Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire So a cop pulls up behind me....

I don't like talking on the phone while driving, so when I got a phone call today while driving home (to Wisconsin) from work (in Illinois) I turned on a side road and pulled over on the gravel to answer my call. I have a normal plain pickup truck, all up to date, everything legal.

I was talking for a while there on the side of the road when I notice a Ill Lake Co. Sheriff pull up behind me with lights on. I suppose he was just checking things out, which I can understand. He could see me still talking on the phone as he approached, and then I got off the phone as he neared the window.

I had my window down and he asked why I was pulled over here.
I told him I don't talk on the phone while driving, so I pulled over here to take a call.
Then he asked for an ID.

I asked if I was doing anything wrong? He said he could write me up for being illegally parked. I gave him my ID and he went back to his car.

He came back a bit later, and then asked where I was headed.
"Home."

Then he asked where I work.
I'm sure he could tell I was getting agrivated at that line of questioning... I told him where I work.
And then he asked which street that was on (like he didn't believe me).

I was about to start protesting at this questioning, when he said if I didn't like his line of questioning he could just write me up on the illegal parking ticket...

I just told him the street name, he gave me my ID back and he said I was free to be on my way.

It felt so much like the Nazis in a snearing voice, "...let me see your papers."

Yet another reason why Illinois SUCKS.

Looking back now I wish I would've refused his questioning and just took the ticket.
Maybe he was a disgruntled Bears fan and didn't like my Cheesehead plates.

Let me relate what happened to me a few months back. Driving from our farm to town with my wife when I got pulled over. The State officer came up to my window whner I had both my drivers license and my carry permit out of mt wallet.

Officer, "Good afternoon, may I see your license."

Me' Good afternoon Officer. I have a concealed carry permit and I am carrying today."

Officer, "Where."

Me' "Right hip."

Officer, "Fine, just leave it there. I stopped you because you have a break light out. You might want to get it fixed. Have a good day."

I am grateful every day I live in the Pac NW.

Pretty disgusting.

I always feel better when I cross OUT of Illinois.

Yeah.

Thats pretty bad.

You and David Gregory get away with just about anything

Long story in short,going up RT 17 in NJ in early 90s LEO pulls me over said got any guns with you,I say no he says let me search your truck,I say go for it he found no guns.I say why did you stop me,he says NRA stickers on your tailgate.

So I go on about 5 miles up RT 17,another LEO pulls me over thinking the other LEO may have missed something,he pats me down and searched my truck no gun.

At the time I was working in NJ,so I took the NRA stickers off my tailgate..

cops are [bleep].

Nah, just another manage & control dick, more of them than not.

MM

I once was pulled over on the way home from college with my friends, out in PA. My whole trunk was full of 4 students worth of dirty laundry (hoping mom could clean us up!)

The cop pulls me over, asks us all to get out individually, then wants to know if he can search my trunk. I said "sure" and handed him the keys. It was pretty funny when he popped the lid and had underwear, smelly socks, t-shirts, bras, and all the rest falling all over the side of the road. He took one whiff and pretty much gave up quick. He just handed the keys back and said "get out of here."

I've always assumed he pulled me over due to my bumper sticker at the time: Fight Crime, Shoot Back.

Acutally he was a short little dude, so maybe he's had some "short-man's" complex all his life.
Being a cop lets him get away with ordering people around...

No LEO is ever going to get my permission to search my car, my house, or me. Bad enough I have to put up with that schitt from the TSA.

you are what comes out..........for making a blanket statement like that

I have a lot of repsect for cops- tough job, I'm sure you have to deal with a ton of a-hole situations.
I wouldn't want to do it, and I'm glad they are out there.

My gripe is the over-reaching Gestapo questioning at times.
And if you don't play along nicely, they can always find some way to make your life expensive and/or time wasted for a while....

There are a lot of very good police officers out there.

Then there are the few who are "badge heavy." Unfortunately some of us run into those cops now and then. They are the ones who should not be carrying the badge and the authority that goes with it.

L.W.

Thats what I would have done, Took the ticket and told him to stuff it.

Never had that happen in Michigan, course it's been 31 years since I've been pulled over, Could be different now.

Agreed, Theres plenty of good cops out there. Nobody writes about them they just b1tch about the bad ones.

Thanks for making it readable.....

I used to work (biologist) with a couple of wardens whom we called "badge-happy." The worst was one infamous badge-carrier whom a fellow warden accurately described as "itching to kill somebody." Thank God for small favors! He was definitely unique, and he got his comeuppance � permanently.

you were too stupid too...had to show the world what a jackass you really are...glad to help with that.


good and bad in every profession...you exemplify the bad in yours apparently.

Very correct. If a cop is professional and conducts himself respectfully, you never hear about it.
Like my thread here- if that cop was doing his job without the interrogation questioning after the explanation of why I was there, my truck checked out fine, my ID checked out fine, no outstanding warrants, etc... it would have never occurred to me to mention it here.

Got to ask. Why would you tell the officer you are carrying? It's really none of their business unless they ask if you are armed.

Questions that do not pertain to why I have been stopped, such as, where are you going, really bother me. I tell them the following. Your question officer, does not pertain to the matter of why you stopped me. Not that I have been stopped much but the officers I have made this statement to really had no reaction and stopped questioning.

Like the OP, my interaction with police officers over the past few years left me feeling the same.

I don't have a profession, I have a job. I need to money to pay the frivilous tickets written by ass holes.

Need not have bothered, we already knew.

Got stopped in Texas some years back. Cop started to lecture me. I asked him if he was going to write me a citation. He said yes. I said fine. You can give me a ticket or a lecture, but I didn't have to put up with both. I rolled my window up on him.

I'll go a +1 on that one. Lots of friends that are LE. Brother is too. There ARE a number of them out there who truly are a-holes, but, a whole lot more that are not. Kinda like saying all firemen are arsonists......

In some states it is mandatory, in others it is a courtesy. If he would have run my license he would have known. It was my choice to let him know beforehand. He did not run my license and instead of giving me a load of crap or a ticket he let me know I had a light out and wished me a good day.

So, how was I wrong and how did it cost me?

Wasn't & it didn't. Most (not saying all) that I've talked to appreciate the gesture. The folks that hand them a CCW with their license and make it known that they are a carrier or are carrying aren't generally the type of people waiting for a clear shot at them.

For me, it's because that's the law in OH:



I'm inclined to give a cop the benefit of the doubt. I'll keep my hands on the wheel, tell him/her I've got a license & I'm carrying, & ask what instructions that have for me. At this point, I will have done all I can do to put them at ease in a situation where they have no idea what they'll encounter. My bet is that they'll appreciate the gesture, & dispense with any attitude because they know that I'm a good guy, & I'm trying to make their job easier.

I could be wrong, & run into the odd officer with too much purpose in his/her life, or Short Penis Syndrome, or whatever. But I'm betting I'll be right more often than I'm wrong.

FC

Funny!

As two words (correctly), it's OK.

As one "word," it's [bleep] � but not for any "grammatical" reason, of course.

Makes sense! Just like our old high-school librarian who so assiduously black-Sharpied-over the "bad words" in one book that she thus censored-out a reference to a prospector's jackass.

Automatic, mechanical censoring can sure mess things things up. Why, right here on the 'fire, we can't use the Latin word for with (as in " � graduated Magna cum laude from � ") or the common name for the several species of willow (Salix) that are known for their kitten-like catkins. Yet of course we can freely insult, slur, and calumniate each other with impunity.

Ain'tcha glad that we're so civilized?

Texas DPS Troopers or Highway Patrolmen treat you better here in TX when they find out you have a CHL Permit. I've yet to get a speeding ticket in the 17 years since I got my CHL.

Once they see my permit, it's usually "you need to slow down a little"

Bleeps are fun. We have a tree in front of our house that sprouts fuzzy blooms this time of year. It is of the smaller species of the genus Salix (willows and sallows) but if I type the common name Pussy Willow... Well you see the results.

Scott, I think you are talking about a cat tree, right?

Very good friend and hunter in our camp is young enough to be the baby in my family just got a job as LEO. Guy is 6'XX" and has always wanted to be a LEO because of what he went through in high school. His theory is that he doesn't want to give kids a bad taste for cops unless they REALLY screw up and they he will put the fear of ... in them. Guy is so tall that the county had to order his *jacket* special order. He started the state academy on Monday and cannot wait to talk to him to see what kind of guys he is going through the course with. One super cool kid and I wish him the best. Guys like him few and far between but gets to work in the mountains so is in his own.

Yep.

With those phcuking plates....I'd have written you a ticket.

BlackFrog...

I can see where you were frustrated, but comparing a cop NOT giving you a ticket to the Nazis shows either a tragic misunderstanding of history or a gross overestimation of the seriousness of your situation.

In the 1920s, the cop in little Calera, Alabama, had it in for college boys � would ticket 'em for "speeding," whatever their actual vehicular velocity was.

Until a bunch of Auburn students, on their way to Birmingham for a ball game, stopped just outside Calera, pushed their silent car past the smoldering cop, and cranked it up again as soon as they got out of town.

I'm sure that the drive through Calera must be longer now, and for sure cars are heavier today. They weren't much heavier than buggies in those days.

I said the Nazi style of over reaching questioning that had nothing to do with the situation,

Where are you going?
Where are you coming from?
Where do you work?
What street is it on?

None of which are any of his business.
Maybe you're ok with that type of questioning to avoid a ticket, but I am not.

Alays have supported LE wherever we have lived and gladly still do so, but that does not mean I have not encountered a few nasty jerks along the way.

But - this is typical for me: Driving home from airport (200 miles) alone, returning from a family funeral and the last 100 miles are through big lonely country. Just before dark, almost home and eager to get there, and just flying - had no idea how fast I was driving. Rounding a sweeping mountain curve an oncoming state police guy hit me with instant-on radar and my detector buzzed at the same time I saw him flashing his lights at me. Looked at the speedo - triple digits - so I just slowed down and pulled off the road, opened my door, put my feet out on the step bar and just waited.

He came back to the scene, walked up, engaged me in talking to check for drunk, asked if I had a firearm in the truck, and I told him yes, two. The .45 on the dash board and my wife's .38 in the console. He asked why my wife didn't have it and I told him she was left behind an airplane ride away after a funeral. He asked if I was returning from the funeral - yes.

He took all of the usual paperwork back to his car, soon returned and told me that I have a clean record and he is not going to spoil it with this incident, especially since I am local - wrote me a warning but told me that I just cannot drive that big Dodge that fast, even if I am upset and chasing home. Asked me to give my word that I would drive more slowly. I did, and have ever since.

Typical for most out here.

due to both the wife and i having lead feet we get pulled over pretty regular.....besides numerous times here in Montana we've been pulled over in Wyoming, Colorado, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa and Florida....have yet to run into an arsehole cop during a stop....i just be pleasant and 9 times out of 10 get a warning....

I'm sure this will sound like a jerk BF...But evidently you are OK with those questions to avoid a ticket, because you answered them and avoided the ticket.

The cop was just verifying that your story was legit with the questions. Either that or he's going to stalk you now until you become his gay lover. But I bet he was just verifying your story.

He may have been a jerk, but that's no surprise. Some cops are jerks.

Cheesehead envy is always funny.

Pulling over to be safe, not really parked, and gets paper? I don't like that much at all. Don't like being fished, even with nothing to hide.

What you have to consider is what information a cop has that you don't. I did not like working traffic. However, good arrests of really bad guys have originated from traffic stops, Randy Kraft being but one.

Cops look for those who are out of the ordinary. Especially in the morning when people are rushing to work, its common to see drivers eating, shaving, putting on make-up, reading documents while driving, moms trying to get bottles in crying babies' mouths, all of which are illegal. It's the dude that was going far out of his way to not get pulled over that attracted my attention. I once saw a dude on a beach in the summer wearing a long-sleeved jacket. It was obvious that he was hiding track marks. He got my attention. Now had it been winter, I probably wouldn't have looked twice at him.

Most police can run your tags with their onboard puters before you can blink. They thus can know if you have CCW or not anyway. If they ask and you deny carrying, you are not off the suspicion hook. They are going to watch you extra close for other 'tells' for bad actors on the chance you are up to no good.

1B

Usually its the young ones. It takes a few years to become an officer. Until then, they tend to give us older ones a bad rap.

I do my best to support LEO's. They really have a high pressure, thankless job to perform. I've only had one occurrence where I questioned a cop's actions. My daughter and I are coming home from a softball game and I get pulled over down the street a couple miles from our house. I'm not a speeder, my tags were up to date, and I hadn't crossed the center line or gone off the side of the road. The cop walks up to my door, addresses me by Mr. (Last name). I was a little surprised to hear that, but no big deal. He tells me my driver's license expired 3 days ago. I hadn't realized it-my bad, but my question was, why had he run my license, totally at random when I had done absolutely nothing to raise any suspicion? 'Took care of the license next day-end of story. I thought they had to have some reason or justification to run your license. I'm not real comfortable with them running I.D. checks just because they can.....

I've never had an issue with a cop, outside of me speeding once and driving with an expired inspection sticker.
I guess that I've been lucky.

Jim

This is a true story. I moved my family to Texas back in 1992. We had friends in New Orleans, so we stopped in to visit, then went on our way west on I-10 into Texas. No sooner had we crossed the state line than I was pulled over by a state trooper. He asked for license and registration, which I gave him. Then he said "sir, do you have any firearms in the car?" To which I replied "no."

He got a puzzled look on his face, and said "Oh." "Well, there's a place down here about a half-mile on the right where you can stop and getcha one. Have a nice day."

Illegal to eat while driving? Had no idea. Do it all the time. Why else would they have drive through?

We [bleep]'en ROCK!

I-20 east bound in east Texas. Been driving sixteen hours staight. About 4A.M., my ten year old son asleep with his head in my lap, I see the flashing lights in my rear view mirror. I know what thats about and pull over.

My son wakes up, sees the flashing lights and begins to wag his finger at me saying "I told you not to speed" Troopers looking through my rear window see the lecture I'm getting , just gave me a smile and a warning.

I got stopped early one morning just down the road from home. It was cold and I was driving about 45 in a 60 while the engine warmed up. I think the cop wanted an excuse to stop me to see if I was driving slow because I was lit. He found a good one. The road goes from 1 lane to 2 lanes. He stopped me for not signaling which lane I was going into. He didn't give me a ticket but it was plain that not signaling wasn't his reason.

Something kept bugging me about this post when I read it yesterday. We went out to dinner with friends. Husband is still a road patrol officer and wife now runs Central Dispatch. Both agreed that cop was fishing, which may have been somewhat justified. Maybe a BOL for a similar truck, or the cops had been asked to check the area due to previous illegal activity.

One thing that they did agree on was that there would have been no grounds for illegal parking unless it was posted "No stoping, standing or parking". an occupied vehicle is not parked it is standing.

My ONLY negative interaction with LE occured in Illinois as well. Cook Co. SO. I was living in WI and driving to MI for a job interview. morning rush hour on the toll way, I was pulled over for 63 in a 55(I was hanging with heavy traffic and figured I was doing closer to 65). $100 CASH bond was due on the spot, I then had to mail payment of the ticket ($104 +postage)only to recieve a check for my $100.00 bond 60 days later.

Most police departments highly encourage drivers to pull over to use cell phones and it's required in some places. If you'd gotten a ticket for doing it, there might be a case for an entrapment plea.

The way the officer handled the interaction with Blackfrog was wrong. Entirely.

Your statement was funny. Made me think of the old Pot/Kettle thing.

Being an a$$hole yourself, you would know one when you see one.

webster,

It falls under distracted driver. A couple years ago CHP cracked down on it. Usually cops don't pay attention to it until drivers swerve or otherwise endanger others while trying to prevent secret sauce from dripping on their crotches, which is really hard for women to explain.

You're an ass hole but that goes without saying. Did I mention that all cops (government minoins)are ass holes.

How do LEO's differ from other Government minions? say members of the armed forces??? Such as members of the 1st Special Operations Wing 1975-1983 and the 919th Special Operations Wing 1983-1985 1993-1994.

Educate me, jackass. What is a minoin?

It's spelled minion, you idiot.

Dammit Bluedreaux, I was about to challenge him to a spelling contest.

Only way a cop is going to search my car, is with a warrant. As I told an officer from the ASO last year who wanted to search my truck for drugs, he could look if he got a warrant.
He said it might take awhile. I told him I was retired, had a bottle of water and a book to read, and to make his call.
He was a real azzwipe about it, but sent me on my way with no search.

Cops have a tough job in the world we live in today,...and it's going to get much tougher as time passes.

They can be a pain in the butt,...no doubt about it,...but I suspect I'd soon turn into a pain in the butt too if I had their job.

In fact,...I doubt that I could do their job, period.

I'd go nuts on some [bleep] someday. I don't have a hell of a lot of patience.

Swampy, let's hear about those frivolous tickets you've had. Details, please.

Swampy sometimes affects a French accent, when he wants to impress his posse.

Multiple 544's no doubt,....wonky hat violations.

Did you have dope in the car?

Are you a coke mule?

Such the public servant, working spelling patrol in his off time.

~~~WOOOOOOOoooooooo~~~

Cop PA: Driver, pull to the curb.

Swampman: What's the deal, officer?

Cop: That hat you're wearing falls into the wonky catagory.

Swampman: It ain't no wonkier than yours!

Cop: That tears it!,...Get out the car,..stand on one leg and recite the book of Revelations while dribbling these two basketballs!

I had a Nebraska State Trooper pull me over recently. He asked for all the usual B.S., which I supplied.

"Do you know why I pulled you over?"
"I have no idea"
"Your front license plate is missing"
"My son backed into my car last night and broke the cheap plastic rivets holding it on, here it is. Is my rear plate missing too?"
"No, but you have to have both on"
"I need to find someone with the special plastic rivets, so I can reattach them. The dealer doesn't seem to have any right now, I called them this morning."
It's your responsibility to have them properly displayed at all times. I could have your car towed for not having proper plates displayed".
"Well, I am trying to make the repair, but need parts".
"Your insurance card is expired (oops!)".
"I must have forgotten to put the new card in the glovebox, I have other copies at home".
"You're not listed on the state insurance registry, are you sure you even have insurance?".
"Call my agent, her numbers on the card, she'll straighten everything out".
"It's not my responsibility, it's yours, where are you going?"
"Home, I just got off work".
"Where do you work, is there anyone who can vouch for you?"
"Do you want the number to call?"
"No, do you mind if I search your car?"
"For what reason? Do you have probable cause of a crime to search my car?"
"No, it's just routine"
"Then your answer is no. You'll need a warrant to search my car".

He seemed bummed over that, and stalked back to his car, to come back a few minutes later.

"Here is a defect ticket for the license plate, and a ticket for no valid insurance, I could have your car towed for not having insurance or a front license plate"

I went home and called my agent, who called the state patrol and faxed them proof of insurance, so that ticket was dropped. The dealer had already ordered the stupid rivets, and the car was fixed two days later. The game wasn't over yet, I had to find a cop to sign off on my defect ticket. I found a city cop in a parking lot, parked the Explorer in such a way that he could see the front license plate was attached.

"Excuse me officer, could you please sign my ticket?"
He looks at the ticket and busts out laughing...
"You must have got a young one" Still laughing out loud.
"Here you go", and he signed the ticket. I realized later that he didn't even really look at the car at all. He was still laughing when I left.

Some good. Some, not so much... I've always hated dealing with the Nebraska State Patrol, too many of them deeply believe their own bullshit.

Hm. Got pulled over three times in the last 20 years, twice on the Interstate. One ticket for speeding, Dad forgot to tell me they put oversized tires on the truck. Was going 11 over and the trooper knocked it down to 10 so it wouldn't get reported for insurance.

Last time was for the license plate light being out while going past a university town on a holiday, pretext stop for drunk drivers which I don't mind. Was a legitimate stop. State law says you get a warning for the light being out.

Never was asked for proof of insurance, vehicle registration only when I got pulled over for speeding, and never asked to permit a vehicle search. Just a computer check on the plates and my license and a pleasant chat so they can get a sense if something funny is going on. The chat has lead to several dandy drug busts on the Interstate.

I love this state.

Coming from Illinois going toward Wisconsin. With his line of questioning I would say he was looking for drugs. After you answered all his questions correctly and without having different answers for the same question he found out you were harmless and left. It's a technique used to check for drug trafficking and you would be surprised how many good ol boys in pickups that run drugs out of Chicago. Not justifying what he did just telling you what happened.

I have to drive across Illinois often. Luckily, it's only about 130 miles across where I travel (I-64), so I gas up in Indiana or Missouri, and don't stop in Illinois except to take a leak. I leave them NO money, and not even any good will.

I can't stand the place, it's just space between where I am, and where I'm going.

Pizzing on the place is all I care to do with it.

Oh, the word is pronounced "min-WAH"!

I still don't know what it is.

Which in no way makes you a bad person.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/minion


see also ass hole....

That would be a "minion". We're still trying to figure out what a "minoin" is you old golfcart driving, azz shooting, minion....

George

Minion wasn't the word you typed in, there professor.

Usually pays to spell words correctly before calling others azzholes

As a reply to the OP, your reply is bullshit.

Cops acting like a-holes isn't something that should be tolerated by the people. Harassing someone for doing the right thing and driving safely is a big deal. When you take little situations and abuse your authority, you undermine all of you co-workers by eroding the base of respect your profession used to have with the general public.

My one "serious" interaction with the MPD changed me from pro-police to "maybe give them the benefit of the doubt" with a huge emphasis on maybe.

See also: "A$$ whipper" which is what I'll be should you and I ever bump into one another, regardless of your geriatric, (look that up if you need to) goofball, $hitstain on the underwear of humanity, status.

Keep it up, and I'll crimp your oxygen tube.

You seem smart enough to figure it out. Of course I might be wrong.

Yawn.....

Yeah,..but you're a Minnesota yankee.

Ain't nothing up there in that frozen wasteland but yankee azzholes.

Why would you expect yankee cops to be any different?

I mean, "duh",..yanno?

Damn yankees runnin' around up there,...givin' each other the finger,..sayin' "fug you" instead of "good morning".

Then some yankee cop pulls 'em over and they start cryin' about how he's an azzhole.

You live in an azzhole part of the country.

Deal widdit.

Yeah,...I know that a buncha southern folks are readin' this but are too polite to comment.

They're like,... "Well,...after all,...they're yankees,..bless their hearts."

Fug that.

A tip of the hat, Bristoe. Thou hast told it as it is.

You been ta Michigan too,...ain't ya?

Unfortunately.

I live on a Right of Way. There are no city laws governing the usage of it. I work for the power company that owns it & have a letter of right to use it in my home file.

Inevitably, there are three home owners that absolutely object to anyone being back there. So, they call the law on me on a regular basis. Every time the cop does a drive by as required. Every now & then he'll stop, tell me he is simply following orders & remarks that he's done his duty and moves on.

I have had nothing but good encounters with my local law enforcement. I am sure they'll keep up the good work.