Friday night...

I drove my G from Oakland to Sunnyvale on Friday night for my Grandaunt's 70th B-day dinner. After dinner, my father asked me to drive my elderly Grandfather home in SF. Since my Grandfather has back problems he would have issues getting in and out of my lowered G and sitting in it with the suspension all tight and bumpy would be hard on him. The plan was to leave my car at my parents' pad in SSF then take my mom's Camry to drop my Grandfather off then just take the car back on Saturday when I had to go back to their house anyways for my wife's B-day dinner. So my wife and I drop my grandfather off in SF then I decide to pull over to check some thing in the trunk...

I was heading westbound on Clement then when I hit 6th, which is 6 blocks from my Grandfather's pad, I come up to a red light, but I stop passed the line of the crosswalk then proceed to make a right turn. There was a cop on the other side of the intersection facing me and I didn't think anything of it. Right when I make the right turn and pull over to jump out, he's got me lit up. So I am thinking to myself, "Wtf do these guys want?" Right from the get go, the cop that comes to my door is just in a really bad mood. Anyways, he was a d1ckhead and said that I "ran the light." Impounded my car for a suspended license which is a big mix up that I have documentation for but didn't have it on me at the time so I understand their perspective. I am just upset with his attitude and tone throughout the whole ordeal because I was being very cooperative in the beginning. I always say that you shouldn't get smart with a cop but I also say that having a badge and a gun doesn't make you "right." So I spoke my mind without yelling, just let him know that he shouldn't treat everyone like a criminal and at least hear them out as a person. I was merely trying to talk to him person to person but he treated me like some effin criminal over a petty bs traffic stop. I know the city needs money so I'll gladly pay the tow and impound even though it was the DMV who was at fault, I will dispute it but I know I won't get my money back. As for the red light... I don't run reds, I ride motorcycles. I hate red light runners. I don't even run yellows in my car! If that's how they wanna make money like chickenhawks then that's fine by me! I know that you aren't supposed to try to explain to a cop but in my situation he was going to tow my car for something that was an error in the system and I had paperwork for... but of course he wasn't going to wait until someone brought the paperwork down.

I am going to fight it out in court for SURE! Seriously, I have respect for what cops have to deal with but I just can't stand the ones that shouldn't even have been given a badge to begin with which is 90% of them. I have had a handful of good experiences with "fair" Officers but my NUMEROUS experiences with pigs has left a sour taste in my mouth. I was merely trying to help my parents' out and drive my Grandfather home and I ended up in the "wrong place at the wrong time." The other cop didn't even say anything, he had a look of guilt on his face! He knows that I didn't run the light, it was a mere technicality that I stopped passed the line. They were both asian which doesn't matter but just for those of you that are curious.

My wife and I were freezing our butts off... we got a ride from my cousin later that night. I am so glad it wasn't my G!!! That is all I have to say but if it was my G then I would've had the paperwork with me since it's in the glove box. I'm sure he would've towed it anyways, just out of jealousy and haterism!

FTP.

 

Sorry to hear that man....The majority of cops are great (I find), but there are the exceptions out there.
That's definitely worth fighting in court.
G/L
C.

 

I have lived in the Bay Area almost all of my life and have visited SF about 10 times. I hate the city and do not understand why some people absolutely go nuts for it. The parking is terrible, a crap load of aggressive homeless people, and the cops there are just bricks.

Hope everything works itself out for you.

 

I wonder if it would've made a difference if your grandfather was in the Camry with you. In any case, from my previous experience as a civilian before getting in law enforcement, judges typically don't believe that you never run a red light. Big problem is that since we're sworn officials, our words are as good as gold.

 

LjN_728,

Yeah Judges will take the Officer's word for it EVERY time... unless someone happens to have a video camera.

I was actually thinking of NOT even trying to fight it since I don't want to risk the chance of not being able to go to traffic school so I won't get another point on my record. I CAN take the chance of the cop not showing up but that's all hearsay. I have a feeling this one will make it a POINT to show up...

As far as the suspended license part, I have to gather some more documentation showing the error and miscommunication between my DUI school and the DMV driver's safety office.

 

I'd like to hear your story about the "mix up" with the suspended license. How the hell did that happen?

 

Well, I got a DUI last year which IS A WHOLE other story that is TOO LONG to get into and is the main reason of my current opinions and distrust of law enforcement so I won't even get into that one. I finished EVERYTHING that was required of me in the fastest possible time because I do not lag on things that I need to do. I paid my fine of 1500 that very day I went to court and took a plea bargain. I finished my Sheriff's work furlough community service days the first possible days that were available by the county Sheriff's office. I enrolled in the first available DUI First Offender program and BOUGHT my SR-22, filed it with the DMV right away. I paid my dues even though I thought it wasn't fair. I took care of everything as PROMPTLY and as THOROUGHLY as humanly possible. The whole time, my license was suspended then REINSTATED then suspended again then REINSTATED as a conditional license as ordered by the judge so I can go to work and DUI school. During my DUI PROGRAM, I was given a REINSTATED license to full status. When I finished my DUI PROGRAM in October of last year, they sent out a Completion Certificate to the DMV Driver's Safety office. Apparently they are a different entity than the DMV. I don't know why because it seems as if the left and right hand are not working together even with all the modern day advances such as fax, email and computers. The DMV Driver's Safety office never recieved or misplaced my certificate and suspended my license in DEC again! Which I just found out! Even though I talked to like 8 different people at DMV Driver's Safety and I have been to 4 different DMV Field Offices on 12 different occasions. Only one person actually took the time to help me out and called my DUI School who was not very helpful either btw, to get this all cleared up for me. So they had my school send another Certificate in a sealed envelope this time WHICH I mailed out this time with the permission of DMV Driver's Safety. They apparently never got that one either!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I have to get a letter from the lady at Driver's Safety (the only person that helped me) stating that they spoke to my DUI School rep and that in fact I did complete the course and it was their mistake! I have to get another letter from my DUI School confirming that they sent 2 Certificates! Hopefully that will explain the whole mixup with the suspended license.

The red light infraction, as BS as it was. I just don't have the time to go to court. I may just plea and ask for traffic school so it won't go on the record. I don't care about the fine because that is just petty. I just don't want my record jacked up and I hate pleading guilty for stuff I didn't do. Makes me sick in the stomach because I used to believe that justice is fair...

 

Sounds like hell. Hope everything works out. Good cops are ok...but some can just be a$$es. Too bad you could win against that cop, but you don't have much of a chance against the law.

 

hope everything works out,, just calm the f+++ down,,, all that stress you have is going to make things worse for you, and plus its not healthy

 

Did he take the car for the 30 days(14602.6 VC) or the 22651 VC section? It would suck to have the 30 day. What was your license suspended for?

 

He tried to take it for 30 but his partner who was actually a nice guy and spoke to me like a human being was nice enough to explain that since the car is not registered under my name... my mom could possibly get it out on Tuesday which means I am going to have to pay for Friday, Sat, Sun, Mon, and Tuesday... DAMNIT.

I explained why my license was suspended above.

 

Yeah, thanks.

I am trying to stay as calm as I can thru all this. It just never ends.

 

i just almost went through the same thing with you. the DMV made an error on my license but finally got it cleared up.

 

Got my mom's ride out today!!!

Administration Fee to SFPD after standing in line for an hour = $194.00
Walked over to CITYTOW to wait again to pay them = $407.00
Drove over to Pier 70 where they had the car to get it out = $0 but PITA
Gucci shades missing = $300 (Effin tow truck drivers or workers)

Punking this 45+ Yr old guy who was waiting in line in front of us who for no reason at all was very rude and tried to bully my mother (5'1" 100 lbs) = PRICELESS! I guess he didn't see her 28 year old son a few feet behind her by the door. What a *****... pickin on little women for know reason. When a guy says something, he clams up and doesn't say a word! LOL.