I was pulled over today!

1996blackmax

This was not for my system. I was pulling out of a parking lot and there was a truck parked on street which was blocking my view. I do usual thing and pull out slowly. I then see this car coming kind of fast, since I was already in the street I punched it. Righ after that I get the police car behind me. He follows me for a bit and pulls me over. He comes up and tells me the reason he is pulling me over is for cutting that guy off when I came out of the parking lot. He also tells me my windows up front are not supposed to be tinted, and that I was driving too fast. I knew when he brought up the tint he was going to really give me a hard time. They are only %50. I also thought the speed limit was 30 on the street I was on (a main street with four lanes), but it was 25. He asked for my license, registration, and proof of insurance and walks back to is car. His partner then tells me to please turn my car off. I then see his partner in my rierview mirror putting on his latex gloves. At this point I know something is very wrong!

His partner then walks over to my side of the car and asks me to plase step outside. I ask him what is going on and he tells me that I am driving with a suspended license, and have a failure to appear in court. He then pats me down and walks me to the side of their car. He tells me you are not under arrest, but we need you to sit in the car while we figure this out. It turns out that somebody used my name and I have a failure to appear in court. The person who used my name got a ticket for speeding, driving without a licence, driving with a suspended licence, and a couple other things, as well as the failure to appear later for all of these issues. He then aked me if I have ever lived in Orange County. I have not. Do you own a Volvo, I said no. He showed me his screen which had all of that stuff on it. He asked me several other questions, and after a while he told me he believed me and then told his partner that he was going to let me go.


The guy advised that I go to the DMV and get try to clear this up on Monday. He told me they were taking a chance letting me go, but he did not believe that person who had those charges was me. The guy who got the ticket got it in June of 2005 or so. My license was renewed in July of 2004. My record shows nothing from July of 2004 to June of 2005 for my license to have been suspended, no tickets at all. I have actually no tickets in the system besides those bogus ones from someone else. Come Monday I am going to have a fun time down at the DMV :mad: .


I understand that these guys were doing their job. They also did not give me a ticket for the other things. I guess having to search my car and pat me down was bad enough. Pretty small in the back of the police car too. I am just really upset that something like this can happen. One of the officers said that sometimes people give a false name and then a false birthdate, and the computer can then tack it on to yours if it's pretty close. I know my name is pretty common, but still, you would think that something like this could not happen.

janmike

Sounds like someone who knows you.

audiobliss

Wow, that's a big bummer. It is schocking that someone can give a wrong name and then that person gets those tickets on his record. That definitely isn't right. But, you have to give it to the cops who pulled you over, it sounds like they were stand-up guys the whole time. Decided to let you go and didn't even give you a ticket for what they pulled you over the start with. I'd be counting my blessings, but I'm not sure how you're gonna clear your record.

Good luck!

1996blackmax

Thanks.

Yeah, they were pretty cool throughout the whole thing. I guess it also helps to keep your cool. I will find out how hard it will be to clear that mess up from my record on Monday. They could have had my car towed, along with all the other stuff that comes along with that mess.

george daniel

janmike wrote:

Sounds like someone who knows you.

Yep,, good chance that you know that person

1996blackmax

That is what I was thinking, but this happened in Orange County. I am a little ways away from there. I do not hang around any shady people, and my free time is mostly dedicated to my family. I can't wait to go to the DMV and see the whole story.

Dennis Gardner

Thats strange, as BlackMax is not a very common name...:D

1996blackmax

More common than you think............. Well at least the name my parents gave me .

neomagus00

jeez, dude, good luck at the dmv!

deepinya

They just wanted to hear the Rainbows and be thankful those gloves werent put on for a deep anal cavity search.

!!

MacLeod

Same thing kinda happened to me. In 2000 when I moved back to Chattanooga (Ringgold, GA - a suburb outisde Chatty) I went to get my liscense switched over from my Texas one. They ran a records check and said they couldnt do it because there was a warrant for my arrest in Ohio!! At this time, the farthest north Id ever been was Kentucky!

Well they give me the numbers to call and so I do and come to find out some dude with my exact name, first middle and last, and birthdate had the warrant issued. The only thing that seperated them was my social security number.

Computers scare the hell out of me. Like that bogus ticket I got from that **** state trooper in that suck hole state of kentucky. I keep thinking what if I pay it and it slipps thru the cracks then the next time Im cruising thru there I get pulled over and there is a warrant for me!

brettw22

I shred every single piece of paper with my name/address that's going out of my place and into the garbage. I had someone send me a W2 one year and when I called asking who they were they said tey were a company that installed bathroom stalls....I'm like.....um.......not me.

wingnut4772

If you were not under arrest they can not search your car without your permission except for the areas within your 'span of control' for weapons.

Demiurge

brettw22 wrote:

I shred every single piece of paper with my name/address that's going out of my place and into the garbage. I had someone send me a W2 one year and when I called asking who they were they said tey were a company that installed bathroom stalls....I'm like.....um.......not me.

Same here, it's a total habit now. 2 of my friends have had problem with identity theft and it's such a nightmare to go through. I feel terrible for anyone who has to go through that.

MacLeod

They can search if they come up with probably cause which they can get pretty easy. Thats why they always ask where youre going. If you sputter or dont make sense then they have cause to search your car. Driving on a suspended license AND having a warrant out for your arrest is probable cause to search your car I would think. Im no lawyer but this is my laymans understanding of it.

I was truckdriver and we got a pretty good lesson in this crap. Legally a cop can pull a truck over any time they feel like it in order to inspect the safety of the truck. They then will try to search your truck and most agree to it thinking they have no choice. They still require PC in order to search your truck but it is sooooo easy for them to get PC that its best to just consent.

If you have alcohol or drugs in your rig youre screwed so you should call a lawyer. Having a small gun tho isnt that big a deal believe it or not. Me and a trainer got pulled over once and the scumbag trooper went thru his usual crap. When he asked to search the rig, my trainer consented but said, "I have a .38 revolver in the right drawer under the bottome bunk." The cop said ok, went in and found it and held it while he searched. He found nothing else, replaced the gun and then wrote the trainer a citation for some stupid violation with the log book and then left. I asked my trainer WTF just happened. He explained that even tho these guys are scum and live to f*** with truckers they at least understand that we live in these things 28 days a month and having a small gun for protection makes just as much sense as owning a gun for protection in your home.

Again, I know of no laws that state this but its just what Ive always been told by OTR truckers. Now if youve got an AK47 or something like that then youre screwed.

1996blackmax

I know that I could have refused the search, but sometimes playing along actually helps out. The guy just kind of looked around some, no reall digging. My center console, and glovebox had aready been opened by me. In the end I was thankful that they did not tow my car away, did not give me a ticket, and just let me drive away. I will let you guys know what happens on Monday at the DMV.

By the way I alway shred all of my stuff. My name is the Spanish version of John Smith, so it's very common. I guess it's not that uncommon for the crooks to use that name as well.

MacLeod

Nothing wrong with letting them search, unless youve got something they dont need to find. The few times Ive been in that situation I have always happily agreed to let them search it. If they want to search it theyll find a reason and pissing them off is only going to make things harder on you. So unless youve got a dime bag or something in the glove box, just let em search it.

kingsqueak

I used to hate it when I would get a request to run a background check on "Juan Lopez" or "Mike Smith". Any common name, you are guaranteed to get a hit for a murder warrant or something similarly ugly. Back ten years ago the search system was extremely crude, very powerful but you needed to understand an almost SQL type syntax to manually build a search string.

Anyone with a particularly common name, best advice to you, always carry proper ID. You'll get tied up much longer than most if you get into the whole records check mess. The systems are getting better now, with some using digitized photos that pop right up in the patrol car terminals, but those systems are only in the major cities for the most part.

The up side was that you hade some civilized officers that handled you professionally.

Curiously one of the only other stories I've heard about a license dupe/warrant like this was from a guy I sit next to now....it was also a California DMV issue.

michael_w

wingnut4772 wrote:

If you were not under arrest they can not search your car without your permission except for the areas within your 'span of control' for weapons.

So does that mean they can just pat you down?

I know you can refuse a search but doesn't that just give them a suspicious feeling and then they'll hunt for a reason to search the vehicle? What do you do when people tell you that no you can't search their car?

wingnut4772

Well it depends...what do I do? I don't search the car ...UNLESS I have a really good suspicion that there are drugs inside. Then we are allowed to detain for a REASONABLE amount of time for a drug dog.
Yes. We can pat you down for our safety but not go inside pockets unless we feel something that could be a weapon or contrabad. Unfortunately there will always be some officers that bend these rules.

swerve

damn kids, their cars, their drug problems, and their common names... RUINING IT ALL FOR THE GOOD PEOPLE

UGH

1996blackmax

Here is what happened today. Went to the DMV, they could do nothing for me. They did give me a printout with the docket # on it as well as the violation date. There are 3 sections that were violated (passing a stop sign/red light, no insurance, no valid license), plus the addition of failing to appear in court. The DMV ladies told me that I would have to contact the Orange County Superior Court, in Laguna Hills. I don't even know where Laguan Hills is. I know it's up by L.A. somewhere but that's it.

Well, I finally get through on the phone and the lady just keeps telling me that I have to go and make a personal appearance in front of the judge. This would mean I would have to probably get going out of here at around 4:30 AM or so to be sure I am there on time. Probably earlier to deal with the L.A. traffic. I told her that I had already taken the day off, and did not want to do that again. She then said you have to be here by 8 AM tomorrow morning. I asked her if I could fax or mail the stuff in proving who I was. She said no, can't do this. We went round and round. She finally put me through to a supervisor. At first she said she is busy right now. I then say "may I speak to someone else in charge", she then said, "we have new manager, but she not here right now".

After finally getting through to the supervisor and explaining the situation, the lady said, "you can go head and mail a copy of your license and a letter signed by you stating that it was not you who received the citations". She was very nice, and explained that this happens pretty frequently. I told her what the other lady had said, and she said that it is preferred to be present in front of the judge, but not necessary (this happens to people who do not live in the state anymore). The reaon for this is that they can give you a paper saying that your license is no longer suspended (a Fast Track / DL157) on the spot, while they deal with Sacramento and clean out your record.

Well I send 2 copies of my license, one light and one dark, a copy of my passport (xtra insurance), a copy of my insurance papers from around the time of the citation and now, and the letter explaining my situation. Should be there tomorrow by noon. Hopefully this will be all I have to do. I guess I will find out soon.

audiobliss

Hope it works for ya!

1996blackmax

Thanks bliss.

neomagus00

yeah, good luck, man... although if it 'happens a lot', it's probably going to be more an annoyance and headache than anything else, which is something to be grateful for...

swerve

good luck!

wingnut4772

It does happen all the time as I see it quite often. It is just a huge PITA to take care of. Make sure that when you get your clearance letter that you carry it on your person because the only record of it will be in your hot little hands as far as the Po Po go. Good Luck.

daniel_paul_

You might want to get a copy of your credit report. Check out annualcreditreport.com. I am pretty sure that you can get the 3 major reports through them for FREE. Equifax, experian, transunion are the 3. I would be worried about Identity theft. Plus this is a good thing to have anyway!!!

1996blackmax

Good info guys .


I had planned to do that just to make sure everything was ok. Thanks for the link.

PoweredByDodge

Next time you tell them that you are not stepping out of the vehicle unless you are under arrest, and that they may not search the vehicle unless they have a warrant signed by a judge. And then tell them to have a nice day and drive away.

bobman1235

And then enjoy the beating you get and the nice night in prison.