[updated:LAST EDITED ON 04-Sep-02 AT 03:30 PM (EST)]First off, I want to say sorry if I offend any law enforcement individuals here. I appreciate the work you do, but I hate the DICKS who have to mess with people or harass people for no good reason.

So, I was on my way to work this morning and guess what... 3 minutes after pulling out of my driveway, I got pulled over! For what you ask? No, not speeding, not making an illegal turn, etc. BECAUSE THE OFFICER WANTED TO MEASURE THE HEIGHT OF MY TRUCK! I guess the guy who passed me like I was standing still, clearly speeding in a school zone wasn't as important to him? He asked for my registration to check my GVWR and guess what? The DMV made a mistake and put 6001lb instead of 8800lb (upgrade option). The officer didn't seem to care when I pulled out my vehicle window sticker from the dealership that said 8800lb GVWR option and he didn't seem to care that the sticker on the inside of the door said Gross Vehicle Weight 8800lb. So, because my registration said the wrong weight, my truck is 3" too high. He told me that I'm an idiot for not checking the registration to see the mistake. At that point, you know what I wanted to do, but... I told him I wanted to work with him and that I'd go right to the DMV (which is about a mile away) and get the registration fixed so this wouldn't happen again. I thought that maybe I could avoid the hassle of getting the ticket and having to spend a day down at the courthouse to show them that I got the GVWR fixed (and he put that I have to show up on a Saturday of all days). I spent all morning down at the DMV waiting in lines and waiting for my number to be called just so I could have them fix their mistake that cost me a ticket. I know I should have looked at the registration when I originally got it, but the lady told me that she would make sure to put the correct GVWR. Don't ever ASSUME. I just don't understand why he had to talk to me disrespectfully and hassle me with a ticket when it was clearly a mistake (vehicle window sticker from the dealership that said 8800lb GVWR option and he didn't seem to care that the sticker on the inside of the door said Gross Vehicle Weight 8800lb). GEALOUS? Doesn't he understand that I'm trying to compensate On top of that, I missed my doctors appointment (back specialist) that I've had to wait the last three months to get in to see and I was late to work.

 

Don't even get me started. :-X23

 

You KNow my cousin gets hassled out here in Colorado every few months for altered vehicle! it is all a bunch of crap!

 

Sounds like he was having a bad day or maybe just a di__head, or maybe he owns a Toyota.

2000 F350SD,SRW,RC,5spd man,V10, Front Leveling Kit,4.30 gears, 285/75/16 Wild Country

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 04-Sep-02 AT 05:17 PM (EST)]I think he's jealous because your ride looks so good!

 

Chad, Was this "officer" a metro cop, Clarke County Deputy or a Nevada State Trooper? You probably know that I'm a "County Mountie" in Minnesota and the only law enforcement that gets their "knickers in a twist" about this is the State Troopers..... real cops dont have time to worry about bumper height ( unless its a crash and that was a contributing factor).

That being said, there is NO excuse for him being an a**hole about it. If that were me, and I got a ticket for it, I guess I would let him know about it !

And dont get me started about DMV, it must be a federal law that you have to have an IQ under 50 to work in DMV....

Long story short Chad, i agree with you and support your right to VENT !!!

BTW, I would also contact his supervisor about the speeding car through a school zone. But then again, he may try to hang more paper on you in the future...

As Ever,

 

Sorry for your experience chadrock, I guess the cops dont have anything else better to do in your area. Just remember not all cops are that way, he was probably jealous of your truck.
Iam a cop and also a proud owner of a 2002 F250SD.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 04-Sep-02 AT 08:27 PM (EST)]Jerry,

He was a regular metro police officer and I agree with you that its usually the state troopers that will mess with the lifted rigs, but in this case???

and to dgodude as well, you know I appreciate you guys and I know that all law enforcement officers aren't like that, but I just hate that there seems to be more and more of them that have nothing better to do than hassle people with nice looking rides.

AND...

another thing that just pissed me off even more is that I went outside and measured my rear bumper where he measured it and it is 30 INCHES. Just what the 6000 GVWR vehicles can be. SO I SHOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN A TICKET IN THE FIRST PLACE. Where the officer pulled me over wasn't even ground (hence him getting a measurement of 33")and I told him that and he didn't care. So, that means he plainly harrassed me and gave me an unlawful ticket. Oh, now I'm really pissed.



Jerry and dgodude, any advice on what I can do? Complaints, etc. and how to go about doing it?

 

Screw him!:-X23

Like my mother always said,"you are what you eat".We all know what his diet consists of.
I have a tendency to go to court over tickets enen though it's usually not going to change the outcome.I like to make them earn their money.
Sorry to hear about your bad experience.

 

My best advice would be to talk to the prosecutor that will handle the case... bring him out to the truck and show him if you have to... if he cant see the truck... bring a photo.. ( ask a different cop to assist you but dont tell him why... sometimes the thin blue line gets a little thicker when one our own is questioned)

I would also bring the paperwork about the GVWR with you as well. Show the prosecutor everything and if he doesnt dismiss, demand a jury trial. I dont know if you can do that for a petty misdemeanor/ misdemeanor in Nevada or not. If not, Point of Law should prevail with the judge.

Oh Yeah, one more thing, make sure that you can prove that you didnt lower the vehicle between the time the ticket was issued and the court date. In other words, find a "friendly" cop to watch you measure the truck TOMORROW.... and keep Abendx on the side so he can testify that how many hours it takes to change lifts ( sorry abendx, you just came to mind.


If everything is as you say it is, dont take the ticket because it will cost more to go to court... there is a principal here.....

Justice should prevail.... if and when you win the case, celebrate and then LAY LOW FOR A WHILE

Good luck.... let us know how it turns out

Hope I helped

 

The ticket will get dismissed because I had them change my GVRW at the DMV. It was a citation. All I have to do is show the court that the DMV made a mistake and that my truck is fine (height wise) for its true weight 8800lb.

 

When you do go, be sure to point out to the Judge that you did in fact show the officer proof and tell him you were unaware and are going to get it fixed.

Insinuate heavily that the officer still choose to waste taxpayer money by writing the ticket rather than a warning.

I've had 2 tickets in 20 years of driving ( I know I lead a boring life ) 1 for passing a DOT tractor on double yellow lines, dismissed. The other was for doing 50 in a 45 zone. I didn't go quietly, I took it all the way to the Judge, when I stood up to "defend" myself I instead addressed the court. I told them yes, I was in fact doing 50 in a 45 zone, and I would indeed pay the fine for such a serious infraction, a fine of $53.00, a fine for which I learned the following; A. Cops have bad days and take it out on citizens in an unprofessional manner, B. Because of this unprofessionally, our tax dollars are wasted, doing the math it has costs the citizens no less than $500.00 to collect my $53.00 fine. C. If I am ever again ticketed for going 5MPH over the speed limit, I will appeal to the maximum level of the law before I pay the fine.

The Judge was... irritated, at me and the officer. He basically told me I was being a #$## and then dressed down the officer... I should say royally chewed him out for 5 minutes in front of court. He told him my driving record was cleaner than his and if he ever saw anyone pulled in for less than 10MPH over again... yeah yeah yeah.

I paid the $53.00 with the satisfaction of having my day in court.

Robert

 

I dont know what laws there are in your area. But my best advice is plea not guilty on the citation, and go to court in front of a judge.
From my experience you most likely win the case.

Good Luck!

It pisses me off when other cops waste there time with the small stuff, instead of dedicating there time catching the real criminals!!!

 

...and some good advice for Harry ball if you ever get stop for going
8 mph or less over. Always plea not guilty and go to court. People always win this case, because the speedometer is not being certified every year and is never 100% accurate.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 05-Sep-02 AT 10:50 AM (EST)]In Georgia they'll be quick to tell you "We can give you a ticket for going 1MPH over" State Patrol that is, counties can't ticket for less than 10MPH over, if they do it's pretty much an automatic through out. My case was State Patrol.

I'm not going to perjure myself... yes, in fact, I was going 5MPH over the posted speed limit according to my speedometer. So what... let's work me over. While some kid gets killed by a drunk driver, I'm getting my due justice, and the taxpayer's really got square deal, from the government's perspective, any time you can spend $447.00 to get $53.00 sounds good.

Robert