Ask A Police Officer

[Low Drag]

I can't speak specifically for Texas, but in most places, including my own state, it is considered improper display of registration.

[04texasmach]

texas license plates do not have the registration on them like other states do. i have seen people do it here in texas but i have never asked anyone if they have had a problem with it.

[AzureMach1auto]

I have never written a ticket for the front license plate off the vehicle or up in the W/S. But most cops I know enforce this 100%.

I can say, just have it in the right place on a public road. But at a car show in a parking lot or private property take it off.

My cars look so much better without one on. But the one day I tried to take it off I got pulled over for it. I was polite and didn't recieve a ticket. I did have it in the car with me.

I respect our Military and have not written them any speeding tickets. DUI is a different story.

[HamMach1]

I'll ask in here but will also make a new thread about it.

Fake IDs. A bunch of kids I graduated with have them. I see them coming into my store (I'm a stocker) and see them purchasing alcohol. I hate confronting people so I tell my manager but they can't do anything since they have no proof the ID is fake.

One kid I know went so far to even get a fake SCHOOL ID. He came in, I told manager, my manager didn't believe it was real (the kid is 19 but the license/school ID) says he's 25, so he had to let him buy the stuff... I walked away since I know him and I don't want to deal with any later conflicts.

Can I/How can I report about someone using a fake ID card? I know his first and last name.

[Newskool Mach]

Originally Posted by HamMach1

I'll ask in here but will also make a new thread about it.

Fake IDs. A bunch of kids I graduated with have them. I see them coming into my store (I'm a stocker) and see them purchasing alcohol. I hate confronting people so I tell my manager but they can't do anything since they have no proof the ID is fake.

One kid I know went so far to even get a fake SCHOOL ID. He came in, I told manager, my manager didn't believe it was real (the kid is 19 but the license/school ID) says he's 25, so he had to let him buy the stuff... I walked away since I know him and I don't want to deal with any later conflicts.

Can I/How can I report about someone using a fake ID card? I know his first and last name.

Your best bet is to call the police right when the kid is in the store trying to do it. It would be to hard to follow up later.

[acreature]

Originally Posted by HamMach1

He came in, I told manager, my manager didn't believe it was real (the kid is 19 but the license/school ID) says he's 25, so he had to let him buy the stuff...

\
Thats BS... he can refuse to sell to anyone as long as it isnt biased because of race, religion etc etc

[MUSCLEMUSTANG65]

Thats not necessarily true. By state law they may be able to refuse service, but if the store policy may prevent him from refusing on those grounds. I worked retail for over 6 yrs and some business`s can really tie their employees hands with stupid rules.

[acreature]

Originally Posted by MUSCLEMUSTANG65

Thats not necessarily true. By state law they may be able to refuse service, but if the store policy may prevent him from refusing on those grounds. I worked retail for over 6 yrs and some business`s can really tie their employees hands with stupid rules.

State Law trumps store policy... if the Mgr believes the ID not to be real, yet still allows the sale, store policy isn't going to keep the Mgr from being charged, nor will that Policy help the store keep it's license to sell Alcohol.

[jledesma]

+1. After time you mellow out a little. After 12 years of patrol, I'd rather try and educate the driver than fill out a whole bunch of paper work at the end of a long shift for the citations I wrote. In our State too, are citations have become longer to fill out from some unknown stupid reason. But if a motorcycle cop pulls you over here, you gettin' cited, it's what they do.

Originally Posted by IMachU

In my experience and opinion, younger officers seem to be more "gung-ho." I got more stats than you did last month! Kind of like us....I got more mods than you did last month! Also, a few of the younger officers are still on training. They have to write everything so they get the experince of doing it right (writing reports, citations, crime scene security, setting up containments, etc.). As time goes on, they have less to prove, so they end up like me. And old patrol Sgt. I hope this answers your question!

[jledesma]

Might vary from state to state. But here, if you use a fake I.D. for say like buying alcohol, trying to get into a Nightclub, or acquire something falsely, you can be subjected to arrest for a forgery type offense depending on what type of I.D. you are replicating. Merchants here can flat out refuse service if they feel something about the I.D. is fake. It is up to the I.D. holder to call us and complain if his card is legit and was refused service.

Originally Posted by HamMach1

I'll ask in here but will also make a new thread about it.

Fake IDs. A bunch of kids I graduated with have them. I see them coming into my store (I'm a stocker) and see them purchasing alcohol. I hate confronting people so I tell my manager but they can't do anything since they have no proof the ID is fake.

One kid I know went so far to even get a fake SCHOOL ID. He came in, I told manager, my manager didn't believe it was real (the kid is 19 but the license/school ID) says he's 25, so he had to let him buy the stuff... I walked away since I know him and I don't want to deal with any later conflicts.

Can I/How can I report about someone using a fake ID card? I know his first and last name.

[jledesma]

Remind me not to move there with my mach. Kidding.
Cal is pretty tuff when it comes to vehicle laws. In our state, i always recommend the driver I cited to contest the ticket because they always have a chance to clear it or at least a reduced fine depending on their record and explanation to the judge.

Originally Posted by Mustanger2

The problem in Calif is that if your car is impounded wrongly due to the officers misunderstanding... the charges YOU have to pay without recourse are significant. I have one input of $2000!! This is for towing, storage fees, tear down of parts etc for verification, a hearing, court fees... just to prove you were right! So far I have not heard of any compensation for the innocent victim yet. Not to mention the time involved for you, the loss of your car...If you are found with modifed parts there is a huge fine also... your car can even be demolished... Welcome hotrodders to Calif.!!


So in reality it does you no good to go to court!

[swoop1156]

Bringing this one back from the dead with a post of what happened to me today, and I need some help.

Scenario: My buddy Mike and I were riding our motorcycles. We were in the wrong, yes, doing 65-70 in a 55. Just cruising along.

Mike takes off suddenly and I'm estimating about 110-120. I continue my current speed. About ten seconds after that, a trooper BLOWS past me and goes up the hill and around the bend. Never looked at me, honked, pointed, nothing. In fact, the air from his car moved my bike a little, he was hauling.

So, long story short, he never motioned for me to stop so I continued on my route home and never thought anything of it.

I get home and there is a text message from Mike, "Sorry man, he got your tags, too."

WTF?

Now, being in the military and the fact that my buddy gave him ALL of my information, the trooper called our command. So, I get to be with Mike at 8:00am in our dress uniform ready to face the man.

That part I don't get. Why are they getting involved when neither of us got a ticket? Mike was doing easily 120 and didn't even get anything. I wasn't even pulled over!

Here is the story that my command got from the Trooper:

I pulled over two bikes, both clocked at 126mph. One stopped [Mike] and one [Me] ran from me.

So, here is my question for those in the Law Enforcement arena:

What can come of this?

1.) The trooper never signaled for me to stop.
2.) Yes, I was speeding, but not 126mph. It was 70. Posted speed was 55.
3.) The trooper never saw me, talked to me, made contact, nothing. It could have not even have been me, you know?
4.) Apparently, he has my plates. Can you get plates from a small motorcycle plate while you are driving 120-130+ passing the said bike?

Just a little confused as to if I should be concerned or not.

Also, I've already admitted that I was wrong for doing 70 in a 55, but he did NOT motion for me to stop, or I would have. I've never ran and I never will.

Help?

[acreature]

Explain your side to your C/O.

If the Trooper doesn't charge later, no worries... he may just want it handled via your house.

If he does charge, you'll have your day in court to fight it if need be.

[Newskool Mach]

Originally Posted by swoop1156

Bringing this one back from the dead with a post of what happened to me today, and I need some help.

Scenario: My buddy Mike and I were riding our motorcycles. We were in the wrong, yes, doing 65-70 in a 55. Just cruising along.

Mike takes off suddenly and I'm estimating about 110-120. I continue my current speed. About ten seconds after that, a trooper BLOWS past me and goes up the hill and around the bend. Never looked at me, honked, pointed, nothing. In fact, the air from his car moved my bike a little, he was hauling.

So, long story short, he never motioned for me to stop so I continued on my route home and never thought anything of it.

I get home and there is a text message from Mike, "Sorry man, he got your tags, too."

WTF?

Now, being in the military and the fact that my buddy gave him ALL of my information, the trooper called our command. So, I get to be with Mike at 8:00am in our dress uniform ready to face the man.

That part I don't get. Why are they getting involved when neither of us got a ticket? Mike was doing easily 120 and didn't even get anything. I wasn't even pulled over!

Here is the story that my command got from the Trooper:


So, here is my question for those in the Law Enforcement arena:

What can come of this?

1.) The trooper never signaled for me to stop.
2.) Yes, I was speeding, but not 126mph. It was 70. Posted speed was 55.
3.) The trooper never saw me, talked to me, made contact, nothing. It could have not even have been me, you know?
4.) Apparently, he has my plates. Can you get plates from a small motorcycle plate while you are driving 120-130+ passing the said bike?

Just a little confused as to if I should be concerned or not.

Also, I've already admitted that I was wrong for doing 70 in a 55, but he did NOT motion for me to stop, or I would have. I've never ran and I never will.

Help?

Sounds like total BS Swoop. Was it FHP? If it was thats their style. Fight it all the way. He will have to prove that he identified you to charge you. He cannot charge you with just a tag number. Honestly I would not worry about it. Like Anureism said just tell your CO the true story. There is no brotherhood with the FHP north of Palm Beach County. Glorified meter maids with holier than thou attitudes.

[BMF Mach1]

I skimmed the previous pages and some others and didn't see this, so I apologize if it's already been addressed.

Here's what happened:

It's the 30th (strike one)
I was in the Mach (strike two)
I only get to take the Mach out a couple times a month, and tonight happened to be one of them (apparently, strike three).

Anyway, I was out for a short drive in the country and was on a state highway, almost to where I turn around to head back home. I'm doing low 60's, not really paying too much attention. I see two cars coming toward me and I notice the second one is a police car. He's following the car pretty closely. I look down and was probably going 63, if that. I immediately let off the gas and I'm doing about 61 when I go past the car and the cop behind them. I see him do a u-turn in the road and he hauls @$$ to catch up to me. I'm right at 60 and he turns his lights on. He's an Indiana State Police officer and he says I was doing 66 in a 55 and writes me a ticket as such. (I know I wasn't doing 66.) He tells me to drive safely on my way home. As I pull away he procedes to pull a u-turn right there (lights off) and head back the other way. I turn around at a business and head back that way too. He's a decent amount ahead thanks to his u-turn but I accelerate to 59 and set my cruise just to see and he pulls away very quickly and I lose sight of him.

Since he says I was 11 over and the infraction range is 1-15, is there any point in me contesting since there's no lower level of fine?

Would his close following of another car have any bearing on his ability to accurately clock my speed?

Are LEOs allowed to make non-emergency u-turns as he did after issuing me a ticket?

Would the fact that he was clearly exceeding the speed limit while not on a call have any bearing at all on my ticket, especially after he gave me a ticket for speeding?

Is it in my best interest to suck it up and pay the fine?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

[Low Drag]

1. By all means contest the ticket if you feel you have a valid legal argument. However, you do admit to speeding with 3 mph of what he wrote the ticket for. By the time you saw him and started to slow down he probably already had you on radar. The speedometers in our vehicles aren't extremely accurate and don't lend themselves very well to reading speeds down to 1mph increments which could easily explain the difference.

2. No, his distance from the other vehicle would not have any bearing on the accuracy of the radar.

3 & 4. Yes, LEO's can make non-emergency u-turns. Look up the vehicle codes in your state and you'll probably find that there are many instances where you can make non-emergency u-turns as well. Regardless, unless you were in the car with him at the time listening to his radio, how can you be sure about what he was doing after your stop. He may very well have been responding to a call that required a faster than routine response time but did not justify using emergency lights and sirens.

5. Once again, if you feel you have a valid legal reason or if you just wish to exercise your right to do so, then challenge the ticket. Just realize that court costs will often be added if you challenge the ticket and lose. Please don't go to court and use the officers actions after your stop as your argument. That will most likely aggravate the judge and be reflected in your fines. If you feel his actions were innapropriate, a complaint to his department is the proper forum for that.

[machster04]

alright heres a good one, one night at about 3am i was going 120 and got pulled over, cited me and went our own ways. Says he shouldve taught me a leason and tow my car and leave me stranded out on the highway. BTW he was on the right of a huge semi when i was in the fast lane and claims i was going 120. Theres got to be no way he clocked me or anything i now how cops have a good estimate on things on travel and such.

so to my point the next day i got pulled over for going 5 miles over a 50mph zone and he saw the ticket from the night before for searching my car for no reason (thought i was on some upper or drunk which I wasent and he thought my girls lip gloss was a crack pipe) and said he was going to tow my car to teach me a leason since i obviously didnt learn it the night before.

Went to court and pleaded not quilty and told me to come back september 30 anyone have any suggestions/comments about this, i feel that having to pay 400+ to get my car out of towing and i feel that is punishment enough instead of having to pay another 400 or more plus traffic school probably

please help!

[machster04]

to add to this above just to clarify there were two bike cops for the ones that towed me and both were very rude, the HWP were actually nice to me, also because it was the end of there shift

[machster04]

bump

[04VAMach1]

We don't know where you live so nobody can give you specific advice for your state, however you should look into your state's laws on when the police can order that a vehicle be towed. I find it difficult to believe that your vehicle was towed simply because you were driving 5 miles over and the citation given the night before shouldn't be considered since you have not yet been found guilty of the that citation.

My suggestion is to consult an attorney to see where you stand.

[machster04]

thanks for the info anything else would be appreciation btw im in CA

[machster04]

also he saw the citation when searching my vechicle and asked me to explain about it and said that they shouldve towed me and said since they didnt do it that i needed to be taught a lesson about the ticket from the night before didnt do justice enough

[acreature]

Originally Posted by machster04

alright heres a good one, one night at about 3am i was going 120 and got pulled over, cited me and went our own ways.

I would've locked you up for the 120.

And, I find it very difficult to believe you were towed for 5 over. You can call a supervisor to complain about the tow issue... or just let an Atty handle.

[machster04]

isnt't it manditory lock up for going over 100mph? Yeah i bet you would, some cops are cool some ain't and sometimes they just like writing tickets for misdemanors or an infractions for jaywalking or ****ing with bums when they have nothing better to do at 430am

[Dantheman]

Okay - here's my question to the police officers out there. If you pull somebody over, run their info, and find out there is a warrant for their arrest for unpaid tickets/no insurance, motor vehicle paperwork stuff, do you have any discretion about letting them go, even with a warrant being issued??