I was so furious about the following incident I had to calm waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down before I could write about it. I keep this blog clean and I was going to wreak havoc on it dropping no-no 4 letter words. Big deep breath, trying to stay calm, here goes:
After working an extra long shift and driving over an hour just to get home, my husband Chris got pulled over by a Local Town PD officer for having no plates on the truck. Chris stated immediately that he was a cop since he was carrying. The officer lectured Chris, and wanted to know why, since he is a cop, didn't he know better and didn't he know the CA vehicle code about licence plates? Chris explained that there is a local gang that hangs out, outside his police station writing down officer plates and then they attempt to locate the cop's home address. Chris makes a lot of arrests, so he's not too popular with that gang. The cop stares blankly at Chris. The he proceeds to ask Chris, "All right, Christopher, but why don't you have any licence plates on your truck, you should know better." Let me note that at no time did Chris have a bad attitude. Here is a little side plot/sub story. Chris has a right to be a bit short with the Local Town Cop. Not long ago, this same local PD came into my yard while Chris and I were both working nights, and impounded all of my dogs for killing a Chihuahua, that, by the way, had come into our yard. Sad and unfortunate, yes. Dramatic enough for the Local PD Sgt. to comment he had "Never seen any thing so horrible" as the slaughtered dog. Puh-leez! Get out more! A dead dog is the worst a SGT. had ever seen????? That gets me off onto a tangent on how Chris gets into knock down drag'em out fights for his LIFE on a nightly basis, and this is what he comes home to??? Same local PD tried to get Chris in trouble after aforementioned dog incident occurred by filing a complaint against Chris at his job! It's not like Chris killed the Chihuahua for pete's sake! If he did, by all means file a complaint!!!!! This same Local PD issued no apology when they lost one of my dogs during the impound, nor did they pay the vet bills when she was later hit by a car, while out running in traffic--specifically she was running in traffic, because THEY LOST HER. Let me also not get into a diatribe of how when we finally jumped through all of the Local PD's lengthy and ridiculous requirements to get our dogs released ($2000 later), we overheard a lady at the front counter saying ,"But why did they come on our property and take our dogs, for barking?" and heard the officer respond : The police chief in Local Town felt cops should be held to a HIGHER standard than the general public." You can't do that!!! Equal yes, but higher? Absolutely not! OK, I am getting worked up again. Deep breath. I digress, back to this morning:
Chris gave up trying to explain and waited patiently for his ID and paperwork to be returned to him. Chris was then handed his ticket. A TICKET! Not just any ticket but a stupid, minor vehicle code FIX-IT TICKET that means Chris has to jump through a bunch of hoops, track down a Local Town cop for a sign off, go to court etc. All in the middle of his night when if Chris had been a private citizen, who was polite, and on his way home from a grave yard shift about 90% of all cops, certainly 100% of the cops I know, would have given him a verbal warning. If you are a cop or a family member of a cop then you get why I am so pissed off. If you are not, I hope I explained well enough. There are some things you just DO NOT DO!: You don't date your best friend's ex wife, you don't fart loudly during church, you don't go to the doctors office with a cough and announce loudly that you have TB and you definitely don't write another cop a ticket. That's what I call canabalism; like attacking one of your own! It's just wrong. Chris pulled over one of my agencies' guys for going 90 mph. Did he write him a ticket? Of course not. Now some citizens may say this was perfectly fair, but truth is, there are certain unsaid perks to being a PD officer. Big stuff, like felonies? ABSOLUTELY NOT. But tinted windows, minor speeding, broken tail light---you just don't go there. Chris has, and would, still back up a Local PD cop if he was off duty, that is part of the unspoken understanding between cops too. Oh I am all mad again. OOOOOOH!!!! That just chaps my hide. Deep breath.......
But their will be payback. This Sunday. We are going to the party of a cop down the street, a friend and co-worker of Chris', who knows 80% or more of the Local PD guys. And the Local PD guys will be stopping by, both on and off duty. And Chris will have the truck parked outside with the plates on it. And Chris will say loudly in a room full of Local Town PD cops, " Is Officer M---L here? I need him to sign off the ticket he gave me for no licence plates." And Officer M------, whether or not he is there, will be looked down upon and he will be ridiculed....... and it will be beautiful.
I welcome all comments on this one but I really want to hear some cop's opinions, too. Back me up?
15 comments:
Unbelievable. I hope your husband embarrasses him big time. I would be ranting and raving too. What could he possibly hope to prove by giving a fellow cop a ticket?!$&* I would be plotting things to do to him... an anonymous dead fish slipped under his car seat perhaps.
Got your comment. Don't have time to dive into it now, but rest assured, I'll be back with a lot to say.
Seems like a no-brainer to me. Turnabout is fair play. Just hang out where this other idiot cop lives or works and wait for the inevitable mv infraction to occur. Then sock-it-to-him.
Don't get even. Get ahead.
In my agency, that local PD cop would be called a squirrel. Don't worry. I bet that all his co-workers know what he is all about. I am guessing that your husband's PD is a lot busier than this local yokel. You can bet it is just plain jealousy making him do that.
We had a cop in my town who gave a rookie officer a ticket for speeding. This rookie had just got commissioned and was trying to get to HIS GRADUATION!! What a first impression of your co-workers huh? The cop who wrote the ticket got so much shit that he had to change shifts.
Karma
CHP maybe, but a city cop? Tagging another city cop for a "fix-it" violation? What's the job coming to? That wouldn't happen here, I promise you.
I am a local Calif. cop. I work a night beat in a city of 200,000 with 8 other police officers during graveyard. I also pull cops over night after night.
Your are correct in thinking that us understanding cops don't normally write our brothers in blue tickets often but once in a while we do. Heck, I work with a motor who writes anyone-even the Chief's secretary for speeding. And we razz him for it but he is consistant and doesn't waver. He isn't a jerk either. Now I write a LOT of tickets but I don't cite cops.
I have arrested them for domestic violence & DUI and would do it again but a minor fix it ticket can be left alone.
As mad as you are 5150 I'm not much for retaliation. I'm not even into the party scene hollar. I would however, if I were your husband, speak to one of the "old boys" in thie dudes department and see "whats up?" Your husband might find that dude was just in a shooting or is just a jerk. Those situation can be dealt with seperatly.
I will end with... My wife got a ticket a while back. $378. for turning right on a red. Did she do it? Probably but my wife is normally one of those that would get a ticket for going too slow! Did I pay it? Sure did. I also made a discrete call and e-mail to the officer of the adjoining city who wrote the ticket. I didn't ask for anything but I did introduce myself. - The ticket was later "dismissed in the interest of justice."
Hang in there!
Thats a little rediculus. I can understand pulling him over for no plates but once Chris explained the situation the cop should have let him go. It seems like "local pd" as something against Chris' agency?
It seems like most cops usually do have each others backs when it comes to stuff like that.
The city cops and some of the county sheriffs are the same way when it comes to the EMS workers at my agency. There is a lot of "Oh hey your tail light is out you might want to get that fixed, see ya tomorow" type stuff that goes on.
I think when it comes to major stuff like DUIs, breaking and entering, spousal abuse... stuff like that. Cops should be held to the same if not higher standard than everyone else. But the small stuff? Puhleaze
I don't write cops. It's a chicken shit thing to do. On the East coast it seems that the blue line is a little thicker than that on the west coast. I couldn't exactly tell you why, but we're family here.
I've been stopped twice since I became a cop. In both instances I was in the wrong and in both instances I was sent on my way without any paperwork. I've only stopped a handful of cops in my career and all of them got a pass from me after a few friendly words.
The officer in question here sounded very condecending. If I were Chris I would have politely requested to have a supervisor respond to the scene. I'd have taken the ticket but I would've also given the Sgt. or whoever an earful about respect towards a fellow officer.
I've heard stories of a guy tagging another officer from a nearby jurisdiction and in turn, those officers write any cop that they get from the orginal officer's city. They include a little not saying "You can thank Officer so-and-so for this ticket." Generally that orginal guy gets beat up on, and once theorginal ticket disappears, then so do all the retaliation tickets.
I'm interested to hear the back story on this guy once Chris finds out. Is he just a douche? Let us know.
Help me here..is your husband a "State" peace officer...CHP or something like that? If so, that just makes this all that much more unbelievable. If not, the officers having to remove their license plates for their own protection should be reason enough to warrant take home vehicles. It's quite common here in the south.
I must admit, I'm quite the vindictive one. I can FORGIVE you and still, when given the opportunity arises, politely teach you the lesson that apparently escaped you in grade school...one that may save your life one day..."Whatever goes around, has a remarkable and miraculous way of coming right on back around!
Were I your husband, I would tattoo a picture of that cop's face in the back of my mind to draw reference to. And I better not so much as see him freakin' jay-walking, loitering, leadfootin', flicking a cigarette butt on the ground (littering), turn without signaling, "hollywood stop" at a stop sign or any of the hundreds of moving and non-moving violations on the books. I better not be able to hear his stereo through my rolled up window...oh hell no! Go ahead...exceed the maximum! I dare you. Come on...cross that solid white line...please! I'll be on you like stink on the preverbial turd you Barney Fife maggot!
Of course that's just my humble complete and unbridled opinion, unfiltered, unchecked, and unedited...in all its naked glory.
And by the way! If you're gonna write me a ticket...by all means...get to writin'! Be sure to press hard, there's 5 copies! But do us both a favor and dispense with the lecture. Don't friggin' lecture me then write me a citation.
If you're gonna let me off with a warning. Well then.....which side would you like to gnaw on first, officer? Chew away! Lemme have it! Then lemme go!
One or the other but enforce the law or counsel others on the importance of following the law but not both, pal! You get one...pick it...choose well but, by Gawd, CHOOSE!
I'm sorry, THAT concludes this weeks update of "What does Wadical Think?
OH WOW, I am SOOO glad you commented on "Johnny Law Chronicles" so I could find your blog.
I am the wife of a retired {37yrs} LEO and a former Parole Officer. I don't know any LEO of our acquaintance, here in TX who has been cited by another officer for an MV offense. What a chicken$hi+!
Is this so-called occifer a Rookie or does he just have it in for Chris' dept.?
{Holly shaking her head in sad wonder}
I think that Mr. Policeman has it right... Time to do a 'side-by-side' with one of the older cops on that officers dept. to vent a little. Then watch how fast the problem gets solved.
I've been stopped many times and never cited. I've also stopped dozens upon dozens of other cops and never tagged one. But that's just me. Be safe everybody!
I can't believe that! He must either A) be a total chicken shit who would cite his own mom, or B) have had a really horrible day (or set of days). There is no excuse for that kind of stuff. I think there are obviously certain circumstances where you have to take enforcement action on fellow law enforcement (you know, felonies and such) but 5200 VC?!? Seriously. How about, "I noticed your plates are missing... they didn't get stolen? Ok, well, you might wanna put 'em back on. Be safe out there." Then get back in your car and hit the road to find some other major violation or... um... CRIME!!! I vote for him being a chicken shit, Chris should ask someone what's up with him. Who knows maybe he has personal problems. You'd hate to feel shitty for puttin' him on front street then finding out his wife just left him or something.
Dog does not eat dog!
Many years ago, - OK! many, many years ago - I was a London cop, driving the Area (fast response) car. A traffic cop on a motor-bike tried to do me for exceeding the 30mph speed limit. He got nowhere, needless to say, but when colleagues heard about it, they were incensed. The speed-cop lived on our area, and one of my colleagues knew that he had no Road Tax for his private vehicle. So, in order to ensure that there could be no accusation of victimisation, my colleague started at one end of the street where the speed-cop lived, and booked every vehicle which was not displaying a valid Road Tax Licence. He got to our friends house and, guess what? He'd seen my colleague coming and had removed his bloody car from the street!
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