I achieved what I have never been able to do in the past. A great personal milestone. A cop writing me up at about 2am this morning, wrote me up on 4 violations! (I'm driving my daily driver Neon btw). Completely filled the front of the ticket. You could tell he was itching to write me up for anything and everything. Bet it was a slow July 4th for him:cry:. Didn't write enough tickets? Or just being more than an exceptional jerk? Here's the story:
So I'm coming back from working on a friends car. Still tired and a bit dirty. I get off the freeway and make my way towards my friends house (I took another friend with me, now dropping him off). Making a right turn onto a main street, a cop in the other direction pulls a U-turn from the middle lane and immediately flashes his lights. I put my left turn signal on and motion for a left turn lane when the cop darts, and I mean DARTS into the left lane so fast I can see him stuffed in my left hand mirror. I know I'm done already, so I keep my signal on and slowly move into the residential area, afraid of hitting the bastard who's now hogging the left turn lane. I had my signal on the WHOLE time mind you, but he charges me with an unsafe left turn anyhow. He asks me to pop my hood. I tell him Legal AEM Cold Air intake. He opens, looks around, closes. He says you have modified exhaust. I say sure, why not, stock SRT-4 rear section, coming off this weekend (was ear-splitting up in the mountains last time). He says license insurance and registration, I say only insurance and license only at the time. He says insurance is expired (it was), but I know I am insured. I come home and find my insurance card. My registration is yet to be found, but probably going to the DMV tomorrow and have a new one printed up. It seems I lost it when making a copy that's required for the overnight parking permit in my city. So all in all, he cites me for an unsafe left turn I feel is his own fault (I wonder how that'll fly in court :naughty: ), no proof of insurance or registration, and modified exhaust. No big deal, already mentally preparing a defense, taking note of his actions in his cruiser, lights on, etc.
What DID get me was how he insulted me. Now I'm 22, I still live at home, I work a menial job at a pool hall, and my parents still cover my essentials, cell phone bill, car registration and insurance fees. I take out loans to go to school and am studying Mechanical Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona. I'm very grateful my parents still cover my basic needs, and I am trying to get a real job and graduate within the next year. So when he said my insurance expired, I said "dang it mom!", cause she forgot to give me my new insurance card. I told him if he runs everything it'll come up as me as the owner and fully registered. Here's the rest of the convo:
Officer: "How old are you?"
Me: "22 years old."
Officer: "So your mom still does your insurance for you?
Me: "Yes."
Officer: "Are you 18?"
Me: "No."
Officer: "So you're 22 and your mom still does your insurance for you. Does she put it in your wallet for you and your registration in your glove-box for you too?"
Me: "I don't know how to respond to that officer, other than I am still a student trying to graduate and work a very menial job that doesn't make enough money to cover those."
Officer (after about 5 mins): "I'm citing you for Modified exhaust, No proof of insurance, Registration card not in car and unsafe left turn. I need you to sign here. By signing you are not proving your own guilt, but you promise to call this number (smog ref #) and take care of these on or before this date (points to date)."
Me: Are any of these correctable?
Officer: "Well, only the insurance is correctable."
Me: (Signs) "I'm sorry officer for not being prepared. Thank you." (thinking, but you can bet your ass I'll be prepared in front of the judge.)
I was so taken aback by how he directly insulted my very fortunate state, I could do nothing but be as polite as I could to him. I was planning on repairing my car this weekend anyhow (needs a new 02 sensor, keep throwing a code) so all the stock stuff is going back on, even the intake. I'll take it to a ref, pass, then fight that bastard in court and even re-trial if I need to about that unsafe left turn. I do not need another moving violation on my record. I really don't know, he's got his lights flashing, he's already got me, I've got my signal on, and he moves into the left turn lane, practically blocking me. He says something about me almost hitting him and then making an unsafe left turn, of course you idiot!, I didn't WANT to hit you, if I moved to the left turn lane, BAM! I would have. If I went forward, what would you have said? Trying to evade a traffic stop? I was completely open about what I had on the car, what I didn't have, making his job easier, but I'll be damned if he thinks I'm going down without a fight. AHH.. that felt better. Got some venting done. O yeah, and my friend was in the car with me (i.e. witness). I could say see you in court jackass but... but .... yeah I'll just leave it at that.
Feeling a little more than angry,
-Sam
So I'm coming back from working on a friends car. Still tired and a bit dirty. I get off the freeway and make my way towards my friends house (I took another friend with me, now dropping him off). Making a right turn onto a main street, a cop in the other direction pulls a U-turn from the middle lane and immediately flashes his lights. I put my left turn signal on and motion for a left turn lane when the cop darts, and I mean DARTS into the left lane so fast I can see him stuffed in my left hand mirror. I know I'm done already, so I keep my signal on and slowly move into the residential area, afraid of hitting the bastard who's now hogging the left turn lane. I had my signal on the WHOLE time mind you, but he charges me with an unsafe left turn anyhow. He asks me to pop my hood. I tell him Legal AEM Cold Air intake. He opens, looks around, closes. He says you have modified exhaust. I say sure, why not, stock SRT-4 rear section, coming off this weekend (was ear-splitting up in the mountains last time). He says license insurance and registration, I say only insurance and license only at the time. He says insurance is expired (it was), but I know I am insured. I come home and find my insurance card. My registration is yet to be found, but probably going to the DMV tomorrow and have a new one printed up. It seems I lost it when making a copy that's required for the overnight parking permit in my city. So all in all, he cites me for an unsafe left turn I feel is his own fault (I wonder how that'll fly in court :naughty: ), no proof of insurance or registration, and modified exhaust. No big deal, already mentally preparing a defense, taking note of his actions in his cruiser, lights on, etc.
What DID get me was how he insulted me. Now I'm 22, I still live at home, I work a menial job at a pool hall, and my parents still cover my essentials, cell phone bill, car registration and insurance fees. I take out loans to go to school and am studying Mechanical Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona. I'm very grateful my parents still cover my basic needs, and I am trying to get a real job and graduate within the next year. So when he said my insurance expired, I said "dang it mom!", cause she forgot to give me my new insurance card. I told him if he runs everything it'll come up as me as the owner and fully registered. Here's the rest of the convo:
Officer: "How old are you?"
Me: "22 years old."
Officer: "So your mom still does your insurance for you?
Me: "Yes."
Officer: "Are you 18?"
Me: "No."
Officer: "So you're 22 and your mom still does your insurance for you. Does she put it in your wallet for you and your registration in your glove-box for you too?"
Me: "I don't know how to respond to that officer, other than I am still a student trying to graduate and work a very menial job that doesn't make enough money to cover those."
Officer (after about 5 mins): "I'm citing you for Modified exhaust, No proof of insurance, Registration card not in car and unsafe left turn. I need you to sign here. By signing you are not proving your own guilt, but you promise to call this number (smog ref #) and take care of these on or before this date (points to date)."
Me: Are any of these correctable?
Officer: "Well, only the insurance is correctable."
Me: (Signs) "I'm sorry officer for not being prepared. Thank you." (thinking, but you can bet your ass I'll be prepared in front of the judge.)
I was so taken aback by how he directly insulted my very fortunate state, I could do nothing but be as polite as I could to him. I was planning on repairing my car this weekend anyhow (needs a new 02 sensor, keep throwing a code) so all the stock stuff is going back on, even the intake. I'll take it to a ref, pass, then fight that bastard in court and even re-trial if I need to about that unsafe left turn. I do not need another moving violation on my record. I really don't know, he's got his lights flashing, he's already got me, I've got my signal on, and he moves into the left turn lane, practically blocking me. He says something about me almost hitting him and then making an unsafe left turn, of course you idiot!, I didn't WANT to hit you, if I moved to the left turn lane, BAM! I would have. If I went forward, what would you have said? Trying to evade a traffic stop? I was completely open about what I had on the car, what I didn't have, making his job easier, but I'll be damned if he thinks I'm going down without a fight. AHH.. that felt better. Got some venting done. O yeah, and my friend was in the car with me (i.e. witness). I could say see you in court jackass but... but .... yeah I'll just leave it at that.
Feeling a little more than angry,
-Sam
