Tuff Cop??????????

jwnge · Feb 17, 2005

Maybe I am wrong..Today my wife and I took a little trip. We decided to go to the Casino Near Green Bay, Wi. for lunch and some fun. The day was very nice and we had a nice lunch and lost our play money. We were on our way home and were following a hay truck which was moving slow and everyone was passing him. A pickup in front of me and myself started around the truck.. This is open country roads, 2 lane, and fairly well traveled. We both had plenty of room and so started around him. No yellow lines in either lane. not a no passing lane. Just as I was pulling back into my lane behind the Dakota in front of me, not following too close, On a side road to my left was a police car getting ready to pull out, I was watching him just to make sure we were back in line before he pulled out. We were in our lane before he started to pull out, but he immediately pulled over to the gravel on his side like we were going to hit him and as soon as the hay truck passed him, he did a donut and turned on the siren and red lights. Well I kept going just to see who he was after, the hay truck, me or the Dakota in front of me.. It was me he wanted, so I pulled over as soon as I could safetly. He pulled up behind and so while he was doing whatever they do before getting out, I got my liscense out and had it ready.. He approached my vehicle and asked if I knew why he had stopped me.. I said, not really, I may have been over the speed limit when passing the hay truck.. He said no, but for passing in an intersection. I said to him that there was no yellow no passing line and I was back in my lane before the intersection. No hostility or shouting, I am a pretty easy going guy. I honestly thought I would get a warning . He came back with a court date and a $195 fine. When he told me what It was, I said, you have to be kidding, not in a fit of rage, just like what? you have to be kidding. He immediately told me to shut up and put my hands on the steering wheel. I said, can't we talk, and he said one more word and you will be arrested and taken to jail. As he said this, he was backing down the side of the car and his hand went to his side. I was dumbfounded. My hands were in plain site on the top of the steering wheel. My wife was scared to death. She had ahold of my arm and was shaking. I can't describe how we felt at that moment, it was horrible. He then asked if I understood. I just looked at him and nodded my head, I didn't know what to do.. Believe me, I was not hostile or antaganistic in any way. My wife said after we drove away, she was afraid he was going to shoot me, I don't know, but something was not right here. I do think this young cop had a problem and I was the fix. I am not sure what I will do now, but I think it might require an attorney. I have had one speeding ticket in my 40 years of driving. If he had said you were speeding I would have taken it like a man, But.....so what do you think? I am still befuddled by his actions /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif.... JohnJ

_RaT_ · Feb 17, 2005

WoW, I am amazed at his actions as well. He has got to have a record of being a jackass. That sounds completely uncalled for based on your comments. I would like to hear his. I have to say, the CHP here in California have been exceptional to me and others I know. Incredibly professional and willing to cut you slack when it is warranted. Your Tuff Cop needs to quite and go get a job that does not deal with the public.

PS, my wifes a cop.

PineRidge · Feb 17, 2005

Sounds to me like he may have had the jitters himself. No fun being scared by the man.

I don't know the law in your state but I believe the law in Ohio prohibits passing within 150' of any intersection. Don't ask me how I know that......

DUMBDOG · Feb 17, 2005

If it were me, I would have a talk with the man's superiors. There is no reason for an attitude like that. Check out the law regarding passing by an interesection in your state. Then get an attorney and fight.

RobertN · Feb 17, 2005

1. Check the laws in your area. Maybe you were too close to the intersection when you finished passing? Was the intersection visible? Usually there is the double yellow line or a solid line near and intersection, but it may vary by state.

2. I'd write a letter to his superviser explaining your action, his reaction, and how it scared your wife too.

Maybe he was having a bad day, or just finished a difficult call. Still, as a Pro, he could have handled the situation better, based on what you describe...

thcri · Feb 17, 2005

I beleive in most states it is illegal to pass in an intersection. However, there is no reason for the cop to act the way he did. I think if you call his superiors there is a form for you to make a formal complaint. Have your wife sign it also. It won't get you out of the ticket but you will get him in trouble to some extent. Maybe not your complaint but if he acts the same way he did to you as all the others I would think with time he would loose his job. You never know, maybe at this time he is being watched from past complaints. But there may be another side if you do make a complaint you may be marking yourself for future tickets.

murph

Tractors4u · Feb 17, 2005

There are 2 things you need to do.

1. File the complaint with his shift supervisor or the police chief. Explain it as you have explained it here. Keep it reasonable and clear, don't tell them you pay their salary or anything that would hurt your credibility.

2. You have a court date. Prepare for it. Most likely the court date you have is for the plea. You will wait in the court in the courtroom until your name is called and when they call your name you will be asked how you plea. Tell them "not guilty". They will then give you a court date. If I were you I would go tomorrow and take pictures of that stretch of road. Show that there are no lines that prohibit passing. See if there are any "no passing"signs. Are there any signs indicating whether there is an intersection ahead. Do a "request for discovery" from the DA's office. Get a copy of the officer's tickets for that day. Was he on a rampage? You get the idea. Take your wife to court with you, she is your witness.

There is no guarantee that you will win, but there is no sense in forking out $195 when you done nothing wrong. There is a chance that the cop will lie and say that you were still in the passing lane and went through the intersection. You just have to hope for a reasonable judge.

Disclaimer: I am not an attorney but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Taylortractornut · Feb 17, 2005

Sounds like one of the Barney Fife types we have here. We have alot of good cops but theres a high percenage of that group that usethat job as a way of being able to tell others what to do. When I come home from the bar on the weekends My desginated driver gets harrassed about what are we doing out so late because the county is dry. I had an officer try to gve me a ticket last week in my work truck the spedometer quit in it and I was going through town behind a cop car. I figured hes doing the limit so ill stay a few lca lengths behid and be ok. Well Barney whooped around in the piggly wiggly parking lot and lit me up. He asked me why I was going that fast in a 25 mph zone. I told him I had just lost my speedometer and had been behind him figring he wouldt break the speed limit. Well he said he was doing 35 in a 25 and that made me illegal. I asked him how exaclty he knew that . I called the police chief and he made it better. The 2 incidents that really got me out of favor with the local law were just plain stupidity or maybe arrogance on the officers. A friend of mine owns a towing service and had a DUI call to get a conversion Van that the driver had left on the white line with the wheel turned to the right. He had a gorgeous white German Shepard and a little fiest dog in the van. The officers when we got there had been tapping on the windows and aggitating the dog to the point he had chewed the headrest off a seat. the next thing we knewthey were wanting to open the door to shoot the dog and then retrieve the vehicle. I spoke my mind about the combined brain poweer and that I would be a witness to a fellony destruction of private property in court. We got the dog calmed down and moved the van to the staion. Come to find out the man hadnt been DUI but was going into insulin shock and was trying to get to the hospital. The next incident happened to me comming home from the bar one night. I was comming home and had not been drinking as I hadnt found a driver that night. Well I spent 45 minutes there with my lady friend talking and we went our seperate ways. This is a 2 lane highway and I met a County car on the MS side of the line parked lights out and such. THere wasnt another car behind or in front of me or meeting me the next 5 miles then there was 2 pickups that were sitting side by side off on a county road wit hthe lights out. They both happend to be 2 of the jailers vehicles. Im about 6 more miles up the road and on the 25 bypass where its 4 laned and about 1/4 of a mile away a car has a spotlight on me from across the highway. He holds the light on my truck till we meet and he crosses the median and pauses then barrels tail up behindme for another 1/2 mile then lights me up. I had my liscens out on the dash already but when the officer gotto the truck he was a fellow I went to school with and thought well of. He told me I had been reported by a motorsit behind me that I was weaving and had crossed over from the stateline. I told him I did weave alittle bit but thats when he put that (*(*(* light on me from that distance away. I let him know that I didnt apreciate being lied to either that I was the only one on that road for 12 mles other than the 3 lawenforcement officers I met parked. He told me that what he was supposed to say. I let him have an all out tail chewing over the spot light and the dangers of it. I dont mean to knock the law here we have several professional officers here that make a great effort to fairly do their jobs. But a few have the Fife syndrome.

bgott · Feb 18, 2005

He probably had been up that side road at one of his fellow officer's house visiting his wife and needed to get a stop on the books to account for his time. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

wroughtn_harv · Feb 18, 2005

You need to have a conversation with the chief. I've found people aren't jerks one minute and perfect the next. If he was a jerk with you then chances are most likely he's a jerk with others. He needs to be trained to be more considerate of those who pay his salary and appreciate his services.

But if no one complains two bad things happen. He assumes what he's doing is okay and escalates his rudeness and inconsideration. Those he encounters get empirical evidence that their fears about cops are correct.

He was probably distracted and your coming out of nowhere shook him up. Being a rookie shook up is a scarey thing.

Do talk to the chief. And do write a letter about the incident for the officer's file. Everyone needs a wakeup call about how they're doing their job and their attitude towards their customers.

BTW I once got away with a speeding ticket because I over reacted to a CHP's approach. As he came up to the car he had his pistolever hand tucked up behind his back under his coat.

Both of my hands went intantly straight up almost through the roof. He motioned my hands down. "Not until I can see both of your hands" was my reply.

My wife and baby was with me. And it was cold outside. He was hand warming one oh one not approaching dangerous individual two oh two.

We both got a laugh out of it and I got a warning instead of a ticket.

Do write the letter. You might save his career.