[cbstd]

Rush hour traffic going home last night was pretty tough and I was looking for a shortcut around the worst congestion. Traveling west-bound on Los Angeles' Melrose Avenue, I needed to slip south to catch the Santa Monica Freeway west to my home on the Westside.

The sign said, "No left turn, 3pm-7pm" but I figured that at 6:45pm, it was close enough, and I hung an illegal left to travel down a Hancock Park side street to connect to Highland and eventually the freeway. One hundred yards from the illegal turn I saw three uniformed LAPD motorcycle officers dismounted and standing in the street.

My first thought was that maybe these cops were providing security for a movie shoot; the sight of production trucks being watched over by a cop in uniform making some sweet off-duty money is fairly common in Los Angeles. But as the cop waved me to pull over, I noticed a decided lack of prodcution trucks in the vacinity. Holding a citation book in his hand he walked over to my window and said,"You made an illegal turn back there." "Yes sir," is all I could say.

I had fallen into a trap... er, special enforcement zone, that the Hollywood Division of the LAPD had installed on this side street to discourage commuters from illeglally cutting through the quiet neighborhood.

He took my driver's license, told me to wait and walked away while I fumed. He took his time writing a ticket for another driver who got nailed. There were three officers busily writing tickets, business was good today. I cursed my lack of judgement, the cost of the citation and the hassle of taking a "Traffic School" online to keep the points off my record. And to make it even more irritating, I was getting delayed on my commute home. Damn it, LA commuters hate to wait!

After finishing writing the ticket he had started when he waved me over to the side of the road, he slowly walked back to my car. Looking at my driver's license he said, "Mr. Harris I see you recently celebrated a birthday. What was the best gift you got?"

WTF? I get nailed for a dead-to-rights ticket and now he wants to dick with me. Just write the damn ticket and I will get on my way, I thought to myself. "I don't know," I mumbled. "I guess it was something the kids gave me."

"Mr. Harris, I am going to give you the best birthday gift you have ever got."

Oh great, a cop with a sense of humor. Stop torturing me and write the stinking ticket, I was thinking.

"You were the first driver I pulled over today to admit that he made an illegal turn and did not try to weasle out of it. For honesty like that you deserve a birthday gift, I'm not going to write you a ticket."

I thanked him profusely, shook his hand and drove off while the two other cops were busy writing tickets to some other scoff-laws without my good luck or sense of honor.

Maybe he had run out of citations in his ticket book, maybe he was a Honda fan, or maybe a little honesty made the difference. I don't know. But I wll not be cutting through Hancock Park side streets any time soon.

Scott

 

[rex2nr]

damn, thats lucky

 

[bmaca455]

There is nothing better then honesty to "weasel" your way out of getting a ticket... if you can call it that lol.

 

[bryman10]

Nicely done, honest weasel.
Truth is, he saw your aluminum rear drums shining through the wheels, and felt compelled to give you a free pass.

And to make it even more irritating, I was getting delayed on my commute home. Damn it, LA commuters hate to wait!
Scott

This is universal to all commuters, btw :wink:

bryman

 

[ollie]

:jim carey voice:
"....and the truth shall set you free......." :lol:
Nice one scott.... :wink:

 

[Wasuri]

Not surprising at all.

I get lied to so often, anyone who is honest will almost always get a pass.

Lol I tell the truth but my truths end up in being a 5 minute story that the cop doesnt care about. My problem is I try to explain too much. "You can explain that to the judge"

 

[ryan_long_01]

I hate crap like "no left turn from 8:00am-5:45pm on weekdays, November 15-May 3rd of every year, except leap years." If you're not super-familiar with the area, nobody has the time when trying to make a left turn against traffic to examine the sign and try to figure out if a turn is legal at that exact moment or not. 15 minutes before the "legal" time? That's so lame...

 

[crxgator]

for me some of the time honesty works for me. i am always honest with the officer and polite, but i just have bad luck.

my recent case of good luck:

i was riding my motorcycle and i was going past my job, this is a three lane road called boices (two on my side, 1 on the other) that is normally a 40 zone, i decided to pass the 4 cars on the right lane, and then get back into the right lane because the road splits into enterprise dr to the right and straight to an office building. as you can see in the picture the cop was on the side of the road in an unmarked black impala. i was going about 55.

my stupid luck, i just hit the traffic light that lets people from my job (on the right side of enterprise) and the other office building on the left side out of the parking lots. so i wait there for 30 secs until it turns green. i didnt know at the time a cop was behind me. so i gun it, i got it to about 75 mph in a 40 and then i was slowing down so i can go onto the highway.

all of a sudden i see lights, and im thinking fck me. i pull over, take off my helmet. he ask for registration, insurance, etc. while i was doing it, i see the officers name badge, and im like great i got this guy. This officer absolutely hates crotch rockets; he rammed one off the road before, man handled a couple of riders for speeding, etc.

we get talking and he says, "so why are you going so fast, you have a date or something." i reply, "sir, im sorry, i was just riding around, no real reason."

he replies, "well at least youre being honest. next time go fast where there arent so many cars."

i was so relieved. the harley guy actually let me go...

here is a picture for reference.

 

[SETI20]

A while ago I got pulled over for a good reason.
I pulled an e-brake u-ey, late at night, in an empty intersection.

I made the U to pull into a parking lot 30 yards back. (one entry due to construction)
My stupid luck. 3 motorcycle cops there writing parking tickets. No use in denying...so my initial response was "gee I picked the perfect spot for that didn't I?"
The cop laughed. He was a good sport about it...had a good chat.

....and proceeded to write me for reckless endangerment!

A few weeks later I got the report in the mail, and he had written a whole lot of spectacular details. Supposedly I turned into oncoming traffic to pull a U-turn, shile skidding, forcing other traffic to stop. All this while crossing a solid white line.

I decided to take it to court, and blatantly flat out denied everything.
I took pictures of my car in the dark. (black car, black wheels) and asked the judge if she would be able to see anything "odd".
Took pictures of the scene (no solid white line) (oops)
Asked the cop about specifics of the traffic I supposedly forced to a halt. Wich he did not have. Not even the color or make of a car. (oops)

He made an ass out of himself, the ticket was thrown out, and I filed a claim for lost wages for time off and expenses for going to court.
Walked away with 300 bucks and change in my pocket.

 

[downest]

im like great i got this guy. This officer absolutely hates crotch rockets; he rammed one off the road before, man handled a couple of riders for speeding, etc

Ummm... what!? And still working?

 

[dohcrxl]

I decided to take it to court, and blatantly flat out denied everything.

He made an ass out of himself, the ticket was thrown out, and I filed a claim for lost wages for time off and expenses for going to court.
Walked away with 300 bucks and change in my pocket.

Awww snappety, striking a blow for the otherwise law abiding but occasionally naughty citizen.

Me, I just got a ticket last week for no seat belt. Not gonna fight it tho 'cause obviously I'll lose, it's only $25, and it's my 2nd time getting caught among a kajillion offenses undetected. I swear man, why should the gubmint get involved if a guy just simply wants to kill himself? *shakes head

 

[baker_jeff]

I decided to take it to court, and blatantly flat out denied everything.

He made an ass out of himself, the ticket was thrown out, and I filed a claim for lost wages for time off and expenses for going to court.
Walked away with 300 bucks and change in my pocket.

Awww snappety, striking a blow for the otherwise law abiding but occasionally naughty citizen.

Me, I just got a ticket last week for no seat belt. Not gonna fight it tho 'cause obviously I'll lose, it's only $25, and it's my 2nd time getting caught among a kajillion offenses undetected. I swear man, why should the gubmint get involved if a guy just simply wants to kill himself? *shakes head

Probably cause they don't want to have to clean up the mess when it happens lol!

 

[SETI20]

more likely because deputy williamson is sick of having to drive up to a driveway with the "dear sir, it's about your son" story.

 

[Charles]

I think my middle age-ness is an advantage here. I haven't received a ticket in years. I got a pass once by truthfuly saying I knew I was speeding and was late to pick up my wife. He was probably married and realized that the penalty that entails.

I have had cops eye-ball me as I slowed down in a trap but I think they see a stock CRX with an older guy in it and just wait for the next one. Several cops have told me that besides the tickets, speed traps are for also finding people with warrants out on them, drugs, weapons, etc.

 

[Charles]

True. Cops get paid very little. They are compensated with power.

 

[cbstd]

I think my middle age-ness is an advantage here.

I KNEW there was a good reason to grow old.

 

[SleeperCRX]

I got pretty lucky once. I was driving home on the 101 from school at about 10:30 pm going 95, the next thing I know there is a car right behind me. At first I thought it was someone trying to race me, so I kept at the speed that I was going. Then I saw the lights, and then they turned on. I was like [email protected]%& and at the time I was doing something that I should not have been doing in my car. So I get pulled over and he comes up to my window and the first thing he asks me is " Do you know how fast you were going?" and I told him 85/90 then he says try 95! And then he smells it. I knew I was totally F#%[email protected]& at that point. Then he asks me " wheres it at" so I gave it to him and he tells me to put it on my seat.
So I did, then he pulls me out of the car and starts doing a bunch of sober tests on me. I passed them all with flying colors ( I was not Drunk!) And he does that for about Half and hour. He was talking to his CHP buddy and telling him to come and take over because he was just getting off his shift. I guess he just got impatiant and he told me to take off, but before he let me go he told me to put my thumb and my pointing finger as close as I could together, and I did. Then he says " Thats how close you are to going to Jail!, How do you feel about that? and I said, well, I can't do anything about it now so it really does not matter how I feel about it. Then He laughed and Told me to take off.
That was a pretty interesting night coming back from school.
I Got REALLY lucky!

 

[SETI20]

I remember a poster, saying:

Smoking pot makes you respond to 'hey stupid!' 10 seconds slower.

I'm all for that stuff, as long as you leave it at home.

 

[bmaca455]

I got pretty lucky once. I was driving home on the 101 from school at about 10:30 pm going 95, the next thing I know there is a car right behind me. At first I thought it was someone trying to race me, so I kept at the speed that I was going. Then I saw the lights, and then they turned on. I was like [email protected]%& and at the time I was doing something that I should not have been doing in my car. So I get pulled over and he comes up to my window and the first thing he asks me is " Do you know how fast you were going?" and I told him 85/90 then he says try 95! And then he smells it. I knew I was totally F#%[email protected]& at that point. Then he asks me " wheres it at" so I gave it to him and he tells me to put it on my seat.
So I did, then he pulls me out of the car and starts doing a bunch of sober tests on me. I passed them all with flying colors ( I was not Drunk!) And he does that for about Half and hour. He was talking to his CHP buddy and telling him to come and take over because he was just getting off his shift. I guess he just got impatiant and he told me to take off, but before he let me go he told me to put my thumb and my pointing finger as close as I could together, and I did. Then he says " Thats how close you are to going to Jail!, How do you feel about that? and I said, well, I can't do anything about it now so it really does not matter how I feel about it. Then He laughed and Told me to take off.
That was a pretty interesting night coming back from school.
I Got REALLY lucky!

Damn!! :shock: In the world of getting lucky that comes pretty darn close to nailing jessica alba.

 

[xxpaulcpxx]

I remember a poster, saying:

Smoking pot makes you respond to 'hey stupid!' 10 seconds slower.

I'm all for that stuff, as long as you leave it at home.

I find that it makes the ordinary, extrordinary.