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Re: mudding nightmare


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Posted by Zonie on October 22, 2025 at 16:34:27

in Reply to: Re: mudding nightmare posted by wetimer on October 22, 2025 at 10:20:11:

I'm not sure in which jurisdiction you live. Years ago I read a post of yours in which you were in Thailand, but I don't know if you live there or were just visiting.

In the USA the standard response is, "Officer, I do not consent to a search of my vehicle." The United States Supreme Court has ruled that the mere issuance of a traffic citation does not give the police the authority to search your vehicle without a warrant. The Fifth Amendment also means that you don't have to explain anything they find if you don't want to. There is the plain view doctrine. During one stop I explained that the item in the passenger seat was a gift for my nephew on his birthday. I didn't have to explain that though.

During that stop they claimed that I had failed to signal a right turn. I actually thought there might be something to it, as I had recently had my turn signals repaired and worried they might have gone out again. I volunteered to test them and get out of the vehicle to see if they were working, but the cop told me to remain seated. Later on I tested them and they worked fine. The cop was lying, and the real reason for the stop was driving a battered old wreck in a posh neighborhood. Anyway, after wasting about 15 minutes of my time and calling for backup, he didn't write a citation, so there was nothing to contest in court.

He had tried to intimidate me into consenting to a search, saying, "Generally people think the police are the good guys."

That seemed an extraordinary conclusion, as he already knew I'd been convicted of two violent felonies against the police. I said, "No, you're not. I do not consent to a search of my vehicle." Eventually they gave up.

Traffic stops have become less common in recent years. Speed traps are generally enforced by photo radar where they occur. I do remember receiving a very strange citation addressed to James Walsh, my father. The trouble was, this arrived in March 2001, and he had died in December 2000. I wrote on the envelope, "deceased, return to sender" and put it in the mailbox. If they suspended his license, I'm sure he won't mind.


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