an equipment violation in my county. So when you get to court for the later violation show the other ticket and receipt for paying it. I'm an officer in Wash. DC.

[mach one NY]

In NY the computer will only show convictions /or if you did not answer a ticket ...missed a court date or fail to enter a not guilty plea by mail.

[MvCrash]

NJ has a system called ATS. When a summons is issued it gets put into the system. You need to run a drivers license if written to a person or the plate if written to a car (parking tickets).

[leximach25]

okay so i'm having the worst luck ever, i'm nineteen and last friday night i was driving around in the mach with a buddy, i whipped a turn and smashed through some gears after stopping at the next stop sign i see the red and blue lights. i immediately pull over cop comes waves his flash light and notices a bottle of alcohol in the back. at the time being completely freaked out i was stammering and asking him to please let me go, he didnt want to hear me at all. i got a vc23224(a) an advisal vc22350 and a vc26708 the two were circled infractions and the advisal was not circled at all but after looking this up i found out that if guilty it is a misdemeanor. i attend the university of california riverside i'm pre-med and a criminal record could prevent me from being a doctor in the near future i cant have this, the weekend before was superbowl weekend and i did make a beer run with my dad he had forgotten one of the bottles in the car and i never noticed, it was in plain sight and still sealed on the back seat.
this is my first ticket for anything besides speeding will they sympathize?
do i have a case?
is it really a misdemeanor?
will i lose my license?

[streakn]

Originally Posted by leximach25

okay so i'm having the worst luck ever, i'm nineteen and last friday night i was driving around in the mach with a buddy, i whipped a turn and smashed through some gears after stopping at the next stop sign i see the red and blue lights. i immediately pull over cop comes waves his flash light and notices a bottle of alcohol in the back. at the time being completely freaked out i was stammering and asking him to please let me go, he didnt want to hear me at all. i got a vc23224(a) an advisal vc22350 and a vc26708 the two were circled infractions and the advisal was not circled at all but after looking this up i found out that if guilty it is a misdemeanor. i attend the university of california riverside i'm pre-med and a criminal record could prevent me from being a doctor in the near future i cant have this, the weekend before was superbowl weekend and i did make a beer run with my dad he had forgotten one of the bottles in the car and i never noticed, it was in plain sight and still sealed on the back seat.
this is my first ticket for anything besides speeding will they sympathize?
do i have a case?
is it really a misdemeanor?
will i lose my license?

If the ticket says warned for...then don't sweat it. He's just showing probable cause for the stop. As far as the alcohol in the car. Unless the passenger was 21 you are liable. Unsafe speed is a generous one if you ask me. He could have gotten you for exhibition of speed aka speed contest. Then you'd really be up the creek. I wasn't there, nor anyone else so I will never second guess another police officer. Sounds like you were drawing attention to yourself by driving like that.

As far as the whole doctor thing, that's going to be 7-8 years from now and will be off your DRIVING record. It's not a "criminal" type offense. Just a bone headed thing that a 19 year old kid did... just like we ALL did growing up. Good luck brother.

[leximach25]

i looked it up at dmv and if am convicted of driving knowingly carrying alcohol i will be guilty of a misdemeanor which will create a criminal record right?

[IMachU]

No, it's on your driving record. You were not booked into jail, and your fingerprints were not taken. Just a driving violation worth about 2 points. Take 'er easy in the Mach if you like your license, and good luck with pre-med!

[leximach25]

i'm scared to death right now i dont want a record i just liked to make absolute sure becuase i think would literally faint if the judge rules it a misdemeanor like dmv says it is

[streakn]

Don't worry yourself to death bro. You of all people have enough stuff to worry about dealing with the medical stuff.

[Just1More]

So I just got longtubes and an offroad H. My question is I drive through many different states and what is the likelihood that I would get a ticket for my exhaust?

Of course I know if I jump on it, then there is a lot greater chance, but whenever I drive out of state I keep the hot rodding to a minimum if any.

If for some reason I would get pulled over could I argue that I did not know that was a law in that particular state? I know it is a pretty weak arguement, but just wanted to see.

What are your thoughts?

-Steve

[IMachU]

Sorry to take so long getting back to you....what with all the moderating I do here and work and all.....

If your home state has no problem with your exhaust mods, then, as long as you have not established residency in the other states, and are simply driving to a meeting or passing thru, you are OK.

For example - in Arizona it's OK to have tinted windows on the front side windows, while in CA it's not legal. If my brother-in-law from Ariz came to visit me with his tinted windows, he would not be cited for it in CA because he's just "passing thru/visiting."

Hope this helps!

[Just1More]

IMachU,

That's great news. Thanks a lot.

-Steve

[StangIT]

I would really like to hear a Police Officer's take on this.

If someone is trying to run my car down with theirs, acting as though they're trying to make our cars collide and/or cause me to wreck... What are my immediate rights?

Am I allowed to defend myself, if carrying a weapon?

The person is obviously, blatenly without any regard... Trying to harm me and my passanger. WHAT CAN I DO!?

If you are are wondering where this is coming from, please review this post.
It will give you a full rundown of what happened to me. THANKS!

http://www.mach1registry.org/forums/...ad.php?t=61562

[IMachU]

No, you can't shoot, even if you are carrying legally. When you do shoot, if you miss, where is the bullet going? Pedestrians, storefronts, other vehicles.....get my point?

Get on your cell phone. Call 911 (if your area has such a thing, if not call your local police emergency line). Tell them what is happening, and what led up to it. If you ARE carring a gun, tell them. Tell them someone is trying to run you over/off the road.

The only time you can use deadly force is when your life or the life of another is in immediate jeapordy. Crashing cars is covered by insurance. Yes, I know we can get injured in a crash. Have you seen the pics of crashed Machs on the board? As bad as the pics are to look at, they show that you can take a HELLUVA hit in a Mach (or other car) and walk away with little more than scratches. That is NOT life-threatening. It is grounds for road rage, which is what your thread sounds like things started leading to.

In the future, go the other way. Make a U turn and go the other way. That shows you were trying to avoid a fight/crash, etc. It puts you in the clear legally and liability-wise. If the guy turns around after you, then it shows that HE is the aggressor and you can REASONABLY defend yourself. But call the police immediately.

Kind of a long response, but I hope you get the idea.

[dontmockthemach]

Originally Posted by StangIT

I would really like to hear a Police Officer's take on this.

If someone is trying to run my car down with theirs, acting as though they're trying to make our cars collide and/or cause me to wreck... What are my immediate rights?

Am I allowed to defend myself, if carrying a weapon?

The person is obviously, blatenly without any regard... Trying to harm me and my passanger. WHAT CAN I DO!?

If you are are wondering where this is coming from, please review this post.
It will give you a full rundown of what happened to me. THANKS!

http://www.mach1registry.org/forums/...ad.php?t=61562

So what if they "try" to run you over? As long as you're in the mach, you can get away, even in 5th gear

[IMachU]

Remember....anything that can be replaced is NOT the green light for deadly force. If a life is at stake, you can do what you have to do to preserve that life. Getting clipped in a car is NOT grounds (even in the Mach) for deadly force.

[WuD]

okay i'm not sure if this has been discussed already, but here in ga, your window tint has to be 32% on front driver and passenger windows. every tint shop i've gone to says that i shouldn't black out my rear window and or back quarters #1 b/c i'll get a ticket and #2 they think they would lose their permits/license. i told them that the back window and quarters can be as dark as i want it, #1 b/c when i got a previous ticket for tint, ga state patrol told me it was okay b/c they have no way of measuring it. who is right in this case, me or the tint shops?

pls say me!!!

[AzureMach1auto]

In VA they have to be able to measure it too. So I'd say go as dark as you want on the back and 1/4 glass. In VA the driver and pass door can only be about 50%. Stupid. I'm a cop and I don't care if people have tint. It helps forward vision in my opinion.

[R.Shackleford]

Question -

How exactly does the radar work inside a cop car? For instance if the cop is driving towards you or behind you, and there's multiple cars around what car does the radar pick up? The closest moving target, or? And typically how far can it pick you up?

Not really related to anything, just something I've been curious about. I think it's useful info to have along with using the V1.

[IMachU]

I'm not radar certified, so I can't tell ya....kinda curious myself.

[WuD]

Originally Posted by R.Shackleford

Question -

How exactly does the radar work inside a cop car? For instance if the cop is driving towards you or behind you, and there's multiple cars around what car does the radar pick up? The closest moving target, or? And typically how far can it pick you up?

Not really related to anything, just something I've been curious about. I think it's useful info to have along with using the V1.

Check out this thread from BMC....Some good info on radar.

http://www.bmcforums.com/showthread.php?t=27818&page=2

[R.Shackleford]

Thanks... It seems about what I figured. I might try to search myself some as well, just a lil lazy .

I've just wondered because 8/10 times I find radar they're driving down the road with their radar on, so I've always wondered what car would the radar be picking up and how do they know which car they're picking up.