Is anyone here a police officer?

[97-ferio]

if you had gotten the plate number of that cop who was following you too close, you coulda reported him to the local P.D. i'm a cop in the military, which isn't nearly the same line of work as civilian police, but as far as law enforcement goes...when they cited you for going over the speed limit, most radar guns can lock onto a certain vehicle...the car in front of you may have been speeding also, but it was more than likely just bad misfortune that they picked you to clock instead of the other guy. maybe you were going faster than the guy in front of you to keep up with that vehicle...you did say you weren't paying attention to your speedo. radars can pick vehicle speeds up from certain distances depending on the model of the gun, as well as pick up signals from around a corner, or even a few blocks away. cops nowadays will pick on people with import cars that are fixed up. you can thank fast and the furious for that. i got pulled over a while back for going 75 in a 70, and got fined $100, when on the same stretch of road people go sometimes in excess of 90-100 mph most days. sometimes, in our cases, it's just bad luck i guess=) however, don't hate on all cops, we all have a job to do, it's just the other dickheads out there that give all cops a bad name. peace.=)

[hondacrew215]

i say next time the cops be on your ass like that just keep on driving and dont do any thing to annoy them cause thats what they want, that way if you do something stupid they can give you a few more tickets. something simular happened to me and i got 4 tickets that night for acting stupid and speeding up

[97-ferio]

how about turning off onto a side street, pulling off into a store parking lot, or pulling off to the side of the road and letting the cop pass. there's nothing wrong with doing that, and if you're too damn paranoid to have a cop behind you, then pull off to the side somewhere! if you're not speeding, or driving like a moron, you have nothing to worry about...if your music's not blastng, and you're not doing anything wrong, then don't worry. and if you worry too much, if you're too paranoid about cops, then why do you even have a driver's license, just stay at home or ride the bus or a bike, because you're putting all the other good drivers out there in danger, just by being distracted by your worrying. is it really that hard, the cops aren't out to get you, so stop worrying, just drive. speed limits are there for a reason, and they aren't made to be broken like some other idiots say they are. store parking lots aren't racetracks for you to drift in or to have a mini car show in w/ your buddies on a saturday night when you're bored. just follow the rules, and drive people. you should be alright if you just do that. if you really wanna race and prove how fast your car is, then take it to your local track, not out on the streets where there's families driving around. this thread is just so irritating. peace

[Neil]

I myself am not a cop. I have two brothers, an uncle, and a cousin who are cops. I have driven modded cars my whole life. My first car was a 64 Impala SS with dual exhaust. Through out the years of getting stopped for bulls**t and whining cause "the Harley's never get stopped for their exhaust, but I do????," I've been taught, and learned a few vital things.

1) Yes, the cops will target a modded car.
2) Yes, they have the right to do this.
3) You can call it "profiling," but you are in his town, with his judge. Good luck.
4) If you are supposedly doing 18 over, then you should be happy with a warning. Be VERY happy.
5) If you do get a ticket, call your local DA office. Depending on the DA, they might just work with you as far as changing the citation, or dropping points, or whatever system they have where you live. Example: I got popped for 18 over in Milwaukee, WI. $260 and 4 points. (I drive semi for a living) I called the DA and they said they would represent me for $100. For that $100 they went to court for me, and got it changed to "parking where prohibited" which is a non-moving violation which means they don't take points. You have options, no one ever tells you about them.
6) Please keep in mind that a cop is just a guy with a gun and a badge. YOU give him the authority to do things. Until you give him the authority, he is just a guy with a gun and badge, nothing more. If you drive a stock car, you are always under the speed limit (which is the LIMIT, you don't have to drive that fast all the time), and you make proper traffic decisions, you don't give them any authority to do anything to you. As soon as you bolt on aftermarket exhaust and wheels, unfortunately you give him the authority to stop you at 2am and when you ask what you did wrong, he explains that they "are just looking for drunk drivers, and by the way, that exhaust isn't legal, here's your ticket." Yeah, that sucks, but if he has any sort of reason to pull you over, then you are screwed.
7) Keep in mind, especially in smaller towns, these cops drive civilian cars too. If you have EVER passed in a hurry, squeeled the tires, etc, they have seen you and you are on the "list." They know the local modded cars just like they know the kids that have just gotten their lisence.

Again, I am not a cop. I have experienced all of the above first hand, and have asked my relatives many questions regarding these and many other situations. Also, the internet is your friend. Study and know your City and STate statutes and laws. And most importantly, remember that this is just a guy trying to do his job. He may not like imports, but don't give him a reason to not like you.

I am in the process of organizing a car show next spring and we are going to hold it in the Court House parking lot. A parking lot that is shared with the County Sheriffs department. I have arranged for a squad to be there with doors open and a demo on radar, and other things for the participants. This can be applied to any situation in life, "It doesn't hurt to kiss a little a$$ once in a while."

[97-ferio]

finally, someone who speaks a little sense=) i agree with you fully, werd.

[Reckless13]

let me tell you A little something about cops always go after the car that stands out the most .cops pull me over on the daily because of the way it looks I thing that if A viper and a race out civic where going the same speed A cop that like viper more would pull over the civic. That is just the way it is.

[XS-Style]

Wow this thread seems to have gotten a bit of responce since I last checked in on it. Its good to see various peoples oppinions on different situations. I thank those who have responded so far and if anyone else has anything to add I welcome that as well. :-D I personally have had no further incidence and continue to drive just like I always have. Maybe the local law enforcement was just checking up on me lol. I do feel the need to ask anyone who wants to reply to please read my orriginal post. I feel some of you have gotten the wrong ideas of my driving habbits. I am in no way a paranoid driver, a ricer, or one of the ones who show off uptown on saturday nights. Id appriciate it if those who may have thought of me as such would please re-evaluate their opinions. Im just a guy who enjoys his cars as much as any other automotive enthusiast. These two situations were probably the first time Id had any interaction with a police officer in the official sense in a year or two. They just struck me as odd considering the circumstances and the actions of the officers in each case. That being said I thank everyone again for their imput and once again open the floor for more thoughts :-D

[admin]

This thread is past its time

Im gonna go ahead close this thread.