I am dense too. Simple question: Why all the winking and codespeak if the bodycam was off?
mmm
You’d think turning off the cam would be a red flag for anyone reviewing his footage.
What’s to keep OP from making a complaint that he turned off his camera to offer to not tow the car in exchange for a bj?
If he did what is being reported, he’s effing stupid.
Besides, everybody knows you only turn off your body cam to plant evidence duuuuuhhhh.
Over the 20 years I lived in So Cal I was pulled over and cited exactly zero times. I’ve been in NJ 10 years and have been pulled over eight times and ticketed four times. None of these tix have been for a moving violation and three were outright dismissed in traffic court (including the license plate ticket). I paid the fourth ticket for a broken license plate light - I didn’t know it was out, so fair enough.
So either I suddenly became an evil, middle-aged scofflaw when I moved here or cops are extremely ticket-oriented.
One possibility is that we live on the border of Trenton, a violent and drug-filled area. Maybe I’m driving a type of car associated with drug running and cops find reasons to pull me over so they can check out the car? It’s odd that none of the citations have been for moving violations.
Just wanna say I’m not anti-cop, other encounters with area police have been very positive and I’ve seen them do some brave things in dangerous situations, including chasing a drunk driver who hit and ran my parked car.
What if the “customer’s” bodycam was on?
Although this may sound more like paranoia than reality, I can say from personal experience that this tactic – letting the perp go so he can be nailed for a greater violation later – is actually used. It was tried against me.
I’m not comfortable with cops deciding they can turn their bodycams off during a traffic stop. It’s bound to be abused in a variety of ways, and I suspect that the largess won’t be distributed in a uniform manner.
If a town has 50 officers with cameras, wouldn’t it need 10 people (just a guess) to go through all the footage? Nobody has the time or money to hire enough people to watch and catalog all of it. I always figured that body camera footage was filed away; if there’s an injury, a major crime, or an allegation of malfeasance, they can see what happened, but nobody watches it all routinely.
Unless I’m wrong. Maybe the town where this happened has been accused of racial profiling or something. There could be somebody reviewing their traffic stops to look for patterns or indications of bias. By letting Jennshark go on the Q.T., maybe that’s a way of letting her slide in a way that won’t show up in their stats.
Just speculating, there. But why would an officer want to conceal that he was being too nice, and why only from the camera?
Well, I kind of expect an officer to turn the camera off when he goes to the bathroom, or something. We should design them so the only way to turn them off is to put a bright, fluorescent blue cover on them. Still gives the officer some privacy, but it would be clear when they were, and weren’t recording. Catch someone too many times with their camera disabled when it shouldn’t be, and that goes on the officer’s record.
I lived in Washington, a two plate state. For 20+ years. Exactly zero percent of the time did I have a front plate. Never got hassled for it. I went a least a year here in California without a front plate without issue and only finally put it on because it was cheaper than fixing an unsightly park8ng lot bumper ding someone gifted me with.
Actually, I found the transition to “evil, middle-aged scofflaw” was a rather abrupt change. Perhaps you’re being too hard on the NJ cops. That said, you’ve probably become the patsy in some slick east coast criminalcop thing. You’re going to gaol, dude. Better call Saul!
Since you’re in Trenton and near the PA border; are you sure you aren’t simply seeing PA cars with a single license plate instead of NJ cars. The overwhelming majority of cars in 2 plate states do in fact have two license plates.
I once had my car towed because it had an expired registration and I didn’t have the current insurance card. When I was able to get it out of the impound lot a week or so later my GPS unit (this was about 10 years before GPS unit were ubiquitous) had been reset to factory defaults. I couldn’t get rid of that car fast enough because I’m still creeped out about what happened in that car that caused the GPS to be reset. I always assumed one of the lot attendants borrowed the GPS and then realized they needed to clear the history before I noticed.
I’ve lived in NJ for more than 20 years, and some of those were pretty close to Trenton. Right now, one of my neighbors doesn’t have front plates (he has two Teslas, one big, one small, and they don’t seem to have those holes drilled), and I think it’s the only time I’ve notice NJ drivers without front plates. It’s so odd seeing their cars without them that I notice it every time.
I have no idea what the OP is on about – not having a front plate in NJ is very, very unusual IMHumbleO (and HonestO as well).
When you see cars without front plates, I expect to see PA license plates in the back.
Were these Trenton cops? (I am in Trenton) Just curious.
I’ve had this happen a few times as a young, white man. Infuriating. I want to say “I’m speaking to you respectfully, please show me the same respect,” but I’m sure it would end with him “smelling marijuana” and every one of my possessions getting peed on by a K9 unit.
Further to this, I don’t mean to imply that my whiteness entitles me to different treatment, just providing my demographic for colour (ha!) to the story.
Yup! He pulled me over on Prospect (right off Olden), I was on the way to the car wash. I live in Ewing, right off Pennington – pro tip: don’t ever, ever, ever go over 40mph in the area. The Ewing cops have some crafty hiding places and they basically pick off speeding TCNJ students left and right 
Y’know, that you say it, maybe I have turned evil and not realized it yet. Watch for my Law & Order episode, coming this fall 
Haha, I don’t! I am familiar with that area. I live on the other side of Olden, South Olden, near Chambersburg. I work for Princeton University. Saw that you are an academic in another thread. I’m an admin. 
RE: Front plate
In Nevada, I heard (but never personally verified 
) the law is you need a front plate unless the vehicle doesn’t have a mounting location, or bracket.
Not wanting a front plate, I simply removed the bracket.
Hmm. I wouldn’t take such a risk just because I heard something. Whoever told you that was close, but no cigar:
I love the look of a sports car’s nose without a plate, so I took my front bracket off, and usually successfully reasoned my way out of a ticket for it… but of course, that was after I’d gotten pulled over. And it often took a long time to run my plates (and whatever else cops do)…
So even if it’s legal, it can make you late on a regular basis.
Now I have both plates on, and try not to look at the front of my car.
Very cool! I lived in the West Ward near Cadwalader Park when I first moved to NJ. Unfortunately the neighborhood became increasingly dangerous and I was living alone. I sold that house and moved a whole two miles away to Ewing.
It’s so frustrating that parts of Trenton are troubled, I loved my house and neighbors but after the second shooting on my street I gave up. So many gorgeous homes, buildings, parks, and people here – it’s fucking shameful.