The cops ?

At 0045 on May 3, 2014, I was pulled over by the Houston Police department in Kingwood, Texas. As soon as I saw the police lights, I looked at the speedometer and it said 37 mph and the speed limit is 40 mph. So, I pulled over, shut the car down, and put my hands on the steering wheel. The police officer walks to my door and asks, "Do you know why I pulled you over?" My response was no clue sir. He tells me that my rear driver side light is out. Well sir, it was working a couple weeks ago when I had my annual car inspection. (We are required to do safety and smog inspection every year in Texas!) He asks to see my license and registration. I comply. After a few minutes, he hands me back the license and insurance card. I'm free to go. I put the license and registration back in their place and get out of the car. I walk back to rear of my car and give the rear driver side light a "whack" with my hand. It comes on and I glance out at the cop and he is howling with laughter in his patrol car. I have a grin from ear to ear and I go home without a ticket. I know the cop is telling this story to his buddies and I decided to tell it in this forum!

Sometime in August 2013 at 5:55 am cst, I received a speeding ticket + 3 to 4 additional citations. This happened in Houston, Texas traveling at US 59 Northbound just past the loop 610. At the time, the state of Texas was pushing that the Left lane was for passing other traffic. Recently, (the last 2 or 3 years) the local city government changed the speed limit from 70 to 60 mph along all the highways. It was done to dramatically raise the local city revenue. I was going 70 mph and had a vehicle come behind me and so I briefly flipped on my turn signal and moved over to next lane. Within a minute or two, the police lights came on and I was pulled over on the highway. It was unmarked white dodge charger that was with speed enforcement division. He said I was speeding, that I was following too close to the vehicle in front, that I did not use my turn signal, something about reckless driving, and some other bogus reason. The tickets totaled up to $1200. When I was querying the individual citations, I asked the cop about the turn signal violation. I told him that I used the turn signal and he responded with that it was too brief. That kinda made me livid, I asked about the other citation in a very cool and calm voice. I pointed out that I was following law when a vehicle came up behind on the highway. I used the turn signal and moved over to the next lane as prescribed to let the faster traffic move on. As he left, he said something like have fun with your day in court. I just shaking with anger and spent a couple of minutes trying to cool off and I resolved to fight this ticket.

So I go to my court date and plead guilty to speeding. I then asked for defensive driving for the speeding violation (I was going 9 mph over the speed limit). The rest of the citations I pleaded not guilty and was given a day in court. I was going to see if the cop was going to show up. If he showed up, I was going to ask for delay in the jury trial so I can be represented by a lawyer. That day of the court hearing, I got up and pleaded not guilty. I had to wait for about 4 hours to see if he was going to show. Finally, the prosecutor called me up and said I was free to go. He said I so lucky because that police officer always shows up to court! (Yeah right, it's this type of behavior that really upsets the public! I wanted my pound in flesh!)

To understand the behavior of American police you have to understand that they have allowed themselves to become so utterly incompetent at dealing with real criminals that they feel the need to harass normal citizens for BS to justify their existence. Back in the good old days of Sgt Joe Friday's Dragnet, American police were just as competent at solving crimes as police in other countries. The arrest rate for homicide were very nearly 100% and arrest rates for other major crimes such as rape, robbery and aggravated assault were very high. Then in the early 1960s, arrest rates began to implode. Within a decade, the clearance rate for murder had dropped to about 2/3s. Your chances of literally getting away with murder had quintupled. Arrest rates for rape and robbery became abysmally low. That famous line from the Outlaw Biker Bounty Hunter in RAISING ARIZONA was exactly right on. "if you want to find an outlaw, call an outlaw. If you want to find a donut shop, call a cop.". As a consequence of police incompetence, crime rates soared during the. 1960s, 1970s, and 1990s. Criminals are smart enough to realize that if youdont have to do the time, there is no reason to not do the crime.

The police prefer to blame guns for the surge in murder rates. However, during the years of the historic increase in murder rate from 5 per 100,000 to 10 per 100,000, the percentage of murders committed with guns actually decreased.

The police prefer to avoid talking about how arrest rates for real, violent crimes were plummeting while the number of arrests for narcotics and prostitution were exploding. Peestering pushers and hassling hookers had become THE priority of American police.

The cops are basically useless and they know it. They compensate for their uselessness (and anatomical shortcomings) by hassling normal citizens about chicken shit tickets. We should be arresting them for loitering, not granting them more search and seizure authority.

something you guys might want to see in light of this thread. http://thefreethoughtproject.com/suprem ... vqTd2gA.01

I once pulled over a cop car...

No, seriously. I did.

Probably not how you're thinking, though.
Due to a screwed-up update/download from Head Office, every single manned till at the store I work at was rendered non-functional, leaving only the self-service checkouts and, at the petrol filling station, the pay-at-pump option.
While a member of staff was assigned to each self-service till to try and help the customers get through as quickly and efficiently as possible, this left the problem of the PFS and so I was assigned to put on a high-vis vest and tell every single driver coming in that it was pay-at-pump only until the problem was fixed.

Yeah, you've probably worked it out by now, but I'll continue anyway.

One of the cars coming in was a police car, so I waved him to a halt and then in a fit of mischief I said to him, "I expect you're wondering why I've pulled you over, sir."
I received a rather startled look, then the policeman burst out laughing at the role-reversal. When he calmed down, I told him about it being pay-at-pump etc.

So there you go, I've pulled over a cop car.

Of course it could get so much worse.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -neck.html

Why is it that UK newspapers cover American news stories so much more honestly than our own journalists?

Fewer axes to grind?

HTM

namelessfly wrote:[snip]
Why is it that UK newspapers cover American news stories so much more honestly than our own journalists?

I have several friends that are police. They took the time to explain to me why the police are not a friend in any type of pull over situation. First, they get promoted by the the number of tickets, felonies, and convictions. As a result, I will not allow the police to search my car! Second, I disagree with local city governments that look for any reason to pull over a citizen. These stops are unnecessary are done for revenue purposes rather than civic compliance with the law. Just up the road, the FBI and Texas Rangers have put the police chief, the local judge, and most of the city council (town less than 1000 people) for theft, fraud, and abuse of office charges. Now, please always treat the police officer with dignity and respect whenever a person has been pulled over.

Hmmm how to put this; when I was younger , when my late father was still alive, I was driving him back from the city for some reason when pulled over during a drunk driving campaign. The RCMP would do a big check stop. 20 cars, 6 on the ready to chase anyone who turned around 12 blocking the road in a dip covered so you couldn't see them until it was too late. 2 further down just in case someone tried to run past/through. Everyone was stopped, 6 cars at a time big lineup and funnel. I pull over older cop mossies on over leans on my windows "Have you been..., he looks at my Dad, ...oh, three steps back, hello sir!" "Oh nice night to be out, well no need to stop you on your way". Waving me through " On your way" I giggle an off I go. My Dad said hello to him and off we went. I knew my Dad was the police commissioner but it never dawned on me that it meant that much. 3 days later, same station wagon, I'm by myself similar check stop same cop is part of the funnel detail. He points at me in the line and says you can go waves me through the road block. Sometimes it is nice who you are or know.

namelessfly wrote:To understand the behavior of American police you have to understand that they have allowed themselves to become so utterly incompetent at dealing with real criminals that they feel the need to harass normal citizens for BS to justify their existence. Back in the good old days of Sgt Joe Friday's Dragnet, American police were just as competent at solving crimes as police in other countries. The arrest rate for homicide were very nearly 100% and arrest rates for other major crimes such as rape, robbery and aggravated assault were very high. Then in the early 1960s, arrest rates began to implode. Within a decade, the clearance rate for murder had dropped to about 2/3s. Your chances of literally getting away with murder had quintupled. Arrest rates for rape and robbery became abysmally low. That famous line from the Outlaw Biker Bounty Hunter in RAISING ARIZONA was exactly right on. "if you want to find an outlaw, call an outlaw. If you want to find a donut shop, call a cop.". As a consequence of police incompetence, crime rates soared during the. 1960s, 1970s, and 1990s. Criminals are smart enough to realize that if youdont have to do the time, there is no reason to not do the crime.

The police prefer to blame guns for the surge in murder rates. However, during the years of the historic increase in murder rate from 5 per 100,000 to 10 per 100,000, the percentage of murders committed with guns actually decreased.

The police prefer to avoid talking about how arrest rates for real, violent crimes were plummeting while the number of arrests for narcotics and prostitution were exploding. Peestering pushers and hassling hookers had become THE priority of American police.

The cops are basically useless and they know it. They compensate for their uselessness (and anatomical shortcomings) by hassling normal citizens about chicken shit tickets. We should be arresting them for loitering, not granting them more search and seizure authority.

This was very very enlightening post. You might want to take into account that Miranda Warnings became required in 1966. Telling criminals all the rights they had.