First encounter with a cop in my boxster!

[mountainman]

I spent 30 years as a cop and I will tell you that attitude is everything. A belligerent or hostile one will get you a ticket every time and you would be surprised how many people exhibit one when they are stopped. If you give him a reason to write you, he can find something to write you for. On the other side, if you are courteous and more or less honest with him he has more incentive to let you go. I personally pretty much did not write anyone for less than 15 over....Unless he was a smarta$$. I was also very willing to accept a really good excuse.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by mountainman

I spent 30 years as a cop and I will tell you that attitude is everything. A belligerent or hostile one will get you a ticket every time and you would be surprised how many people exhibit one when they are stopped. If you give him a reason to write you, he can find something to write you for. On the other side, if you are courteous and more or less honest with him he has more incentive to let you go..

Here's the thing, I always roll down all the windows, keep my hands high, have my docs ready, admit guilt, shut up, and say yes sir with no attitude.

Yet the number of cops who right off the bat come with what I would objectively call a "major A-hole" attitude i.e. belligerent as you put it, is very high. I see right away, it's nearly always the small town cops, the guys who've been on the job for a few years and are pissed about some political crap in their department so once they get in the black and white the crap rolls down hill on the first guy to get in his sights. I told one lady passenger "these guys are stress time bombs". She started laughing but I wasn't joking, after a certain amount of time I don't think cops should be on daily patrol. They need to cycle them in and out of desk duty for long stints.

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

Of course, now the Houston area fine for not having a front plate is something like $200 so it's officially a money-maker even though it's not a moving violation.

Montclair NJ have this one main street, on a Saturday night when all the locals are out going to bars and restaurants they'll set up check point right smack in the middle of the road. They re-direct all the cars off the main road into a parking lot where the cops start writing up all the tickets for the front plate, inspection stickers, seat belts, and anything else they can jack up some revenue with. I must have counted a dozen cops.

[Pdwight]

I had had my S a few weeks..still getting used to it. I was driving through a small town in TN and noticed a SUV with blue lights behind me. I stopped and got out my license , the officer came to the window and said...do you know how fast you were going ?

I said , No actually I dont I just got this car and I have been used to driving a ford explorer...he said I was doing 78 in a 45 zone....my heart sank ....reckless driving if he wanted to press it.

He said to be more careful and I had a beautiful car.....and that was it...he didn't even run my license.

I still see him from time to time as my fiance lives just above that town, I always wave and watch the speed limit.

Truly good Community Service

Dwight