Cops: tricks of the trade

[jimberg]

6. Tell me your speedo is wrong because of the tires, gear, or other mods you added. You then also got a ticket for defective equipment.

I've actually gotten off with a variation of this. I didn't say it was off, I said I wonder if it is off because I just put in a new transmission and got done rebuilding my car. He looked at my unpainted hood and believed me I guess. Told me how much I was over and moved on.

Another time I got pulled over for speeding (75 in a 55) and I wasn't wearing my seatbelt. I tried to slip it on without him seeing but he saw. I explained that I just got a new job and was so excited when I was telling my wife about it on the phone that I didn't realize how fast I was going. He just wrote me up for the seatbelt.

Whenever I've been pulled over, I just have my license ready, hands in site and window down when they get to the door and just answer whatever question they ask without volunteering anything.

I was also pulled over once for too loud of an exhaust. I know my exhaust was legal and I know I wasn't speeding since my seat was broken and I was concentrating on not falling backwards. When he told me about my exhaust, I just asked him what statute I was violating so I could look it up and verify that I am in compliance or not. He couldn't name it, so I figured he thought I was thief or something. Another clue was that he had his hand on his gun and approached from the passenger side on top of a little knoll. My top was down.

I didn't get a ticket there, either.

I have had my share of tickets though. Mostly for doing 75 in 55s. My worst was 96 in a 65 in Wisconsin.