got pulled over last night
 

im headed back home from michigan with the new toy and get pulled over on 80-94 south of chicago. just went thru rush hour hell pulling the 288 with a half ton dodge. il. state police follows me for 20 minutes thru this nasty traffic. walks up and says who's boat? first thing out of my mouth is " im nervous as hell after going thru that mess". its mine sir , just bought it in michigan this morning. cop: pulled you over cuz the trailer doesnt have registration. license and proof of insurance please. me: yes no problem sir. cop: do you have proof its yor boat? yes , heres the bill of sale , copy of title , "still has to clear the guys bank" , and a temp trailer registration is taped to the back window of the truck where the broker said to put it. cop: sit tight , be right back. 25 minutes later he returns along 2 other added cops. hands me a warning for the trailer registration then asked if i have anything in the truck or boat he should know about. me: no ,your welcome to look. has me sign a form giving permission. cop: exit the vehicle please. hand behind your head , interlock fingers:confused: pats me down , touches my crotch:mad: proceeds to climb in the boat with combat boots on:mad: spends 10 mintutes looking at everything , gets out and walks to the truck. ive have a carry on type bag in the truck. barely even looks in it. says your free to go. wtf , was all that needed. wheres the probable cause so the search. i was extremely polite the whole time as was he. it didnt start to piss me of till i got down the road a ways and started thinking about it. 3 cop cars for a temp trailer sticker that "he didnt notice". just another example of cops wasting time on bs when they could be catching bad guys.

Your right, there is NO justification for that BS. EGO's run amuck:mad:

Dilemma
 

The problem is do you be cooperative, which you were or say no to the search. They need proabable cause but then may take you down to the impound (possibly) for no other reason then you were suspicious.

Troutly can add his opinion I hope.

Wannabe

I agree I wouldnt like it much myself but remember you gave him permission to search and even put your x on the paper, If you said no that probley would make him want to look more, I think at that point they can and will bring a dog to sniff first, and if he hits on somthing they will search anyway, you dont have anything to hide let em do what they want, somewhere in the area you were at (within 30 miles) I heard they caught someone with 60 lbs of uncut cocain...can you say holy s... batman! so they are probley just watchin closely, the boat would make a good place to stash it, or maybe im completly wrong, Im not a expert, but I bet Im close, :crazy:

I've also been pulled over in IL for a unregistered trailer. The cop asked me why I didn't have plates and I told him they wern't needed. He asked me why I thought that, and I told him that when I called the DMV, they said that it wasn't heavy enough. He looked briefly at my drivers license and let me go on the spot.

True, other than the fact they treated him like an excaped felon after he had given permission and signed the form. It's BS thats all.

Hey Cord,

What exactly is heavy enough here in WI? What did you find out from the DMV?

Catch 22
He didnt need probable cause because you told him he could look when he asked. If you told him "NO" he would most likely turn into a bigger dick!
Whats interesting is I wonder if he has the right to search you being that you gave him permission to look in the truck.
Where's Troutly, what is the psycholigy behind searching someone that is cooperating. Do they think its a reverse psycholigy game or do they just want to see the boat?

That really sucks! If you say yes they jack around with all of your stuff, delay you, and generally make you feel like chit. If you say no..... well who knows, impound, dog, they still jack around with all of your stuff, etc.

On the other hand they do make a few drug busts every year on highway 44 near st. louis because some dimwit was smuggling drugs with an expired plate or broken tailight etc.

Don't know the answer just know I don't want it to happen to me, in fact after reading your story I think I'll politely decline if I'm ever asked and see what happens from there.

Enjoy that new boat.

"Technically" it is 3500lbs. There is also a length limitation, but I don't recall what it is. I can tell you that the law isn't being enforced and that most cops can't tell the difference beween a 2,000lb trailer and a 10,000lb trailer. They would have to look at the lable, which hard to do from behind.

I would of told him you can look in the boat only if you take
your ****kickers off ! I have no swim step so I have know Idea
how anyone could get in without scratching it.
I could see it now, steps on the drive bending the driveshower
or stands on the Hydralic cylinders for you guys with good steering. Oh ya I hope you didnt bring your dog with you
cause if he jumps out, he's dead
Ever had them draw gun and ask you to lie down in your
nice clothes, Id did just because a truck with the same color
took off from a gas station, ruin a new white shirt and they Don't have to pay for it, road tar dont come OFF, All I got was a sorry
thanks Mr police officer I love showing up for work late and dirty
not to mention $28 shirt ruin.
:mad: :mad:

Too Fancy
 

You guys are too fancy, if ya can afford a boat like that, you must be a dealer or transporting drugs............LOL.

I have no problem with them searching my stuff, it's the war on drugs remember?, Nobody wants to be put in that position, but thats the way they catch drug dealers who feed this stuff to our kids and you did say it was ok for him to do it, but he could have been a little cooler and took off his boots.

Good thing the previous owner didn't leave anything behind.

Next time don't drive around with that towel on your head !!:D

Sorry , I had too !!:(

That sucks ......... But , if your stopped ,your screwed one way or the other . You give in and you end up pissed off , you don't give in and they piss you off more ! With this terorist stuff going on ,I don't mind them checking me out . But they could have SOME respect if you don't fit the terrorist profile !!:mad: So whats a little dope or stollen boat or your mother inlaw tied up in the trunk !?! As long as it's not bombs or poison gasses !:rolleyes:

You probably did the best you could do . Hope no damage was done .......

Sorry for the trouble but with a bad a$$ ride Like you bought they must have wanted to see it. Glad to see all worked out with the dealer. I have never used a plate on the trailer when pulling my boat, just lucky I never got stopped. Good luck with the boat I might just have to hook up with you at the shoot-out. :eureka:

Now that would really SUCK
they auction your boat and your truck
cause some one left you a gift

truth is you dont really have a choice so might as well say yes.

a few what ifs since i just bought the truck and boat.

what if the previuous owners liked the ilegal stuff.
a dog would have gotten a hit just from residue i would guess.
i would now be locked up , boat and truck impounded and torn apart.

dont get me wrong , i STILL woundnt want to live anywhere but the great USA. it just seamed unnessesary but i guess they had their reasons. maybe it was the "im nervous as hell after going thru that mess" comment i made. apperently if you say your nervous you must be a meth head or hiding something:(

this is kind of ironic, but troutly, mrs. troutly, tbone and myself had an hour long discussion about this exact scenario over dinner last sunday night in south beach.

he brought up several good point, none of which i can really remember. all i remember is something about grey goose and 7. he'll be on the board later this afternoon to shed some light on this subject.

jbk

Welcome to my world:
I have not got a ticket in 20 years, never a DWI, and I drive like a grandma.
Incidents in the span of 3 months:
1) Monday morning 7:00 AM, Highway patrol, Pulled over for "dirty front liscence plate", car searched (consented), No ticket issued
2) Saturday night 10:30 PM, City cop, said I ran a red light (it was actually yellow), car searched (consented), No ticket issued
3) Wed morning 2:30 AM, City cop, Plate came back as coupe, not a convertible, car searched (consented), No ticket issued.
Go figure.
Gary

So Troutly, what the he!! did I do?
BTW, I did discover, if you work for a pharmaceutical company, and the cop asks what you do for a living.
DO NOT ANSWER! "I make drugs"
They dont seem to have much of a sense of humor about that.
Gary

There is a lot of "uncertainty" in the world today and it may be a small inconvenience to you/us, but I personally am glad to see that our officers are doing their jobs... we have no way of knowing and never can tell how the next "wacko" will try to pull it off!

I once heard a story about a guy that had a boat. I forget where he was, but I believe that he was in the keys. The coasties stopped him and searched his boat. They went so far as to take a saw to his boat and cut holes into the compartments. They never found anything and sent him on his way.

my question is why decides probable cause. if police are going on drivers reaction to questions is it, or is it not relativelly easy for the officer to say that he had cause even if there isn't.
I was stopped a few years back for no front plate. I was asked to get out of the car and without any questions they bring a dog to do a walk around. They didn't ask me if I had anything illegal in the car either. I asked why the dog was there and they said standard procedure. Clear to me He just wanted to f with me for some reason. Well sure enough the dog "hit." Bullchit If you can train a dog to sniff out drugs you can train him to bark on a discreet comand. anyways they now had reason and after the dog druelled all over my car and got hair all over my seats they tore my car to pieces to find nothing and sent me on my way with a front plate ticket.

I had a boat seach in Clearwater pass a few years ago. I was tied up to a sail boat about 7 miles out and then left and started in. As I got into the pass there were (2) coastie boats. As I passed the wife say's, "Hey, I think they want you to pull over.". So I turned the boat around and as I pulled up along side they yelled on the blow horn," Put your port side to our starboard side and prepare to be boarded". As soon as I tied up they told me, the wife and at that time my 6 month old son to step to the back of the boat. So 4 or 5 coasties stood beside the boat with their hands on their weapons whuile another coastie searched my boat. He found a duffle bag and asked what was in it and when I unzipped the bag to show him he say's, "Oh no, I can't look into personal items.". Excuse me but my boat is personal and they were pulling cushions out. He came to the bow and asked what the compartment was. I advised that I just purchased the boat and it was built this way and it was not a false compartment as he had implied. He then proceeded to say how he could drill my boat to look in the compartment. I then made the comment that he should only drill what he could afford to fix!!! I then stated that there were no drugs on this boat, after he treated me like a smuggler and he said, "Oh i'm not looking for drugs I was just worried that if you struck something this compartment could fill with water and you could sink." I then told him how the boat was built this way and it has a US Coastguard approved decal where they approved it. Anyhow after a long ordeal another coastie hands me a yellow form and has me sign it and tells me that if I get stopped again to show them the paper showing I had already been searched. What Bullsh*t !!! How can they search my boat compartments but can't look in personal items??? I was pissed.....:mad: Wardey

Maybe it is just me.....but I would never give anyone permission to search anything.

Let's see, maybe he missed the boat show and just wanted to take a long hard look at yours. You should be honered.

Darn it Lee!! Didn't you want to sell the boat. Why did you call the cops on him?:cool:

Cops
 

First-
Very few cops are gaylords. He had to check for weapons. Like the trout said, he wants to go home after his shift.

A few years ago, I was on the AC Expressway, heading to an Enduro with three dirt bikes in the truck. The cops stopped me for,"65 in a 55". Fine, I was going a bit fast. But then he says he wants to search the truck. Ok, I have nothing to hide.
Not only does he dig around in the cab of the truck, but he has us unload the three bikes and our gear on the side of the expressway. He finds nothing, obviously. Then he drives off and doesn't assist us with loading the truck up.
He did forget to write the speeding ticket though..

Oh, yeah, this was at 10:30 PM..

That is what I have always been told and always thought as well. However, in that situation, I am not sure what I would do. Seems like less hassel to just let them look for 30 seconds,, and send you on your way. The downside, I would do just what Lotoparty did, 2 miles down the road I would be pissed at myself for giving in. All deserved respect to the law, whom I support, but as a citizen you are afforded certain rights, and illegal search is a no no. I think these rights are greatly impinged at times thru basic intimidation, and that is wrong.

As Trout said, he knows before he even asks if you are a probable suspect, and this is fine. However, it is the cops who are sticking their chests out who worry me. At teh same time, I sure like when the process works and one less druggie pushing loser is behind bars. I guess it is a system of probabilities, give and take......and I don't blame you guys for frisking, never know whois carrying what.


Interesting thought......what if they want to Dog to search the boat....what do you do?? That dog will rip the hell outta the interior....:( :(

All I can say is be Glad you got stopped at least they (COPS) are looking for stolen boats or terrorists with bombs or drugs to kill..

We DO need the police, but the part I don't like is the police seem to always be looking to give you a ticket for whether they find something or NOT in their search. It's almost as if they have to make their traffic stop legidimate by handing you a ticket.

By the way, I am certainly not saying that we don't need the police---but our freedoms keep getting encroached upon more and more because of "security"---it's kind of like we are between a rock and a hardspot. We are quickly headed for a "one world" system that WILL turn into a type of police state---kind of like Martial Law if you will. And it will all be under the guise of PEACE, SECURITY and PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION. Soon, a one world system number on the right hand or forehead will be required by EACH and EVERY person in order to buy, sell or trade. That is the way the world is going. At first it will look like a wonderful idea and it will solve many problems, but it will come to have extremely severe consequences. I know that may sound far fetched to most of you, but it's all in the Bible---in the book of Revelations of things to come. God's peace to you all. :)

then they just hold you there untill they get a warn or rodny king your ass:rolleyes:

I kind of see what he is saying, but maybe not to that extent. You must admit our "right to be left alone" is being chipped away at more and more. :( With all of the new security measures after 9/11 and the corresponding legislation, I don't see it as getting any better. (Sorta makes me think the terrorists are winning in a way, by taking away our freedoms and rights.)

By the way, your explanation of your traffic stop procedures is excellent. That is interesting that ya'll can't use a dog without reasonable suspicion. Most states allow it if the infringement on the motorist's liberty is minimal (i.e. - by the time you finish writing the ticket, the dog arrives.) :cool:

I got searched yesterday .......trying to park at the airport...wasn't asked " may I search " was told to pull over there unlock all doors (Excursion) and step out ...he briefly looked around...asked what was in battery drill box in the back....I said " a drill" he moved on....didn't comment on the 9mm if he even saw it..(have CWP) or the other bags in the truck which there were several bags ...like the wifes lifeline jacket in a big black lifeline bag in the 3rd seat...oh well....nice to know they are trying to do something I guess....but seemed kinda pointless to me....I mean ...if one really wanted to do WHATEVER ...won't they kinda do it regardless .....I dunno...wonder how the War on drugs is going...??? futile..

SO WHO GETS SUED WHEN "OFFICER COURIOSITY" FALLS OFF THE FROZEN BOAT, 7'-8' TO THE GROUND AFTER YOU GAVE HIM PERMISSION TO INSPECT IT? YOUR BOAT , YOU TOLD HIM HE COULD CLIMB AROUND IT.

Ironic indeed.....I see no anwser, no solution...funny thign was ...yesterday when I knew I was going to hte airport I knew I would be searched...and I was...I didn't mind...except for the fact that I knew it would happen..I have nothign to hide..but I can assure you if indeed I did have something to hide...it would not be found w/ such measures as those...but what do they do ...this is a free country, and I will be the first to stand up when rights are violated no matter what the recourse...but , without giving up rights things will surely happen ...bad things...

"Where there are too many policemen, there is no liberty.
Where there are too many soldiers, there is no peace.
Where there are too many lawyers, there is no justice."
- Lin Yutang, Chinese-American Philosopher.



"The better the society, the less law there will be. In heaven
there will be no law... In hell there will be nothing but law,
and due process will be meticulously observed."
- Grant Gilmore, Age of American Law.


__________________

Thats Ok last year I get pulled over by a State Fish n game cop on my boat here in Philadelphia says I wanna do a safety check. I say Ok. So he does 1. than after he says I smell beer on ya I say yes you do but that doesn't make me drunk. well to shorten this long story I had a BAC of 0.03 I think 0.10 is drunk THIS FRIGGIN cop would not drop the charges so after 4 court dates and $1,500 in lawyer fees they got thrown out of court after the court he says OH sorry i was just doing my job

Ya ya Ya water nazi :hothead: