yup just like the photo radar, the state just approved like 15 more cameras in the phoenix area. and now the are moving the mobile cameras around everywhere, there was one up on I40 at mile 100 over thanksgiving weekend hidden behind a tree.

 

Now they are crossing the line as cameras take any sort of officer discretion out of the picture and they are strictly for fund raising. A town near me approved a private contractor to install traffic light and speeder cameras with half the money going to the contractor. Thankfully there was a pissing contest between the town government and the police department that ultimately killed it.

Although I almost always drive the speed limit now, I have been known to run a red light or two on my way to work at two in the morning. I'm certainly not a big fan of the Big Brotherish use of technology.

 

A camera catching someone actually breaking the law is crossing the line.
But an outlaw trailer ball isn't.

 

If you get pulled over for an obstructed plate, you will more than likely get a warning as was even stated in the original post. The officer has discretion to NOT give you a ticket. I have been pulled over several times late at night for nit-picky stuff like not signaling a lane change - the cop probably fishing for a drunk driver.

A traffic light camera or a highway speeding camera doesn't give warnings, doesn't consider extenuating circumstances and despite the claims, is not intended to "enhance safety". They are there strictly to raise money for the community.

If I get caught by a law enforcement officer doing something illegal, I'll take the punishment. Getting caught by a machine is a completely different animal.

See the difference yet?

 

Yea i know and understand the difference but I also don't believe in all the mickymouse reasons they can pull someone over and even ticket them. Even a warning is wasting my time and his there is always something more important they could be doing.
When I refused a vehicle search one time the officer got pretty mad and belligerent saying that is what they do and I waisted his time.I told him why and explained that the time waisted was all on me he got paid for waisting my time.

 

FYI for Ca:

V.C. Section 5201 - Positioning of Plates

Article 5201. All it states is that the plate must be VISIBLE and LEGIBLE. The cop can argue the lack of visibility with the ball blocking some of the digits. I don't have a ball in my bumper (I have a hitch and I keep the ball under my rear seat), but I went the better part of a year without a front plate frame and never got a second look from a black and white. I kept it in the cab in case I was pulled over until I finally went to Ford and bought one ($20). I bought the truck without the front plate and was just too lazy to stop by a dealership and get a bracket (it's not like the aerodynamic improvement is going to be that noticeable).

 

One evening stuck in a traffic jam on I 15 I watched a guy in the median with a overheated car drop his pants and moon a chp that was sitting there in the hammer lane he just shook his head and went about his business.
Another time a motorcycle and a car got together on I 10 while we were waiting and the guys were pushing the bike to the shoulder a chp drove right on by with just a glance at the accident.
I also had a chp chew my ... out for getting in the 3rd lane to get around the accident that he was directing traffic for when the right 2 lanes were completly blocked.
But a trailer ball it just dont seem justified.

 

my brother got pulled over for it but no ticket....here in cali

 

I think that police (probably) get more successful convictions as a result of routine traffic stops than by any other method. If you are a law abiding citizen that happens to have a ball in front of your license plate and get stopped, the (only) appropriate response is, "I'll take care of it as soon as I get home, officer." maybe CMPD1781 can give us a little insight...

 

The first time I ever got pulled over was for having the trailer hitch obscuring the license plate on the vehicle I was driving. It was my parent's 1965 Plymouth Fury III station wagon. I had long hair and had picked up a hitchiker. I figured out that if the law wants to pull you over, they will find a reason. That was in 1973.

 

Not much I can add here, Stu...Y'all are doing fine.....

99% of MY stops result in........The original charge for which I pulled them......

Every now and again, there's a revoked license, or a warrant or something.....I personally don't pull people over for marginal reasons just to see if I can land a bigger fish......

Long story short....Obstructing the view of the plate is a legitimate reason to pull someone over......Personally, I wouldn't mind the 2-plate rule (fore and aft) on vehicles.....I think more states had them back in the day.

Jimbobeam.....You've been lucky......Your 'getting-away-with-stuff' because of an obstructed plate also includes those who rob, commit larcenies, etc.....and who obstruct their plates (or remove them altogether) on purpose........If you're talking mud and snow, you'd better clear the mud and snow off of the plate before hitting the road. Just because you've gotten away with it so far doesn't mean this will always be the case.

 

So does that mean you don't issue warnings even for minor violations or do you just not pull many people over except for blatant violations?

DO you ever pull people over for obstructed plates? Would you add that on if you pulled them for say, speeding?

Which do you prefer - Dunkins' or Krispy Kreme? (Just kidding - I probably ear more donuts than any cop ever thought of....)

 

I issue plenty of 'warnings'......

Compared to departments with lower crime......or compared to, say, highway patrol....I don't do tooooooo many stops (it's busy)......However, if I pull someone over for speeding, there's little argument from that person that they were actually speeding......No '5mph over' stops, basically.......

But registration violations (expiration, etc.) are a biggie......Obstructed plates are perfectly legitimate.....Don't run into too many though.....Anyone know what jimbobeam drives?.....

 

I guess if the tag cant be seen clearly it does open doors to lawbreakers. The thing I have noticed here in Charlotte is trucks full of "WORKERS DOING WORK WE DONT WANT TO DO" riding around with mud conveniently covering the tag. These people for sure need to be stoped and checked for insurance, registration, valid license and so on.

 

Woo now, I haven't used the method I mention earlier to 'get away with things' for almost 10 years now, that's what we did back when we were dumb kids.

My excuse now is that I'm mostly to lazy to bother cleaning the plate off. I take some rubbing alcohol and a klenex to the corner of it each year to replace my yearly registration sticker, other then that its dirty as all hell most of the time. If I ever get pulled over for it then I bother with it. My rig is legal, my registration and insurance are up to date. I have 'nothing to hide' as Johnny Law likes to say.

The cops priorites around here are a little screwy. We're pretty much out in the middle of no where so all we see around here is the county mounties. They're overly absessed with their 'click it or ticket' thing. So long as you've got your belt on they don't really give you a second glance. We get pulled over constatly in my buddies truck, because its a 1975 model year rig and it only has lap belts.

I've had mounties follow me through town. My exhaust can be heard from 3 miles away, and my tires normally chirp going through the gears(shift kit). Been driving like that for some time and I've never heard a thing about it. They just follow you to the edge of town, then they turn around and go back.