Can a police officer harass someone?

[Accumulator]

...[I'm in].. Ohio. :usa ..I thought for sure I would get one of those fix it tickets, but he didn't say anything about that. Just chuckled about ticketing me last year and said enjoy the fine. I was under the impression they made you remove the tint? Maybe next time he gets me I'll have to?

Maybe it varies within the state or perhaps he has options and is choosing to mess with you because he can :nixweiss

..Could he theoretically sit there and do it over and over and over? At what point, if ever, would it be considered harassment of some sort?

As long as you're in violation he's not gonna be seen as "harassing" you, they'll say he's doing his job and that you are a scoff-law. If this happens too often I bet his pals on the force aren't gonna be joining your fan club either

The law is no less than 50% on the fronts, I have 35% all around. Shouldn't have really mattered though since my windows were down?

Up/down, won't matter now that he knows.

If it's so simple I'm so blatantly breaking the law, why has it not been a problem for anyone else in the last 4 years?...

While it's not fair, it's just the way it is. My wife and I never get ticketed for no-front-plate (well, so far...famous last words ) because we're in that "law enforcement friendly" demographic. When I was younger I'd get in trouble for all sorts of picky little [stuff] like that because the LEOs thought I was a young punk. Cops vs. young people in cars...it's been going on for generations.

I even got pulled over by a state trooper one night for speeding when I first got the car. He clearly should have tacked both offenses on, but didn't? That was end of month too..

As long as you come across right, state troopers are usually pretty cool about stuff like that- they generally care about unsafe driving, not picky little things like front plates (unless maybe they couldn't get a laser reading of your non-existent one ). I hate to generalize, but the OSP attracts different employees than most local PDs. Oh, and end-of-month doesn't work that way for some reason, the OSP writes more tickets during the first half, no idea why :nixweiss

I'll update the thread when I get tagged again.

Heh heh, sounds like you're gonna push this one...I just hope you don't get your car impounded or something like that and end up with it getting seriously [messed] with :nervous:



Getting on the wrong side of a local LEO can be a *big* hassle, especially whenyou're young (voice of experience) and I'd hate for you to end up having some serious difficulty over tint and a front plate.

 

[coupe]

Here in Michigan it is the officers discretion on tint, well, anything is when it gets down to it.



Ive gotten ticketed twice for it now. You have 2 options, 1) remove it and they drop the fine. 2) keep it and pay the fine.



I opted for option #2 twice, im keeping my tint come hell or high water.



When i do get pulled over i immediately roll down my windows, not to hide the tint but to show the cop whats inside the car.

 

[Accumulator]

When i do get pulled over i immediately roll down my windows, not to hide the tint but to show the cop whats inside the car.

That's smart :xyxthumbs Letting them see in (and having both hands on the wheel) probably starts things off on a non-adversarial note.

 

[coupe]

That's smart :xyxthumbs Letting them see in (and having both hands on the wheel) probably starts things off on a non-adversarial note.

All 3 of my vehicles are tinted illegaly. What i do is have my info (registration, insurance papers) in a place that i can easily grab them. I pretty much just roll down my windows, keep my hands on the wheel in plane view and only reach for my info when im asked to provide it. All the officers that have pulled me over over the years seem to appreciate this and i ussually get off with just a warning.



The 2 times i did get ticketed for tint the cops where very young and you know how that is with new young guys, just gotta prove something lol

 

[imported_truzoom]

I'm not sure I understand what the point of this thread is.



Are you trying to find someone to agree that you are being harassed or are you looking for advice on how to not get harassed anymore?



As long as you live in the same town as that officer and drive on the same roads, you're playing with your luck if you keep your tint and no front plate.



The officer has a legitimate claim against you, and you're really better off just complying with state law. IMO, it isn't worth the lost time and aggravation of getting tickets for something you KNOW should be corrected.

 

[Paulie Walnuts]

Cops are a-holes. They want to be cops because they are lacking in other areas in their lives. They need that power over others.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Cops are a-holes. They want to be cops because they are lacking in other areas in their lives. They need that power over others.

Eh...that's a generalization or stereotype like any other. Accumulator's observation notwithstanding, I used to go to a gym (boy, I wish I still went to a gym ) that was part-owned by a state trooper. He definitely wanted to catch bad guys, complained to me once that his current patrol route had him "giving speeding tickets to executives". Like any other job, you will have guys that are into it and guys who are there for another reason.



EDIT:

I'll update the thread when I get tagged again.

I was biting my tongue before, but, as TruZoom pointed out, you could just make your car legal and none of us would have to hear about this again. As others have pointed out, I bet in 5 or 10 years you won't believe you wasted so much of your time grousing over getting busted for something you knew was illegal and could have easily avoided.

 

[Accumulator]

Cops are a-holes..

Heh heh, I bet the LEOs who are members of Autopia would disagree with that.



As Setec said, some are/some aren't, just like with any other group. It's just a little more obvious (and irritating) when it's a cop who's a [jerk].



Setec Astronomy- Yeah, I bet the staties who want to do real criminal investigation work get a bit tired of the traffic duty Must see it as their version of busy-work.

 

[Joshua312]

I've been pulled over 5 times for window tint. 3 time on my old car with 5% all around and now with 15% all around I've been pulled over 2 times.



I never fix the tint, I just pay the ticket and go on my way. *Everyone* in my city has their windows tinted, even the old people. It seems like I am the only one who ever gets pulled over though...and it just pisses me off that everyone else gets away with it so I just keep paying it...oh well I like the way it looks and Im going to keep it.

 

[pb_foots]

Good attitude, Joshua. You're adult enough to recognize that you can't win that battle, and are paying the price for doing what you want.



"Cops are a-holes"



What a repulsive statement. Try and remember that if you ever need help. Cops are underpaid, overworked, and under appreciated by most people. There are a-holes, but most join because they really do want to help people. You put your butt on the line every day for 50K a year and then talk. I wouldn't do it, but I'm damn glad there are people who will.

 

[Joshua312]

Good attitude, Joshua. You're adult enough to recognize that you can't win that battle, and are paying the price for doing what you want.



"Cops are a-holes"



What a repulsive statement. Try and remember that if you ever need help. Cops are underpaid, overworked, and under appreciated by most people. There are a-holes, but most join because they really do want to help people. You put your butt on the line every day for 50K a year and then talk. I wouldn't do it, but I'm damn glad there are people who will.

Even though we have different opinions on my attitude I do whole-heartedly agree with your statement. Cops put their lives on the line everyday and their job isn't just about handing out tickets. They protect all of us and put away the real criminals. Some cops are lucky to make 50k I seen a job posting today where starting pay was $29,000 and $34,000 after a certain amount of time on the job. I'm sorry but cops deserve a lot more credit than calling them a-holes WilliamHBonney

 

[Setec Astronomy]

As Setec said, some are/some aren't, just like with any other group. It's just a little more obvious (and irritating) when it's a cop who's a [jerk].



Setec Astronomy- Yeah, I bet the staties who want to do real criminal investigation work get a bit tired of the traffic duty Must see it as their version of busy-work.

I forgot to mention before that anyone that's been involved in a medical emergency, traffic accident with injuries, been the victim of a crime, etc. and had a LEO first-respond, doesn't consider them to be "a-holes". Although the whole lowest-common-denominator traffic pattern thing is really starting to wear on me (where everything is designed for the idiots, so we all get treated like idiots).



Accumulator--this particular NJSP trooper was complaining about his east-west interstate patrol where the people weren't "dirty enough", that he was giving speeding tickets to commuters instead of his previous north-south patrol (I-95/New Jersey Turnpike or Garden State Parkway...I don't remember which, this was 1984) where he was encountering people smuggling contraband, etc.

 

[tod071]

Cops are a-holes. They want to be cops because they are lacking in other areas in their lives. They need that power over others.

What happened, failed the police test, got rejected from the academy? :sosad



Just remember when you need help, who will you call? If you get into an accident, someone breaks into your car/house, someone knocks you out on the street/in a dark alley, who do you call??? That's right, the a-holes!

 

[imported_memnuts]

Cops are a-holes. They want to be cops because they are lacking in other areas in their lives. They need that power over others.

I truly hope you were trying to be sarcastic.

Every officer that I have had the pleasure to meet along years of driving have been nothing but respectful and actually interesting to talk to. Note every time I have been stopped was "my" fault. Be it a missing plate, radar usage (Va), speeding or illegal equipment. Every time the imposed fine was less than what it could have been because of the respectful exchange and I personally taking the blame for these up-close-and-personal events.

One thing I did learn is that rectification of the problem has led to fewer encounters. :idea



I suggest you mount your plate and down the road purchase a more attractive vehicle if the front plate distracts that much from you present vehicle's appearance.



Driving is a "privilege" not a "right" and we must abide by all of the rules of this privilege.





If you break the law, accept the penalty. Quite simple. Fixed the problem and the "so-called" harassment will cease. :2thumbs: .

 

[imported_truzoom]

Driving is a "privilege" not a "right" and we must abide by all of the rules of this privilege.



If you break the law, accept the penalty. Quite simple. Fixed the problem and the "so-called" harassment will cease. :2thumbs: .

Right on, bro. :up

 

[My93Civic]

Unfortunately some cops take advantage of their power. Sometimes it goes way overboard. So they can harass anyone they want, even if its wrong...