speed traps?
 

i remember hearing from some traffic school that when chp makes an attempt to tag you speeding on the highway with a radar gun. they must stand in plain sight. does anyone have anyway of verifying this? and if they are using a radar, should the posted speed limit signs always say 'radar enforced'?

It is not against the law for a cop to be out of sight for them to radar you. The state posts the fastest speed limit you should drive, and you should not go over that speed. Whether or not a cop is in plain sight or not is irrelevant. You should not go over the posted speed whether you can see them or not.

The speed limit sign is there because of the law. I wouldn't expect a state to post a sign and me not automatically think it was radar enforced.

I am not sure of the truth of it, but I also was under the impression that they had to be in plain sight... at least in California. That would also explain why when they are tagging people, they sit there with the running lights on. That way even at night, they are plainly visible. I would be curious if anyone has any facts or links on this issue though.

I think you might be correct, but it's a state-by-state thing. I would imagine that "hiding" falls under the entrapment clause of the law. For example, it is true that a cop cannot follow you, without lights on, waiting for you to speed. By following you and waiting for you to break the law, that's entrapment.

This case is a little different. I know that, where I am, there's plenty of times where a police car "hides" to oncoming traffic, but no to opposing traffic. This is usually behind a burn or sound wall. In fact, PA turnpike constructors actually build places like this for the state police to sit.

California might be different. I'd suggest talking to a friend who is a policeman or lawyer if you're that interested.

im in WI, and some local police departments (maybe statewide?) have a "3 turn policy". THey can follow you (on local roads) without lights on etc if they suspect your doing something wrong, but only until u turn 3 times. After the 3rd turn they have to let u go or pull you over. Theynever seem to follow that rule, i get followed alot.

GetRdone, it's also because you keep on seeming to do things that garner being pulled over COUGH tater! COUGH :)

In WI on the highway/freeway they can do it from their cars, and in some spots they can be hidden pretty well in some dense folliage. I'm pretty sure it's on a state-by-state basis though, I would recommend asking friends you have in Cali because it can vary quite a bit. In Cali I wouldn't be surprised if it goes by possibly a county-by-county basis because Cali is so damn huge.

NOTE TO READERS..... big gov has just brought up a large inside joke, which i will now probably bring up for 2 or 3 more posts on this thread. Now to the post; hahahaha, oh man, that tater was awesome.

Thanks for coping wiht the inside joke.

I don't know where all this wishful thinking comes from, but I wish I was still that optimistic. They can use unmarked cars, marked cars, roadside cameras, helicopters, whatever the hell they want to use to catch you. You're the one breaking the law by speeding, theyr'e just there to enforce it.

Entrapment is when they provoke a person to perform an illegal action that that person would not have performed without that provocation. That's why fake prostitutes in sting operations always have to wait for guys to ask them first. Hiding is not entrapment; sitting next to you at a light in an unmarked car and revving the engine while grinning and looking over at you would be. The difference is that by hiding, they're increasing the chance of catching you in the act of committing a crime, while revving at you while stopped may cause you to do something that you wouldn't have considered doing if they hadn't been there.

About that revving you were talking about; I heard a story like that, a guy in an old rx-7 got revved at by a unmarked cop car. He raced the cop and as he did so he got pulled over. Faught it in court and won.. I f*ckin hate it when cops dont know thier own damn laws.

Yeah, I have to agree with those that say that the police can pretty much do anything in their power outside of entrapment to catch you speeding. As much as I hate it, that speed limit is the law and as soon as you're over it, you're breaking a law. Just because they catch you in a way you don't like doesn't mean that it's wrong.

I've been caught in a speed trap before, I was actually in the middle of a bunch of traffic (a car in front of me and behind me and 2 on my right as well) and there was a cop in the median all the sudden, he clocked us, then at the next on-ramp, 3 cruisers pulled onto the highway and pulled over the cars in front of and behind me, and my car. Seems kind of stupid to pull someone over for going with the flow of traffic, but we were speeding, so not much I could do.

u should have argued that there was nothin you could do, you were pretty much boxed in and didnt wanna cause an accident.

Yeah, well, I'm sure the cop would have been very sympathetic and understanding haha. He didn't seem like he cared about much of anything aside from giving me the ticket as fast as he could and moving back into position to pick off 3 more unlucky bums.

then i gues you could take my other approach. If ur already gonnaget the ticket. Tell him to go f*ck himself, they dont like it but theres not much they can do.

Yup. it's the rules we all play by. break them, get caught, then you pay. It's all up to you and entirely controlled by you. Same applies to red-light cameras.

I think thats bulls I got tagged once and the cop was driving toward me. He did while he was driving

yup
their radars can do speed differentials. have been for a while now

CA also uses planes.. and then they radio ahead....

so I doubt there's a "plain sight" rules since they can't land the plane for you...

ya, around Road America here in WI, they have planes that uses marks on the freeway to catch speeders, then they radio to ground units and u get pulled over.

Supposedly the cop in the plane watches your car until the officer pulls you over. If you go to court, make sure both officers are there, the one flying and the one pulling you over. Otherwise, where is the proof? Same goes if one officer operates radar or laser and the other writes the ticket.

Car and Driver had a story about two law students who said they saw the plane, pulled under a bridge, and waited outside of the car. Officers were pissed because neither would claim being the driver. So they checked their pockets, but the keys were still in the ignition. Eventually they had to let them go.

hahahaha, thats awesome. I need to keep that whole "have both in court" idea around. We found out in my area, that you can ask the clerk at the police station when certain officers work or have training (for "School purposes), and then ask to have ur court date changed to that day. Sometimes it works, and the DA is alot more lenient if the arresting officer isnt there....not particularly pertaining to driving, but offenses in general.

ohio is similar to cali in that the cops have to have their lights on at night when parked in the median (including headlights, not just parking lights)... but in indiana, they don't have to have any lights on at all... so you don't know if you've blown by a cop or not until he pulls out behind you and turns on the siren.

myth................................

that car and driver story is bull...how the heck would they know that a plane got them on radar and they were going to be pulled over......

if i was the cop i woulda written them a parking ticket for stopping on the side of the highway...because it is no stopping or standing unless you have an emergency and trying to get out of a speeding ticket doesnt count.....

GetRDone... I'm not sure which planet in WI you live in or what color the sky is there... I'm an officer here, you tell me to f--- myself, I spend a bit more of your tax dollars discussing your attitude. And if speeders are the same as they are here, there is no reason to hide. Getting picked out of a group of cars? Chances are you got tagged by laser. And the Officer has to be at the court appearance, its in the Constitution, ''the right to face your accuser''?? Its for your benefit.

I don't mean to sound like a prick here, some will call me that just because of what I am or what I do. I truly enjoy my job, and it is my duty to know the laws and enforce them fairly. I agree, there are bad cops, they give the rest of us decent ones a bad name. I've paid my tickets over the years, I've met prick cops, I even work with them. Chances are if you don't like them, neither do we....

Bottom line, drive safe!! Makes life easier for everyone!!

My parents live in Delaware and police officers are very tricky there. They will park their car in a parking lot somewhere, walk a few blocks up the road, and hid behind trees with a radar gun. They will then literally stand in the middle of the road, clock you and if you are speeding, motion you to pull over. My dad has seen it happen several times and apparently no one who is originally from Delaware thinks that is weird. :lol:

Squirrelyburt, i dont realy have anything against cops, but honestly, if ur gonna pull me over, chances are i may just tell u to f*ck off, since ur gonna give me the ticket anyway. I mean, its not illegal to be an asshole. I do usually drive safe, however fast car + long stretch of middle of no where hwy + going to be late for work = me not goin the speed limit. Dont take it personally, if u personally pull me over, ill be nice.

You give California lawmakers too much credit :P

From what I understand in IL, if you can prove flow of traffic at a reasonable speed, you should be able to beat it in court.

Depends on the state, some have 2 hour limit laws. Makes for good road-trip napping :D

GetRdone, believe me, its not a lot of fun pulling people over either. I don't know if ''Joe Speeder'' is late for work or in a hurry to get away from the store he just robbed. I know the State Patrol focuses on nothing but traffic and they have a policy on where they can use discretion and when they write a ticket. Most other agencies don't and personally, I write a ton more warnings than tickets. I know the rest of the world are hard working folks and money is tight, but crashes are messy and really expensive. Do yourself a favor and avoid the trouble altogether.

You said ur in central WI, im up the Stevens Point / Plover area right now at my roomates parents house for the weekend. Hopefully i dont do anything stupid enough to have to meet you, but theres always a chance.