First traffic stop with a dashcam...
Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:04 am
For the first time since I got the 996, I was lit up by a motor officer for not having a front plate.
Background: I live in La Mesa, a small city in San Diego county. Since we are incorporated, we have our own police force and fire department (most of San Diego County is served by SDPD or the SD Sheriff). Our cops are usually very friendly, but they tend to have a bit of "big fish/small pond" mentality. Regardless of how stupid I think your "I'm the LAW!" bravado might be, you're the law...so I'ma shut up and be respectful when I get pulled over.
The initial part of the conversation was typical "gruff cop" - asking to see the license, asking why there's no front plate (didn't come with one), asked how long I've had the car (nearly 6 years), tried to trick me into a lie (are personalized plates? Then you got 2, didn't you? Where's the other one?). I was respectful and pleasant with every answer, but the guy was absolutely waving his dick around unnecessarily.
While he was waiting for dispatch to tell him whether or not I was a known murderer, he noticed my detector chirping (not illegal in CA as long as they are not attached to the windshield) and gruffly asked it it had picked them up on the median (of course it did - you've been sitting there blasting KA the entire time I was in 7-11...). While he was ogling the detector, the dashcam next to it caught his eye...and that's the weird bit.
His demeanor IMMEDIATELY changed - he went from being gruff/overbearing to friendly and talkative. The subtle interrogation immediately ended. He handed my license back and (quite literally) suggested that I "I might want to look into acquiring a front plate," walked back to his bike, and rode off.
It's entirely possible that I'm imagining or exaggerating the effect the camera had on this traffic stop - but I'll be installing a dashcam in Mrs. Schnell's Cherokee just the same.
Any of you all experienced before/after traffic stops with dashcams? I'm curious if this is my imagination or a legit phenomena.
Background: I live in La Mesa, a small city in San Diego county. Since we are incorporated, we have our own police force and fire department (most of San Diego County is served by SDPD or the SD Sheriff). Our cops are usually very friendly, but they tend to have a bit of "big fish/small pond" mentality. Regardless of how stupid I think your "I'm the LAW!" bravado might be, you're the law...so I'ma shut up and be respectful when I get pulled over.
The initial part of the conversation was typical "gruff cop" - asking to see the license, asking why there's no front plate (didn't come with one), asked how long I've had the car (nearly 6 years), tried to trick me into a lie (are personalized plates? Then you got 2, didn't you? Where's the other one?). I was respectful and pleasant with every answer, but the guy was absolutely waving his dick around unnecessarily.
While he was waiting for dispatch to tell him whether or not I was a known murderer, he noticed my detector chirping (not illegal in CA as long as they are not attached to the windshield) and gruffly asked it it had picked them up on the median (of course it did - you've been sitting there blasting KA the entire time I was in 7-11...). While he was ogling the detector, the dashcam next to it caught his eye...and that's the weird bit.
His demeanor IMMEDIATELY changed - he went from being gruff/overbearing to friendly and talkative. The subtle interrogation immediately ended. He handed my license back and (quite literally) suggested that I "I might want to look into acquiring a front plate," walked back to his bike, and rode off.
It's entirely possible that I'm imagining or exaggerating the effect the camera had on this traffic stop - but I'll be installing a dashcam in Mrs. Schnell's Cherokee just the same.
Any of you all experienced before/after traffic stops with dashcams? I'm curious if this is my imagination or a legit phenomena.
