Pulled over for doing the speedlimit!

Yeah get him and his whole family. He deserves to go to jail. What a dirt bag cop! How dare he like a car and use his job just to get a closer look at it, then have the nerve to apologize and ask for forgiveness for stopping the OP in the first place. I say no mercy. Finish his life for him. He is a Rapist as ojbj so obviously pointed out. If any of us have a daughter this guy is an obvious predator and needs to be put away for life. ojbj knows for a fact if he would do this then he will stop pretty young girls. He could have atleast just made up an excuse for stopping the OP instead of being honest about stopping the vehicle without any reasonable suspicion. He is just scum! What is this world coming to when a cop is so honest he admits he is doing something improper instead of just lying about it and claiming he had a legitimate reason for the stop.

I think a lot of officers have done things which were not a very good idea but come on does this rank up there with Rodney King for some of you. I think I might be able to get over it if I was stopped because of my car. I don't excuse the stop but I sure don't think it rises to the level of fire him or claiming he is going to get our daughters.

 

hey, at least he didn't shoot the op and his wife

 

Suppose he pulled you over for no reason and walked up and saw a joint in the ashtray. Could he do anything?

If the answer is "no", what if he saw a severed hand in the floorboard?

 

I've been pulled over by a cop who was a real dink and wrote me up for every little thing. It all got dismissed in court from a friendly judge - cop was not happy.


I've also been pulled over by cops for doing something wrong, and the cops were really cool. I ran a red light once in my Viper (well, I was probably just over the line when it went red). Cop wanted to check out the car, I let him sit in it, talked cars for a while. I have friends who are cops, they almost always like cars, bikes, etc.

I'd probably be nervous when he first lit me up, but after I realized he wanted to take a closer look, I'd be cool with it. The "he used his job for personal gain" is really a non-issue. The cop could have been a dink (like the first one I mentioned) and pulled you because you 'swerved' or because he thought you were not belted up, etc. He didn't do that... he was cool about it. Who hasn't used their job once in a while to get a little perk? I get free money orders and wire transfers because my mom works in a bank. I give free shipping on orders to LEO's and active duty military, so I give them perks too.

In the grand scheme of things, the majority of cops are cool, reasonable and "car guys" and it's just good nature and good courtesy to be friendly with them. Like I said, the guy could have pulled you over for any number of reasons when it was really just to look at the car... at least he was honest.

File a complaint? Get him in trouble? Jeez... I think some folks need to take a breather on this topic.

 

Easy fix. Don't ever have a car registered in your name or to your home address. Don't ever have your home address on your DL.


JSL, I think you handled it well. No harm, no foul and an enthusiast comes away with a neat experience.

 

Many Cops are cars guys. I know of a couple in our club. Many of the local police are also car guys. If I am showing respect to the community by obeying the laws here they usually are pretty understanding when we do "stretch it" a little. If they want to stop and chat, get a closer look, great! Nothing wrong with maintaining a good relationship with the authorities.
As far as the concern about misuse of authority because he used his lights to pull you over, what should he have done, wave his hanky at you out the side window? Good grief!

 

OR you could be nice and happy that you didnt get a ticket. isnt it obvious that the young police guy likes Lamborghini's and just wanted to take a closer look? If I where in the same situation, i'd be happy to show the guy around.

 

In Montana that's just cruizin. I remember many a GOOD drives in Montana. Just remember, elk and deer know nothing of Fcars.

 

He didn't walk over, while the car was parked, as an enthusiast would at a car show. He pulled the driver over, lights and all, as if he was a criminal. He effected a full blown motor vehicle stop, which is a quasi arrest. (The supreme court has ruled that when you are pulled over, you are under "quasi arrest," I am not just using big, legal-sounding words). Then he explained that the driver was actually not a criminal, he was simply wanting to take a look. This is complete abuse of authority. It is also illegal.

Now, I would love to be able to do illegal things and then just get out of them by saying "Sorry, man...".

I can't believe that a cop on this board would ask us what we would expect instead. Lol. How about, being allowed to go about my own business? How about the cop waiting for the correct opportunity, which would be at a car show or meet or drive. How about the cop accepting that while it may have been an "amazing car", he was just powerless and could not abuse his authority to pull someone over for no reason.

The cop could also have pulled up next to the car at a stop sign or traffic light, rolled down his window, given a smile and a thumbs up, and asked if the driver had a few minutes to chat about the car, since he just loved it and had never seen one and would love to ask a couple of questions, if it was ok, and apologies in advance if he was being too forward. That would have been basic courtesy, and I am 100% sure that the driver would have gladly obliged.

As it is, it was an illegal abuse of authority. No matter how you cut it and no matter how much you want to kiss cops' asses and no matter how much cops expect you to kiss their asses.

Ask any REASONABLE cop, and he would say exactly the same thing. I did so this morning. 8 different cops. Same response. They could not believe that he turned his lights on and pulled him over just for a look/chat. It was completely illegal.

 

Unbelievable.

And I am referring to most of the responses.

Most car guys think only of police when we are driving. We don't think about them responding to a "real" call. Be it domestic violence, drugs, robbery, etc. I have two daughters. And you better believe I am pleased to have police, because I hope to keep them safe. Heaven forbid I might have to be delayed or pay a fine because I was breaking the law for my own entertainment (speeding), how dare those pesky bastards interfere with me! They should be off getting shot at or wrestling drunks.

Here you have a young guy who is probably new to a job where he is in harms way for your benefit and gets paid next to nothing for the honor, he is a car guy, and people want to string him up for what would be the equivalent of putting his toe on the line. Sheesh.

My hat's off to the original poster for being a good guy. And to Robbie as well as any others who risk their lives for the rest of us. Have a safe New Year and beyond.

 

Like the OP said, he could have written up for any number of things. Was he? No. So its a draw. No harm, no foul.


I consider myself REASONABLE... see what I posted about the situation. http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=138301313&postcount=20

ask those same 8 cops if they have ever done anything similar (not necessarily pulling someone over, but along the same scheme)... and make them be honest...I bet you will get 8 "yes" answers.

 

interested in this as well.

 

I think the officer would think of something like:

1. no front plate
2. driving was erratic
3. noticed oil smoke from engine

as reasons for the stop.

 

The answer is that a traffic stop without probable cause to believe that a crime or a traffic infraction has been committed is a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution and a violation of Article 1 Section 7 of the Washington State Constitution which provides greater privacy protections. (for those in the NW). The stop is illegal and any subsequent evidence would necessarily be suppressed (not admissible as evidence) as "fruit of the poisonous tree." So the answer would be that you would not be convicted of any crime where evidence of such crime was found upon the cop looking into your car - but you would have had to hire an attorney to the tune of several thousand dollars and run the risk of a lower court judge not granting your motion to suppress - a trial - an appeal and several years and many more thousands of dollars trying to get out of it.

It is not a question of whether to be nice of an officer. Like the guy above said, if the cop asks to take a look at a stop sign, I would certainly take some time to show the car and be nice. However, it is a vastly different thing when the officer uses his authority as an state law enforcement officer to "seize" you. It just happens to be a reason we have a great country - that we cannot be disturbed in our private affairs whether it be our homes or automobiles just because an officer wants to take a look. That doesn't mean you need to get the guy fired, but I would have made it clear to him that he should not use a "show of authority" to stop someone to talk cars. And then I would have answered his questions and rest of the things you do when you have someone that is interested in your car.

 

Just be happy he didn't taser you..........

 

lol I am not sure how many will know what you are referring to but it was well timed for me.

 

Even that is an abuse of authority. Would you do that for anybody? I doubt it.

I'd be cheesed if the guy lit me up like that. Probably not enough to rat him out, but I might send a letter or email to the PD and ask them to remind the officers that it is not okay to pull people over because you think their car is neat-o.

 

Do you not? It is perfectlly plausible. Believe it or not, not all cops are mini-versions of Hitler. Try it, next time you get pulled over be nice and you might find that next time you're pulled over for actually doing a 'crime' (speeding lightly), he'll let you off.

I lived in a small town when i was in england, and joined the local rugby team. in total there where 5 cops on the team, including one detective who i am good mates with. I coudl get away with quite a few things *(nothing extreme, offcourse)

 

A newbie with 10 posts and responses like this? Rob, where do you find these people? I'll send ya $20 to ban this one now, he will be really fun to deal with after a few months------

 

Robbie your complacent attitude on this is appaulling. This is not some small incident of a young cop who stopped someone without any reasonable suspicion and admitted exactly that. Little things like cops protecting drug dealers are understandable, but this is simply inexcusable. I for one am glad that people have zero tolerance for these overbearing, power hungry wannabe dictators. This is not something where we should tell the officer hey I hope you don't do this again because it is illegal to make a stop without reasonable suspicion. No, we as a society need to crucify him immediately. Talk about abuse of power. This is not like taking a bribe or assaulting an innocent person. This is a cop who feels like he can just stop people because he wants to look at their car or God forbid talk to them. Oh and he has a little girl fetish as confirmed by ojbj. I don't think reprimand is enough, no the death penalty is appropriate and I volunteer to pull the switch. I hope this will solve some posters concerns about this simply inexcusable act of aggression by our younger overly-aggressive and curious members of LE. What a sick B_______ that cop must be. Now lets get the gang together and go lynch this cop.

 

It strikes me as an abuse of power. I wouldn't appreciate being stalked repeatedly as the OP mentioned, then being pulled over as if I had done something wrong. However, if I were in that situation I would look at it as an opportunity to make a new friend on the force, rather than try to get the guy in trouble and make a bunch of enemies! Unfortunately, I drive a lowly 308 and nobody thinks it's cool enough to pull me over "just for a look."

Birdman