County police officer, pulled behind me after supposedly not stopping fully, waited almost a mile to pull me over, seems like if I ran a stop sign he would have pulled me over immediately, is there a limit to how far a cop can follow away from scene of "crime" before pulling a person over?
2006-11-24 16:46:05 · 16 answers · asked by Jason G 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
County police officer, pulled behind me after supposedly not stopping fully, waited almost a mile to pull me over, seems like if I ran a stop sign he would have pulled me over immediately, is there a limit to how far a cop can follow away from scene of "crime" before pulling a person over, no one else on the road for miles, midnight
2006-11-24 16:54:29 · update #1
I came to a full stop! Is it just my word against his? Seems like a great way for the county to steal an easy buck.
2006-11-24 17:01:21 · update #2
Sometime police wait until the registration information comes back from the dispatcher (we don't have computers in our cars here and have to get the dispatcher to check). Sometimes the computer is very slow and it takes a while. The police officer may have been waiting for a safe well lit area to stop you in or may have suspected you of drunk driving and was observing your driving to see how you were doing. He could also have been waiting for backup to get closer. We usually don't stop vehicle unless we notify the dispatcher first, if there is lots of officers on the radio, you have to wait for airtime. Lots of reason for not stopping you immediately. If the officer did not lose sight of your vehicle you are out of luck. Take it to court and see what happens.
2006-11-25 01:24:26 · answer #1 · answered by joeanonymous 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Chances are the officer was following you for a multitude of reasons prior to the traffic stop. First, as an answer previously said, was to run a complete license plate check. To see if the car and/or plate were reported stolen, registered to a parolee, etc. Second, to check your driving quality. Running a stop sign could have been an indicator of intoxication. Third, he may have wanted to stop you in an area familar to him. Police officers are targets whether they should be or not. Stopping someone in an area that is not well lit, in a neighborhood that has a lot of police assaults or other reasons.
As long as he witnessed you run the sign, he can follow you till you get home, and give you the ticket in your driveway. There is no timeframe or mileage limits prior to a stop.
2006-11-24 17:01:59 · answer #2 · answered by phxdragon1 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The only rule that applies is one of reasonableness - i.e., was the delay between the violation and the stop reasonable. I can tell you from experience that a mile is VERY reasonable. Considering that a mile passes in a minute or two when driving, it is likely that the officer was running your plates, calling in his position or taking care of some administrative task relating to pulling you over. Courts have held that officers following cars for 10 and even 20 miles before a stop can be reasonable under certain circumstances.
2006-11-24 17:38:46 · answer #3 · answered by James P 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
He was just running your plates for any outstanding wants or warrants. It's common procedure at night in a rural setting, so the officer knows what he may be getting into when he pulls you over. You must remember that the #1 way cops are shot in this country is on routine traffic stops. Wouln't you do the same thing if you were a cop?So be a good citizen and just pay the ticket.
2006-11-24 16:59:11 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
No there is no limit on how far the Officer can follow you before initiating a stop. Quite often, even though probable cause for the stop has been established, an Officer will follow for a distance to see if further violations are observed.
2006-11-24 20:11:14 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
How far back from the stop sign did you come to a full stop ?
But no there is no limit, most likely he was running your plates before doing the stop.
As long as he does not lose physcial sight of you, he can follow you for miles. sometimes hoping to get you nervous so you will break another traffic law.
2006-11-24 21:52:47 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The officer was observing your driving. Traffic violations are often indicators that the driver is impaired. He/she followed you a little ways to observe. If you had committed other traffic violations during that time, it would have helped his/her case if you were actually intoxicated.
The officer also runs your tag prior to the stop. He/she would also wait for a safe place to pull you over.
All of this factors in.
2006-11-24 17:51:16 · answer #7 · answered by tnmack 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I choose the place I want to stop you for various reasons. Lighted areas, parking lots where there are other people, etc. It's a safety issue. Sometimes we have to wait on a space on the air to get an available dispatcher. There are many reasons why we don't always stop you immediately.
2006-11-24 18:31:54 · answer #8 · answered by gablueliner 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thats a good question not 100% certain of that. I can tell you thought that once with my friends the same thing happened only we were pulled over searched and released with no findings. Next time make sure to get the officers badge information so that way you can properly report him. Thats the only way to track whats going on and make sure it gets taken care of!
2006-11-24 16:49:57 · answer #9 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
He can follow you as long as he wants, he could of been checking your registration on the radio, or just seeing if you would do any othre traffic breaches. Yes it is his word against yours. Remember cops are always right.
2006-11-24 19:13:58 · answer #10 · answered by N. Andrews 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋