Edit:
I want to start by saying that this is in no way meant to bash police officers in any way. I have the utmost respect for those who are on the front lines every day keeping our streets safer. However in my area there is one officer who spends his days pulling over speeders and violators. Lord knows we need that. But this particular officer did not allow me to tell my side of the story and instead imposed his judgement. In this case I chose to stay in my lane as I went past the officer feeling it was safer than pulling over in front of people passing me like I was sitting still.
Here's how it went:
Back in June I was making my way home in heavy traffic on a Friday afternoon after a full rich day of baking in the sun inches from traffic on a highway while watching paving. Nothing unusual about it really. I had snapped a few photos to show in a safety meeting how close we are to motorists at times. Literally inches between us and passenger side mirrors as cars (or trucks) whiz past at 55+ mph.
In my state they have a pull over law where you are supposed to move over a lane when troopers are on the shoulder. That fateful day in heavy traffic with cars passing me like I'm a picket fence post I did not pull over when going past a trooper. Suddenly Johnnie Law is passing cars, weaving back and forth like he just heard his house was on fire. Thinking nothing of it I pulled over to let him pass by.... but he didn't. He fell in behind me so I stopped thinking "hmmmm, tail light out? What?"
"Show me your drivers license" he says in a gruff voice. I enquired why he had pulled me. He replied I had jeopordized his life while he was sitting in his patrol car writing notes. I appologized to which he answered "why, because you saw 50 people get away with it?" I responded that I thought it safer to stay in my lane. He replied "you had time to get over!!" He hands me a summons and I asked if I could just pay the fine. His reply was "see you in court"....
Today was court day. The honorable Mr. Lanier was filling in. Super nice man whose photo is probably next to the definition of worlds greatest grandpa in the encylopedia (assuming that existed).
I pled no contest. The judge looked at my record and asked the officer "why did you give this man a ticket?" He responded he felt I had jeopordized his life that day. The judge looked at me and smiled asking if I wanted to change my plea. I responded "no sir, the officer has a very dangerous job".
So the judge says "do you want to pay the minimum fine or go to driving school" to which I replied "last time I went to driving school was driver ed in 1983, so how about I do that?" The courtroom audience laughed. The judge smiled and says "maybe you should teach the class"....
The court room was filled with knuckle heads who looked like something the cat dragged in, ladies dressed like hookers, and drunkard rich men wearing suits. Case after case the judge tossed people in jail, imposed heavy fines and just went about passing sentences to people who obviously hadn't learned a damn thing about respecting the courts.
Knowing if you show the judge all the respect he deserves in a quiet non assuming manner he or she will impose the lightest sentence possible. Even though I had admitted guilt my respect for the judge was rewarded with a compliment from the judge.
I knew the court would side with a highly decorated officer of the law. No need to go for the peerick victory there. When the judge invited me to change my plea I looked at the policeman, raised my eyebrows as if to say "you hear that?"... and kept on in the uber respectful manner I began with.
I also know that at my work part of my role is to assign police officers the hours they get paid at an overtime salary to sit in my work zones. And sooner or later I will encounter that officer on my terms, not his. I'm confident I will be fair minded about his hours, yet figure he'll remember my face and know that while he sits safely in his patrol car I'm walking inches from traffic and could've told that to the judge that day. I will explain to the officer that I know how to drive, I know the law and a couple of my work zones (and others in the past) resulted in the pull over law in my state. I've even spoken to my local legislator about expanding it for tow truck drivers and stranded motorists (to which the state congress did in 2016)... but I wasn't going to waste the judges time with that.
Nope. I'll just sign up for driving school, pay my court cost and move on and maybe pass along a flashlight in the process. Perhaps someday that officer will cut somebody who had a bad day (like I had that day) a break. Perhaps not. But today I had my say in court and I thank my lucky stars it was in America, not Iran or Venezualla.
I want to start by saying that this is in no way meant to bash police officers in any way. I have the utmost respect for those who are on the front lines every day keeping our streets safer. However in my area there is one officer who spends his days pulling over speeders and violators. Lord knows we need that. But this particular officer did not allow me to tell my side of the story and instead imposed his judgement. In this case I chose to stay in my lane as I went past the officer feeling it was safer than pulling over in front of people passing me like I was sitting still.
Here's how it went:
Back in June I was making my way home in heavy traffic on a Friday afternoon after a full rich day of baking in the sun inches from traffic on a highway while watching paving. Nothing unusual about it really. I had snapped a few photos to show in a safety meeting how close we are to motorists at times. Literally inches between us and passenger side mirrors as cars (or trucks) whiz past at 55+ mph.
In my state they have a pull over law where you are supposed to move over a lane when troopers are on the shoulder. That fateful day in heavy traffic with cars passing me like I'm a picket fence post I did not pull over when going past a trooper. Suddenly Johnnie Law is passing cars, weaving back and forth like he just heard his house was on fire. Thinking nothing of it I pulled over to let him pass by.... but he didn't. He fell in behind me so I stopped thinking "hmmmm, tail light out? What?"
"Show me your drivers license" he says in a gruff voice. I enquired why he had pulled me. He replied I had jeopordized his life while he was sitting in his patrol car writing notes. I appologized to which he answered "why, because you saw 50 people get away with it?" I responded that I thought it safer to stay in my lane. He replied "you had time to get over!!" He hands me a summons and I asked if I could just pay the fine. His reply was "see you in court"....
Today was court day. The honorable Mr. Lanier was filling in. Super nice man whose photo is probably next to the definition of worlds greatest grandpa in the encylopedia (assuming that existed).
I pled no contest. The judge looked at my record and asked the officer "why did you give this man a ticket?" He responded he felt I had jeopordized his life that day. The judge looked at me and smiled asking if I wanted to change my plea. I responded "no sir, the officer has a very dangerous job".
So the judge says "do you want to pay the minimum fine or go to driving school" to which I replied "last time I went to driving school was driver ed in 1983, so how about I do that?" The courtroom audience laughed. The judge smiled and says "maybe you should teach the class"....
The court room was filled with knuckle heads who looked like something the cat dragged in, ladies dressed like hookers, and drunkard rich men wearing suits. Case after case the judge tossed people in jail, imposed heavy fines and just went about passing sentences to people who obviously hadn't learned a damn thing about respecting the courts.
Knowing if you show the judge all the respect he deserves in a quiet non assuming manner he or she will impose the lightest sentence possible. Even though I had admitted guilt my respect for the judge was rewarded with a compliment from the judge.
I knew the court would side with a highly decorated officer of the law. No need to go for the peerick victory there. When the judge invited me to change my plea I looked at the policeman, raised my eyebrows as if to say "you hear that?"... and kept on in the uber respectful manner I began with.
I also know that at my work part of my role is to assign police officers the hours they get paid at an overtime salary to sit in my work zones. And sooner or later I will encounter that officer on my terms, not his. I'm confident I will be fair minded about his hours, yet figure he'll remember my face and know that while he sits safely in his patrol car I'm walking inches from traffic and could've told that to the judge that day. I will explain to the officer that I know how to drive, I know the law and a couple of my work zones (and others in the past) resulted in the pull over law in my state. I've even spoken to my local legislator about expanding it for tow truck drivers and stranded motorists (to which the state congress did in 2016)... but I wasn't going to waste the judges time with that.
Nope. I'll just sign up for driving school, pay my court cost and move on and maybe pass along a flashlight in the process. Perhaps someday that officer will cut somebody who had a bad day (like I had that day) a break. Perhaps not. But today I had my say in court and I thank my lucky stars it was in America, not Iran or Venezualla.
Last edited:
