Question to LEO's

[GlockSpock]

So...tonight I was traveling northbound on I-75. Just before I came through the Bonny Oaks Exit (probably ~mile beforehand) I noticed a cop was behind me quite close with his pretty blue lights on. At first I was thinking that he was going around me (I was in the left lane) but then he kept following me as I continuously changed lanes going rightward.

I very carefully decelerated and changed lanes all the way to the shoulder. I immediately turned on my cabin lights and waited patiently with both front windows down.

This cop pops up by my Wife and tells me he got me going 80 in the 55 there. He asked if I knew I was going that fast. I told him I truthfully did but honestly thought it was a 65 there and he informed me that it was a 55 that was about to turn into a 65.

With all of that being said, he then asks me if I'm a cop.

I politely laugh and tell him that I am not. He proceeds to ask me how a warning for the evening sounds and then is on his way after wishing the four of us (we had two friends with us) a safe night.

He may or may not have had time to run my tags, I am not sure. It seemed like 15-30 seconds after we were pulled over he was at our window.

I drive a 2013 Ford Explorer, White. I personally have short hair (I ask for a #2 guard all-around when I get it cut). I also was very cautious while changing lanes over and then pulled as far off the highway as possible. As stated I quickly turned on my cabin lights illuminating the entire vehicle.

My question: Why did he ask if I was a cop? Obviously only he knows the true reason but based upon what I stated I was wondering via LEO's why he may have suspected enough to ask.

Also, nicest, most friendly, happiest cop amongst all of them that have ever pulled me over. Edited March 4, 2016 by CZ9MM

[monkeylizard]

I can almost guarantee that he had your plates run before you stopped. Doesn't explain why he thought you may be LEO though.

Edited March 4, 2016 by monkeylizard

[TNWNGR]

Unmarked white Ford Explorers are pretty common in law enforcment agency fleets and a lot of officers buy them because the agency uses them.The short hair is another give away. But you also did some officer safety things for his benefit another officer would have done. As to why the warning...lots of reasons, end of shift, you being courteous, he had another call to take...who knows.   

[nightrunner]

Short hair and a courteous demeanor is a lot of it. Never been asked if I'm a cop but I've been asked and assumed that I am military numerous times, even by people in the military.

[pitt2magic]

The fact that you had your cabin lights on and all of your windows down and you were polite.  One of my best friends who is on the SWAT team with me got pulled over recently, rolled all windows down, turned on cabin lights and had his hands 10&2 on the steering wheel.  First words out of the officer's mouth:  "what department do you work for"?

[ncomarc]

I know and am friends with a few LEO's in different counties and generally they tell me that they decide if they will give a ticket before they get out of there vehicle so as to be impartial. But it's not uncommon to change their mind one way or another depending on how the interaction goes.

[tacops]

Unmarked white Ford Explorers are pretty common in law enforcment agency fleets and a lot of officers buy them because the agency uses them.The short hair is another give away. But you also did some officer safety things for his benefit another officer would have done. As to why the warning...lots of reasons, end of shift, you being courteous, he had another call to take...who knows.   

 

Ditto

[K191145]

Haaa, when I started driving in High School I used to get asked, do you have any pot in this car? Maybe because of my long hair and Black Sabbath t-shirt. I got to watch all that hair hit the floor at the reception center at Ft. Jackson after graduation.

[gregintenn]

I get asked regularly if I'm a cop. It really pisses me off. I suppose that's the reason for the question? :confused:

[Cherokee Slim]

How you respond to the officer many times determines whether you get a ticket or not. If he's on camera nowadays he may not have much discretion. A smart mouth never got a break. I never knowingly wrote military, Leo's or their family. "Contempt of Cop" always got tickets for every violation seen. "575-205" alsonever got any kind of ticket. Who remembers why? I stopped Miss Dolly once for speeding on
I 40. She was as nice as could be. She got her DL out of an ID case with a THP Captain badge & ID. No ticket.
Cherokee Slim Edited March 4, 2016 by Cherokee Slim

[Preacher357]

How you respond to the officer many times determines whether you get a ticket or not. If he's on camera nowadays he may not have much discretion. A smart mouth never got a break. I never knowingly wrote military, Leo's or their family. "Contempt of Cop" always got tickets for every violation seen. "575-205" alsonever got any kind of ticket. Who remembers why? I stopped Miss Dolly once for speeding on
I 40. She was as nice as could be. She got her DL out of an ID case with a THP Captain badge & ID. No ticket.
Cherokee Slim

I have always tried to be polite and courteous every time I was pulled over (except the last time maybe), because I have friends who are law enforcement and have a lot of respect for them.  However, I don't believe I have ever received a warning yet.  It has been a ticket every time.  The last time I was pulled over I had a very hard time holding my tongue, though.  I was pulled over for 66 in a 55 on a divided 4 lane with a very good line of sight.  What made me upset was that when I saw the officer coming up behind me he did not have his flashing lights on at all (it was nighttime) so I did not know it was a LEO coming up behind me.   When I first spotted him in my rearview mirror, it scared the crap out of me.  He was coming up on me at such a high rate of speed that it was ridiculous.  I would guess he was exceeding 100 mph.  I thought it was some nut job, so I turned off onto a side road as quick as I could because I was afraid the guy was going to run over me.  As soon as I turned, he hit his blue lights.  Pretty much the first thing he did when he came up to the window was try to lecture me about driving too fast.  Needless to say after the way that he had just endangered the public with his recklessness, that got under my skin a little.   I would guess he was going the other way on the divided road and had to go quite a ways to get turned around so he drove like an idiot in order to catch me.  There is no way my driving 66 in a 55 on a divided 4 lane justified the high rate of speed he drove to catch up.  I don't have a problem paying a ticket if I am guilty of it, but the public would have been better served for him to let me go in this case rather than placing the community he is paid to serve in harm's way by his reckless behavior.  I guess I got off topic a little, but I just needed to rant because, even though it was about 2 years ago, it still irks me. 

Edited March 5, 2016 by jascott