AZ Dept of Public "Safety"

[vandornjim]

The really funny thing about this story is we had discussed the kids taking the Weekndr, my '91 ZR-1 instead of the Cadillac!! I sent this to the Net List and a guy told me to take it private. Some of you guys have asked me to hang out over here from time to time.
Am I going to invade your space too?


You've all heard of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's fame in Arizona. He's the Sheriff who dyed all the inmate's underwear pink and also took on NASCAR's Kurt Busch a few years ago. The Arizona Dept of Public Safety makes Sheriff Joe look like a boy scout. I've been stopped for absolutely nothing virtually every time I've been through AZ and never once issue a citation. Last time we went through Jimmie was driving and we see this AZ HP who proceeds to pull us over. We went through the whole dance and I gave the guy a pretty good licking being an ex-cop and knowning all their BS. He didn't like it and wrote Jimmie a "warning" for a couple of miles over. When Jimmie began to argue I motioned for him to quit. When we got back in the car he asked why I didn't let him argue and I told him why argue when all it is is a warning? You already won!

Last Wednesday, Jimmie and his friend Craig came to BG to help us start packing up our shop. We had him drive my Seville back so we had one less car to get back there. We loaded the car with clothes and a neon sign, I gave them a cooler with drinks in it, and I had a couple of Halloween decorations I didn't need so I threw them in too. Jimmie and his friend Craig left yesterday morning and drove straight thru.at lease until a few minutes ago.

Being an ex-cop, I have taught Jimmie how to act around those buzz-headed Rambo type EGOMANIACS for years. Jimmie has always worked late and has been stopped 20-30 times easily for no reason except for that telltale "intermittent" tailight problem. :-) He doesn't get nervous and he's learned from me what the rules are. He knows his stuff. Many of you have seen cars pulled over along the road with their entire contents laying all over the roadside when some cop decides he's going to search a car. They strip the seats out, spare tire, luggage, everything and then simply get in their cars and leave, making you put your car back together. The funny thing is, you agreed to it when they simply ask, "Can I search your car?"


So Jimmie passes the AZ HP sitting in the middle divider doing 75-77mph. Radar detector did not go off. Unit gets behind him maybe 3-4 cars and watches.
Jimmie's doing 75 in a 75. Unit comes up, runs the plate, then lights him up. They pull over and the AH asks him if he knows why he's been stopped.

(YOU NEVER admit to anything so the answer is NO)
Jimmie says "Because you see two 25 year olds in a Kentucky Cadillac?" Cop orders Jimmie out of the car. Cop says "Do you mind if I search for vehicle for anything illegal?"

Cop needs Probable Cause to search unless he sees or smells something. Many times they disguise a demand as a question but you don't know the difference.

Jimmie asks him if he has "PC" and the cop tells him he doesn't need it because all he was doing was asking him a question. Jimmie says "No, unless you have a reason you aren't going to search my car." Cop threatens to get the dog. Jimmie tells him he doesn't care, go get him. The cop calls for a drug dog and they wait. While waiting, the cop asks the two of them the same questions over and over, attempting to trip them up. Craig tells the AH he's from Bermuda Dunes. The cop then asks Jimmie who answers "Palm Springs". AH asks how they say they're from the same place when one is from the desert and one is from the beach.
Jimmie informs AH "Bermuda Dunes" isn't in the Bahamas but in the "greater Palm Springs area, like saying you are from Phoenix when you're from Tempe or Chandler." Jimmie asks what the ETA on the dog is. Cop says 20 minutes.

They wait.

AH asks Craig what is in the trunk. Craig answers honestly and candidly, "Well, we have some clothes, a radio, and two skeletons."
"Oh so you're a smart *** too?" asks the cop. Craig wonders what he said wrong. He later realizes he said "skeletons" which I had put in the trunk. I would have fallen over laughing.

Upon arrival, the dog runs around the car and AH says the dog is acting "suspicious". Jimmie asks if the dog has alerted or not. They double talk him and Jimmie finally says he'll verbally OK the guy to look inside the trunk but not tear the car apart, his original fear. The cops swarm the car, look in all containers, search their bags, and even open the cardboard box in the trunk with my neon BUD LIGHT dragster in it. They also couldn't help but notice the two halloween skeletons I had laying off to one side.
After all is said and done, they AH asks Jimmie one more time if he knows why he was stopped. He says it was for "speeding" and doing approx 77 in a 75 zone. Jimmie answers, "Like I said, you saw two 25 year olds in a Cadillac and couldn't stand it."
Cop says he's going to have to write Jimmie a "warning". Jimmie says, "Of course you do to cover your ***. Just make sure write down your name and badge number plainly on that warning."
Well, it might have taken them 45 minutes to get goiong again but can you imagine this story getting told over a few beers with the boys in the very near future? Good job son. YOU WIN.
Laws are made for a reason and they are for everyone to abide by.
Congratulations to Jimmie and Craig. And of course they'll be a nice letter to Mr Dickwad's commander. After all, how will they know unless they receive complaints?
jvd
p.s. Since this post I have received numerous emails from our dear friends in Arizona. They agree and have had some very simular experiences! Some have also written letters.