Got pulled over tonight.

[Canis-Lupus]

I carry a cheapo-Sony micro-cassette recorder both on my person when out on foot, and a twin in a nook next to my gear-shift. Got pulled over for doing 48 in a 35 my 3rd month back in WA State, right before 9/11 & still driving like a Californian, fast and not even aware of speed zones. I pulled in nose to the wall into a store parking lot, killed the engine and put both hands on the wheel in clear sight, a few minutes later the cop cut his lights and swaggered over, right hand on hilt of his weapon, holster band popped off. So this fella wants to intimidate sheeple acting me? Alpha hostile overt display of psychological: "I'm in charge here!" tactics that I used so often with difficult patients in EMS situations long past. I did not think this was going to go well, on my dash was a decal for Disabled American Veterans, I was wearing a 'U.S. Army Retired' BB-cap and I had WA disabled plates fore & aft. He began with: "Son do you know how fast you were going?" Son? He was 1/2 my frigging age, packing a nice bulging belly and sporting too-dark shades on a gray rainy day, so I responded "Officer, first off please don't call me son, my name is Mister ..., and I have no idea how fast you claim I was going, so just for the record what was I doing. Oh and I will be recording this OK, can we start with how fast you clocked me." I slowly reached for my DL & PoI telling him all the while what I was doing with the tape recorder rolling away silently on my lap. Off came the Terminator shades and he now stared at the DAV decal and my papers. His complete attitude changed now the tape was rolling. "Sir you were doing 48 in a 35 but I am going to save you some hassles, you did slow to 45 before I pulled you over so here is your ticket 45 in a 35 zone with instructions on the back, you have 24 hours to call that number, have a safe day and please drive within the speed limit in future." I thanked him and went on my way, got home called the # and paid by Visa over the phone, $120. Cool way of paying for my crime. It could have been more had he written down 3 MPH over 10 over. Ouch! I hadn't even applied for my WA CC permit yet, was not packing and no mention of guns even came up, but the idea that I was recording him turned him from the ass he started off being into a real polite LEO. No laws against taping any encounter if you give fair warning, get no objection and don't stick the recorder in a persons face. Since then I have driven like a nun. That tape-recorder has turned so many folks from jerks :mp230603214546Murde into nice folks when I slowly pull it out and hit the red button. If anyone asks me why... I tell them I have 10% S-C hearing loss per the VA, and I let them know I often need to record what folks tell me so I completely understand what they say and that is Gospel truth plus it has a way of turning cocky pushy-types into decent folks. No CC permit required for that $30 bit of kit, priceless for words I can capture and replay to someone's boss. :08:

Canis-Lupus

[wuzfuz]

I love 'Real Stories of the Highway Patrol,' and the, to me, sneaky ways some cops can be. Utah gets me. They will pull you over for driving in the high speed lane, an tell you it is for passing only. No ticket or written warning is ever issude, but before they let you go, they ask permission to search your car. If you refuse, they say fine, and hold you there until a K-9 arrives. If the dog alerts , then they claim that gives them probable cause to search your car with no warrant. That, IMHO, is pure CS.