Cops Can't Be Allowed to Just Make Up Reasons for Pulling People Over

[Jilly_in_VA]

Daryl James
Marie Miller

Drivers who break traffic laws risk penalties. But innocence did not protect Mario Rosales when a police SUV pulled up behind his Ford Mustang at a red light on June 17, 2022, in Alexandria, Louisiana.

Mario signaled and turned left on green. He did not speed, litter, swerve out of his lane or drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He had done nothing illegal.

Neither had his girlfriend, Gracie Lasyone, who was in the passenger seat.

The Mustang was equally clean. It had current tags, working equipment and was not linked to any criminal investigation. The only thing conspicuous about the car was its red color and out-of-state plates, from New Mexico.

Officers had no good reason to initiate a traffic stop. Yet they flashed their emergency lights before the Mustang cleared the intersection. Dash-camera and body-camera video shows that Mario pulled over promptly, spoke in a respectful tone and obeyed all police orders. So did Gracie.

Nothing helped. Claiming that Mario had failed to activate his blinker, despite clear video evidence to the contrary, the officers ordered Mario and Gracie out of the car. Then the officers frisked Mario, took his phone, put it in the cab of the police vehicle, forced him to empty his pockets, and grilled him for 20 minutes about his personal life.

They also interrogated Gracie. When she asked—twice—if she could record the encounter on her phone, they refused to allow it. Ultimately, they cited Mario for three alleged infractions that the city eventually dropped.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/police-cant-just-make-up-reasons-for-pulling-people-over

I once had a cop tailgate me for about 6 miles, trying to get me to speed. I knew I was in a speed trap in the county next to where I lived and wouldn't be baited. When he got too close I signaled and changed lanes. He followed. He finally gave up after about 8 miles.

[Rocknation]

1. As the article says, what your pay for tickets is a major source of revenue for the departments

it's why they have ticket quotas on the first place.


Rocknation

[stopdiggin]

2. technically, they cannot just pull motorists over

Last edited Sun Jan 29, 2023, 04:16 PM - Edit history (1)

for no reason (w/ checkpoint stops being in another category). However - there are any number of 'legitimate' infractions (failure to signal, lane violation, obscured tags, objects hanging from RV mirror, window tints, etc) - which means, in practical terms, there is really no impediment at all to a stop at any time they feel like it. And, (again in practical terms) I think motorists just have to accept that this is way things are - and prepare themselves as best able for that potential any time they are behind the wheel.
(all of which is absolutely common knowledge - and news to no one on this site) But it goes to the point of, as things now stand, we have no means whatsoever to curtail these abusive practices. It is what it is. And, in the interests of keeping as many of us safe as possible ...

And, as a final thought/suggestion - I'm beginning to think that a dash cam is one of the essential 'safety features' that every vehicle should now be equipped with. If you don't have one - maybe you should really think about it.

[Jilly_in_VA]

3. Yeah, technically they can't

but they DO. Which is the whole point of the article. And if you've ever had a cop tailgate you trying to get you to speed, it's downright scary. I knew exactly what he was doing, too, because I was more than familiar with that stretch of road.

[stopdiggin]

4. Yes. Totally agree. And I have had it happen.

It's infuriating, intimidating - and, to some degree, a scary experience.