Can cops not pull you over if you drive by them? They must have a radar gun to pull you over unless you were totally speeding, or driving with danger to others.
2006-09-08 17:41:23 · 14 answers · asked by Ted B 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
I'm just going to stick to talking about speeding, since you mentioned passing the officer and radar guns.
No, the officer does not have to have a radar gun, or even radar in the car, to stop you for speeding. There is also pacing, meaning that once you pass him, he can speed up to match how fast you are going, and determine your speed that way. And as some others have said, if the officer is going the speed limit and you pass him, you are obviously speeding. The officer can estimate your speed based on how fast you pass him and write you a ticket for that speed. And some states (Alabama for instance) have what is called "prima facie" speeding tickets. I won't get into the full legal meaning of "prima facie", but I'll tell you what it means in reference to speeding. What it boils down to is the officer is saying, "I don't know exactly how fast he was going, but he was sure as hell speeding." They use their training and experience to give a rough estimate on your speed, i.e. - looked like you were going about 60-65 in a 40. It's extremely hard for the officer to win those cases, but that's why most officers don't write those. I've only ever written one prima facie speeding ticket, and I won, because there was more than just me who testified to the guy's speed.
So, there are many ways an officer can give you a ticket for speeding. Radar is just the most common, and easiest to prove, method.
2006-09-08 20:38:37 · answer #1 · answered by RJ 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, they can pull you over if they have reasonable cause. If, say the cop was doing 50mph, and you blew by him, he can estimate that you were driving over the speed limit, and by how much. Last time I looked at a speeding ticket, in amongst where it talked about method of determining speed, there where boxes marked, radar measured, clocked, and, yes, estimated.
Police have a mandate to protect the public, and if you are driving like an idiot, they can and should pull you over.
2006-09-09 00:48:41 · answer #2 · answered by Ford 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ft chuck got it 90% right if you drive the way you are supposed to be driving and your vehicle is in perfect working order meaning lights brakes acct doubt full they will pull you over been driving for 42 yrs never got a ticket or pulled over other then being pushed out of a snow drift once by a trooper
2006-09-09 01:07:16 · answer #3 · answered by aldo 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Almost all police cars have built in radar units that radar out of the back and the front of the police car. ( very few acutally use a old fashion type "gun" any longer.
Next if they are driving and you drive past them, they can use thier speedometers to clock you and write you a ticket.
next although it is harder to hold up in court, most police officers during thier radar training learn to estimate very closly your speed by just looking at the car driving past.
2006-09-09 00:46:54 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The police have many reasons to stop people. You may be driving a vehicle that is similar to a suspect's. You may have made an inadvertant traffic violation. I did that today, and was pulled over.
Your vehicle equipment is another thing that police look at. Are all of your lights working?
Is your plate displayed properly?
Look at what you were doing!
2006-09-09 00:51:57 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends if the cop is off duty.
If he is on duty and feels that you aren't going fast enough for him, he will do nothing but mind his business.
If the cop is going 70 and you're going 110, you're getting pulled over and the officer will pace you with his car to verify your speed.
2006-09-09 00:44:24 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, they can pull you over if you drive by them. No, they don't have to have a radar gun.
2006-09-09 00:47:59 · answer #7 · answered by yahoohoo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not the Long Beach City Cops ! They will pull you over when ever the get the itch to harass someone . There bullies !!
2006-09-09 00:43:38 · answer #8 · answered by mendatrapp 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Depends on the traffic (and other) laws of your jurisdiction. Really there are A LOT of things that give an officer PC (probable cause) for a traffic stop.
2006-09-09 00:43:27 · answer #9 · answered by Super Rach 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Are u kidding me? The fuzz can do whatever they want to do. If you look like you need to be pulled over...they will pull u over! Then they will find a reason why. Son, it was for your own good....Yea right.
2006-09-09 00:45:54 · answer #10 · answered by GiGi 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋