Do cops really check the license plate of the car in front of them?
As has been mentioned already, anything that seems "hinky" to me will make me run a plate.And its interesting that as cops get more experience, the more acute their sixth sense becomes at detecting things that seem wrong.In this state it's mandatory to have a front and back license plate on your car. But as taxes and yearly registration fees are very high here, it is not unusual to see a car with just one plate. The cop knows that the other plate is most likely on another vehicle the driver owns but he doesn't want to pay taxes on both cars so he takes the chance of getting caught.We also see a lot of "fictious plates." That's actually a misnomer, because to the police it means the license plate isn't registered to that car and not that the plate is not a genuine license plate.In many states when a license plate is run and it belongs on another vehicle it sends up a red flag that the occupants may have committed a felony (or are planning to.)Criminals don't want to leave a license plate on a car that will lead police back to them, so they steal a plate and use it instead.A felony traffic stop for a driver can be very scary if you aren't expecting it.Several cruisers show up, your car is lit up to blind you and you will be ordered to exit your car with hands up and you ultimately find that you are face down on the ground getting handcuffed.But even "typical" traffic stops can turn FUBAR on a dime, so it's always a good idea to be completely legal.
When a police car flashes their lights, does that mean I have to pull over?
In most states, you absolutely have to if they flash their blue/red lights. In many states, if you turn on your emergency flashers and slow down so you can look for a safe place to pull over, you should be OK. On a lonely road away from civilization, I would also be calling 911 to make sure the car is real; anybody can get a blue light. If they say there has been nothing called in, and also in most places, an officer must call in a stop before making a stop, then 911 should have a record of it. In that case, ask 911 for assistance for a fake police car.If they flash their headlights at you, it might mean you left your brights on, or you need to pay attention. A headlight flash in most cases is just a reminder. HOWEVER!!!You should check the laws of your state, county, and even municipality; some small towns (like in Texas, where a woman died in custody for a lane change) have very different laws than the rest of the state, let alone the rest of the US.
Is it true that cops need their headlights on in order to pull you over?
Funny, but true story about police pulling over people without lights, sirens, etc.I was coming back from PA with my older sister who was driving and as always, was speeding while she was talking. This was on one lazy, sunny Sunday afternoon in the spring when everyone was out for a drive. Just over the Maryland state line, the Maryland State police had a speed trap with police standing out in the middle of the highway flagging cars to pull over to the side of the road so they could write you a ticket.So the Maryland State Police flag down my sister and she waves to them as she flies by! I was pretty young, but figured they would follow her and arrest both of us.Apparently, they were not able to catch her as we never got caught and ticketed. When I explained to my sister that I thought she misunderstood the “flagging” as just a friendly wave (and that’s why she waved back), she just laughed.
If headight is out, is it better to leave on the brights and blind a cop with both lights? Or not blind them, exposing the fact the headlight is out?
I might overlook a car with one headlight traveling down the road, but I usually stop people who are driving with their bright lights on.First, you're not just blinding me, you're blinding everyone else on the road.Second, while you're blinding everyone else on the road, you are giving me a horrible headache.Third, one headlight out is obviously an equipment problem and can eventually get fixed. Driving with your brights on could be an indicator of another problem, such as DUI, which is something I will stop you for.Even if you're driving with your brights on to mask the burned-out bulb, I will usually just give you a warning about it (the first time). If you're doing the same thing a week later, you'll get a citation for it.
Do police cars have cameras that automatically scan license plates which trigger a alarm to pull you over?
Mobile Automated License Plate reader (ALPR) systems are expensive, at about $20,000 per vehicle. They’re also fairly fragile, as they use four or more cameras, usually mounted on the light bar or the bumpers. If some yahoo comes along and bashes the cameras, that’s a chunk of money. So, most police fleets have only a few of these vehicles, if they have any at all.The older systems use an onboard database of “hot list” license plates. These are plates of vehicles known to be stolen, or that are driven by people with active warrants, or who have suspended or revoked drivers licenses. The officer operating the vehicle updates the list on a flash drive before he starts work. When the system scans a plate that is on the hot list, the system beeps to alert the driver. He sees a captured photo of the license plate alongside the license plate letters/numbers in text. It’s important to do a manual comparison, as these systems are prone to false positives.If the actual plate matches the wanted information, the officer either tries to stop the car, or directs another officer to do so.The newer systems query online databases like NCIC in real time, so that the onboard “hot list” is just a backup.These systems have made it possible to apprehend far more car thieves and scofflaw drivers than was possible before.They can also be unpopular. The CHP has used ALPR-equipped vehicles to identify drivers who are required to register their cars in California, but who have failed to do so. You are generally required to register your car in the state within 30 days of arrival. However, California vehicle registration fees are considerably higher than those in most other states, so people put it off as long as they can. CHP will put ALPR-equipped cars monitoring feeder freeways, and once they have documented the same car going the same route multiple times over a 30-day period, they’ve got you. People don’t like to get got.
Is it legal to ride a motorcycle with no turn signals in NC?
I just inherited my father's old motorcycle (1973 Honda CB350) and will have it road ready soon. However, he took the turn signals off many, many years ago so that all it has is a headlight and tail light. Is it legal to ride the bike in this manner just using hand signals? I've heard of many people getting ticketed for missing/burnt out headlights but not for missing the turn signals.
Is it illegal for a cop to follow you for over a mile then pull you over?
There are many versions of this urban myth. Here is the definitive answer:NO!There is no law that requires police stop following you under any condition. Over the years I’ve heard that they can’t follow if you stay under the speed-limit, pull into a neighborhood, or pull into a business. None of those are conditions that would require the officer to stop following you.One of my favorites is the myth that if you make three right turns in a row then the cop must stop you. Think about it … after three right turns you basically end up back on the same road. One fellow even told me that you can then follow the cop as long as you like.Okay … so why would a cop need to follow you for an extended period of time. First, chances are the officer is not following you, he/she just happens to be going in the same direction.From my own career, I once followed a fellow for almost three miles before I stopped him. He didn’t run from me, but he sure made a lot of right turns. The reason I waited so long is that I had information from a snitch that he had been involved in a big robbery of a local gun store. One of the guns taken was a Thomsom .45 cal machine gun with two drum clips. These are the guns that you see Chicago Gangsters (in the movies) shooting from the side of a 1930s era car.I knew the fellow had the gun with him, was planning another robbery using it, and that I had found him just in time to stop him. I was not STOOOOPID! I was not going to voluntarily stop him knowing he had a .45 cal machine gun with 100 rounds of ammunition ready between the two drums. All I had was a department issued S&W Model 10, which is a 6-shot .38 caliber revolver, and a Remington 870 shotgun loaded with 5 rounds. So I waited for backup to get in place before we used a tactical taken-down technique to nab him.