Now that I'm 38 yrs. old, If I get pulled over ( which has been a good long while since the last one) I would be courteous and polite to the officer. I know they are doing their jobs and if I'm getting pulled over, I was probably doing something I shouldn't have.

The one thing that irritates me though, is when we are expected to do the speed limit, then I see some cop blowing my doors off with no lights or sirens. Happens way too often. But I would be willing to bet that the vast majority if police officers have the publics safety in mind. And I DON"T feel that they are out solely to make our lives miserable, though it may seem that way to repeat offenders.

So like Donny Osmand once said........" One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch".

 

I got a ticket for not having a front plate as I was sitting in traffic on an exit ramp. This cop was literally just sitting on the exit ramp where nobody can speed. I'm not saying all cops are bad but clearly this guy was protecting nobody. He didn't let me off with a warning even though I have a perfect driving record. Not to mention his tone was very condescending.

 

Last time I got pulled over was by a 5'2 CHP w/ braces and a lisp. Basically what happened was that I saw a CHP go 50-55MPH in a 70 zone so I moved up to 70 thinking that it was okay to go speed limit. As I was passing him, I looked over (god damn eye contact) and he looked over and turned on his light. He wrote me up for going 70+ in a 70 and said that he was the speed limit.

 

I don't like cops, at all. Generally they're idiots that choose the job because they had no other options. They're usually uneducated and all about the "good ole boy" network. I grew up in SC and am now in TX and as terrible as it sounds being white and military helps a lot in these situations, which IMO is bullshit, although I don't fail to play the cards.

The way I look at it, my car is more capable and in better operating condition than 90% of the vehicles on the road. Also, not that I'm the fastest out at the autocross, I think Im more capable and safer than a lot of the people out there. Instead of pulling over the hoopty with mismatched tires and 20 year old shocks driven 5mph over the limit by mom on her cellphone and her 3 kids running around, an officer would rather waste their time pulling me over doing 8+.

In a field where personal judgement calls are made its of course going to vary by officers, no questions there. But the job is often done by people that aren't 'car guys' and thats a shame when a large part of their duty is directed towards the prevention of 'street racing' and results in unfair profiling/treatment of drivers for things that just don't matter (front plates, exhaust, etc).

 

Cops are just like any other group of people -- some are good, some aren't and there are plenty in between. A generalization about any group of people isn't going to accurately represent all members of that group (think about how many cops there are across the US). As has already been mentioned, people's perception tends to be skewed by bad experience(s) not to mention seeing cops abusing their powers on a day-to-day basis. It only takes a few bad eggs to ruin the impression that the public has of them.

That said, it should be easy for everyone to see how a few drivers with poor attitude or habits can make the general driving population appear to cops. And as a driver keep in mind that no matter how highly you think of your car or driving abilities -- no one plans to be in an accident yet many people do find themselves in one each day.

I just try to take each person for who they are, regardless of what uniform they're wearing or what demographic they happen to fall into.

 

This was in the OC area by the 57 turning into the 5. I should have challenged it but I was a little scared of losing and not being able to do traffic school.

 

you can always do it online... that is traffic school.

and did it say on the ticket that it was 70 in a 70 zone?

cause i don't think that there would have been any way for you to loose.
and not that its the law, but i know from when i was younger that it is always passing a cop, nomatter the speed, but i totally think you got screwed

 

it wasnt a 70 in 70 but a 70+ in a 70.

 

hmm, i don't know, but it still seems that without an acctual speed without his radar gun, it seems that you could have won if you had tried, oh well get them next time

 

I don't have any issues when I'm doing 15+ over and get a ticket. I also support ticketing just about anything that poses a legitimate safety hazard. In those types of cases, I (or whoever it is) deserve the ticket.

I don't like speed traps/cameras, and I have issues with 5mph over tickets and petty violations that appear quota or fund-collection oriented as opposed to safety oriented.

I lived in a small town in Mississippi for several years as a teenager, and selective enforcement was a way of life. It's not worth going into, but it was more than just teenagers getting ticketed due to age and immaturity. Due to racial prejudice, blacks would get ticketed for things whites would talk their way out of, and if your friend/uncle/brother-in-law knew somebody, you could talk a DUI down to a verbal warning. That type of BS boils my blood.

But here in SLC, Utah, I've generally seen the police as good guys trying to make the cities (and roads) safe. That makes me respect them and their work more, and it changes my attitude if/when I get pulled over, because I expect I'm at fault instead of feeling like a victim.