I got a ticket today, doh!
 

I was going to work this morning and I gunned it a little bit around a turn and I got a little bit of tire spin and then I shifted to second and mt back end slid out about 3 or 4 feet and I took off a little bit. Next thing I know a cop is behind me and he flashes his lights. Great. He tells me he saw me go arounfd the turn and lose traction and he could give me an exhibition of speed ticket whcich is worth 12 Points!! And I could lose my license. I'm like I did not know that. He asked me a few other questions and he ends up giving me a careless driving ticket worth 4 points and $95. He said he didn't give me a bigger ticket because he could tell I had control of my car. That really ruined my day, but at least the Avs won and I just bought an X-box. So it hasn't been the worst day. They just took 100 bucks off the X-box prices, alright.

Another jerk cop, sweet. Lot of them out there these days. One gave my sister a ticket for driving on the shoulder trying to get off onto her street in stopped traffic. She drove on the shoulder for a whopping 2-3ft, literally. Can you say, revenue?

Nuthin better to do than eat doughnuts, write tickets, and tell you they don't feel like fighting real crime.

Dont ya hate when cops do their job....

Signed,The Cops.

hahahah, sorry you got a ticket 7-up but 460's reply is funny, oh yeah sorry the avs won too, heheh.:p ;)

Eh, cops are cops. It just sucks that their job usually involves getting people in trouble. Haha, like that kid in school that would always tell the teacher on you. They make money for the government, which is good from time to time. It sucks when it happens to you, but come on.....when you see that Civic with the Lambo spoiler pulled over, you just gotta laugh!:p Cops: couldn't live without them.....unfortunately:p .

I don't see why people get bent out of shape when a cop does his job. Just think, if the "stupid" cop hadn't pulled over Tim McVeigh for speeding, they probably never would have caught him - you remember, that guy who put a little truck bomb next to a Federal building in Oklahoma...

If you aren't doing anything wrong, you don't have anything to worry about!

I never said I didn't deserve the ticket.:) It just sucks I got one in the first place. The cop could have been a real jerk and given me a 12 point ticket, but he didn't. I'm not complaining about cops.

What pisses me off about cops is that sometimes they seem to go out of there way to be pricks. Giving stupid tickets and enforcing a law in a "gray" situation. But at the end of the day they are what keeps us in line.

I have to admit I'd like to see more ricers caught for there stupidity. And when criminals vandalize my property or threatens my loved ones, they are the first people I call.

C'est la vie!

(got to practice my french for when I return to Canada ;) )

The officer obviously was warranted in writing a ticket. No need to be an *** and talk about how much more of a dick he could be. Throwing the power around like a kid in a school yard. Then again, people seem to miss the fact the end result is not all that counts. If he's gonna write a ticket, write it. I don't care for him making threats to people about how he could get away with giving an unwarranted, more severe ticket if he felt like it.

As for my sister getting a ticket, it's total BS. She was being courteous to other drivers by getting off the jammed up road, an easing her own stress being stopped in traffic 2 ft from where her turn lane starts. It's not like she was rolling down the shoulder tryin to pass other cars and cut in line.

Invest in a lawyer. When he gets the points off of our license, it will be well worth the savings in insurance. (I'm not a lawyer)...

hmm that would be a good topic...

When are you coming back to Toronto? And don't worry I've lived in Canada my whole life and I know next to no French. And I was in Quebec 3 times for about 4 days each time. :D

Yeh I have a Careless driving ticket right now 6 points and $350. I got someone to represent me, he's a ex-cop, but that's what he does. I beleive it was $500 to hire him for careless driving but since my g/f's dad is a cop and knows him I got it for $350. But he doesn't guarntee that he will get me off, but he's saying a good chance he can get it down to 2 points or maybe none. I'm keepin' my fingers crossed. My court date is July 10th.

§am.

No need to be an arse and start your reply "Another jerk cop, sweet", either.

Sorry about your sister, Kell, but back off a bit.

Take care,
-Chris

I officially leave Dallas next Wednesday (29th of May). Tomorrow is my last day in the Dallas Office. :(

I should in in Toronto on June 24th (taking some holidays :) ).
I'm originally from BC and Alberta, so most of the US is close to Quebec than I ever have been. But I know I'll have a lot more contact with Quebec.

No need to defend police just because they eat doughnuts, come off like jerks, and give out unwarranted tickets either, Chris. If the guys a jerk, he's a jerk. I don't agree with the, "He's an jerk, but since he's a cop, that's okay" deal.

A police officer is, in my opinion, no more respectable than any other legitimate profession.

I don't for one minute find any justification for a cop being a jerk, but sometimes you need a wider perspective before a fair judgement can be made. This guy seemed pretty cool to me.

For example:

I got a ticket, he's a jerk. Okay on the face, but after examining it a little better, you can add that I was doing 65 in a 45. Dig even deeper, and discover there was a mexican grandmother hit and mamed in one of the un-signalled crosswalks on that street a few months ago. And truth be told, I was doing 70, but the cop only wrote me up for 65, saving me the mandatory $400 fine for exceeding the posted speed limit by 25 mph. So all in all, this jerk was pretty cool.

All I'm saying is there's usually more to the story than we hear, and I don't think it's cool to start off negative, and make them prove they're cool. I think law enforcement, fire dept., EMT's, etc are deserving of more respect than a clerk at 7-eleven, at least on the surface, but not to the point of justifying anything corrupt.

Take care,
-Chris

OK Unit - you're NOT an LS1-Humper, and you're NOT a Cop-Humper...what DO you hump :)

Yeah, cops have to pull you over, and sometimes they give you a break. They are only doing their job, I guess. My last ticket I was doing 90 in a 65, but since he said I had a "good attitude" he wrote me up for going 75! Hehe, instead of four or more points, I only got two.... not too shabby if you ask me:p .

ive had 2 experiances with cops on the road.

1. im in central Mass. for a few weeks driving home from a old family friends house to my grandmothers house in her 85 xjc jaguar at 11pm alone. now, its an unrestored 85, so the electric is ****, and i was lucky enough to have a plate light out. i come around a corner and see a cop car pulled over on the wrong side of the road with his high beams on. so i go over the "line"(there wasnt one on this road) and go around him and im lookin in the car and i see a cop lookin at me. so i keep driving and bam, he pulls around and pulls me over. this is the 1st time ive ever been pulled over. so im nervose and get out of the car slowly to go talk. and then it starts. (there were 2 cops btw) i give them my info and the reg(it may have been recently expired, i duno, it wasnt my car) and tell them whos car it is and that yes, she knows i have it. and there askin me if im on drugs and trying to get me to slip up in my "story". so 20 mins later they decide 1 of them will drive the car back to my friends house and ill ride there in the back of the cop car. in the end, no ticket but alot of screwing around with me.

2. i was in central FL doin maybe 40 in a 35 coming home out of a school zone from pickin up a friend and got nailed by a cop behind a tree with a gun. asked if i knew the #'s i was doin and what the limit was, i said i had no idea, just pickin my friend up. and he let me off. *edit* i forgot to say i was in a 94 stock izuzu trooper 4x4(my 1st ride=p) that time.

*shrug* honestly, i wish theyd get revenue from taxes and eas up on moving violations that dont result in an accident.

-some bad spelling i know, im short on time-

Cute girls who drive Mustangs. This super hot girl in a newer sonic blue V6 Mustang got by me the other night on my drive home. Wow. I probably would have mumbled something out if I had the chance.

I'm... I'm... I like your car, what's your... I'm Kell. Nice to meet you.

My brain totally switched off. It was like all the blood just went rushing somewhere else??? HAHAHHAAH

Have you hugged a cop today?

Pass me a doughnut please.............

Kell hurts himself to get the girl, ie walks into doors. Isn't that the Florance Nightingale affect?


;) :p :D

#1 No, but if she's cute and drives a Mustang no problem. :)

#2 Come up here and I'll have an excuse to get some. :) I like Hans Bakery better than Krispy Kreme so I recommend having me go there. I really need to set up that comparison, but nobody's been around for the past couple weekends!! I like the custard filled long johns, bismarks... well, I like em all!! None of that powdered sugar junk though. As far as being a doughnut eater... I'm guilty as charged :( Hehehehe

That actually works, as lame as it may sound. I've seen it in action on some VERY hot girls.

Okay Kell, I love you like a brother, but I didn't need to know that.

:D

Take care,
-Chris

Cops
 

If you aren't doing anything wrong, you don't have anything to worry about! - RED92LX50

The above is officially nominated as a candidate for the most naive statement on this thread.

The ultimate winner receives a ticket for having dirty tires, just because a cop felt like doing it.

Chris, I would have said eclaires, but the super cute Hans Bakery counter girls say those are the round doughnuts with the open top and custard filled in the center.

Somebody help me out on doughnut terminology to avoid future embarassment? I don't have a badge so I'm just an amature!

heres my 2 cents. The cop seemed preatty fair, he could have been a dick and gave him the bigger ticket. Although, I would have just gave a warning, but thats me.

I don't really consider myself naive...then again, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean everyone is not out to get you...

My personal experience with cops (about 10 tickets for varying offenses over the last 20 years) has been that 9 out of ten times they REDUCE the charge to less than what I was actually doing. This also appears to be the case with MANY of the other people who post their experiences.

Anybody who got a ticket for "dirty tires" was probably a real ***** to the cop and IMO got what they should have. You can't honestly tell me that if a cop pulled you over, and you were courteous, you would drive away with a ticket for "dirty tires".

I, personally, have no time to be paranoid, with all these Nazi's chasing me and all these people staring at me.... *twitch twitch*





;) :p

Naivete
 

RED92LX50:

Personally, I've had little problem with police giving me a hassle over tickets. I drive a red Mustang ('90 LX) that you can 'hear' yet I've never been pulled over on some pretense by a cop. Like you, I've had charges reduced and I once got off with a written warning when I was caught - on radar - doing 46 in a 25 zone, so I have no personal animus toward police traffic enforcement or cops in general.

However, when I see statements that start with the phrase: 'If you don't do anything wrong..." I cringe a bit. Based on my own youthful experiences and those of many of our members that have related them here, police - especially the 'local' police - tend to notice - and focus attention - on young guys with loud or fast cars (or both).

Since there are a few hundred (or thousand) traffic laws, a determined, hard-assed cop can give you a ticket for just about anything, like 'unsafe start' or 'illegal lane change' and it's going to be his word against yours. Guess who wins?

I have a black aquaintance who gets stopped a few times a year for 'DWB' - Driving While Black - as he calls it. Some cop hassles him for a crooked license plate or some other bogus 'violation' and he strongly suspects that his race has something to do with it. This is a guy in his 30's, a suit and tie type who drives econocars, not a Mustang or a 'pimpmobile'. I think he's on to something, here.

I only mention this because it highlights my point about being stopped for 'nothing' and simply not breaking any laws doesn't automatically protect anyone from police harrassment.

I agree that a snotty attitude will almost guarantee a ticket during any traffic stop but I maintain that young guys in performance cars - like Mustangs - are often 'targeted' - no matter how well they obey the traffic laws. I believe this is simply police prejudice, possibly based on experience, possibly just handed-down bias from other cops.

So while your experience and even my experience with police and ticketing may be mostly positive, to assume that if you're a 'good boy' nothing bad can happen to you at the hands of traffic police is just, well, naive.

The real world isn't quite that simple or that kind and while obeying the law is certainly a good idea, it doesn't guarantee you won't be hassled for other reasons, including the car you drive, by traffic cops.

Cops are people. There are good ones and there are bad ones just like any profession. Being a cop you have more power than the average person and are able to really screw someone over if you want. Saying that if your not doing anything wrong you have nothing wrong seems really bogus to me.

When I flipped my Corvette into an irrigation ditch I was sited for driving to fast for the conditions. It had been raining and the roads were wet, but I was going below the speed limit on the highway and I had three witnesses that said I was not speeding or doing anything wrong, I was just on a very slick road in dry confitions and when it rained I had bad luck and my back end slid out on me while I was braking. The cop didn't want to give me a ticket, but while he was using the bathroom at my parents house and talking to his superior officer on his phone, his superior told him he had to give me a ticket because I got in an accident. The cop told me to go to court and they would throw out the ticket he was very cool about it.

I went to court and the DA's assistant saw me and told me I should have just paid my fine and not gone to court because its never going to help to go to court. You are just going to pay more court fees and he is not going to lower or drop the ticket. I tried to explain the what happened and how the witnesses saw it and he wouldn't talk to me or listen to me. I could tell he pissed he was there and just wanted to get rid of me. He wasn't a cop, but it shows what people in a position of power can do and how they are able to abuse their power. I even told the Da guy what the cop said and how he thought I shouldn't get a ticket. He said that really pisses him off when cops go beyond their duties and try try to decide what the law should be, while at the same time he was doing the exact same thing. It was so frustrating!!!

I have heard many stories from friends and relatives about cops doing the same sort of thing this da guy did. My mom got a ticket for the same thing unit was talking about, driving on the shoulder for about ten feet to get in the turn lane. Tell me how that deserves a ticket?

Mr 5.0 - I agree with what you are saying, and I realize that some cops can take advantage of their positions and cite individuals for whatever they want.

However, I don't agree that cops can go into court and say whatever they want, and the judge will believe them over the defendant (just look at the OJ trial). Also, with the ACLU, I bet your DWB friend could make some good money from "illegal" pull-overs - ...if he isn't doing anything wrong in the first place...

Well, the OJ thing is kinda a bad example:p He had a team of lawyers. Haha, something that I, unfortunately do not have!:rolleyes: But you both have valid points!

Haha, I did the same thing last week. I slid sideways onto a main street, right in front of a statie. I waved, he waved back, and I was on my way. :D

I was on a rural road by my house last Friday where I thought the speed limit was 55. I spotted two sheriffs coming the opposite direction so I slowed down, but when I passed them one of them made a fast u-turn. When I saw that I just pulled over on to the shoulder and waited. The guy didn't even need to turn on his lights. He took my license and asked me for my proof of insurance. I gave him the license but couldn't find the insurance card. He asked me what I thought the speed limit was, he corrected me and told me it was 50 and that I was going 67. He told me about his concern for my speed and I apologized before he headed back to his car for the 5 second lookup of my record and the obligatory 15 minute break to work on his crossword puzzle. :) He came back and told me that he was just giving me a ticket for not having my proof of insurance which isn't really a ticket at all if I am truly insured.

They did the same kind of thing for my wife who was speeding on the same road. We didn't put the new stickers on yet since the weather was still pretty crappy so he gave her a fix-it ticket for that.

My experience is that cops can be pretty cool if you're cool to them. It might also help to have a minor infraction that they can ticket you for instead of the moving violation, as well. I'm not sure about that one, though, so don't blame it on me if it doesn't work. :)

I was in my Mustang, of course, and my wife was in the Mountaineer.

Do you and Kell live in opposite corners of the state? After reading your reply, and several of his, I have come to the conclusion that there must be two Minnesota's out there. Which ever one it is that has the governor who stole his name from our fair city, tell him we want it back!

Take care,
-Chris

Kell and I are practically in the same neighborhood, though I've never met him. There aren't two Minnesotas, just two different Minnesotans. :D I have more problems with Wisconsin cops. I HATE Wisconsin.

That's pretty much what I always figured, but he is pretty convincing!

Hmmmmm. I'll have to remember that.

BTW, PACKERS RULE!!!

Take care,
-Chris

There is only one Minnesota. Rogers is on the very outskirts of the metro. I don't think they even have their own police force anymore do they?

I believe the Sheriff's patrol Rogers now as the acting police force. I could be wrong, as there were a lot of people opposed to the idea of having no local police to respond to problems? Same state, same general area, but way different police forces. Champlin is hard core, Brooklyn Park is actually a good force. They do little of the speed trap junk. I've certainly noticed a dramatic cut back in the number of cars pulled over again. There was a point where they were giving out a lot of tickets, but the public probably complained? The Sheriff's are pretty cool around here, actually. I've been pulled over a couple times and gotten off with nothing more than a warning. The local cops on the other hand....

Cities to avoid

Champlin
Anoka
Plymouth
Golden Valley
New Brighton
St. Anthony
New Hope
Minnetonka
Maple Grove
Columbia Heights

I've seen WAY more people pulled over in those area's than others. I don't get out to the east side of the Metro much, nor do I get up north a whole lot, but watch it in town St. Cloud, they'll bust you for anything.

Hey jimberg, you must be loving the expansion of Maple Grove, huh? I always drive a few extra miles to get out there. Even the Wal Mart is nice.