"i'm letting you off with a warning"

[Deviant Ollam]

just a quick question for my friends who have ties to law enforcement. when an officer concludes a roadside stop with the garden variety "warning" about this or that minor violation and then requests that you correct something in the future, how often (if ever) is this traffic stop and the notes of what the officer instructed entered into one's LEIN record?

tonight i was pulled over for some B.S. about my lisence plate being "hard to see" due to a dim bulb, etc etc. (basically end-of-month shenanigans by a very young cop who has quota coming down on his head like a load of bricks, methinks)

i would have let this sort of thing slide (and he was very polite and only issued me a warning) except for the fact that in the rear of my truck there were some ammo cans and other surplus storage hardware visible. i had to endure a short slew of questions concerning what these items were, what was in them (i opted not to answer that) etc etc etc. the whole time i'm thinking "come on, guy... it's like 1 AM, my g/f and i just want to get to our house (which was about 3 tenths of a mile down the road), i'm clearly not drunk, i have no wants and no warrants, i wasn't speeding, can you just knock off the bullshit and let me go?!"

while i would have normally checked the bulbs in my rear wiring rig, after all this shit i just feel like ignoring the issue out of spite and cynicism. how likely, if at all, is it that at some traffic stop in the distant future some officer is going to say "i see that your rear plate is less than 100% visible. didn't Officer O'Flannery instruct you to address that way back in august?"

are "warnings" entered into any database or do they typically have a lifetime that doesn't extend beyond the roadside?

[astcell]

More people talk thmselves INTO tickets than out of tickets. The fact that it was that late an hour makes you suspect due to the law of averages. I used to work in a restaurant and when I closed at 1am, I drove home wiht all the drunks. Got pulled over often, they saw my uniform, and I got a break.

The ammo cans did not help. :>

[highwizard]

Fix the stupid light and don't be a bitch. He wasn't doing it because he had to fulfill a quota, it's because not being able to see the license plate is a real issue. If you are going to not fix it in spite of him then I hope he not only catches you again but gets you for something bigger (like speeding) which will give you points.

I mean come on.. You complain because you got a warning.. jesuschrist..

[sys-error]

Was it a Local cop or State Trooper?

One of my relatives is a Trooper, and he told me that the Local PD's don't have quotas in most areas, and that warnings are a local recording on paper only. So if there is a MAJOR infraction related to the warnings (i.e. one headlight is out, then a month after, that was the cause of a vehicular homicide) they can bring it up at that point.

I'm not entirely sure how the warnings themselves would be held in a court of law, because I have never seen that information come out in the few times I was in court. Maybe Jur1st would have more information on that?

Not to mention, if the same cop pulls you over for the same reason, and remembers you.. he will NOT let you go as easily, and look for things to cite you with the next go-round.

I'd suggest you pay a few bucks for a new bulb and be done with it. Let the officers actually do their jobs in peace. To "Protect" and Serve, thats their motto after all.

[Thorn]

If he's been well trained, he wrote out a quick note with your Name, DOB, and License ID number along with the Make, Model and Registration number of the vehicle and what he warned you about. Depending on the officer as well as the deparment policy and procedures, he may keep personal job notes for a short while, or some predetermined time - up to permanently.

Alternately, he may just make a mental note of it, and nothing is written down.

Rarely do verbal warnings go into any kind of database, although I know some departments were it is entered.

[minihacker316]

That is stupid.

Too bad he didn't attack you, you could have sued him for excessive force. Anyway, just replace your light. Its not worth getting fined for a stupid light.

[lil_freak]

In most states when you are pulled over the officer has already contacted their "Communication/Dispatch" center to have your plates run before they ever get out of the patrol car. After that they check your drivers licence to make sure there are no wants or warrants for your person.

After that if your given a warning normally the officer has to write a quick note in his or her's "Daily Log Sheet".


There can also be other events that take place after a warning, but it depends on what the officer observed and whatnot.

Deviant: I sent you a pm with some more information in it, incase you were looking for more details than what I posted here.

[jur1st]

I'm not really sure about this one, but I doubt that the warning would go into any kind of database. A few years ago I got pulled over by an overzealous police officer who mistook me for some high school d-bag. After accusing me of 3 different traffic violations and running my plates he returned with a warning for those 3.

The warning I got was written on a regular note pad, without any carbon sheet so other than a log the officer might have had it's probably not documented anywhere.

I'd definitely tell you to fix the light, though. Since any kind of traffic violation can justify an officer in pulling you over it's best to comply with every traffic regulation to the letter.

[astcell]

I guess if you ever run for President we can then find out how well this stuff is documented.

[renderman]

I guess if you ever run for President we can then find out how well this stuff is documented.

Deviant....... President........ BWHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

hehehehe..... I'd love to see that.

[GodMinusOne]

Too bad he didn't attack you, you could have sued him for excessive force.

You sir, truly are a fucktard.

[Deviant Ollam]

Deviant....... President........ I'd love to see that.

heh, i wouldn't. so much more can be done to effect real change behind the scenes or as a teacher... my two main areas of focus. besides, being president would contravene one of my three life goals... to have the absolute minimum number of days possible from cradle to grave that involve the wearing of a tie.

[Dutch]

heh, i wouldn't. so much more can be done to effect real change behind the scenes or as a teacher... my two main areas of focus. besides, being president would contravene one of my three life goals... to have the absolute minimum number of days possible from cradle to grave that involve the wearing of a tie.

Well, doesn't the perks and fringe benefits outweigh the tie wearing ? I mean, being able to "smoke" cigars with Monica Lewinsky, and stuff like that ?

Dutch

[minihacker316]

No!

Wanting to sue doesn't make me a FUCKTARD, it just makes me more like Stella Liebeck.

[Gadsden]

Fix the stupid light and don't be a bitch. He wasn't doing it because he had to fulfill a quota, it's because not being able to see the license plate is a real issue. If you are going to not fix it in spite of him then I hope he not only catches you again but gets you for something bigger (like speeding) which will give you points.

I mean come on.. You complain because you got a warning.. jesuschrist..

I see his complaint... you don't have to be doing anything for a cop to make up a reason to stop you. A dim plate light!?!.. bullshit. If it had not been that it would have been something else. I have been stopped more times than I can count for "dim tail lights", "being too close to a line", etc. when I had an old truck. Then I had to "thank" the cop for going easy on me. Sure, they can be nice about it and I have always gave the same friendliness back.. but that does not make it right. If I was in a BMW they would have not given a shit.