How do you enforce laws on those that are hired to enforce the law?

 

The only thing wrong I see in the OP's situation is that the cops made up phony reasons for pulling him over. From what I've read in this thread, the cops probably has reasonable cause to pull him over.

 

wow! not surprised about what happened with you. cops may have seen you leave a bar, and any lead they can get to find someone to write a ticket is worthwhile to them. it's good that you had a quick response to their every question, and honest at that. cops are really trying hard to give people tickets these days, especially near hot spots like bars and clubs. i don't think it was profiling, but at least you weren't ticketed. as advised above, i'd write a letter to that department about their ways and means to enforce the law, as it clearly did not seem like you were breaking any.

 

Quite franky, every story has 2 sides and I will believe what the OP says since I truly think he didn't do anything wrong but neither did the cops. They are doing their job plain and simple.

However you gotta stop thinking you drive a "nice" car - it's just a Lexus man, cops do not care if you got a Lexus, maybe a Ferrari but otherwise it's just a car to them!

I do some ride-alongs and have plenty of friends in LE too. I just got back from the CopsWest show a few weeks ago. If you see what these guys have to deal with on a daily basis you would stop complaining....trust me.

 

Let me just say this:

1. I commend you for being a Designated Driver. There are plenty of idiots out there who think that they can't caught.
2. What people in here don't realize is that Verals is in Georgia. Yes, he is in Atlanta and it's a major metropolitan city but at the end of the day, he is still in the south. I know this because I live in Atlanta, too.
3. As far as profiling goes, it doesn't matter that he's in a Lexus, Ferrari or Kia Sorento (over-exaggerating). As long as the car looks nice and has some "prestige" you will get f***ed with.
4. If they said that you were speeding the last time, ask to see the clock. It was a good thing you didn't have one drink at the bar or they could have made life hard on you that night.

Look guys, I know cops are out there to keep rift-raft off of the streets. I get it. Police departments across the nation, whether they want to admit it or not, have quotas to meet. It's also the holiday season and awareness has been heightened exponentially. There could be any number of reasons why that cop pulled you over. Just try not to give them a reason.

 

OP, you were pulled over because you left a bar and probably not for any other reason. The officer lied to you about the reason because he does not have to tell you the truth. In the event of a search or even the breathalizer, the officer does not have to inform you of your legal right to refuse. Good on you for being the DD.

 

Based on the OP story it doesn't sound like the officer had probable cause or reasonable suspicion. I can understand following someone that has just left a bar and then pulling them over *if the situation calls for it*.

However, I personally don't believe in random traffic stops looking for a crime; Based on the information the OP provided (especially about the bogus expired registration), I think this particular law enforcement officer was out of line.

Personally, I would file a complaint. If this situation continues to happen, then there will then be a detailed history in the case file.

For the record, I have nothing against law enforcement officers. Quite the contrary, I think it's very tough work and they are often undervalued. Having said that, not all law enforcement officers are perfect; Nor are all law enforcement officers great people....

If the officer in this case would have said, sorry for the inconvenience (and not made up a bogus expired registration story) I would have probably just moved on, but a mistake that appears to be compounded by a lie (and intrudes on someone's personal life and property) is not acceptable in most fields (including law enforcement).

 

I'm pretty sure quotas are illegal... but I do know for a fact my brother ( a cop) does not have any quotas to meet. Sure, if he pulls over zero people all month, he'll be asked why he did nothing, but no quotas. This whole story boils down to: he left a bar with a car full of, for lack of a better term, drunk people... and nothing happened to him.

 

When I was younger it was worse but I was doing "young" stuff (loud music, chrome wheels some months). But that recent experience had me scratching my head. I understand they have a job to do so I wasn't upset but after 20 minutes of being cuffed and them searching my hybrid (and me telling them you idiots its a hybrid that is a battery not a cocaine and money stash) 3 times you kind of get ticked.

Once I got pulled over b/c a cop said he "got a report of a car swerving". I'm like "WTF". He asks if I've been drinking and I reply "No" and I blow my hot *** breathe in his face.

He sniffs it!!!

I got stories for days

 

Cops don't have quotas? If you believe that, I have some land to sell you is FL. It's prime property My cop friends don't use the term "quotas" but it does exist my friend!!

 

No. Legitimately run police departments do not use quotas of any kind, and the few LEO's in my family have told me this for years. You can keep your "land".

 

If that's exactly how the stop went, then the police officer initiated an "illegal stop".

 

Sounds like the APD at their finest! There's a reason nobody in this city has any respect for law enforcement.

 

I know in my neighborhood the police assume one of three things:

If you're driving a nice car, you're a drug dealer.
If you're driving a crappy car, you're a drug user.
If you're driving a car somewhere in the middle, you're lost.

Unfortunately I have a nice car and a crappy car so I'm constantly getting pulled over. Yeah, profiling is wrong but I have nothing to hide and if it helps them drag my theiving, drug dealing/using neighbors to jail, I don't mind taking a few minutes out of my day to talk with a cop.

Edit: Having said that, I have run across my fair share of arsehole, powertripping cops. There is a difference between a routine traffic stop and a power trip. Sounds like your situation was a routine stop.

 

I like the you emphasized "Legitimately run police departments."