theaudiguy

Ok so I am stationed out here in california, and I just got pulled over about 10 minutes ago and I wanted to just haul off and kick the crap out of this cop. Ok so he races up to ride my rear and finally flips his lights on. He walks up to the car and asked to se the usual things. I asked him what I was getting pulled over for and he asked again and I asked again. Well this went on for about 5 times back and forth and then he threatened to arrest me. A footnote I ask before I give up my license and insurance and registration. Cops have to tell you what you are getting pulled over, by law. This guy holds me there for 15 minutes and rights me a ticket for "excessive exhaust noise" violation. The car was cold and the cop told me that he had heard me over two blocks away. He was not even half a block away. Well now I have a ticket for the most judgemental ticket in the book. I read the laws and it is up to the officers discresion to write the ticket. The worst part is that my car and my license are registered in Flordia. From what I have researched being in the military we are exempt from alot of things due to the fact that we move around. The other thing is that the cops here on base, which is small, have nothing to do but pull people over for the most mindless crap! So now I have a ticket and by law I have to replace my exhaust or keep getting tickets for the next year and a half that I am here. Ok so I feel a little bit better.

JeromeS.

Lame! Sorry to hear that. Im sure you can fight that.

austinado16

Stuff some steel wool in the tail pipe with a piece of wire to hold it temporarily in place, take it over in the morning and have them listen to it and sign it off. No big deal. One of you base cops can probably sign off on it for you.

ralleyquattro

Apparantly here in Ontario there is no limit on how loud a car can be... it's basically up to the cop to decide, but we thought we could challange that...
Canadian Rallysport Association has a limit of 75dba at 50m away from the car at 3000rpm.
Ours was about 72-73dba... we took this data to court and won.
Oh yeah, a decent sound meter was about $30 at RadioShack (5 years back)... but well worth seeing the cop all flustered...

Good luck!

RallyXAudi

By way of the fact that your car is registered in Florida, you should be exempt from California inspection law. I'm not sure how things work out there, but last time I checked, exhaust was an inspection-based regulation, and you can't be guilty of a violation of California inspection law of your car isn't registered there.

RalliSport Ron

I'm betting by the tone of your letter, that you failed the "attitude test" with the cop long before you wrote this post.
We can sense things like hostility quite easily, as most of the people we deal with are hostile to us.

anyway, ask youself, how fast were you going? did you roll a stop sign? is the exhaust loud, AT ALL?

I'm guessing, granted not knowing you at all, that you did something else to get his attention. he pulled you over for the exhaust. (it's called a "pretext stop" and they happen all the time) when he dicided you were not a drug smuggler or dealer, but were acting all pissy for getting pulled over , he wrote you for the exhaust.

all that being said, i was constantly amazed at the lack of comprehension of the law that most cops have. it's stunning really. they don't care if the ticket gets overturned....not one bit. in fact, it get em lots of overtime to show up in court.

I'll finish with this, if you get a ticket you're guilty of, PAY IT. be a man (or woman) and stand up and take responsibility for your actions. anythign else is infantile.

Slainte!

Ron

PJM99

If its on $20 bucks, its not worth loosing a day to go to court. I agree with you Ron as far as the attitude goes. Cops are just doing their jobs and if you **** them off then they will be less willing to work with you. I had a similiar situation. In CT we are supposed to have the license plate on the front bumber. My 86 GTi didn't have a bracket so I had no plate. I got pulled over and was given a ticket for $105 for the plate and also $95 for speeding 42mph in a 25 mph. The officer I'm sure would have been easier on me if I didn't give him an attitude. But still, yeah I was speeding and yeah I had know plate but I don't think I was doing someone so horrible that I had to sit there and let this guy talk to me like I was a criminal, so I spoke up and he got it right back. And you know what I fought the ticket, they dropped the license plate thing and reduced the speeding to $35. I respect the Police and appreciate what they do, but some of them, especially the younger ones are cockier and treat people bad and thats not right.

RalliSport Ron

it's like this, you speed, you get a ticket,if you have an ounce of responsibility, you PAY the ticket and accept the consequences.

The amount of the ticket isn't set by the cop, if you have a problem with the amount, pay the ticket and call you legislator.....it's not law enforcement's fault.

FWIW, most cops, by a HUGE margin, are car-guys.
Are some cops total arseholes, yeah, absolutely. are most? no, not my a mile.

if you have a spare evening, call your local cop-shop and ask about the citizen ride-along program. nearly all depts have it, and it will forever change the way you view law enforcement.

PJM99

I respect cops and what they do. Some of them need to cool off a bit though. No reason to treat someone going a little over the speed limit or without a plate on the front or with a loud exhaust like a gun toting, drug dealer or murderer. And I'm not sure who set the fines, I assume each state has there own fines set accordingly. My ticket was $200 which was maybe not set by the cop, but he issued the ticket. I thought it was unfair, which it was, and that is why the court reduced it to $35. I saved $165 by fighting and going to court. I didn't deny anything, I addmitted too speeding and addmitted to not having the plate. Car didn't come with a bracket so I had nowhere to mount it. The fine was unreasonable IMO, and the court agreed. Nothing wrong with that.

RalliSport Ron

everyone is entitled to their day in court...but when someone gets nailed for speeding and knows their speeding....and then decides to fight the ticket.....that gets me riled up.

i had a state trooper get me with laser from 1337 yards, at night....i was totally speeding, 90+ in a 60, i wanted to shake the guy's hand. (and my valentine 1 didn't go off until it was WAY too late.)