I watched a show called worlds wildest police something or other that was actual traffic stop stops among other things.
One was a traffic stop in cali because the guy had a trailer ball on his bumper the license plate was behind the ball in its normal place has anyone heard of this happening in other states. This was not his first time pulled over for this and got a citation.

 

If I used the hole Ford foolishly provided for a ball, it would be blocking the plate on my 92 F150. Since I use an approved hitch bolted to the frame, the
ball is clear of the plate.
Those cops knew they wanted that truck pulled over, they did it, and used the fact that the view of the plate was probably slightly impeded. keeping your plate visible at all times, lit at night etc. is probably a standard rule in every state.

 

Understand it would be a but it was not a case of an excuse to stop him.
This was a gentleman and his wife probably in there fifties in a nice pickup.
There was nothing else mentioned the officer told him up front he was going to give him a warning for it. The driver told him he had been pulled over a few months before for it but the officer told him it wasn't a real big deal. Then the officer told him he forced him to ticket him for it because he hadn't corrected it.

My problem is there is many legitimate reasons to fine people why worry about this so called problem.

 

Maybe there was a BOLO issued for a similar looking truck. The license plate was just an excuse to stop him to see who was driving it. Common practice. He (the driver) talked himself into a ticket by offering too much info.

 

The driver admitly talked himself into the ticket.But I guess you would have to see the particular show no bolo involved here. He was stopped solely for his trailer ball (not the first time) my question is has anybody heard of this anywhere else.

 

How would you know, unless the guy on camera said, "no BOLO, but I want to stop this guy"?

As far as the rest, it happens here in Virginia. Sometimes the cops are brutal a-holes, and sometimes they aren't. Maybe the cop in question was just bored.

 

Like I said you would just have to see the show it the whole thing was filmed for TV before during and after the stop there was no bolo on it the cop was no a..h... that would be extremely rare for cali.
But you do know of someone being stopped in va for a trailer ball.

 

getting stopped and ticketed for a trailer ball hitch on the bumper, and in the receiver has been discussed here on fte before, and yes, there are a few people here that have been ticketed for it.

 

That answers my question. I had not heard of it happening anywhere before.

 

i needed a tow one day, and my uncle had his bronco II so i asked him, it was just a quick tug out of a ditch, and he had everything pretty well built for off roading, so, he said yeah, he would help me out, just he had to find his trailer ball to do it... because of the ticket he got while he was living in federal way washington because the ball blocked the view of his hitch... now if i get stoped because of that in my truck, im going to fight it, because my truck was made in 1963, and it retains the oriningal bumper, and the view is blocked by the hitch that has probably been sitting in the same place since the original owner hooked his farm trailer, boat trailer or some other sort of trailer up to it... and its not going to come off, because i want to keep the out side appearing as stock and original as the first owner had set everything up for, as possible...

 

I just took some sheet metal screws and put the plate on the tailgate. Let's see them complain about that.
I did get pulled over by a bored cop a few times for oddball things- No plate lights (truck wasn't equipped), no mudflaps on another truck, marker lights out (it was a 69 F250, no front markers with headlights on), and got pulled over the other day for my front plate being bent under. I had run off the road due to a 2'+ drift the county didn't clear.

A lot of districts use the highway patrols as moneymaking organizations, pull over any excuse, ticket what you can.

 

Maybe I'm getting old or just don't change my thinking with the times but I just can't imagine the police having nothing better to do.
I know they have a job to do but as much as I drive I cant see an officer not being able to stay busy without worrying about trailer *****.

 

In the time he wrote a ticket for a trailer ball on the bumper, I'll bet a dozen people zipped by going 10 over

 

what if a trailer is attached to the ball, is that another ticket?

 

In Massachusetts, having a ball on your bumper that blocks the tag is an offense you can and will get pulled over for UNLESS you are towing a trailer at the time. I've also known several people who have gotten pulled over for having some kind of decorative trim (like the dealers install) around the tag. Anything that obstructs the plate.

In my state you would be pulled over for that as well unless you also installed proper illumination for the tag.

Throw your tag in the rear window of your car and you most certainly won't go a week without getting pulled over.

I have a couple friends who are local police and they tell me that little stuff like this gets them MANY arrests. Yes, the stupid stuff is reason enough to pull someone over and in many cases leads to bigger stuff. The majority get a warning unless they run their mouths.