Just wow.

[Tangerine]

So what is the big deal then?

No offense but if there was no tag and no proof of insurance then he should have been given the riot act.

He should be read the riot act for something he could not have possibly had in his possession given the circumstances? They had just purchased the car and it was after normal business hours. It would be physically impossible to have obtained those things, yet by law it was perfectly legal for him to be driving the car. So why exactly should the police be chastising him? What had he done wrong? What should he have done differently.

I agree with Fred. Overzealous, asshole cop. And I'm sorry, Natasha, but this was not "doing her job." Her job is to protect and serve. She was doing neither. It was correct of her to pull the driver over. Once she discovered the circumstances, the right thing to do would have been to say "Alright... be sure you get your paperwork straight as soon as you possibly can and have a nice day." Nothing more was needed.

 

[AUFred]

He should be read the riot act for something he could not have possibly had in his possession given the circumstances? They had just purchased the car and it was after normal business hours. It would be physically impossible to have obtained those things, yet by law it was perfectly legal for him to be driving the car. So why exactly should the police be chastising him? What had he done wrong? What should he have done differently.

I agree with Fred. Overzealous, asshole cop. And I'm sorry, Natasha, but this was not "doing her job." Her job is to protect and serve. She was doing neither. It was correct of her to pull the driver over. Once she discovered the circumstances, the right thing to do would have been to say "Alright... be sure you get your paperwork straight as soon as you possibly can and have a nice day." Nothing more was needed.

That was my point, after a long and weary day my son was excited to have a "new" car after driving the same vehicle for 5 years. He was made to feel like he had committed some great offense when he was a victim of uncontrollable circumstances. Of course for me since I live in Alabama and see cars daily without tags or which really should not be on the road at all it feels unfair. Add to that my family has had the great experience of having accidents where the other drivers had no insurance even though it is a requirement in Alabama. Overzealous cops are one of my pet peeves anyway. A little power trip because of a little authority.

 

[retro]

People are way too damn quick to defend LEOs.

 

[Johnfromokc]

People are way too damn quick to defend LEOs.

WTF? Agreement with Retro twice in one thread?

 

[AUFred]

Learned a new term. Thanks Retro. and yeah. Most cops around here if they were not standing behind a badge would have trouble staying from behind bars. metal or drinking type.

 

[HK]

I'm just curious having read this whole thread now, what is the exact issue with police doing searches?


Is there a suspicion that they might plant drugs or something? Or is it that they're wasting time for no good reason?


I've never been stopped so I haven't had this experience. I can see why, if I were in a rush, it'd be a pain, but there is an actual danger in there somewhere as well? Beyond the whole issue of whether they have the right to or not.

 

[AUFred]

If you voluntarily allow them to search your vehicle they will take as long as they like. If they find anything illegal you can be charged and on more than a few occasions there have been stories of cops planting drugs and such. In college I studied criminal justice we were instructed to never agree to a car search.

 

[Pumpkin]

I am so pissed off right now. I took my son car shopping today. We looked at several cars and he drove a couple. We found one we liked this afternoon and after playing all the games and getting it looked over by a mechanic we finished the purchase a little after 5 pm. Drove to my wife's parents to show it to them, went to dinner and came home. My son moved stuff from his truck to his "new" car and drove into town to meet a friend. He got pulled over by a cop for no tag and she reamed him out about not having proof of insurance on the car he was driving. Knowing there are piece of crap cars driving all over Alabama without tags or insurance but they want to pick on my son who will follow the letter of the law no matter what really angers me. I see vehicles on the road every day which are not street legal but he catches a policewoman with an attitude.

She was doing her job, I don't see the big deal. As for the part I put in bold...You may know this about your son but she doesn't.

 

[AUFred]

She was doing her job, I don't see the big deal. As for the part I put in bold...You may know this about your son but she doesn't.

I totally understand the pulling over for no tag. All about attitude after that.

 

[Pumpkin]

I totally understand the pulling over for no tag. All about attitude after that.

Some people just have bad attitudes, not much you can do about it. Best not to let it get to you.

 

[Kyle B]

Some people just have bad attitudes, not much you can do about it. Best not to let it get to you.

It's a lot more than that. If you get pulled over by a cop who has an attitude and is out to find something, yet you don't know your rights, you can find yourself in hot water.

 

[Alien Allen]

every state has different laws. I am pretty sure in MI you have to be in possession of insurance and a temp tag before driving the car. Somebody asked what do you do if you buy a car privately. Pretty simple.....

1. Pay for the car

2. Secure the title from the owner

3. Get proof of insurance

4. Go to secretary of state and purchase plates


Is it a pain in the butt. Yup but it is doable. There never is a legitimate excuse to be without a plate and insurance. Under the letter of the law.

Does not mean I agree with it but that is the law. If you want to gamble on waiting til the next day then you take that risk of getting caught.

 

[redliner]

After reading some different threads and hearing alot of negitive comments I am glad I live in Canada. American is messed up.

 

[Tim]

Your Rights During a Traffic Stop. Top Five (5) Things to Know About Protecting Yourself from the Police:
​

#1 - Safety. The first thing is your safety! You want to put the police officer at ease. Pull over to a safe place, turn off your ignition, stay in the car and keep your hands on the steering wheel. At night turn on the interior lights. Keep your license, registration, and proof of insurance always close by. Build a trust with the police officer be a "good citizen" be courteous, stay calm, smile and don't complain. Show respect and say things like "sir and no sir." Never bad-mouth a police officer, stay in control of your words, body language and your emotions. Never touch a police officer and don't run away!
#2 - Never Talk To A Police Officer. The only questions you need to answer is your name, address and date of birth and nothing else! Instead of telling the police officer who you are, simply give him your drivers license or I.D. card. All the information the police officer needs to know about you can be found on your drivers license. Don't volunteer any more information to the police officer, if he ask you any other questions politely say "Am I free to go?" and then don't say another word.

#3 - I'm Going to Remain Silent. The Supreme Court has made a new ruling that you should Never Talk to a Police Officer without an attorney, but there's a CATCH! New Ruling Before you're allowed NOT to talk to a police officer, you must TELL the police officer "I'm Going to Remain Silent" and then keep your mouth shut! (How can you be falsely accused and charged if you don't say anything?) Anything you say or do can and will be used against you at any time by the police. #4 - Just Say NO to Police Searches! If a police officer didn't need your permission to search, he wouldn't be asking. Never give permission to a police officer to search you, your car or your home. If a police officer does search you, don't resist and keep saying "I don't consent to this search."

#5 - "Am I Free to Go?" As soon as the police officer ask you a question ask him "Am I free to go?" You have to ask if you're "free to go," otherwise the police officer will think you are [FONT=Georgia,Times New Roman][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman]voluntarily staying. [/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]If the police officer says that you're are being detained or arrested, say to the police officer"I'm Going to Remain Silent"​

[FONT=Georgia, TimesNew Roman][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Anything You Say Can And Will Be Used Against You![/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]​

 

[redliner]

So you guys have rules about being a douche bag to police. Excellent.

 

[Aeval]

It does seem like guilty until proven innocent. I've seen cops do some pretty shitty stuff and I should be negative towards them, but I'm with redliner...if you have nothing to hide, why make a situation worse? I don't agree with them randomly searching your car, but in all seriousness...how often does it happen? How many here have been stopped and have been asked to have their car searched?

 

[HK]

It's sad that there actually guidelines on how to 'protect yourself' from the police.


I'm aware that not all cops are angels but wow.

 

[Tim]

It's sad that there actually guidelines on how to 'protect yourself' from the police.


I'm aware that not all cops are angels but wow.

Everything you say will be used against you in a court of law. Most people will incriminate themselves when talking to the police, it's what they are trained to do.
The police will lie to you to trick you into incriminating yourself, yet citizens are not allowed to lie to the police.
If you don't want to get arrested for something you didn't do, then exercise your rights.

You have basic rights and you are an idiot if you don't use them. That article only shows you how to exercise them properly.

 

[Aeval]

But incriminate yourself against what? If I'm randomly pulled over they're not going to target me for drug trafficking or murder....they're doing their job.

Everything is so over-scrutinized these days.

 

[Johnfromokc]

It does seem like guilty until proven innocent. I've seen cops do some pretty shitty stuff and I should be negative towards them, but I'm with redliner...if you have nothing to hide, why make a situation worse? I don't agree with them randomly searching your car, but in all seriousness...how often does it happen? How many here have been stopped and have been asked to have their car searched?

I see motorists DAILY on I-35 north of Oklahoma City pulled over by the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Department being searched. Travellers with all their luggage pulled out onto the side of the highway while the cops fish through their vehicles. Rarely do you ever read or hear about an actual drug bust on the news, so it is evident they are fishing and essentially harrassing motorists.

Go back a few posts and you'll see my daughters story of a cop asking to search her vehicle. She did exactly as I instructed her to do and the cop let her go without searching.

Yes, here in the United States, the land of alleged "freedom and liberty", law enforcement will violate your rights in a heartbeat if you are ignorant of them.

Cops plant drugs more often than is realized. Here's a recent police scandal in New York:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/14/nyregion/those-drugs-they-came-from-the-police.html

In two days on the witness stand at a trial of another officer now under way in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn, Mr. Anderson, who worked in elite units in Brooklyn and Queens, described how rules were trimmed, broken or ignored so that narcotics officers could make their monthly quotas of arrests or buys.

His testimony fundamentally recast a scandal that became public three years ago, when officers in Brooklyn were caught not vouchering all the drugs they seized as evidence. At the time, the authorities said the officers were using the surplus as rewards for information, with one law enforcement official describing it as “noble cause corruption.”

Mr. Anderson, however, testified that those spare drugs had other purposes: to plant on people when a narcotics officer needed a productivity boost.

As a result of investigations into the drug units, prosecutors in Brooklyn and Queens have dismissed about 400 criminal cases that they believe were tainted by the involvement of officers connected to the scandal.