Just so we all know, there is nothing wrong with that...at least not legally. Although we would all like it to be the case, Corvette drivers are not a protected class. Further, it makes no difference that the guy in fromt of him was in greater violation of the law.

I suggest putting a big sticker in the rear of the car that says "F&*% the police!" (Althought I must say, I like police a lot) That way, you can argue that you were not speeding, but the police are punishing you for expressing your views...turn your potential ticket into a lawsuit where you make money

NOTE: disregard this terrible and sleazy legal advice. Of course, if you have been injured, even if you slipped in the shower...PM me, I can even get you money from yourself.

 

Hey Dave.... the reason I know that area is a "Trap" is that I run along that stretch often and have seen as many as 3 Motor Officers working together with radar guns parked along the center divide taking turns pulling cars over. Can you say "shooting fish in a barrel"????

I drive 33 mph through there.

 

Heres a site for you and look what's listed!
http://www.speedtrap.org/speedtraps/stetlist.asp I went by there yesterday!!

Jurisdiction (city, county, etc.): Carlsbad, California
Speed Trap Location: Carlsbad Boulevard
Nearest Reference Point: Tamarack Road
GPS Coordinates: n/a
Time of Day: Any time of day
Level of Enforcement: Moderate
Type of Enforcement: Radar, Unknown
Date: 8/2004
Carlsbad Blvd, AKA Pacific Coast Highway: Northbound between Cannon Road and Tamarack; 1-3 motorcycle officers sit in the median hidden from drivers behind palm trees and shrubs. Safe traffic speed is easily 50 but posted limit is 35.

 

 

Mmmmm......100-ft wide, 3-lane highway, no traffic, businesses or residents, a beautiful day, a C5 with 370 HP........and a 35 MPH speed limit. Yep, I'd say that my conditions meet those qualifications, all right!

Now if the city narrowed that road to about 10 feet, I'd say I was a fool, but........

 

I can tell you what he or she will say....THAT IS NOT A DEFENSE. The officer is entitled to do that. The officer can pick the bright red car out of a sea of beige Camrys and watch it closely, hit it with radar, or tail it at a reasonable distance to make the driver nervous so that he swerves....and then pull him over for that or any other apparent trafic violation.

Let's not misuse the term "profiling" and turn it into something nasty. Police look for clues and things get their attention. Some things are constitutionally permissible under some circumstances, but not under others. If the car you're driving gets noticed...better be extra careful.

Please note, that I am NOT saying that the police can pull you over simply for driving a Vette. There must be some underlying violation or probable cause to believe that you have committed a violation or are transporting evidence of criminal activity...blah blah blah.

 

I agree with “Y2Kvert4 me”…..how were you entrapped? Who enticed you to do something illegal that you would not normally do?

To set the record straight, a “speed trap” is a drastic drop in the speed limit from one speed to a much lower speed and then back up to a higher speed again in a very short distance of roadway. i.e., A roadway is posted at 50 mph which suddenly drops to 25 mph and then back up to 50 mph, in about ¼ mile distance. This doesn’t sound like your situation at all. Speed limits aren’t just arbitrailary set to make money. State law required that if a roadway is over 36 feet in width, (and not residential) the set speed limit must be based on a traffic speed survey completed by a licensed traffic engineer, for that particular on the stretch of road, at a time of day when there is a high volume of traffic. The traffic engineer physically sits on the side of the road with a radar gun, and logs the speed of 100 random vehicles. The posted speed limit of the roadway is based on the 85 percentile of the vehicles traveling that particular roadway. Basically, what that means is if the roadway is posted at 35 mph, then the speed survey has shown that 85% of the vehicles on that road were surveyed at traveling less than 35 mph and only 15% of the surveyed vehicles are traveling over 35 mph. The bottom line is that only 15% of the vehicles on that roadway are violating the law, and 85% are abiding by the law. Police officers have absolutely nothing to do with setting posted speed limits. Amazing, as it may seem, speed limits are set by a mathematical formula.

To address the “Give a jackass a uniform and a badge and he thinks he god” comment. Pleeezz gimme a break! That comment isn’t even worth addressing! Grow up and take responsibility for your own actions!

The “minimum wage in a uniform” comment also really doesn’t even deserve a comment, but I will say that police officers today are required to posses at least an Associates degree before they can even apply for a position as a police officer. Many have Bachelors and Master’s degrees. They are highly trained and also very well paid. We’re not talking about guys flipping burgers here. We’re talking about individuals that are responsible for the welfare and safety several hundreds of thousands of citizens on any given day. Most police officers are hard working dedicated men and women who realize that they may have to give up their life to save yours. If you don’t think so, the next time you’re in trouble, and you call 911…..see who comes to help you. I can guarantee is not going to be your carpenter or your plumber.

Citation fines and cash revenues collected do not go directly into the “city coffers”. Traffic fines go directly to the state. These funds are used to finance roadway construction and highway safety programs. The local city government receives less than 2% return on traffic fines. There's no incentive for local police agencies to write traffic high volumes of traffic citation to generate funds. It doesn’t work that way. Local law enforcement is essentially funded by local property and commerical tax bases.

Lastly, police officers do not have “absolute power, so they are not corrupt absolutely”. Each officer must answer to his/her sergeant, who answers to a lieutenant, who answers to the captain, and the chief of police. The chief answers to the city council, which answers to the mayor, who must answer to the citizens. It goes on and on. No police officer has “absolute power”. If you think so, you’re just kidding yourself. Well, enough said. You guys can flame me now, I don't mind.

 

Umm, if I' reading this right, this was in Carlsbad...

Don't get me started on Carlsbad PD....

 

Wooooo! Take caution in your tone! Not all of us cops are like you are talking about. We do catch crooks and sometimes that means stopping people for speeding. Whether you get the ticket is up to the officer himself. For me, a good attitude gets you on your way free of charge. I'm not saying anyone is right or wrong. Some of us "Cops" do have high school educations and drive Corvettes.

 

Well said!...and thank you for your service as a police officer. The whole "dumping on the police" things gets old. Over the years, I have worked very closely with police officers in several different capacities and have been, with very few exceptions, impressed by the job they do. Especially since they do the job for little money, under dangerous conditons, and then they need to listen to people that have no concept of what actually goes on or the applicable policies or law, whine, bitch, complain and cry about the way they do their job.

I think everyone on this board needs to search the web for a "saluting smiley" and send it to every police officer on this forum or off this forum. If you can't find the smiley..buy them some beers and give them cab money.

EDIT: Just to add another thought...from my perspective, police officers and prosecutors have another huge problem. It is that the general public only has a vague understanding of the constitutional principles at play, or what they perceive as their "rights". This results in people, often incorrectly, feeling that they have been "violated". I can't blame them entirely, the law is complicated and often portrayed incorrectly on TV and in the media...but nothing drives me crazy more than whining ..."but your honor...he didn't read me my rights before he arrested me"...or " that's a violation of my [insert poorly understood and probably inapplicable constitutional principle" blah blah blah

 

Here's the attitude that pisses me off..


Cop: Well, I'm going to have to give you a ticket for speeding. You should always monitor speed limit signs.
Me: I'm not from this area and I was focusing on finding a place to turn around. Hasn't that ever happened to you?
Cop: I'm no going to argue about it; just give me your license, etc...

And understand this - I know LEO"s on this board. And I like them and I think they think well of me.

But that attitude - the "just take what I give you" is total bull****. What's he got to lose in discussing it civilly with you? Not a damn thing. So your nice to him in your efforts to remain civil and he's short with you, as if your some inconvience? Please.

 

Ed-

I just want to know when is the BBQ?! I'm getting hungry here.

 

ROFL..it's warming up here in Temecula. As soon as we have a couple good days of weather, I'll throw one. No problem.

 

Here's what pisses me off...people that want to argue with the officer. "I was just looking for a sign" is NOT a defense. The officer may choose to be understanding, or he may not. That is really up to him. Every time they pull someone over they have to hear a line of BS...true or not. Further,they had to walk up to your car, all the while wondering if they are about to be shot, monitor the radio, watch for approaching traffic, and be prepared to ditch the dude in the speeding Vette to respond to something more important.

We all drive, and we all drive faster than the speed limit. If you were speeding and got caught, there is almost no excuse that should work....except may (and only maybe) if you were actually on fire and speeding to a swimming pool or some other source of water. Speed limits are about two things (I can't tell which is the proper order) safety and raising revenue. Both are legally permissible because there is a rational basis based on safety. it is damn near strict liability.

Time to lock this one I think.

 

Just had to throw a laugh out there. It's getting intense here. Maybe you guys can shoot up to my pad ... although your's is nicer. I live in a war zone. You have guys have FLAK jackets right?

Dave Q.

 

I think someone is forgetting who the PD, the DA's and every civil servant work for....

I'm around cops a lot in my job and I respect what they do. But guess what, if they want respect and civility shown to them, show it back.

 

Very eloquent Merlin and Prosecutor!

I agree that it's probably time to lock this one down but before we do could we bash plumbers? I had a terrible experience with a jack azz plumber the other day and what's worse I don't think he had his HS diploma!

 

This is turning into open mic night.

 

Was the speed limit posted, YES!

Were you speeding, YES!

Did the cop have the right to pull you over, YES!

Did the cop have to give you a ticket, no, did he, YES!

Life sucks, you got caught, NOW STOP YOUR FLIPPIN' WHINING!

I've been given my fair share of speeding tickets, but every time I got one I WAS SPEEDING, imagine that.

If cops never gave anyone speeding tickets then we would all be driving around at 120 in 45 zones, the possibility of the occasional ticket is what keeps the majority of the population within reason on the roads.

 

If I were a plumber, I would do a good job. I try to lay as much pipe as possible