In my case I've never been pulled over for something I would even label as dumb. Everything was legit, mostly. The closest would be the time I was pulled over for chirping my tires after leaving a 4 way stop. Not terribly hard to do in my nova and it still happens ocassionalky on accident (but usually on purpose)

However, I was pulled over for a dumb reason once... but the dumb person was me, doing over 130 in the same 73 nova on a deserted freeway at 4am on a Sunday. Well, deserted Except for my dumb butt and the sleepy California Highway Patrol officer sitting on an on ramp that I blew past.

It was darn near a felony stop and very terse exchange until he ran my paperwork and saw I was, in fact, just a dumb 20 year old with only a red light violation.

And to be fair, I thought the light was green. Lol.

quote:

Originally posted by ARman:
I got pulled over for hood scoops. Yep the hood scoops that was factory on my 1969 Dodge Super Bee.

The, I'm not going to be nice about it. Idiot cop wrote my a ticket for obstructed view.

You know, for FACTORY INSTALLED hood scoops. I had to miss work, drive down town to court and since my last name begins with a "W" set there all freaking day for FACTORY INSTALLED HOOD SCOOPS! I showed the judge a picture of my car and factory literature of my model and it was dismissed.

Still to this day when I think about it, that idiot cop pisses me off. He cost me a day of work, plus parking lot fees and though it was dismissed I still had to pay court costs.

All for freaking FACTORY INSTALLED HOOD SCOOPS!

Now, I ain't sayin I was a freaking angle. Back then I was a lead foot, and I will admit it would pick up a race here and there. But that day I was just driving my car, obeying all traffic laws. When smart ass Johnny Law, pulls me over and write me a ticket for obstructed vision for I'll say it again FACTORY INSTALLED HOOD SCOOPS!

I was polite and courteous and followed all the orders. Yet he had some kind of attitude, from start to finish, even in court. Where the judge himself could not believe that he wrote the ticket.

I will say, I'm not a cop hater, as a matter of fact, I thought about law enforcement as a career. But that badge heavy imbecile sure didn't need to have that job.

So. Long story short. Factory installed hood scoops. I was pulled over and ticketed for factory installed hood scoops.


ARman

Were the hood scoops factory installed, your post wasn't clear. . Seriously though, I think I would have complained about that one! Textboock chicken shit citation.

Stopped for a license plate frame. It read "If I go any faster I'll burn out mud guinea pigs."
This was when Washington State had totally unreasonable licensing fees. Lots of people lived in the state but had Oregon, or other state plates.
It was early morning and little traffic. He followed me for several miles before he found a reason. Then stopped me expecting a great bust.
I had Vermont plates. Vermont driver's license and military ID. The officer was clearly disappointed.
The reason for the stop? He couldn't see the ENTIRE PLAYE! Know all those cars with the frame from the dealership that sold it? Yep, he said it was illegal.
Got a warning.

56 in a 55 zone - Virginia of course

I've never been pulled over when I didn't deserve it. I had a VW that couldn't keep a damn brake light working more than 2 days in a row. I was a guaranteed stop for the tiny town I drove through every day if they wanted it.

I do a fair amount of "fishing", if you want to call it that. In general, I stop cars for one of 3 reasons.

1, I am assigned to work an area with higher robberies/breaking and enterings. Brass wants more stops to show badguys we are around, to displace the badguys from their area of responsibility, so their bosses don't yell at them about the volume of part 1 offenses (breaking and enterings, assaults, robberies, etc.). There is no care of how many tickets one writes. Some months I write 1, some 5 or 6 (usually for no insurance or completely failing to register). Some shifts I do 10 stops, some months I do 5. I use every stop as a chance to be an ambassador as much as possible. Traffic stops are the most common contact most citizens have with the police. No reason to not keep it polite.

2, I have a moment of distraction which unbridles my burning desire to create extra paperwork for myself and get off late for something the DA is going to dismiss after I come to court 5 times on my days off, and get a case of the rookies and stop a car to try to find some dope or a gun. Usually a successful catch dampens said burning desire for a good month or two. Not worth it in this day and age, after spending 4 hours waiting at the GD jail.

3, You have dome something so assholic that I feel duty-bound to light your ass up so that all the surrounding tax-paying-citizens can say "Ha. Asshole deserved it". In the old days the conversation would begin "Ass chewing or ticket?". Crapshoot still on whether you get a token of my time leading to said 5 court dates on my days off to just be dismissed in a year. Generally influenced by whether you cuss me or not.


As far as the dumbest thing I've ever stopped someone for based on those three points...in NC there is a book printed called "Motor Vehicle Laws, Annotated". It lists all the motor vehicle laws and then gives supporting/clarifying caselaw. It's about 4 inches thick. I have always kept a copy in my bathroom for leisure reading, and have used the knowledge gleaned during my regal perusing to make stops.

One of my favorites in NC is that if you turn from any street onto a multi-lane street/highway to the left, you can turn into any lane as long as there aren't hash marks on the roadway guiding your turn. If you turn right, however, you must stay in the right-most lane. Few people abide.

The license plate frame Icabod talks about above is another easy one. I'd never write someone a ticket over it, unless there was something crazy going on, but in NC a frame that covers the state's name is a violation. Again, an opportunity to talk to people, educate them, (keep them from having some rookie Trooper from actually writing them a ticket for it) and let the bad guys driving around know we are out.



One night I stopped an old pickup truck for no tag light. When I walked up and introduced myself to the driver I saw that the windshield was shattered, and when I ran the tag I found that it belonged to a deceased family member of the driver. The driver asked if he could see the tag light that was burned out, and I happily obliged. When we got to the back of the truck, the damn thing was working. I had walked past it twice at that point and swear it wasn't working. I was so flabbergasted that I apologized and told him to continue on his way, completely forgetting the windshield and improper registration.

quote:

Originally posted by Icabod:....The reason for the stop? He couldn't see the ENTIRE PLAYE! Know all those cars with the frame from the dealership that sold it? Yep, he said it was illegal.
Got a warning.

I was stopped on the freeway late one night, they said my trailer hitch ball (toyota tacoma) obscured part of my license plate, illegal unless I regularly used it to pull a trailer or something. I had to promise to take it off as soon as I got home (which I did). I think they were looking for a couple of gangbangers, but it was my wife, in Sunday dress, not really the description they might have been expecting.

quote:

Originally posted by JDSigManiac:

quote:

Originally posted by ARman:
I got pulled over for hood scoops. Yep the hood scoops that was factory on my 1969 Dodge Super Bee.

The, I'm not going to be nice about it. Idiot cop wrote my a ticket for obstructed view.

You know, for FACTORY INSTALLED hood scoops. I had to miss work, drive down town to court and since my last name begins with a "W" set there all freaking day for FACTORY INSTALLED HOOD SCOOPS! I showed the judge a picture of my car and factory literature of my model and it was dismissed.

Still to this day when I think about it, that idiot cop pisses me off. He cost me a day of work, plus parking lot fees and though it was dismissed I still had to pay court costs.

All for freaking FACTORY INSTALLED HOOD SCOOPS!

Now, I ain't sayin I was a freaking angle. Back then I was a lead foot, and I will admit it would pick up a race here and there. But that day I was just driving my car, obeying all traffic laws. When smart ass Johnny Law, pulls me over and write me a ticket for obstructed vision for I'll say it again FACTORY INSTALLED HOOD SCOOPS!

I was polite and courteous and followed all the orders. Yet he had some kind of attitude, from start to finish, even in court. Where the judge himself could not believe that he wrote the ticket.

I will say, I'm not a cop hater, as a matter of fact, I thought about law enforcement as a career. But that badge heavy imbecile sure didn't need to have that job.

So. Long story short. Factory installed hood scoops. I was pulled over and ticketed for factory installed hood scoops.


ARman

Were the hood scoops factory installed, your post wasn't clear. . Seriously though, I think I would have complained about that one! Textboock chicken shit citation.

Ooooh I complained about it to the judge. I was as polite as possible, but I was fired up mad as hell and told the judge how the officer had an attitude from the time he set foot out of his patrol car and I pointed out that he still had one in court.

Told the judge that because of this I had to miss work, pay for parking and even expressed my displeasure with paying court cost for a dismissed ticket that I should not have had to begin with.

Oh. And to clarify it up. I got a ticket for obstructed vision. For FACTORY INSTALLED HOOD SCOOPS!!!!

I hope that clears up any confusion!


ARman

quote:

Oh. And to clarify it up. I got a ticket for obstructed vision. For FACTORY INSTALLED HOOD SCOOPS!!!!

That's what I hear

I'm a little surprised how easily some of you allowed the officer to search or even tear apart your vehicle.

Anyway, some friends and I were pulled over in college on the way to some event that I can't remember because the officer "saw" us pass a baggie of drugs. He was actually fairly polite and a little embarrassed when we showed him the gallon size bag of cookies that one of my friend's mom had made.

I got pulled over for having an expired plate, which was not expired. The cop kept insisting that it was but that 'he was going to be nice and just give me a warning". I kept insisting that he give me a ticket but he never would.

Tag light was out. Not tail lights, but the little lights by the license plate. Tiny town in SW Ga saw my out of town tag... no ticket though.

Owning a limousine.

I used to joke with the girlfriend as it got close to winter. When she was still running the restaurant she had a Mazda 3 as a back and forth to work car. It had nice alloys with summer tires on it for regular driving. She never got pulled over in it with the alloys.

When it got close to snow season, I had a set of steel wheels with snow tires and no hub caps. She would usually get pulled over twice the first week she drove it. Leaving work at 3 AM I guess it looked a bit more like something a drunk would be driving.

Made the mistake of passing in the left lane on I-75 in Arlington Heights OH. Major speed trap back in the day on top of slow-Hio not allowing any lane to be moving faster than 55 MPH.

Free money, no accountability

Uhm, bye

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
I do a fair amount of "fishing", if you want to call it that.

You'll never catch me copper!
Mostly because I'm in Michigan

So I'm on my way into town to my old residence to pick up a book from my old roommate. I get on the highway/freeway and check my 6 before entering and see a County 150 yds behind me.
After about half a mile SHE is caught up to me and traveling behind and to the side to enter my plate.
Why? I guess because I'm on a liter bike and driving the speed limit doesn't mean she can't run me for my personal info.

After following me for a few miles, she lights me up. When she approaches me she demands my license and registration. I'm still taking off my gloves and helmet, but then I hear her mutter she entered my plate wrong.
She entered the O intead of a Q. "License and Registration please".
Yah, can I finish taking my gloves and helmet off?

It was at that point I realized they can pull you over for anything, including entering your plate "wrong".

She was cool enough after I informed her I was carrying and we shot the bull for a good 5 min. before she let me go. She even asked if I was late for work, implying she would cut it short.
But the whole "I entered your plate wrong. License and registration please" disturbs me.

quote:

Originally posted by dsiets:

But the whole "I entered your plate wrong. License and registration please" disturbs me.

And rightly so. Determining an error on the officer's part for the initiation kills the stop. Entering a plate wrong (and realizing it) is a perfect example. It's a bit more complicated than that, but it boils down to it.


Officers who do that crap have likely never sat in state or federal court getting grilled by a good defense attorney in a probable cause hearing. It gives one a new perspective.

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
I've never been pulled over when I didn't deserve it.

I do a fair amount of "fishing"

You're never been pulled over for fishing? I have, and I didn't deserve to be pulled over. Unless someone has decided to pay me for my time being used as a law enforcement tool, that is. But I've never seen a check...

Drunk driving.

I left a wedding reception drunk as hell, in a car with improper registration (tags) with loud mufflers and out of date inspection sticker.

Got pulled over by PSP, got out of the car and could barely stand up.

Was given a $25 ticket. I phoned a Justice of Peace guy I knew who asked me name of ticketing officer and to drive up to his office with $20 in cash.

$20 was for the PSP officer as the ticket was quashed.

That was in 1962. If it happened today, I would be in jail.

Coming across country this summer I was pulled over for the same thing as the OP. It was a fishing expedition for sure. He saw my PA plate and went on and on about Kansas being a drug corridor.

Officer = "Sir, the reason I pulled you over is I witnessed you throw a cigarette out the window"

Me = "I don't smoke"

Officer = "Ok, have a nice night"

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:

quote:

Originally posted by dsiets:

But the whole "I entered your plate wrong. License and registration please" disturbs me.

And rightly so. Determining an error on the officer's part for the initiation kills the stop. Entering a plate wrong (and realizing it) is a perfect example. It's a bit more complicated than that, but it boils down to it.


Officers who do that crap have likely never sat in state or federal court getting grilled by a good defense attorney in a probable cause hearing. It gives one a new perspective.

Yeah. While I'm not a cop, I went through the police academy back in the early 90's. I'm very comfortable around LE and she and I had a good chat. But I wasn't going to bring up the stop.
I would hate to see her ruin a good stop when it counts.