Almost Got Arrested

[GotRush]

Drivin into work last friday, a police car pulls up behind me & light's me up. I pull over & He come up & asked for license/ins/reg & ask's me if I was the one who altered my license plate. ( I have a personalized plate of GOTRUSH, but i attached a Question mark ? at the end with a sticker, so i kinda looks like GOTRUSH? ) well i say sure, the older officer informs me this is a "Criminal Offence" and i explain its been there for 4 years & i have had various encounters with law enforsment & nobody ever told me i should remove it ! ( my son is a county Sheriff Officer ) Then he tells me i'm lucky he doesn't take me to JAIL ! jezzz.... the more i spoke the madder he got. He ended up writing a Criminal Ticket for " Knownly Displaying Altered Plates" with a court date on monday june 16th. I haven't yet checked into the penalty/fine for this.

 

they took pictures & removed the sticker like it was the crime of the century. there was 3 cars & 5 cops at one point ! what a Joke ! oh yea this happened here in Phoenix @ about 8am.

 

I'm not sure if I want to fight this ticket, or if that's gonna piss the Judge off worst, plus I would have to take time off work & deal with the stupid court process, Thinkin on asking for a postponment & then set another court date & maybe the officer won't make it to court.......

[daveyt]

are you kidding me? take it for someone who beat a cop recently: take it to court and enjoy the drama. what's the worst thing that could happen? exactly.

 

give the judge a bootleg.

[snowdog2112]

Try to reach Alex's lawyer.

[daveyt]

QUOTE (GotRush @ Jun 8 2008, 08:28 PM)

I'm not sure if I want to fight this ticket, or if that's gonna piss the Judge off worst, plus I would have to take time off work & deal with the stupid court process, Thinkin on asking for a postponment & then set another court date & maybe the officer won't make it to court.......

f**k that: judge's are there to make sure cops don't get out of line. you were asking for it but this cop is using the law to serve his own interests. your lawyer will have a field day with this one and file a motion to dismiss this shit. take it to the limit!

[streak85]

QUOTE (GotRush @ Jun 8 2008, 10:28 PM)

Drivin into work last friday, a police car pulls up behind me & light's me up. I pull over & He come up & asked for license/ins/reg & ask's me if I was the one who altered my license plate. ( I have a personalized plate of GOTRUSH, but i attached a Question mark ? at the end with a sticker, so i kinda looks like GOTRUSH? ) well i say sure, the older officer informs me this is a "Criminal Offence" and i explain its been there for 4 years & i have had various encounters with law enforsment & nobody ever told me i should remove it ! ( my son is a county Sheriff Officer ) Then he tells me i'm lucky he doesn't take me to JAIL ! jezzz.... the more i spoke the madder he got. He ended up writing a Criminal Ticket for " Knownly Displaying Altered Plates" with a court date on monday june 16th. I haven't yet checked into the penalty/fine for this. they took pictures & removed the sticker like it was the crime of the century. there was 3 cars & 5 cops at one point ! what a Joke ! oh yea this happened here in Phoenix @ about 8am. I'm not sure if I want to fight this ticket, or if that's gonna piss the Judge off worst, plus I would have to take time off work & deal with the stupid court process, Thinkin on asking for a postponment & then set another court date & maybe the officer won't make it to court.......

 

what you did to your plate wasn't smart

[Smudger]

The Bloke above speaks wisely.

Licence plates are there for a reason, here in the UK if I see somebody wjo has a plate with ilegally spaced plates then I inform the Rozzers. It's not big and it's not clever.

[rushgoober]

QUOTE (GotRush @ Jun 8 2008, 08:28 PM)

Drivin into work last friday, a police car pulls up behind me & light's me up. I pull over & He come up & asked for license/ins/reg & ask's me if I was the one who altered my license plate. ( I have a personalized plate of GOTRUSH, but i attached a Question mark ? at the end with a sticker, so i kinda looks like GOTRUSH? ) well i say sure, the older officer informs me this is a "Criminal Offence" and i explain its been there for 4 years & i have had various encounters with law enforsment & nobody ever told me i should remove it ! ( my son is a county Sheriff Officer ) Then he tells me i'm lucky he doesn't take me to JAIL ! jezzz.... the more i spoke the madder he got. He ended up writing a Criminal Ticket for " Knownly Displaying Altered Plates" with a court date on monday june 16th. I haven't yet checked into the penalty/fine for this. they took pictures & removed the sticker like it was the crime of the century. there was 3 cars & 5 cops at one point ! what a Joke ! oh yea this happened here in Phoenix @ about 8am. I'm not sure if I want to fight this ticket, or if that's gonna piss the Judge off worst, plus I would have to take time off work & deal with the stupid court process, Thinkin on asking for a postponment & then set another court date & maybe the officer won't make it to court.......

Cops are great when you need them, but otherwise they can sure suck sometimes...

[Jaye]

QUOTE (rushgoober @ Jun 9 2008, 12:50 PM)

QUOTE (GotRush @ Jun 8 2008, 08:28 PM) Drivin into work last friday, a police car pulls up behind me & light's me up. I pull over & He come up & asked for license/ins/reg & ask's me if I was the one who altered my license plate. ( I have a personalized plate of GOTRUSH, but i attached a Question mark ? at the end with a sticker, so i kinda looks like GOTRUSH? ) well i say sure, the older officer informs me this is a "Criminal Offence" and i explain its been there for 4 years & i have had various encounters with law enforsment & nobody ever told me i should remove it ! ( my son is a county Sheriff Officer ) Then he tells me i'm lucky he doesn't take me to JAIL ! jezzz.... the more i spoke the madder he got. He ended up writing a Criminal Ticket for " Knownly Displaying Altered Plates" with a court date on monday june 16th. I haven't yet checked into the penalty/fine for this.  they took pictures & removed the sticker like it was the crime of the century. there was 3 cars & 5 cops at one point ! what a Joke ! oh yea this happened here in Phoenix @ about 8am. I'm not sure if I want to fight this ticket, or if that's gonna piss the Judge off worst, plus I would have to take time off work & deal with the stupid court process, Thinkin on asking for a postponment & then set another court date & maybe the officer won't make it to court....... Cops are great when you need them, but otherwise they can sure suck sometimes... Pfft, when are they ever there when you need them??   He could have just asked GR to remove the sticker, he didn't have to get in a tizzy about it..

[rushgoober]

QUOTE (Jaye @ Jun 9 2008, 05:12 AM)

QUOTE (rushgoober @ Jun 9 2008, 12:50 PM) QUOTE (GotRush @ Jun 8 2008, 08:28 PM) Drivin into work last friday, a police car pulls up behind me & light's me up. I pull over & He come up & asked for license/ins/reg & ask's me if I was the one who altered my license plate. ( I have a personalized plate of GOTRUSH, but i attached a Question mark ? at the end with a sticker, so i kinda looks like GOTRUSH? ) well i say sure, the older officer informs me this is a "Criminal Offence" and i explain its been there for 4 years & i have had various encounters with law enforsment & nobody ever told me i should remove it ! ( my son is a county Sheriff Officer ) Then he tells me i'm lucky he doesn't take me to JAIL ! jezzz.... the more i spoke the madder he got. He ended up writing a Criminal Ticket for " Knownly Displaying Altered Plates" with a court date on monday june 16th. I haven't yet checked into the penalty/fine for this.  they took pictures & removed the sticker like it was the crime of the century. there was 3 cars & 5 cops at one point ! what a Joke ! oh yea this happened here in Phoenix @ about 8am. I'm not sure if I want to fight this ticket, or if that's gonna piss the Judge off worst, plus I would have to take time off work & deal with the stupid court process, Thinkin on asking for a postponment & then set another court date & maybe the officer won't make it to court....... Cops are great when you need them, but otherwise they can sure suck sometimes... Pfft, when are they ever there when you need them??   He could have just asked GR to remove the sticker, he didn't have to get in a tizzy about it.. Drunk with power.

[Mara]

Things musta been mighty quiet in Phoenix on Sunday morning if this constituted a 3-cruiser response.

And damn, they sure are hustling you into court quickly. Sure no one got killed? Where I live, traffic violations usually result in a court date that's at least 2 months away.

Edited June 9, 2008 by Marathonist

[ReflectedLight]

How much is the fine?

 

[Rushgirl]

Hmmmmmm......that is interesting

Right now I am driving around with Howard U's sig on my plate and I am going to the Ministry of Transport to tell them I lost a plate and get a new one since I don't want the sig to fade (and I will be adding to it )

What a jerk cop that was...............

Sorry you had to encounter such a bitter, jaded officer of the law.

 

 

[-D-RocK-]

Pay the fine and cut your losses. No need to make a mountain out of a mole hill for this one.

[Godeater2112]

Like traffic cops can't be dillweeds enough sometimes... it doesn't help you have the word RUSH on your plate either, and no I'm not saying you should change your plate.

 

I got RUSH RLZ on my plates and more than once I've been pulled over for speeding and the cops have given me extra attitude - assuming that my plate means "I Speeding" or something. Seriously.

 

But yeah innocent mistake on your part but people are right in saying that you shouldn't alter your plate at all. Either pay the fine if it's small or plead ignorance and be polite with a judge. That's my suggestion.

 

And good luck to you my fellow RUSH-PLATE-ENTHUSIAST.

 

[ReflectedLight]

definitely not worth wasting a day at court.

[mazyyz]

QUOTE (Godeater2112 @ Jun 9 2008, 09:17 AM)

But yeah innocent mistake on your part but people are right in saying that you shouldn't alter your plate at all. Either pay the fine if it's small or plead ignorance and be polite with a judge. That's my suggestion.

 

 

It also sounds like he was giving you more of a hard time because you had GotRush on your plate rather than the ? sticker. And if that's the case, then the DMV should have never issued the plates.

 

I guess depending upon the amount of the fine determines whether you should go to court or not.

[Sark]

With all the DUI's, reckless drivers, and accidents out there, it's good to know they are cracking down on that evil license plate altering crowd! SHEESH! It's most likely a quota situation. It's a royal pain, but if you go to court, there's a good chance the cop won't show up and it will get thrown out. At the very least, it will get reduced. I understand the cop was doing his job, but I don't get the attitude they usually seem to have. I was pulled over for something similar, and the cop acted like I just ran his Mom over or something.

[rushfan1966]

QUOTE (snowdog2112 @ Jun 8 2008, 10:37 PM)

Try to reach Alex's lawyer.

Good one, maybe there can be over 300 pages of Depositions.

[pm1970]

wow - that's one douchebag of a pig who needs something constructive to do

[subdivider79]

The cop was absolutely in the right. Altering a plate is illegal. I love it when people knowingly break the law, then get mad at law enforcement for doing their job.

 

 

 

[iluvgeddy05]

QUOTE (Sark @ Jun 9 2008, 09:12 AM)

With all the DUI's, reckless drivers, and accidents out there, it's good to know they are cracking down on that evil license plate altering crowd! SHEESH! It's most likely a quota situation. It's a royal pain, but if you go to court, there's a good chance the cop won't show up and it will get thrown out. At the very least, it will get reduced. I understand the cop was doing his job, but I don't get the attitude they usually seem to have. I was pulled over for something similar, and the cop acted like I just ran his Mom over or something.

Exactly. How is an altered liscense plate more harmful than robbing a bank, or murders and dealing drugs? Hell, how is it worse than speeding?!

 

Not saying the cop shouldn't have pulled him over for it, but telling him he should be in jail -- really??

 

 

Not to offend any police officers on this forum, but all the ones I've come across (or friends and family have dealth with) have been more into asserting their power over YOU than making a community safe.

[Merely Space]

First off, chances are good that the officer in question worked for a division of the PD that deals exclusively with traffic offenses, so he wouldn't be chasing major criminals if not for issuing the ticket in question.

 

Secondly, altering license plates is something criminals do in order to aid their escape after committing major crimes. Obviously not the case here, but investigating seemingly minor infractions can often lead to major busts.

 

Thirdly, trying to tell an officer why they are wrong to ticket you is just asking them to go on a power trip.

[subdivider79]

QUOTE (iluvgeddy05 @ Jun 9 2008, 10:29 AM)

QUOTE (Sark @ Jun 9 2008, 09:12 AM) With all the DUI's, reckless drivers, and accidents out there, it's good to know they are cracking down on that evil license plate altering crowd! SHEESH! It's most likely a quota situation. It's a royal pain, but if you go to court, there's a good chance the cop won't show up and it will get thrown out. At the very least, it will get reduced. I understand the cop was doing his job, but I don't get the attitude they usually seem to have. I was pulled over for something similar, and the cop acted like I just ran his Mom over or something. Exactly. How is an altered liscense plate more harmful than robbing a bank, or murders and dealing drugs? Hell, how is it worse than speeding?!   Not saying the cop shouldn't have pulled him over for it, but telling him he should be in jail -- really??     Not to offend any police officers on this forum, but all the ones I've come across (or friends and family have dealth with) have been more into asserting their power over YOU than making a community safe. That's such a stupid argument. So just because people rob banks and rape and murder and pillage, all other aspects of criminal behavior should be ignored? You do realize that certain divisions of police departments deal with certain crimes? A traffic cop isn't investigating homicides and rapes. He was doing his damn job. Power trip or no power trip, if the plate hadn't been illegally altered then the trouble never would have happened.   I suggest to the OP that he man up and take responsibility for his actions..and stop blaming others when he f*cks up.

[Mara]

QUOTE (Merely Space @ Jun 9 2008, 10:37 AM)

First off, chances are good that the officer in question worked for a division of the PD that deals exclusively with traffic offenses, so he wouldn't be chasing major criminals if not for issuing the ticket in question. Secondly, altering license plates is something criminals do in order to aid their escape after committing major crimes. Obviously not the case here, but investigating seemingly minor infractions can often lead to major busts. Thirdly, trying to tell an officer why they are wrong to ticket you is just asking them to go on a power trip.

Quite true. For example, did you know that a high percentage of people pulled for driving without their lights at night are drunk? I don't know about you, but I want them off the road, thank you.

 

[TheBlonde]

QUOTE (Merely Space @ Jun 9 2008, 10:37 AM)

First off, chances are good that the officer in question worked for a division of the PD that deals exclusively with traffic offenses, so he wouldn't be chasing major criminals if not for issuing the ticket in question. Secondly, altering license plates is something criminals do in order to aid their escape after committing major crimes. Obviously not the case here, but investigating seemingly minor infractions can often lead to major busts. Thirdly, trying to tell an officer why they are wrong to ticket you is just asking them to go on a power trip.

I have to agree.

 

I think it was questioning the cop's ability to understand the law that got his back up and resulted in the ticket. It is illegal to add anything to your license plate. If you really wanted to keep it on there, you could have just as easily gotten out, took the ? off yourself and then put on a new one later that day.