Avoiding small town police officers for now on

[triwing]

I have a rule I have followed for many years. When travelling long distance, don't get away from freeways in small towns. The Cops make a lot of money off out of towners. Sad but true.

I'm going to have to start following that rule myself it seems.

I agree DPS guys are usually very professional. They are also the least likely to let you go when you've done something like speed just above their threshold.

But at least they actually get you when you do something, for the most part. There was literally nothing this small town cop could write me a ticket for. The guy was a moron.

Which town was it that put you thru all of this?

Wallis, Texas, which so happens to be the same town in which a school grossly punished a student for having a Jolly Rancher.

I bet if you had generally looked like a redneck (you know, ropers with Wrangler jeans, t-shirt and ball cap), his attitude might have been different. Who knows.

Hah, he wasn't that smart. The DPS saw us and had a look on his face of "Why did he stop them?"

So he goes on to tell us he stopped us because.................
one of the lights over our rear license plate is out.

Exact same thing happened to me before.

[tstone]

License plate light out at night really is fair game for getting pulled over no matter what.

Small (pass-through) towns in Texas, anything is fair game. Especially on US and state roads that go from freeway/highway to city street. You'll want to stay 1 mph under the speed limit all the way through. Make sure you read signs carefully.

Interstate is generally safe, patrolled by the DPS. I agree out of all the times I've been pulled over they have been fair and curteous, professional with no BS.

If you're ever going from Houston to Beaumont during afternoon rush-hour you might not want to fit certain stereotypes. At least once a week near the Trinity River someone is pulled over, in cuffs and with their whole car interior torn out on the side of the road.

[1badgmc]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

...one of the lights over our rear license plate is out. ...

ONE of the license plate lights was out? So you still had one working license plate light left, correct?

If that's the case, then that's a VERY lame stop! The law says you have to have a license plate light, sure, but it doesn't say that you have to have 2. If one of your 2 is working, then you're still legal.

How retarded.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by 1badgmc

ONE of the license plate lights was out? So you still had one working license plate light left, correct?

If that's the case, then that's a VERY lame stop! The law says you have to have a license plate light, sure, but it doesn't say that you have to have 2. If one of your 2 is working, then you're still legal.

How retarded.

Yes, that is correct. ONE was out. The other was working just fine and the cop even said so. We knew it was a lame stop. He was phishing for something.

Since this is the town right next to where my MIL lives AND we own a lakehouse right by there we drive thru it OFTEN! We know they are always out looking for someone speeding and we tell friends that come down to the lakehouse to not speed thru the towns. This one was just a sorry lame stop. Let's see: Chrismas Eve at 9:00pm when people ARE going to/from relatives and that is about the only traffic out. Snowing HEAVILY. Family car (Chevy Suburban), current registration and inspection, headlights, tail lights, brake lights all working, etc. LAME!

[turbodiesel4x4]

I was stopped one night here in the D/FW area for having red tape over a busted tail light. You know, the kind you can buy at the auto parts store.. At least I tried to do something until I could get around to replacing it. But, that wasn't good enough. I still got stopped. At least I didn't get a ticket.

[meet4]

Originally Posted by wehotex

I'm so sorry to hear about the harassment that you suffered at the hands of that small town yokel. I had an experience driving thru seguin on the 123 from san marcos south. There was a teeny tiny sign in pitch dark that read "Speed Limit 55". I was caught by local guy doing 65, 67 or something like that. I swore to stick to the Interstates after that experience.
Which town was it that put you thru all of this?

haha, almost same thing. On the way from San Marcos in Elgin, there is a 55mph on huge State Hwy 290 the middle of nowhere... and of course a cop behind a tree, 300$, come again.

[EmergencyOps]

Originally Posted by 1badgmc

ONE of the license plate lights was out? So you still had one working license plate light left, correct?

If that's the case, then that's a VERY lame stop! The law says you have to have a license plate light, sure, but it doesn't say that you have to have 2. If one of your 2 is working, then you're still legal.

How retarded.

Can you cite the law you mention? From doing ride-alongs with officers, they mention something about the plate needing to be visible from 30 feet. If one light was out, that would definately reduce the plate's visibility. What the officer wanted was probable cause to stop the vehicle to check for anything illegal. The interrogation, I agree, was less than necessary.

[1badgmc]

Originally Posted by EmergencyOps

Can you cite the law you mention? From doing ride-alongs with officers, they mention something about the plate needing to be visible from 30 feet. If one light was out, that would definately reduce the plate's visibility. What the officer wanted was probable cause to stop the vehicle to check for anything illegal. The interrogation, I agree, was less than necessary.

It's 50 feet actually, but knowing the way the lights are set up on Suburbans, even with one of the two lights out, the license plate will be plainly visible from that distance.

§ 547.322. Taillamps Required
(f) A taillamp or a separate lamp shall be constructed and mounted to emit a white light that:

(1) illuminates the rear license plate; and

(2) makes the plate clearly legible at a distance of 50 feet from the rear.

[feufoma]

And that is the basic reason that I hate pigs. I know not all of them are bad, feckless, or just plain mean, but most are. You did everything the right way. (I'm an attorney by the way and he didn't even have reasonable suspicion to conduct a search.)

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by meet4

haha, almost same thing. On the way from San Marcos in Elgin, there is a 55mph on huge State Hwy 290 the middle of nowhere... and of course a cop behind a tree, 300$, come again.

Here is a good website to look up speed traps in areas where you travel:

Huge List of Speed Traps | The National Speed Trap Exchange