Sewo arrested, controlled substance

[PO Frog]

It’s a law that has value but it isn’t necessary..Police have other ways of illuminating plates that they really want to run them. Spotlighting is one of several. Your response actually proves my point which is some police operate from a premise which says a light didn’t just go out on its own..Clearly a bad guy purposely obscured it. Again I don’t believe cops are bad guys...my brother in law is one..He is also the first tell you that much of the job is instinctual and assumptive no matter how hard you try to be different.

Pretty good instincts in this case , it turns out

 

[tcudoc]

He seems a likeable kid. But to become exorcised and indignant because HE did something really stupid and you don't like the way he got caught, is just pointless.

Speaking of exorcising, does anybody else use Planet Fitness?

 

[tcudoc]

It’s a law that has value but it isn’t necessary..Police have other ways of illuminating plates that they really want to run them. Spotlighting is one of several.

Can’t tell if you’re serious about this part.
So, a car should have plates only visible if a spotlight is used to illuminate them?

 

[JockO de Frog]

I would love to hear how anyone in this forum can explain how having a license plate light out is justification alone for stopping a car that is other wise following the law...The bottom line is the light out law is currently, and has always been, used as justification for stopping someone...In the history of automobiles, no police officer ever thought, “as a courtesy, I think I’ll pull that car over and give them a heads up on the poor illumination of their license plate!”. In addition, law enforcement has not often stumped for more “time wasting laws” that eat in to real productivity. They know why the law is useful and it isn’t because they need probable cause to carry out their jobs...Much of policing is done based on instinct and judgement which meens it’s as susceptible to human error and distortion as anything else. The fact that we pretend it isn’t because it’s a noble career is completely dumb.

Cops aren’t bad guys but they aren’t perfect either..This particular law is in place for really only one reason..probable cause...

Oh brother. I was recently pulled over by a cop for having my license plate light out. I was in my 2013 Hyundai with my wife coming back from a wedding and I was in coat and tie. I'm a 69 year old white male. Maybe I just looked real suspicious going 2 miles over the speed limit.

 

[Froggish]

Can’t tell if you’re serious about this part.
So, a car should have plates only visible if a spotlight is used to illuminate them?

Nope didn’t say that...

 

[Froggish]

Oh brother. I was recently pulled over by a cop for having my license plate light out. I was in my 2013 Hyundai with my wife coming back from a wedding and I was in coat and tie. I'm a 69 year old white male. Maybe I just looked real suspicious going 2 miles over the speed limit.

Congrats...You and your wife passed the drug mule sniff test..

 

[tcudoc]

Nope didn’t say that...

Good. Although, I read it again and came away with the same interpretation. I must be misunderstanding.

 

[Billy Clyde]

What Sewo did was stupid...but not because he may like to partake but because he chose to break the law.

I suppose your ok with policing with the assumption of guilt as that was clear in your second point. Regardless if your a conservative or a liberal, the “everyone COULD be a bad guy” position is a danger to all human rights regardless of race, sex, or social status.

I don’t think we’ll get any where debating that on a forum so my apologies for bringing it up. I think we can both agree that we want the situation to work out for Sewo.

You couldn't be further wrong... Like, 180 degrees wrong. See my earlier posts in this same thread re: consent searches for proof of that. What I AM ok with- Well, me and decades of consistent US Supreme Court decisions, is the fact that when police stop you for the tail light, or any other minor violations, if they reasonably conclude that you may be committing other crimes, they have the right to investigate that as well. Sorry if you don't like the law, but that's what it is.

That's 100% all anyone can say about what happened here- Nothing more, nothing less, at least based on what we know so far.

Where it appears my opinion may deviate from some people's "norm" in this thread, is that at this point I assume the arresting officer acted legally within his authority. I'm not ruling out something else, but nothing has been raised at this point to warrant the "I bet it's because he's black," take on this by some people. I wouldn't make that assumption about an officer I never heard of and I think it's a shame to believe that way. If you do, well, I'm sorry for you. That must be a tough mindset to live in.

Let's put this another way: If this had been one of Baylor's guys getting stopped on the way back from Waco instead of one of ours, would you be so suspicious of the officer's actions?

 

[Froggish]

You couldn't be further wrong... Like, 180 degrees wrong. See my earlier posts in this same thread re: consent searches for proof of that. What I AM ok with- Well, me and decades of consistent US Supreme Court decisions, is the fact that when police stop you for the tail light, or any other minor violations, if they reasonably conclude that you may be committing other crimes, they have the right to investigate that as well. Sorry if you don't like the law, but that's what it is.

That's 100% all anyone can say about what happened here- Nothing more, nothing less, at least based on what we know so far.

Where it appears my opinion may deviate from some people's "norm" in this thread, is that at this point I assume the arresting officer acted legally within his authority. I'm not ruling out something else, but nothing has been raised at this point to warrant the "I bet it's because he's black," take on this by some people. I wouldn't make that assumption about an officer I never heard of and I think it's a shame to believe that way. If you do, well, I'm sorry for you. That must be a tough mindset to live in.

Let's put this another way: If this had been one of Baylor's guys getting stopped on the way back from Waco instead of one of ours, would you be so suspicious of the officer's actions?

Want to point out that I never stated or implied that the officers actions had anything to do with Sewo being black. Nor am I implying that it was illegal. Only that the law utilized to stop the vehicle is a stupid one and that cops have traditionally utilized as means to act on their suspicions. Shaking everyone down on the off chance you’ll find law being broken is extremely damaging it to the civil liberties of all people.

It’s a law that does nothing to protect citizens, it only conveniences police..

Oh and if it were a Baylor kid the law would still be stupid...I just wouldn’t give as much of a damn

 

[Frog-in-law1995]

What’s the purpose of a license plate if it can’t be seen? The law has a real purpose.

 

[Zubaz]

What kind of lights do you folks have over your plates? Mine is like a little 5w nightlight, I dare say my tail-lights provide more illumination of my plate, and the headlights of the police behind me would be more than enough to make it out.

The idea it was some sort of legitimate concern over seeing plates is....come on. Wanna say that they were looking for a reason to pull anyone over and the kids bet wrong while riding with an illegal substance, yeah OK fine (though that gets in to whether everyone really gets pulled over equally or just the darker skinned guys), but let's not pretend there's some major issue we have with making out plates without the little Lite Brite doing it's job.

 

[Frog-in-law1995]

What kind of lights do you folks have over your plates? Mine is like a little 5w nightlight, I dare say my tail-lights provide more illumination of my plate, and the headlights of the police behind me would be more than enough to make it out.

The idea it was some sort of legitimate concern over seeing plates is....come on. Wanna say that they were looking for a reason to pull anyone over and the kids bet wrong while riding with an illegal substance, yeah OK fine (though that gets in to whether everyone really gets pulled over equally or just the darker skinned guys), but let's not pretend there's some major issue we have with making out plates without the little Lite Brite doing it's job.

The purpose of the LP light law isn’t so that a cop directly behind you on the road can see your license plate.

 

[DeuceBoogieNights]

If you arrest someone for weed, you're a coward in my book.

 

[East Coast]

Oh brother. I was recently pulled over by a cop for having my license plate light out. I was in my 2013 Hyundai with my wife coming back from a wedding and I was in coat and tie. I'm a 69 year old white male. Maybe I just looked real suspicious going 2 miles over the speed limit.

IMO, any law enforcement jurisdiction that supports their officers pulling people over for a license plate light or tailight being out is more concerned about raising money and hassling citizens than doing its job of protecting them.

Good Lord, there are serious crimes being committed and unpunished plus underinvestigated all over the place.

If you want to enforce traffic violations, pull over tailgaters, weaving in and outers, tractor/trailers and extremely slow drivers in the passing line, etc. You know, actual dangerous behavior.

 

[JockO de Frog]

IMO, any law enforcement jurisdiction that supports their officers pulling people over for a license plate light or tailight being out is more concerned about raising money and hassling citizens than doing its job of protecting them.

Good Lord, there are serious crimes being committed and unpunished plus underinvestigated all over the place.

If you want to enforce traffic violations, pull over tailgaters, weaving in and outers, tractor/trailers and extremely slow drivers in the passing line, etc. You know, actual dangerous behavior.

The purpose of a license plate light is to be able to see the license number at night. Duh. It's for identifying vehicles for both criminal activity and also for identifying vehicles for tolls and automated traffic tickets. My vehicle has two lights and is quite bright for that purpose. Someone without lights maybe trying to hide their license number. I support the law.

 

[JockO de Frog]

The purpose of a license plate light is to be able to see the license number at night. Duh. It's for identifying vehicles for both criminal activity and also for identifying vehicles for tolls and automated traffic tickets. My vehicle has two lights and is quite bright for that purpose. Someone without lights maybe trying to hide their license number. I support the law.

Plus, when I was pulled over for my light out, I didn't realize it. The cop did me a favor. I did not feel hassled or profiled. I replace my bulbs.

 

[Frog-in-law1995]

If you arrest someone for weed, you're a coward in my book.

 

[Billy Clyde]

If you arrest someone for weed, you're a coward in my book.

Hot!

 

[Billy Clyde]

Plus, when I was pulled over for my light out, I didn't realize it. The cop did me a favor. I did not feel hassled or profiled. I replace my bulbs.

You're just too dumb and naive to realize the cops were doing it to pay for their gold-flaked donuts and demitasse coffees, man.

 

[Horny4TCU]

My registration went out last year, as it does every year, and I forgot to get it changed. Needless to say, a cop was happy to remind me that I needed to fix that by issuing me a ticket.

My buddy's registration has been out since 2016 and he has yet to be pulled over.

Some people are just luckier than others. But if you truly believe cops are going to pull you over more, because of your skin color, maybe you shouldn't roll the dice on carrying illegal things in your car...