Yes, and ai had a friend fucked over bad for allowing the search. He lives in Nevada, where in some areas you can buy firecrackers. Had a small package in his truck, forgot about it, was pulled over in another state, they asked to seach, he said OK, they found the firecrackers. They then put him in handcuffs and had his car impounded!
Yes, they reduced the charges to a infraction and a small fine, but he had to go through all the BS of getting his car back, paying bail and what not. Cost him 2 days and $1500. And, this guy is 100% stand up straight-arrow, too. What he had was 100% legal where he lived, but anyone can forget.
Don’t be stupid, say “NO”. If they ask why, say something like “My father/uncle/grandfather fought in WWII and lost his arm fighting for my right to refuse such a search and I feel it’d be dishonouring his memory to allow it” or something.
Hate to admit it, but I have to agree as well. If they’re smart enough to know their rights, they’re smart enough to keep their mouth shut.
Actually, that’s one of the more aggravating parts of my job; someone screaming “they can’t do that! I know my rights!” Then I get to explain what those rights actually are.
“The right to remain silent” can be quoted by so many and is so rarely exercised.
Many years ago in my impetuous youth phase I was travelling oh so safely home in my old rusting pickup late one evening when I was stopped for a taillight that was no longer emitting photons as required by law. After a brief interview the law enforcement officer stated his belief that I had partaked in in beverages of an alcoholic nature, and inquired if indeed I had.
I didn’t say yes, I didn’t say no, I didn’t say a damn thing… for two whole minutes. I kept a pleasant smile on my face.
Eventually the officer bid me a good night, suggested I drive safely home, and rode 10" off my butt the 1.3 miles back to my apartment. I drove well. I probably would have passed a test, but who wants to go through all that?
FWIW - about 6 months later I was driving home and the same officer was hung up in a median after a dubious attempt to turn around after a speeder (about a 1/4 mile from where he had pulled me over.) My samesaid rusty 1983 Toyota and a towstrap got him on his way 5 minutes later, happy that he didn’t have to write the report on his ‘accident.’ We chatted and he remembered our earlier encounter and we both laughed about it - and he mentioned I was one of very very few who really understood what the right to remain silent was all about…
Indeed, several of my friends are lawers, one is a Judge. They all agreed- once the Police read you your rights, you have only two things to say “I want to speak to my/a attorney” and “Am I free to go?”.
I’m confused, gonzomax. Why would you have to provide 40 hours of community service AFTER your wife showed that she made good on the check? I would have thought that the court would have released you with no further punishment. :dubious:
Up here in Dirty Jersey, when I used to work with Federal law enforcement folks, it was a routine practice called “fishing.” The boys (and girls, when there were any) would generally already be in an area with reason for suspicion (like near a target’s house or place of business) and would check out anybody who was passing through. Don’t know if the Feds have different probable cause standards, but I doubt it.
because he still had violated the law: the plates were expired at the time the police pulled him over. The fact that the wife later made good by writing a valid check and correctly paying the fees may have mitigated the punishment, but the law had still been broken.
Just because the sticker says the plate is valid doesn’t mean it is. Lots of states suspend registration for things like unpaid fines and such. An officer needs no reason or probable cause whatsoever to run a 28. I do it all the time.
Sad fact, some police carry things in their pockets to find during searches.
If I know the officer, I would let them but by the same token, an officer who knew me would not bother to ask.
Funny story: Officer had a new guy along one night and they fell in behind me and a friend as we rode our choppers down the street looking like we had just done something we should not have. They pulled up close and the spot hit our colors and they got a good look at who it was. All I knew at the time was that the patrol car turned off and did not stop us. Later in telling me about it, my friend was having a good time telling me about the excited new guy and how disappointed he was when my friend said it was a waste of time stopping us as we were on the way to an AA meeting. That we had legal tags, licenses and everything. We only looked like trouble but were just harmless bikers.
Then there was the time my passenger, who only had a pink passport for ID and looked like
Sonny Crockett on crank with no socks pulled into my credit union not knowing it had been robbed the day before just before opening time. Yes, it was the same time of morning. We had a ball.
Just curiosity, if a police officer runs your tags, is there some record of this? Would the computer pop up that the tag number in question had last been checked at 11:52 A.M. on May 6, or anything like that?
Along this line, I have had people razor blade off my tag I presume so they could glue it on their plate and look legal.
So if the cops were following me, and ran my “expired” tag it would show legal. (I have been stopped for exactly this BTW)
If a cop followed the other guy and ran his plate, he would be in a world of shit. (criminal charges here in California)
Wow. 3 cops out of over 650,000 in the U.S… Yes sir, it happens all the time. :rolleyes:
Not on the system we use, but I’m sure it’d be easy to program. The memory of each unit can be scanned for all activity though. But if I punch in a plate and someone else did the same plate before it won’t tell me. The system in the dispatch center will, but not the mobile unit.
One thing no one has mentioned is that the plates/ tags on your car, in a way, don’t belong to you, they simply identify you & your car. Think of your plate as an icon on your computer. The plate is just a reference to the information available on you and your car. Having that data current, compliant and accessible is the price you pay for the privilege of operating a motor vehicle.
Yeah, what were you thinking MEBuckner? I mean, he did only ask you to support the claim that some cops did it. And you did that. But clearly you should have supported the stronger claim which no one made that it happens all the time.
(I, for one, am glad that we caught the only 3 cops that have ever done this. That problem is solved. Next problem).
