I was driving home tonight and was going a little fast when I saw a cop car parked beside the road, so I slowed down. I saw the cop pull out right behind me and start to follow me, which I thought was okay, since I was slowed down to 35 mph now, and hitting my brakes every time my speedometer even inched a little over 35 mph.

This cop follows me for a good mile, then his lights go on, I'm being pulled over. I rolled down my window and calmly asked the policeman, "What seems to the matter" or something to that effect. The cop then tells me that I was going 50 mph in a 35 mph zone, and I was speeding over the hill. Well, yeah, I was going a little faster so that I could make it over the hill, but I slowed down once I got to the top of the hill and saw the policeman sitting there, so what the fuck is the issue here?

He said to me, "I don't know if you're familiar with this area...", and I calmly interrupted him by saying, "Yes I'm familiar with it". He then proceeds to tell me that there are a high population of deer here, and that there have been many accidents, people hitting deer and being injured or their car being wrecked, and/or a deer getting killed. I am not a wreckless driver by any means (the last speeding ticket I got was 21 years ago, so that should tell you something). I even told the cop, "I know that I was going a little fast, but I DID slow down".

Some good it did for me to say that to the cop, because after he went back to his car and wrote up my citation (which seemed to take FOREVER), he comes back to my car, hand me the ticket, tells me that it's not a good idea to try to talk my way out of getting a citation. Asshole! I told him that I was not trying to weasel my way out of getting a ticket, but just telling him my side of the story. I was not going to sit there like a meek little mouse and not say a word, if I had something to say, I was going to say it. I was not getting defensive or raising my voice, just speaking in a calm and matter of fact tone.

I then asked the cop how much the ticket was for. Get this, they don't tell you straight up how much the ticket is, you have to call a number to find out the amount. What a joke! The cop then told me I had until April 1st the pay the fee, or I could fight it in court. I'm not going to bother with the court thing, it's like fighting city hall, and it's a waste of time. Besides, I would probably never win anyway, so I might as well pay the fine and be done with it.

I got home (still fuming) and called the number on the back of the ticket. I told the cop who answered the phone that I had gotten a citation that day, and I wanted to find out how much it was for. The cop was a friendly joking kind of guy, and kiddingly said it was for two thousand and some odd dollars. I told him, "Please sir, I don't find that very funny, I am NOT in a joking mood." He then asked me how fast I was going, and I told him. He then put me on hold, and told me that I was going 50 mph in a 35 mph zone, so my citation as for $105.00!

Needless to say, I am waiting until the very last day to send in the money, they can wait for it. What pisses me off is that in the past when I've been driving a little fast and I've seen a cop cruiser around and slowed down, they didn't bother with me. I slowed down when I saw the cop car today, and the fucker still decided to be a prick and stop me. I understand that he was only doing his job, but the fact that he stopped me after I conciously slowed down and obeyed the speed limit seems to be a bit much. It was not like I saw the cop car and just kept speeding, I made a conscious effort to slow down.

So if you see me in the chatroom under the name "FuckThePoliceTheySuck", you'll know why. This is not the first time I have had encounters with a policeman who acted like a jerk.


[This message was edited Mon Mar 22 18:44:34 2004 by psychodelicide]

oh my goodness, Psycho... this has been the week from hell for you!!

hang in there, gurlie... things will look up soon! want me to send you some chocolate??

IAmTheTouch said:

Yes, some chocolate would be nice.

Go to traffic school!

It won't show up on your driving record if you go... and your insurance company will be none the wiser!

Milty said:

I'm downloading the NWA song "Fuck Tha Police" right now. I am going to play that song LOUD!

June7 said:

Traffic school? I've never even heard of it.

Sorry, Psycho. I've had my fair share of sucky run-ins with the cops, too.

What part of Cleveland were you in? I can tell you the cops here in Cleveland Heights are the Gustapo!!!!

psychodelicide said:

When your ticket info arrives in the mail, you'll be given the option of attending traffic school for a fee. You can even do it online! It's the cost of the fine plus like $25 to $50 bucks more. You either spend 8 hrs at a physical school, or take a virtual class online. When you complete the course, they give you a certificate and you turn that in at the court.

Your ticket never gets added to your record!

Lammastide said:

Cops suck don't they? I was in the Oakwood Village area, on Alexander Road, heading west. I am SERIOUSLY considering taking another route home.

June7 said:

Thanks for the info. I never even knew such a thing existed.

June7 said:

I've been sent to traffic school before for going to high over the speed limit, but I never heard of this. Do they do this in every state?

It's not a bad idea to show up in court. If I recall it right, the officer has to show up too. I did this once for a ticket I got for going through a stop sign, and the officer didnt show up, so they dropped the ticket.

If you pay through the mail you will pay the full amount and it will show up on your record. If you talk directly to the judge, and explain your situation VERY breifly and concisely, they may cut you a break, even if its a lower fine.

Well, you got lucky when the cop failed to show up. I'm not too keen about going to court over this, because number 1 I can't really be taking off time to go to court anyway, number 2 don't care to see that asshole cop again and number 3 I probably would not win anyway, even though when I was driving through the area, there were no deer in the immediate vicinity (I am very careful to check for any deer that may be on either side of the road while I am driving), and I was not driving in a manner that was threatening or harmful to others.

I just looked at my ticket, and the cop has checked off on there that I was driving "over limits" and "unsafe for conditions". I have talked to people (including my own parents) who have had accidental encounters with a deer, and they all have told me that the deer just runs right into your car, doesn't stop and doesn't turn to run the other way, it just rams right into you. Seems to me that the "unsafe for conditions" stipulation could go either way for man or beast, since deer have a tendency to jump out in the middle of the street at a moment's notice, making it difficult to stop.

It's probably best to just take another route to and from work from now on, and to chalk this up as a learning experience.

psychodelicide said:

Sign up. I end up there every three years or so, no points on my license!

But....remember....you are blessed to not be harrassed because you are driving a nice car and are not of the majority population in America. DWB is still a crime in this country.

Yeah, let's get rid of cops so we can have some wonderful anarchy.

Milty said:

That's Public Enemy, not NWA.

Speed kills.

Speed limits are there for a reason. Going 50 mph in a 35mph zone is not just a "little" over the limit either.

I agree, there are speed limits for a reason BUT as I stated in my original post, I DID slow way down and was putting my foot on the brake a lot to ensure that I kept my speed to 35 mph. The cop was right behind me, so I know he saw me doing it. It did feel a bit like harrassment, as someone posted earlier.