Be polite to Cops.

[DAVE R6]

So I was riding down the 9 last week and got tagged where everbody else does right before you hit the strip again in Saratoga. The sheriff pulled me over and told me that I was going 45 in a 30. He then told me that I wasnt going to get a ticket b/c i was very polit. Example: yes officer/ no officer and sir and I apologized. All he said was "your the nicest biker I have ever pulled over". Be nice guys and you probably wont get a ticket.

[B-Cuz]

+1 to that one. Not as a means of escaping a ticket, but there is nothing wrong with being polite and courteous for those whose jobs are already tough enough.

[-Baker-]

ahhh ass kisser! lol j/k

If you speed take the ticket like a man and pay the pipper!!

Officer: License and Registration
Rider: Sure thing Officer but I am on a moped, was I doing something wrong?
Officer: Yes smartass... you were speeding
Rider: I was speeding? ....you weren't pacing me?!?!
Officer: Thats right you punk ass kid you were speeding ....
Rider: OK...
Officer: "See that back window in my squad car...? He points to it and says its 1 inch down and if you lie about your speeding I'll through your ass through it and throw your bike on a tow truck"
Rider: ok....

PRICELESS!!!
I was 14 years old when a Sac county Sheriff threatened me about speeding on a MOPED which can only go 30mph!!!!!

[wsmc831]

So I was riding down the 9 last week and got tagged where everbody else does right before you hit the strip again in Saratoga. The sheriff pulled me over and told me that I was going 45 in a 30. He then told me that I wasnt going to get a ticket b/c i was very polit. Example: yes officer/ no officer and sir and I apologized. All he said was "your the nicest biker I have ever pulled over". Be nice guys and you probably wont get a ticket.

be nice and you probably won't get a ticket? hmmm, not sure about that...but it does increase your chances. to really decrease the likelyhood of getting one just don't speed where you know officers routinely radar..and of course stay off 9 on the weekends.

[dogcatfud]

I was 14 years old when a Sac county Sheriff threatened me about speeding on a MOPED which can only go 30mph!!!!!
So how fast were you going? :p

[nedro]

If the cop was going to give you a break, nice is the only chance you have. But certainly not any type of guaranty.

[-Baker-]

So how fast were you going? :p

well 30 is top speed on the moped....so I would guess 30. :|

[mlm]

I wouldn't count on getting a break.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3542807#post3542807

The old saying "No good deed goes unpunished!" is so very true. I've had more complaints from people I've stopped and given warnings to then those who got tickets. Yes, people actually call and complain that they were stopped and didnt get a ticket. They felt the officer was "fishing".

The way I see it.... If I have to get out of the car, you're getting a ticket.

AMEN! I am in the same boat. I learned a long time ago, if in doubt, write it out. I stop someone for a legit violation, cut them a break and they come in and try to fuck with my livelyhood. People have a lot of nerve, but they do it time and again. "He stopped me for no reason... my proof? He didn't write me a ticket, did he?" Not once... many times I have heard this one. Lesson learned, won't happen again.

edit: You should be polite just because its the right thing to do. Not as a ploy to get out of a ticket.

[dkcwenge]

+1 to that one. Not as a means of escaping a ticket, but there is nothing wrong with being polite and courteous for those whose jobs are already tough enough.

+1 for the good of what they do, not necessarily to escape just consequence. cops hear endless excuses i'm sure

[nedro]

So are these two cops saying that it's ON! Us agaist them?!
If that's what it's come down to, the cops loose!

[-Baker-]

So are these two cops saying that it's ON! Us agaist them?!
If that's what it's come down to, the cops loose!


Naw I think they are saying .....hey I've been down that path of giving warnings and it got them into more trouble then it was worth so .....its all about your getting a ticket and warnings dont' exist anymore with them.

I don't believe in warnings...if you stop me it better be legit and ticket me or I will file a complaint which I have in the past for merely being stopped, threatened, accussed of riding wheelies, but once I am ran in the system and they see no priors....it was a complete waste of time for the officer.

All I say is pick and choose your battles....an officer buddy of mine said he can't bust everything but what he can do is try and make a difference in society.

btw if your labeled in the system with priors I say get ready to sign on the bottom line of the ticket! That goes for small warrants as well...under 500 bucks. No excuses go to jail if your a frick up.

[fuldog]

From what I hear, most LEO's have already decided whether to cite or warn before pulling you over. However, being polite will at least limit the damage if being cited. The real killer is being impolite or worse ...hostile. This will almost always result in a cite rather than a warning, and often will result in a more severe citation. Be nice, it's in your best interests.

[nvp]

i was polite as heck to a CHP, but still got written up for a 92 and a 65 :/

You're not in jail, so it seems being polite worked wonders.

[mnb]

Personally, I think giving warnings is a good thing. Not just because it means I'm not paying a fine, but who here is stupid enough to speed right after getting a warning? You slow down. Plus, having the patrol vehicle parked for a while in that area gets others to slow down.

I can't believe idiots call and complain that they weren't ticketed when the officer gives them a warning. You should be able to convert warnings to citations for idiots like that.

[afm199]

I got pulled over once when the lady in front of me and I both ran a no left turn ( right after the hours changed for legal lefts)

Anyway officer pulls us both over, and goes up to her. She harangues, abuses, yells, etc. He writes ticket. Then he comes back to me, where I hand him my license, registration, and said: "Officer, I made an illegal left turn." He looks at me, hands me the paper back, and says: "Your punishment is to wait until that lady leaves." Then gets back in his car, waits for her leave, and we both go on our way.

[Butch]

So I was riding down the 9 last week and got tagged where everbody else does right before you hit the strip again in Saratoga. The sheriff pulled me over and told me that I was going 45 in a 30. He then told me that I wasnt going to get a ticket b/c i was very polit. Example: yes officer/ no officer and sir and I apologized. All he said was "your the nicest biker I have ever pulled over". Be nice guys and you probably wont get a ticket.

How about be polite to everybody? It's like, the class thing to do. And it will also improve the way people respond to you and your life in general...
(we all hate haters, no? Kill them with courtesy... freaks em out)

[glenf3]

When I first got my license and first car I used to get pulled over all the time. The car stuck out like a sore thumb with it's loud exhaust and overall raced out (not riced out!) appearance. I probably could have gotten quite a few fix it tickets for the car for not only the exhaust but other little things that we're done to make the car more aesthetically pleasing.

Every time an officer would pull me over I'd have my license, registration and insurance ready to go. Never mouthed off, just treated them how I would treat any other decent human being. Kept me out of a few tickets here and there and actually led to some cool conversations with the officers that were as into cars as I was at the time. The world would just be a better place if everyone were polite.

Can you imagine if people would actually say hi to one another in passing...how awesome would that be. :shocker

[mnb]

Can you imagine if people would actually say hi to one another in passing...how awesome would that be. :shocker
Quite a few bikers do that... I do :ride

[iriedogg420]

Quite a few bikers do that... I do :ride

I wave to leo's on bikes all the time and get ignored:(

[Junkie]

You're not in jail, so it seems being polite worked wonders.is speed alone an arrestable offense in CA?

[Junkie]

I wave to leo's on bikes all the time and get ignored:(because they ride harleys :cry

[Razel]

I wave to leo's on bikes all the time and get ignored:(
Try with all five fingers next time...works for me.



:teeth

[iriedogg420]

Try with all five fingers next time...works for me.:teeth
:rofl

[afm199]

while that is polite, you also just admitted to commiting a crime. I usually try to stay pretty ambiguous with my answers should I have to go to court and duke it out.

different strokes for different folks i guess


Hey I ran the turn and he saw me do it. What am I going to do? Go to court and lie about it to get out of it. No way. I expect he hears 100 people a day lie about shit and two tell truth.

[-Baker-]

Hey I ran the turn and he saw me do it. What am I going to do? Go to court and lie about it to get out of it. No way. I expect he hears 100 people a day lie about shit and two tell truth.

so if you were riding and you didn't see that kid crossing the street and ran into him on your bike....you would admit fault or fight it in court???

Point is "your innocent until proven guilty" As riders 99% of us are guilty everytime we ride of speeding what are ya going to do when you roll up to a po po let em know you were sppeding back there...come on. LOL

Our laws are made to be broken and fought all at the same time...hence the defense attorney title.

[afm199]

so if you were riding and you didn't see that kid crossing the street and ran into him on your bike....you would admit fault or fight it in court???

Point is "your innocent until proven guilty" As riders 99% of us are guilty everytime we ride of speeding what are ya going to do when you roll up to a po po let em know you were sppeding back there...come on. LOL

Our laws are made to be broken and fought all at the same time...hence the defense attorney title.

Please. If people want to go to court to fight a illegal left turn ticket, they should not say anything. Or course if you say something you might end up NOT going to court.

I don't mind telling the truth. If I hit a kid I would tell the truth. I did not see them and they ran out in front of me.

If I get arrested for something I did not do, that is something else. But I am not even remotely interested in playing coy with traffic cops over a $40 ticket. That is just STUPID!!!!

[GPzPop]

How about be polite to everybody? It's like, the class thing to do. And it will also improve the way people respond to you and your life in general...
(we all hate haters, no? Kill them with courtesy... freaks em out)

FTW

"+" rep for you!

reminds me of a coworker who would address general company wide correspondence with "Gentle Peers..."


--S

[JPM]

I don't believe in warnings...if you stop me it better be legit and ticket me ....

Remember that when I ask for you're signature! :p

It also depends on who you get stopped by; Patrol or Traffic. Patrol has a lot of other duties to attend to meaning there is a chance for a warning. Traffic unit, sole reason is to do traffic enforcement. It's not a personal thing but my job is to look for traffic violations and to write citations when I see them. So if I take the time to stop you, a ticket will be issued. If I don't stop you, consider it a warning.

[-Baker-]

Your right JPM....if your next to me or pass me I really take it as a warning.

Last CHP officer pulled me on 580 doing 84mph....9:30am heading to Sac not fully awake but there....man he scooped me up blind side and got me good. I told him I didn't see him and since no one was on the freeway I got lucky in my eyes because I could have been cruzing 90+...lol anyways I thought about fighting that ticket BUT I was fully in the wrong plus he was pacing me...kinda hard to fight ya know.

I do like the traffic stops where I am stopped and an officer comes up flying and really doesn't have anything on me but tries to intimadate me with a hard look to see if I run or something.

OR CHP of Hayward flashing me with the alley lights doing 67mph and riding slower then ALL traffic as traffic was passing us!!! lol

I think I would have been a GREAT defense attorney...maybe next life.

[CaliSuperbikes]

I'm a firm believer in always being nice to the man with the gun.

[DominoTree]

Got pulled over a couple months ago:

"Do you know how fast you were going?"
"Roughly 85 in a 65, sir, I was looking up at the roadway and only looked down at my gauges when I saw you pull behind me."
"Think you can keep it around 75?"
"Absoutely."
"Ride safely."
"Thank you."

The same guy gave me a ticket a couple days later for the same speed in the same spot when the freeway was dead empty and remembered me. He came up with a big grin and said "I thought you could keep it around 75?" I just grinned back and said "So did I."

He was nice and cut me a break since I didn't try to bullshit him either time and was polite both times and wrote me up for 10 over... And he reminded me next time I get pulled over I cannot take traffic school :cool

In my experience, most of the times I've gotten off with a warning were the times I admitted fault, just shutting the hell up never got me anywhere.

That being said, I've honestly never had a bad experience with any LEO in California. Still have had my fair share of tickets (a lot less than I've deserved though)... These EX250s just don't wanna stay below 75 :rofl

[bojangle]

In my experience, most of the times I've gotten off with a warning were the times I admitted fault, just shutting the hell up never got me anywhere.

Bingo! In my experience of giving warnings for moving violations, it is generally when people are polite, honest, and just admit that they made a mistake. Granted I work patrol and tend to give more warnings than traffic officers.

Yeah, it may not be the best way to try and "fight a ticket". Many times, depending on the violation, I have already made the decision to issue a citation before contacting the driver and will make a note of any admission for possible later use in court. But it is also the best chance at getting a warning and avoiding court/fines/traffic school all together.

My reasoning is that if someone is less than honest or trying to play games, do I really think a warning will correct the problem? Same goes with someone who is totally clueless as to why they were stopped. (Completely blowing through a stop sign because you did not see it usually calls for more than just a warning.) And forget arguing with the officer or getting hostile or agressive.

[mikhail]

The last time I got pulled over for speeding, the cop asked me if I knew why he stopped me. "Yeah, yeah...I was speeding, you got me!" He laughed and told me to get lost. :)

I was doing about 65 in a 45 on Crow Canyon Road.

[taranis]

Bingo! In my experience of giving warnings for moving violations, it is generally when people are polite, honest, and just admit that they made a mistake. Granted I work patrol and tend to give more warnings than traffic officers.

I used to think that was the way to go. After all, I did something wrong, I'll just man up and admit it. I think this is the natural response of most good citizens, no?
However it's not the LEOs job to give warnings or lenient speed citations and I have never received one and don't ever expect to receive one.
I will continue to be respectful and honest but I wont admit anything or answer questions that incriminate me nor will I consent to a search. What's the worst that can happen, I get a ticket? That's just about guaranteed anyway.

[doosty]

i always use sir or officer and act polite. it may have helped in the past i'm not sure but the last 2 times i haven't been so lucky. 85 in a 65 by a motor chp in sacramento. reminded me of a super trooper right off the bat mustache and all. i was nice he was not. when we were done i said thank you. the next one a few months later on my way to work was running a little late, 82 in a 65. i was honest nice and ready for lube and got the "so you're still speeding even after getting a ticket" schpeal. again i said thanks which i usually do. i will not hesitate to talk shit to a power trippin cop though. i am nice but there is somewhere i draw the line. there has just been too many times where i have been harassed by cops. last year coming though nevada my brother in law got popped for speeding and this cop took the cake. we saw him flip a u turn and hit his lights and then said he was following us for 3 miles and we failed to yield to a police vehicle. the first thing he said is how much have you had to drink? we looked like WHAT? i get my drink on but my brother in law is a straight arrow. we said nothing. this guy went on and on and was such a dick. i told him he was a liar and that he had nothing better to do. he asked if i would like to get out of the car to see his radar and i said yea right. i video taped the entire encounter and was thinking about sending it in to his boss man until my camera got ripped off. i guess california plates didn't help.

most of the time i deal with stand up dudes though when it comes to five o.

[bojangle]

I used to think that was the way to go. After all, I did something wrong, I'll just man up and admit it. I think this is the natural response of most good citizens, no?
However it's not the LEOs job to give warnings or lenient speed citations and I have never received one and don't ever expect to receive one.
I will continue to be respectful and honest but I wont admit anything or answer questions that incriminate me nor will I consent to a search. What's the worst that can happen, I get a ticket? That's just about guaranteed anyway.

There is nothing wrong with that approach. However, why do you think "it is not the LEOs job to give warnings?" I tend to give a lot of warnings if I think that a warning will be sufficient in that particular case in deterring and correcting future violations. I've been in the business for 12 years. Officers working traffic will give more citations than those on patrol for example since traffic enforcement is their primary job. For Officers working patrol, which I do, enforcing traffic laws and writing citations is just a small part of what we do everyday.

Anyways, like I said before, I am probably more likely to give a citation to someone who "wont admit anything" for the simple fact that I will tend to feel that if the person was not aware or will not own up to the fact that they made a mistake and violated a traffic section, a verbal warning will probably not be sufficient to correct the problem and prevent future violations, etc.

So for me, an honest owning up to the violation is usually the best way to increase the odds of getting a warning from me. Admitting the violation will be noted for future court purposes if a citation is issued. So it is a double edged sword.

I guess that if you are positive that the officer was somehow in error and can reasonable show in court a valid reason or circumstance why the citation was issued in error or why you did not commit the violation, then in that case you should not admit to the violation and take it to court. If you know you screwed up and got caught, I would advise to be polite, own up to the violation, and hope to get a warning. You can even ask for one. If you do get a ticket, go to traffic school if eligible.

Wheew, loooong post! Sorry. :p

[taranis]

Long post but a good one. I totally see your point and as I said I used to do just that. However maybe there is a sign on my head that says "Give this guy a ticket he's an asshole" because I have never received a warning and to be honest the most positive experience I've ever had with LEO has been on this forum.

I'll be frank and tall ya that I'm not well off, so my vehicles tend to be run down, I'm also not white. Whether any of that is a factor is hearsay.
Your advice seems sound for 90% of the population, just not for me.

[CABilly]

Be polite, check.

Incriminate myself, never.


Like one of the officers here mentioned, I imagine most have made up their minds on whether to warn or cite before they get to the window. Obviously attitude probably acts as the last straw in the decision, but I have to assume the officer isn't just killing time or wanting to chit-chat. Since at that point anything I say could be used against me, I'm going to say as little as possible.

Besides, in the past when I have 'fessed up and been polite, all it got me was a more polite tone while the officer gave me his spiel about signing the ticket and so on. But it works both ways. If, despite all my charm the officer's still being a prick, I've let loose a few verbal jabs and seen some neck veins bulge in return.

"Are your knees all skinned up from tripping over all that power, or is it from something else?" "HA! Made you look!" (save that one for after you're handed your ticket, kids)