had a run in with Johnny Law today
 

I took a trip to the west coast the other day by trailer to get the builder to look at the boat, and returned after hours and wasn't able to put my boat back in the rack and stack so i left it on the trailer at the marina for the night.
today i launched it and was on my way to get it racked. It is a 600 foot transit from the ramp to the rack pickup. 100 feet from the trailer ol johnny law comes up along side to give me the run down.
he asks for my registration, which is in the truck, and i tell him i can get it really quick i am just putting the boat back in the rack. he says no worries and runs my reg number and DL. and it comes back registered to me with matching addresses.
he then asks to see all my safety equipment.
-Life jackets: check
-horn: check
-fire extinguisher: check
-throw able life saving apparatus: he says the uscg approved cushion with straps is not adequate and that i need a ring buoy.
-flares and visual distress signals: i dont have because i am inland, he says it does not matter, i need them.

i ask about the previous two very politely because i was un aware that those were necessary. he says he has been doing his job for a very long time and knows the laws better than a weekend boater such as myself.
He asks my profession, i say "im a professional mariner"
"charter captain?" (he ASSumes because i am 25 years old)
"no i work in the oil feild, i have a master unlmited license"
"what size master? 50 ton?"
"i have an unlimited license."
i then hand him my USCG Masters any gross tons apon oceans, and tell him again i work in the oil feild and have an unlimited masters license. and say "as best as my knowledge serves me, within 3 miles or inland, a vessel my size is not required to have flares and that a coast guard approved cushion is adequate for throwable life saving device.
"I'll let you slide on that one this time because you seem responsible" he says

by this time we have drifted down the canal about 1/4 mile, and he starts to write me a ticket for no regestration. i told him it was in the truck and i can get it really fast when he first stopped me'
"i'm not here to wait for you, its 90 bucks you can pay over the phone, sign here have a nice day"

What a dick! can i get it dropped?

Write him a DWA ticket dick with arms:evilb:

Cops suck!................................Robertjr..... ...........................

In jersey I believe it depends whether it's written as unregistered or failure to show docs. With the later you can usually show up with current reg and have it dismissed. With the unregistered they usually will drop it to failure to show docs, a $30 or so ticket. Once again, that's the courts I've been to though...

i would fight it just because he was a dik

go to court and say it was in the boat the whole time but that you thought it was in the truck because it wasnt in its normal spot. They will probably drop it!

I usually just have nice conversation with them and then tell them how sorry I am and how I cant believe I messed up like this etc etc and they drop it because they figure youre not the kind of guy who would normally do this. LOL

Never get smart with them because they have the upper hand IMO Tell them what they want to hear and be respectful.
Just my .02

Yes if a local cop, not sure if it is CG..... Make a court date, show up with your registration and the court magistrate (not a judge, but rather an attorney standing in as a judge) will review and drop it. You may have to pay court costs of a few bucks ($10-20).

Sounds like you were at the 15th St ramp in Lauderdale where the Ft Laud. Cops have a waterfront police station!

Wow. $10-20? The latest scam the local PD is pulling is writing a bunch of BS crap tickets(like 3 over in a 25mph zone that should be 40), then when you go to court they throw the ticket out and just charge you court costs of $75. I guess the local city court gets to keep a larger % of court costs than if you just pay the ticket outright. The guy I'm working with has been ticketed three times this year, and every one gets dismissed in court so long as he pays court costs.

Yup, you can get it dropped. Just because you didn't have your reggie, doesn't mean it's not registered. If he did his job and stopped worrying about being a dick, he could have radioed it in and matched it to your license. Up here on Long Island we always say the cop was too busy counting his 6 figure base salary, but that doesn't apply to Ft. Lauderdale, so he just must have been a dick

I just read my own reply, and it kind of sounds like I'm being a snooty dick. I meant that cops here make a whole lot of money in comparison to the rest of the country.

Hes wrong about what you have to have for a thowable. What you had was fine. Hes right about the flares. Those are basic USCG rules that almost every state follows.


Florida law says he right about you having to have the registration on board.

http://myfwc.com/RULESANDREGS/Rules_Boat.htm

You were carrying your 5 by 8 U.S Coast Guard license on you but not your boat registration, Was it in the frame too ?

i know you have to have the reg on the boat, but i was 100 feet from my trailer and 10 feet from the pier, i could have grabbed it real fast for him.

i had my MMC in my pocket with my passport, i just got a FL driver license yesterday and still had it in my pocket, they dont issue the paper license anymore, there is a book.

That is a hell of a petty fine. I think that it sucks. You could probably beat it by showing up with the papers. Be very humble if he shows up. You can win the battle with this guy but it will be hard to win the war.

A friend of mine just got clipped for a similar offense right in front of the dock. He went to court and the officer showed up. The judge ended up throwing it out but stuck him with $175 in court costs. He saved a cool $50 and will now have a target on his head. He felt better for getting to tell his side though. Worth it? No, and he knows it too. He was so pissed that he had to do it.

That's harassment, the judge won't be to happy about that.

It's all :bsflag: cop was on a power trip and must be a big time dik as a person.
Unfortunately and as painful as it will be, you will have to be on your best behavior at court and very humble.

good point about the fees involved when going the cc to fight a ticket, Ian got stopped on his motorcyle, he went to court and they reduced the speeding ticket to reckless driving but that cost $75.00 more than the speeding ticket, but no points went on his license. I think the township has scam going, no one wants points so the cop encourages you to go to court and then you are surprised when you pay about $75.00 but more money for the township.

Typing this I just remembered that last week I was in upstate NY for bs and got a ticket for driving while on a cell phone (unlike MI in NY you have to talk hands free) The odd things is the cop said there is no set $$ amount, I have to mail the ticket in, then they send me back a bill and the price varies. I am not sure if I can ignore it since I really don't drive in NY much, but I will have to find out if they are connected into the MI system.

Neg.

Flares are ONLY required offshore. Not that its a bad idea to carry them on board reguardless.

Court costs have gone way up. My bro got a seat belt ticket ($120? I think). Ticket clinic said it's cheaper to just pay and move on because the court costs are higher than that ticket. Remember, every municipality is hurting for money so they stick it to us every way possible. No more free rides.

sixmassive - you just gotta suck this one up and pay it because it's not worth the effort. Make a copy of the reg and keep it on the boat at all times.

What Handful says...I try to stay away from the law man..but sometimes the bear eats you.

I get a lot of looks cause my rig looks like it is really moving when going just 5 or so in no wakes cause it is so azz heavy, I get the slow the f' down wave, I hit neutral and the bow doesn't settle as they expect and they just go,,,,,?huh? Coming up on my rig from the front when I'm anchored and you'd swear it was heading for a date with davy jones.

until it is a done deal and then as you walk out call him a dick, i did one time and the chit got up but it was to late:lolhit:

This why I always hire a good attorney and somehow it goes away. I don't ask questions that, I really don't want the answers to.

Yup, correct USCG reg. Most states (including NY) have made it to say that you have to have them on any water if boating at night. and that if its day time, you have to have something like the orange distress flag if you don't have flares/orange smoke

[QUOTE=sixmassive;3220565]
He asks my profession, i say "im a professional mariner"
"charter captain?" (he ASSumes because i am 25 years old)
"no i work in the oil feild, i have a master unlmited license"
"what size master? 50 ton?"
"i have an unlimited license."
i then hand him my USCG Masters any gross tons apon oceans, and tell him again i work in the oil feild and have an unlimited masters license. and say "as best as my knowledge serves me, within 3 miles or inland, a vessel my size is not required to have flares and that a coast guard approved cushion is adequate for throwable life saving device.
"I'll let you slide on that one this time because you seem responsible" he says

QUOTE]

I am not trying to be a dick, but at 25, how did you get a unlimited masters? I know that gulf days equall 1 and half days of sea time. That is just alot of sea time and sea school, or did you goto a maritime academy?

Had to have gone to a maritime academy. Probably graduated in 2007 based on his age. I am 25 also and graduated from Kings Point in 2007. However I have never met a 25 year old with an Unlimited Master. I have plenty of time for my Chief Mate, however havent taken the classes for it. I work in the oil field also.

I dont doubt that it can be done, however it is unusual if you graduated at a normal age, not like 18 or something. It takes a solid three years to get to Master from 3rd Mate, and that is working 28/14. 28/28 would take 4 years, and both need an entire year of sea time as Chief Mate. Lets just say it isnt done that quickly very often.

What company do you work for? A PM is fine.

Unlimited Master is an impressive ticket indeed ! I worked for Seacor,Ensco, and Tidewater a few years back. Really miss the time off.
I never let on that I have any license or mmd credentials around here. Always scared I'll get nailed by a pwc and get sued. To me it makes you a target.
Go to court and let the judge decide. You will win.
Jim

graduated early winter 06, worked for otto candies and now helix. Day and a half 28/14 for a while, now 28/28. just got my ticket last month. worst. test. ever. glad i'm done though, unless i get a pilot gig

the ticket is 90 bucks. not worth my time to fight it, and wont be on any record

What Helix boat are you running? Candies had a couple nice setups, the one that comes to mind was the agnus candies.

im on the Q as a 3rd. just started with them in January.

The agnus candies, that is a old boat. i cant remember if that went to brazil or was renamed to a DMT boat.

who do you work for

If you ignore it, NY will suspend your driving privelages in NY and then send the info to MI and they will most likely suspend your license as well. Then you will have to pay the original ticket and reinstatement fees in both states.

Yes, DMT renamed it, then it sat in fourchon for along time, not sure what happened to it, I used to work for CMC, I was not part of the marine crew though, you guys just drove us around.

be careful with those guys. I got a ticket in upstate new york a few years ago. cop said it would be a $40 ticket, but of course it all depends what the judge wants it to be. I plead guilty because it was not worth the gas money to travel and fight it. turns out the judge decided to write the ticket for $100 plus court costs. and there is nothing you can do at that point but pay it.

No, not happy about it. The law was not clear in my friends situation. The judge simply said that he had to back the judgement of the law enforcement officers.

My friend is pushing the limit on how long one can keep an out of state boat in Tn waters. That may be why they pick on him. I paid my Tn Taxes and am always nice to the local enforcement officers. They usually waive at me and say high.

Other than my friend's situation, our enforcement guys are reasonable. We are fortunate.

This situation sounds a bit much.