OC in the car. Good experiance with LEOs

Last week I was on my way to Phoenix from Albuquerque on my monthly excursion to pick up my daughter. I was on 260 between Heber and Payson and just cruising along about 200 yards behind a semi when a local cop passed going the other direction. Immediately he did a 180 and roared up behind me. After about 3 miles of him following me he lights up the cherries and pulls me over. First thing I did when he approached the window was informed him that I was carrying my S&W. He asked to hold onto it for the remainder of the traffic stop. after about 5 mins he returned and gave me my info and firearm back. Apparently I was doing 61 in a 55. Got a verbal warning. Then a little bit after Payson on 87 I got pulled over by a deputy. He was very polite and had a good 5 min long discussion on my pistol and the fact that I have to drive 400 miles one way to see my daughter for a weekend. On this occasion I was pulled over for following too closely. He said "in Arizona you have to allow 3 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you and you were 2 1/2." I'm pretty sure I was just being profiled because of my car. (I drive a lowered Honda Civic with the exhaust and all that). But it's the only car I have available. Anyway I got warnings both times and both were very curtious.

OC for ME said:

Your vehicle is ~15 long.
At 60 MPH you are traveling at 88 feet/sec.
At 60 MPH you travel 264 feet (3 seconds).
At 60 MPH you travel 220 feet (2.5 seconds).
At 60 MPH you must maintain ~18 of your car lengths according to the deputy.
At 60 MPH you were following at ~15 of your car lengths according to the deputy.
That is one sharp eyed deputy.

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That's why only the warning I geuss, he would not have been able to back it up in court if the OP had shown up to argue it.

It is amazing how many tickets get thrown out when people fight them... Assuming they haven't shot themselves in the foot (proverbially of course!) By talking to the police during the stop.

"You know why I pulled you over?"

"No, officer, I haven't the faintest idea why."

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Why did you choose to notify the officer that you were carrying? When he held it did he take it from you or did you hand it to him? Did he give it back loaded or completely unloaded?

Two warnings...lucky man...

Two infractions...two warnings in one day. You are a lucky fellow.

Baked on Grease said:

That's why only the warning I geuss, he would not have been able to back it up in court if the OP had shown up to argue it.

It is amazing how many tickets get thrown out when people fight them... Assuming they haven't shot themselves in the foot (proverbially of course!) By talking to the police during the stop.

"You know why I pulled you over?"

"No, officer, I haven't the faintest idea why."

Sent using tapatalk

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They don't need to eyeball your distance. All they have to do is get up behind you and pick a fixed spot on the side of a road (like a mile marker, or a fencepost, etc). As soon as the rear of the vehicle they're traveling behind passes that fixed spot, count down until the following car reaches that point. If the following car reaches the point less than three seconds before the leading car passed it, the following car is following "too close."

Of course, nobody follows that rule on the interstate, and if you did you'd constantly have cars merging in front of you causing to go slower and slower. It's unrealistic to expect someone to keep that distance on the interstate.

And that's exactly what I do. I always catch myself counting The only reason I was 2 1/2 seconds behind the car in front of me is because he kept slowing down because the cop was right next to me and I would have to match his speed. I can say I was most likely pulled over because of my car but once the officer seen that I wasn't just some punk kid out looking to race he let me go.

Your car is a profile vehicle for them, they were fishing.