KymcoForum.com
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: wordslinger on September 04, 2010, 01:44:35 AM
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...yeah, and made me punch in late..by 3 minutes...dammit..
..6am..it's dark, heading to work, and i'm waiting to turn left at the first light, about 1/4 mile from mi casa...I fall in behind one of the local 5-0 posse, and he immediately whoops into a lot to the right..
..there's a car behind me, and Barney pulls out behind us..so i figure.."here we go" :-\ ..as i have my green LEDs on, and figure i'm fixin' to get some crap for 'm..th' car following me bears off an exit and 5-0 flips on th' blue-lights..we pull over, i shut 'r down, dismount and remove my helmet.."Sir?", i ask..with my hands steepled before me (confident gesture)...He replies.."y' know, i've seen a lot of scooters, and that has got to be the biggest 50cc i've ever seen..what is that, a 150??..250??"....i say, "it's a kymco agility 50"......."250?" he asks...."no, a kymco 50cc, i bought it new", i reply....."i've pulled a lot of scooters", he says.."if you're lying to me, i'm going to have it towed!".."where's your papers for it, in the seat?"...I said,"well, i have a receipt at home, but there are no registration papers for a "50"cc...
..now, he's scouring my scoot...looking for some indication that it's a 150, or even a 250, i reckon.. .."there's a sticker under the back-rest..it shows all the specs, sir.." i say...then i flip it up and he kinda glances at it..(the first spec is engine displacement..49.5cc ).."i've pulled a LOT of these scoots, what is this, a 150?", he asks again..."those tires..it sets too high for a 50. I'll have this towed!"..."What's the VIN number?", he asks, and i say, "i gotta get my screwdriver to pop the cover"..as i'm reaching into my MET-IN, he says, "just be easy.."..so i do..and pop the cover and he's all bent down recording my scoots vin..i shine my flashlight to help him see the numbers..(mine was brighter)...lol..then he goes back to his cruiser...lol.. and commences to try to figure out that my scoot is NOT a 50 cc...he calls in the vin, which was a futile attempt, because it ain't registered anywhere...'xcept with kymco... my date of birth..
.."do you have any warrants against you?".."no sir".....he asks me again the make and model, and then GOES ONLINE WITH GOOGLE..looking for a pic similar to my scoot!!
..i smoked two cigarrettes during all this..he kept me there 30 minutes before he gave up...
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welcome to north carolina.... :D :D :D :D imagine that sh**, they can be that way here too man... scooters are always getting a bad rep. ::) ;D i know i cant help but smile when i get pulled cuz they CANT give me a revoked charge. ;D ;) i think they get mad when they find squat and then a good chuckle... ha-ha asshole, jokes on them then. :-*
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Sounds like a case of too much time on his hands.
My scoot isn't registered with the state but when I bought it new I was given documentation showing the make and model, VIN, engine size, and horsepower rating. Always keep it under the seat just in case...
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Some people are just hell bent on making things dificult for others
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..yeah, i left out a lot of the dialog in that post, too..
..like how i told him that most scoots over 50cc had 2 rear shocks...
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Always keep it under the seat just in case...
..yeah, i gots that too..
..reckon i might make a space for a copy...
..could'v saved me at least 20 minutes!!!
:-\
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Poor Po Po is prolly still thinking you are scooting with more than 50cc.
In Minnesota, proof of insurance has to be handed over it the po po stop ya.
On that little paper is all the info needed!
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Ha! Some officers don't like to get smoked off the line or be wheelied past :D
In this state most don't give you a second look,but you do need a valid d.l. and insurence to be on the road. The last few weeks i've been seeing scoots riding the bike lanes no helmit, passinger and what not and they seem to not care. But I try to keep everything legal just in case. Going to have to get that mc. license some day for my larger scoots.
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In my country sometimes, very rarely, a cop in uniform will stop you in the street and ask for your ID. It will happen only in suspicious environments like bus stops of railway stations, usually in the middle of the night. I think this is not that usual in USA so the people that visited me were sometimes surprised about this because allegedly it is not common in USA.
Similarly, sometimes when I read posts about US (traffic?) cops on forums, I wonder if your traffic cops are idiots or what. In my country no cop would question the displacement of my vehicle. Vehicles have yearly inspection, 50 cc vehicle has a small license plate and that's it. If you have some mods that are not legal and certified (for example, exhaust), you could be removed from the traffic and sent to extraordinary technical inspection. Cops do not tow the vehicle, you have to do it and you are not allowed to operate it until this is cleared. However, you really have to make some crazy mods to be treated that way.
Here cops also like to ask if there is a warrant against you, or if you were ever convicted for something. I think you have a difference between misdemeanor and felony, and they are asking about felony... they should not ask such questions because if they want, they can check that over radio link. Also, even if you were convicted for something and you paid your dues, you are a "free" citizen and cannot be judged because of that offense. However, they still ask that question and I usually respond to get rid of them, even though I work for judiciary branch of government and know my rights better than most. The problem is that any time crossing borders or getting pulled over for me is full-blown "investigation" because my head is shaved and I usually hover around 240 lbs so I am the usual suspect...
Another thing is that they like to ask you to show them your car gear, like accident reflective triangle, tow rope, spare set of bulbs etc. They ask you that not to check the gear because it is checked by the inspector during annual inspection, but to see what is in your trunk. :)
I realize that in USA cops usually have a lot of time, or they are bored because during stops cops here check a) validity of your driver's license b) validity of your yearly technical inspection (vehicle papers - if they are valid, this automatically means the car is insured). Maybe, just maybe, they will check if everything is OK with lights of the car. 30 minutes seems excessive and I certainly hope "your" cop felt stupid for harassing you. Another option is to check you for DUI using "breathalizer" or test you for drugs.
What would happen if you had plenty of time and told him "please, tow it away, no problem with me". The guy is an idiot.
I already told you that in most of the Europe, fluo lights similar to ones you have are a reason to be forbidden to join traffic. In my country you could get a nice fine and be sent to technical inspection and I agree with that. There is no place for additional lights other than "white" lite in front and red in the back of the vehicle, and yellow for blinkers (red in USA) and white reverse light.
Police statistics for my country can be found on http://www.mup.hr/UserDocsImages/statistika/2010/statistika_engleski_2009.pdf (http://www.mup.hr/UserDocsImages/statistika/2010/statistika_engleski_2009.pdf) , page 23. refers to traffic safety.
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Oh, MAN, What a way to start the day, huh? They are strict like that here in Virginia, too, wordslinger. They will impound in a second and it ain't cheap or fast to get it back and straighten it all out. In my city (not all of Virginia, though, I think) they require registration and put an actual (but smaller) license plate even on the 50cc here. They actually inspect the scooter and document the VIN number and paperwork you have when they register it. That may save them time when they pull you over because it will be in their database and they may not have too Google. LOL. Makes it harder when they want original paperwork on a used scooter purchase, though. Here they changed the law in 2000 or 2001 and you also are not legally permitted to operate any scooter, regardless of engine displacement, if you have suspeneded/revoked driver's license, DUI, or are considered an habitual offender. And if they catch you going over 35mph you are considered to be riding a motorcycle and are required to have insurance and the whole works. I can't imagine the fines and impound fees they would try to rack up!
30 minutes!!! Good thing you left early for work today or you would be docked 15 minutes in pay over it. Maybe it's time to move even further south. haha. Maybe now they (at least that man) will recognize you and won't bother you again. Shame you was late for work and had a rough start to your day but glad you came out of it as the victorious party.
Makes me love the 50cc even more. ;D
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The problem is that, at least here in NY, SO many people ride motorcycles without the proper license that every road block catches like a dozen of them. It is better to be legal.
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dam, word and i just THOUGHT n.c was bad.....see that word,...as close as virginia..everywhere is getting ABSOLUTELY CRAAAAZZZY!!!!!...(the socialist are very close ;)..).........
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I keep a copy of the kymco website spec sheet with picture for my people 50 under my seat for just such an occation . Hope I never need it ( like if I get clocked going 50 mph + ) . Good luck .
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dam, word and i just THOUGHT n.c was bad.....see that word,...as close as virginia..everywhere is getting ABSOLUTELY CRAAAAZZZY!!!!!...(the socialist are very close ;)..).........
;D :D
(http://www.campuslp.org/utoledo/files/images/UnitedSocialistStatesOfAmericaFlag.jpg)
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dam, word and i just THOUGHT n.c was bad.....see that word,...as close as virginia..everywhere is getting ABSOLUTELY CRAAAAZZZY!!!!!...(the socialist are very close ;)..).........
Yeah, cops were never dicks prior to January 2009.
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What is the significance of January 2009?
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There was an election held here ;D And the left and right wing don't relise that the fed gov. both sides are corrupt and sold us out to big business. ;) ::) :-[ :'(
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There was an election held here ;D And the left and right wing don't relise that the fed gov. both sides are corrupt and sold us out to big business. ;) ::) :-[ :'(
This happened in mid-14th century when Swedes (and then Dutch & Brits) created the first corporation. ;) ;D :D
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Yea it's getting pretty strict here in hawaii. They impound and fine if the scooter is over 50cc I know because I took six lil piggies for a wild goose ride with my old school honda elite till my damn front tire popped in a pot hole. LoL. So now everytime I get spotted on a scooter I get pulled to make sure it's not a hopped up ped, kinda cracks me up since I learned my lesson on not getting caught anymore. I like the police for doing their jobs I hate on um for picking on us peds!
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... I know because I took six lil piggies for a wild goose ride with my old school honda elite till my damn front tire popped in a pot hole.
..wowww...woulda like to have seen that!!
..Welcome to th Forum!! chace420..
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we got checked by are sherif dept because we parked are scoots wear they should not be.
just no room to park at times they need more scooter parking.
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Were the scoots blocking something?
The beauty of having a scoot is being able to park it anywhere. I park on the sidewalk and chain up to a pole or bike rack all the time.
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....i usta chain it everywhere i went..
..never do anymore..
..how complacent....
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Having had my battery and battery cover stolen keeps me paranoid. If I hadn't had it chained up at the time they might have taken the whole thing!
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That's sickening. They stole the dang cover, too, oswaldters!?
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..dang dude...
..i've always rolled mine in th house since day one, at night...
..i live in a good n-hood too...still....
..read the first line of my signature....
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Sure did.
Came equipped with tools and everything since they knew where I parked it during the day. Took me 3 weeks to get another cover sent to me from Stadium Yamaha. Had to cover the battery compartment with part of a shower curtain and duct tape.
But at least they didn't get the scoot. Do yourself a favor and get a heavy duty chain for your scoot. Two guys can pick it up and throw it in the back of a truck and be gone in about 20 seconds flat.
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Two guys can pick it up and throw it in the back of a truck and be gone in about 20 seconds flat.
..brother of another mother...
..i've said those exact words a hundred times, i bet...
..and it's true!...
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You'd be amazed at how many scooters I see parked in the motorcycle parking area at the subway station that are not chained to something solid.
Anytime you park the same place each day you make it easy for someone to plan to steal your ride. And subway stations are magnets for thieves who steal cars and such.
The dangers of urban living....
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..yeah, i'm like..semi-urban...lol..
..at work, anyway..
..at home...like, semi-rural...
;D
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You know, 20 seconds is really fast. Even if you saw them, by the time you ran to the truck they would be flying away.
I have never seen a bike rack here anywhere except the main big library. And they don't want 'em on the sidewalks. I reckon I just have to shop in stores with big front windows or something.
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..there's a lot of scooters around here..kinda "small city"...
..we all park in the diagonal lined spaces in the front of the rows...
...safety in numbers kinda feeling...
:)
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Were the scoots blocking something?
The beauty of having a scoot is being able to park it anywhere. I park on the sidewalk and chain up to a pole or bike rack all the time.
no we wear just on the side of the road with are fishing stuff the dump part is when they ask you what are you doing da da fishing poles da what do you think we are doing.
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Yeah - that right up there with the "do you know why I pulled you over" line or when customs asks you if you have anything illegal on you.
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they didnot like when they ask how fast do they go I sad it depends on whos asking then I said 35 lol.
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In my state the correct answer is 30.
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...what get's me the most, is he was trying to bust me on..what he must have known..was my way to work....
..6am....dang...
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ya its 30 here also butt they give or take 5 over.
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my way to work
Yeah, that was not cool.
At least he shouldn't bother you again now that he knows it's a 50cc.
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thanks wordslinger. Yea you should've seen it I kept flippin donuts on um, riding threw shoppin centers it was a lot of fun then out of left field this pot hole comes up and pop there goes my tire. then after that it wasn't so fun I got screwed with some big fines and my scoot got impounded for 9 months, when I got it back every thing was frozen. But im back riding, now though im on a really short leash with the local PD I get pulled all the time to make sure every thing on my scoot is legal.
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They told me to come down to the police station anytime between 9am and 4:30pm, but yesterday when I got there right after 9 the lady inside said I was gonna have to come back after 2pm because she was the only one there and she couldn't come outside to "inspect" the scoot. I had it right it front, walk out the door and walk up like 5 or 6 steps, but I said okay because I figure she is gonna have to take the time to write down the long vin# and double check it on the paperwork while her phone was ringing off the hook and all. Couldn't drive it back home and come back later. I could see me gettin' a ticket in front of the police station and feeling stupid. lol.
She never did write down or check the actual vin. She told me I waited all day, silly as it was, because she had to come outside with her yard stick and measure that the seat was more than 24 inches from the ground. Imagine getting a ticket or impounded for your seat being too low. Sheesh.
She was disappointed that she couldn't find the cc's on the paperwork, though. She said it's gotta be less than 50cc here or she would have to send me to get the motorcycle endorsement and come back. Then she winked at me and said it's okay and wrote 49cc on the registration. I guess that's where that decimal 49 point something or other comes in handy. Go figure. lol.
I know you was glad to get your scoot back, chace! Man, scooter impoundment, that's rough!
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ya its 30 here also butt they give or take 5 over.
..-35mph in nc...
..but i've passed city, county and even state troopers running 50+ indicated...
..had them go around me running in 45mph traffic...
..but i've been riding these same roads for nearly three years...they all know how i roll...
..except for that one guy.....
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Yep, he's always there.
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I'm probably older than most of you guys (Rianna included) and I used to get stopped by the cops for riding my '63 Vespa (in 1965) in photo, after dark, when I was 15 and working as a busboy. Back then, Miami was a boring place for the cops, so Miami-Dade (then Metro-Dade) PD used to stop scooters to see if we were 16 (allowed to ride at night on a restricted license) and if we had our inspection stickers, which we had to keep in our wallets, not on the bike. The cop that stopped me after dark at 9 PM felt sorry for me since I was covered in smelly food and after I showed him my inspection sticker, he told me to ride safe and off I went.
I don't know if he was just being nice, or was getting sick to his stomach! But I was never stopped on that road again.
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That's a great story!
It reinforces my theory that if you're not driving crazy and just trying to get to/from work to earn an honest living PD will generally be cool about it.
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I love that story! And what an awesome first scooter, Yager E!! It would be fun to photoshop a pic of the scooter you have now into a copy of that photo and then blow it up a bit to show how far you've come. :)
That man probably thought, "This poor kid's got it rough enough already. Gotta ride his scooter home in the dark all smelling like food." :D
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...cooool..if stinky!!...lol..
;D
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Speaking of po-po, I'm interviewing some Metro Nashville P.D. officers who patrol town on Big Ruckus scoots this week or next.
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I'm interviewing some Metro Nashville P.D.
..dang JP!!..advocAte for us scooters!!!
;D
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That should be an interesting interview. There should be a lot of fun things you could ask them.
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We'll have it all up on ScootNashville.com later in the month, video an' all. The MNPD's Public Affairs office has been very helpful in getting this set up.
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...i hadda Randolph County sherriff pass around me while i was travelling 56 mph indicated, this morning...
..it was on a long down-hill run and he drafted me up the next rise....
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I guess I'll come out of the closet...sort of... I attached a photo of me taken 10 years ago, just before I retired. Most of my cop friends ride motorcycles, and we always gave bikers a break when we could as long as they didn't give us a hard time first. Yup, motorists give the cops a much harder time than vice versa. I did that job for 28 years and the bad cops were few and far between that I worked with in the Tampa Bay Area.
I've been given a couple of cheap tickets when I was a teenager, went to court, pled my case and was found not guilty on both. But on the other hand, when I was 18 on my '66 Honda 160, I was stopped at a red light and a Metro-Dade motor officer was stopped in the oncoming lane. For some reason, I thought my light turned green (it didn't) and I took off. When I got stopped near my home, the officer was laughing his butt off. He said "don't you realize you ran the red light right in front of me?" I said no but that I saw him across the intersection. I happened to be coming home from my phone company job, splicing cable underground....no food this time, but still dirty from 12 hours in a manhole!
He said I seemed like a nice kid (lots of yes sirs, no sirs), but that he had to write me a ticket for something. So he told me to walk across the street with no crosswalk (quiet street), and wrote me a $5 ticket for jaywalking... I had many good experiences with cops when I was kid and returned the favor many times when dealing with nice people. .
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....yaaay for yager!!!..
..we LOVE our FIVE-O!
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I love that story, too! A $5 jaywalking ticket!! That's one to remember, for sure. :D
Thanks for sharing another great photo and story, YagerE!
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I just have to ask. Has any of your fellow officers ever stopped you on your scoot?
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Never stopped on my Kimmy, (only had her a short time). but did get stopped on my Gold Wing once on I-75 in central Fla. It was June, hot as fire, and the traffic was backed up for miles. I was about 50 yards past the exit on the opposite side. I cut across the median strip (very carefully), and a car followed. A Fla. HP Trooper saw it and pulled me and the car over.
When I took off my helmet the trooper said "I know you!" Turns out when he was a rookie trooper in Tampa, I helped him work lots of traffic crashes. He said he didn't blame me for getting off the interstate, but had to stop me since the car followed and many more would if he didn't. He didn't give the car a ticket either.....lots of good fair cops out there.
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Yager E, with due respect, this incident did not prove there are lots of fair cops out there. It only proves the "good ole boy network." Plain and simple, you probably got out of it cause he knew you. Would be interesting to know if he spoke to you, or the other motorist first. If he spoke to you first, he may have bestowed his good will to the other motorist. If he spoke to the other guy first, let him off, and THEN recognized you, then I would say he is cool and just wanted to educate motorists, and say it's not ok to do that.
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I was about 50 yards past the exit on the opposite side. I cut across the median strip
..bold frikin move!!
;D
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Thats what i thought slinger :o
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Tomheet,
If someone doesn't think cops for the most part are fair, I sure won't change their minds. All I can say is that I've worked side by side with hundreds of LEOs for 28 years and most of them are fair, hardworking family men and women, who just want to do a good job and come home to their families after their shift.
Every occupation has its share of morons and cops are in a fishbowl, everyone sees them. IA (internal affairs) does a pretty good job of weeding them out.
As for the "good ole boy network" if you were a cop and didn't know it was your mother who ran a stop light and stopped her, would you give her a ticket?.......thought so. I also never gave a ticket for a minor offense if the driver was courteous and I thought a warning would suffice. The men and women I worked with in a large (1200 officer) dept were pretty much the same way.
Years after I retired I still receive notes from people I've helped during my career. Sure, some weren't happy going to jail or getting a ticket, but that's what cops are paid to do, with your tax dollars.
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I don't envy you that job, apart from the lack of appreciation, you would see a lot of things that no person should have to see, motor vehicle accidents and worse.
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Yes, sid, true and true. And sure, there are good and bad in every profession. Wow. That's a LONG time to deal with the public. Congrats on the 28 years, Yager E!! ;D
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And I bet you're glad you got out before the 'every citizen is packing a video camera' craze began.
Hard enough to deal with the public without having to worry about every interaction having the potential of being filmed...
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to Yager, I believe there are plenty of good and fair police officers in action. I have met some of them, and it's a hard, and often thankless job I'm sure. I do respect them. I guess I will leave it at-he was consistent, and I applaud that. I retract my comments about motives. if he gave you both tickets he would be consistent. And, as a former cop, you knew it was illegal to use the median strip , but, I am guilty (but never charged) of doing that from time to time, so I won't cast stones (-:
point taken, no I would probably not give my mom a ticket either (unless she really pi%^ed me off for some reason (-: )
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you knew it was illegal to use the median strip , but, I am guilty (but never charged) of doing that from time to time
..i've cut the median twice...
;D
..and once i even meant to do it!!..
..the other time was while driving an old black '61 ford galaxy... with a worn out front suspension and bald tires during a hard rain...
..hydro-planed and did loop-th-loops and out across the grass we went!!
..i gotta say tho, i did one of them re-entries heading in the other direction like y' used to see evidence of all thru the medians...
..where the state troopers would always whoop around to come get you!!
....that manuever works!!
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the other time was while driving an old black '61 ford galaxy... with a worn out front suspension and bald tires during a hard rain...
Good old detroit heavy Iron! I miss my first car, a 1979 buick limited land yacht more than any eccono jap/ kraut cars I've since owned.
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..olds delta 88!!!!
;)
..i miss that car...
..it had this HUGE rear seat....
::)
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As for cutting the median, yes I knew it was illegal, and if given a ticket, I would have deserved it and paid it. But, June in Central Fla, (95 degrees) stuck for probably at least 45 minutes in the middle of I-75 on a Gold Wing, with my wife on back, wearing a full face helmet, riding gear (we dress appropriately for riding) throwing off all kinds of heat, no shade, I made a decision. Either go across the very wide median and risk a ticket, (the median was flat and not a safety issue), very little traffic oncoming, or risk heat exhaustion/stroke. "Sometimes ya gotta do whatcha gotta do."
The trooper did not give either of us a ticket, nor would I if I had been in the patrol car that day.
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yeah, that does sound like a pretty miserable condition to be stuck in. Can't say I'd do things any differently. I love Tampa, but not in summer!