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I've been involved with training law enforcement throughout the country for some 30
years, and unfortunately I've seen a lot of this mentality. It does not take a
rocket scientist to recognize a "military vehicle", be it retired to a collector or
in service. The same with "official" vehicles. The best advice I would have based on
all of my personal experiences and the "war stories" I hear from law enforcement
officers, is this:
1. Be polite, even if the stop seems to be ridiculous.
2. NEVER argue - you will lose even if you are right (it's called contempt of cop).
3. Smile like you're on a toothpaste commercial. You will have plenty of time to
grumble, curse, etc. later.
4. Give honest answers, and produce all the required paperwork. Make sure you have
all your registration, insurance, and other required certificates in an easy to find
location. I frequently make copies of some of them, so that I can offer them up to
the officer if he is interested in them.
5. Make sure you get the officer's name and/or ID number, and if possible, license
plate of the patrol vehicle. Police officers are taught to "scribble" their name on
any ticket or paperwork they give you - it keeps them from getting phone calls and
other harassing events.
6. As soon as possible after a "bad thing", such as a ticket, take time to write
down everything. This includes what you were doing when you were pulled over, what
the officer thought you were doing, traffic conditions, weather, lighting, and
anything else you can think of. There is no such thing as an "insignificant matter"
here; a very little detail may get you off the hook. Date and sign your "evidence"
and put it away for when you need it.
The basic rule is don't put yourself in a position where your "big green thing" is
going to be a liability to you in a traffic stop. Read all the rules, laws, etc. and
make sure it's ready for the road, legally equipped and legally operated.
7. Hope that your brother-in-law is the judge... ;-)
Ian Wallace, MVPA member
1960 Ferret Mk 2/3
Author, NHTSA Radar/Lidar Operator Courses
Criminal Justice Training Center, Seattle
--------------------------------------------------
"William von Zehle, Jr." wrote:
> *This message was transferred with a trial version of CommuniGate(tm) Pro*
> When I was a fire chief in Michigan and driving "back east" to visit family in
> New York, I was pulled over by "New Jersey's finast". Got pulled over for having
> a red light on the roof of my "out of state" vehicle. Now, one would think that
> he might have noticed it was a municipally-owned marked staff car! (Actually, I
> checked, and any vehicle that is legal in the state it is registered in can be
> driven through any of the remaining 49 states.)
>
> This was my only bad experience in NJ, so I can't knock all the PD personnel.
> Just like any organization, some are better than others.
>
> Bill von Zehle
> MVPA 593
> '53 M42 3/4 ton
>
> Amby72@aol.com wrote:
>
> > *This message was transferred with a trial version of CommuniGate(tm) Pro*
> > well thank god the PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CALIF. has gone that far yet .when it
> > does i'm going to become a zonie!
> >
> > ernie
> > m-416
> > m-151
> > m-43 "SHADY LADY"
> >
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Mar 02 2000 - 22:30:36 PST