Do you think this woman deserved what she got?

Wow. :oops:

The kindest thing I can say about the woman is that she has a huge sense of entitlement and little respect for the law. Whether she likes it or not, whether she agrees or not, it IS unlawful to drive around with a broken taillight.

I've been pulled over for having a tail light out, and a brake light. In both cases I was unaware of the problem. Once I was ticketed, and once not, just told to get it fixed. It never even OCCURRED to me to argue with the cop. Good lord!! 🤦‍♀️ I was at fault and I knew it!

The officer was in an untenable position. The woman was argumentative, combative, hostile and insubordinate. She was also old. My opinion is that she felt her senior status would protect her from the officer employing more aggressive measures to enforce compliance. What was he supposed to do? He escalated his attempts to get her to comply IN RESPONSE TO her escalated behavior...refusal to sign the ticket, refusal to get out of the car, refusal to stop driving away, refusal to put her hands behind her back to be cuffed.

Someone suggested she was mentally unsound. I'm sure that went through the officer's head too and why he eventually employed his taser, and also pulled his gun. She said it herself, she's a country girl, and country girls traditionally have guns and know how to use them! While he's sworn to serve and protect, that oath doesn't also include getting himself injured or killed if he can avoid that. He has a right to use reasonable precautions to protect himself if he feels like he's under threat. Even from an old lady!!! It's a judgment call, and he made it.
 

If one of my tail lights goes out I will fix it as soon as I am aware of it. However it is possible to be unaware of such for a while. The reasonable thing for a police officer to do when he or she observes something like this is to stop the motorist, inform them of the problem, and give them a warning citation with a 10 day window to have the problem fixed. Giving an $80 ticket right off the bat is outrageous.
 
The video is bothersome for me to watch. What happened to her, didn’t and shouldn’t have happened. People have to learn to comply with a policeman’s orders. Just comply. If you feel that you have been wronged, then take it up later with the proper authorities.

When we started using Tasers, I volunteered to be the dummy for the demonstration. I took about 30,000 volts. It was painful for maybe 15 seconds. Stinging and hot is the best way for me to describe it.
 

Trade said:
If one of my tail lights goes out I will fix it as soon as I am aware of it. However it is possible to be unaware of such for a while. The reasonable thing for a police officer to do when he or she observes something like this is to stop the motorist, inform them of the problem, and give them a warning citation with a 10 day window to have the problem fixed. Giving an $80 ticket right off the bat is outrageous.
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It may seem outrageous to you, but it’s up to the officer. A lot of times, whether a driver is cited or not, depends on the driver’s attitude and presence. But no matter what, she should have accepted the citation and then taken her case before the judge. I have seen cases, in fact several cases, get either tossed or keep the fine, but suspend the costs.
 
911 said:
It may seem outrageous to you, but it’s up to the officer. A lot of times, whether a driver is cited or not, depends on the driver’s attitude and presence.
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That attitude right there is one of the reasons I don't like cops.
 
Two years ago, I was stopped for driving an unregistered vehicle. I did not identify myself to the officer as a former Pennsylvania State Trooper. I was driving my wife’s newer car. (It was 1 y/o.) He said he ran my plates and found that the car was not up to date with its registration and state inspection. I was in total disbelief. What was worse was that it was out of date a full year. My wife never renewed her registration and didn’t get the yearly state inspection completed.

I told the cop the same story. I seldom drive her car and it’s her responsibility to make sure those things are done on time. He said that he could make me park the car or he could have it towed, but he was going to cut me a break, if I promised to get these items taken care of that same day. I told him no problem. But, after all was said and done, the fines still totaled $185.00. Oh, well.
 
911 said:
It may seem outrageous to you, but it’s up to the officer. A lot of times, whether a driver is cited or not, depends on the driver’s attitude and presence
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Trade said:
That attitude right there is one of the reasons I don't like cops.
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What? What attitude? The police officer making a judgment call? :oops: They're not allowed to use judgment? What?

(How many question marks did I just use??? 🤦‍♀️)
 
Ronni said:
What? What attitude? The police officer making a judgment call? :oops: They're not allowed to use judgment? What?

(How many question marks did I just use??? 🤦‍♀️)
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Not on an issue like a tail light being out. That's a no brainier. Inform the motorist of the problem and issue them a warning citation with a reasonable time (I'd say 10 days) to get it fixed. If they don't get it fixed, then a ticket with a fine is appropriate. This discretion "depending on the driver's attitude and presence" is a recipe for discrimination based on all kinds of factors. I don't trust cops with that kind of discretion. Too many Gestapo wannabes out there. Cops get away with way too much these days and they need to be reigned in big time.
 
Trade said:
Not on an issue like a tail light being out. That's a no brainier. Inform the motorist of the problem and issue them a warning citation with a reasonable time (I'd say 10 days) to get it fixed. If they don't get it fixed, then a ticket with a fine is appropriate. This discretion "depending on the driver's attitude and presence" is a recipe for discrimination based on all kinds of factors. I don't trust cops with that kind of discretion. Too many Gestapo wannabes out there. Cops get away with way too much these days and they need to be reigned in big time.
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OK wait. I don't get this. He TRIED to issue her a citation. She refused to accept it. I'm not trying to argue or be challenging I promise, I'm honestly not getting what you're saying.

If you're a cop, and you're dealing with someone who just simply won't accept what you're saying or the citation or whatever, then what would you do? Again, not trying to be challenging, just want to get a handle on your perspective on this.
 
I have to agree with Trade that if it's the law for one it should be the law for all and not depend on the officer's discretion.

The idea of the officer using his discretion smacks to me of the good old boys that pull over and cite out of state drivers while allowing the locals to skate or ticketing a young man to discourage bad behavior and letting an attractive young woman off with a warning, etc...
 
Trade said:
If one of my tail lights goes out I will fix it as soon as I am aware of it. However it is possible to be unaware of such for a while. The reasonable thing for a police officer to do when he or she observes something like this is to stop the motorist, inform them of the problem, and give them a warning citation with a 10 day window to have the problem fixed. Giving an $80 ticket right off the bat is outrageous.
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In the full video, the officer says something like "you've known about this for 6 months" or something. So she must have had a previous warning about the tail light. Regardless, she is out of line and operating a vehicle illegally. Now it will cost her many times that $80 in fees, fines, and court costs. Good.
 
Here's another reason why I don't like "selective enforcement" and excuse my language, fines for chickenshit violations like a tail light out.

https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/09/municipal-courts-war-on-poor-people-explained/541395/
It was the U.S. Justice Department’s investigation into the Ferguson Police Department after an officer killed Michael Brown in 2014 that “awakened” the federal government and much of the general public to the burden of municipal fines and fees, issued for everything from traffic violations, to mismatched curtains, to court costs. When people can’t afford to pay these fees, they end up with criminal warrants, drivers’ license suspensions, and even end up in jail.

The Justice Department’s investigation found that police in Ferguson, Missouri, had issued more than 90,000 citations and summons between 2010 and 2014, nearly 90 percent of which were given to African Americans. This discrimination was done intentionally, and Ferguson ratcheted up the volume on low-level offense citations and fines more as a way to raise revenue than for public safety, according to the DOJ investigation.

But Ferguson is far from the only city that was profiting from poor people this way. And the Justice Department doesn’t have the authority to investigate court systems for the kinds of patterns of abuse found in Ferguson like it does for investigating police departments.

A new report from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Commission implores Congress to change that. In its report, “Targeted Fines and Fees Against Low-Income Communities of Color,” the commission lays out the scope of the problem with municipal fees and fines that can send people to jail, building on the findings of several other studies and lawsuits since Ferguson.
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Ronni said:
OK wait. I don't get this. He TRIED to issue her a citation. She refused to accept it. I'm not trying to argue or be challenging I promise, I'm honestly not getting what you're saying.

If you're a cop, and you're dealing with someone who just simply won't accept what you're saying or the citation or whatever, then what would you do? Again, not trying to be challenging, just want to get a handle on your perspective on this.
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I'm not trying to defend this woman. Apparently she knew about her tail light being out for six months. I couldn't hack that. I had one go out a couple of years ago and someone at the car wash I was going through told me about it. As soon as I knew it was out it was like fingernails on a chalkboard. I don't know how people can stand to drive around with a light out on their vehicle. It bugs the Hell out of me. I went directly to the nearest Walmart and bought a bulb for it. Actually I bought two because that's the way they came. Two to a package. And I replaced it right there in the Walmart parking lot.

But if I were a cop, I couldn't look myself in the mirror if I gave someone an $80 ticket for something like that. All I would do is give them a warning. Even if they said my mama wore combat boots. I guess that's why I'm not a cop.
 
You know your taillight is out for 6 months and you don’t get it fixed. I would have had to ask WHY?

In Pennsylvania, the maximum penalty for resisting arrest is 2 years in jail, plus about a $5000 fine, plus attorney fees. For what would have been $80.00.
 
Trade said:
I'm not trying to defend this woman. Apparently she knew about her tail light being out for six months. I couldn't hack that. I had one go out a couple of years ago and someone at the car wash I was going through told me about it. As soon as I knew it was out it was like fingernails on a chalkboard. I don't know how people can stand to drive around with a light out on their vehicle. It bugs the Hell out of me. I went directly to the nearest Walmart and bought a bulb for it. Actually I bought two because that's the way they came. Two to a package. And I replaced it right there in the Walmart parking lot.

But if I were a cop, I couldn't look myself in the mirror if I gave someone an $80 ticket for something like that. All I would do is give them a warning. Even if they said my mama wore combat boots. I guess that's why I'm not a cop.
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It's the law. It's his job to ticket someone for a broken tail light. I wish we'd heard the conversation prior to the first of the video. When she asked belligerently why he wouldn't give her a warning, he responded that it's been broken for six months. She then said "I'm honest" which indicates the idiot told him it had been broken for six months. Judging from her overall attitude, I'm guessing the conversation got off on the wrong foot from the get go. Had she politely said "I'll get it fixed immediately" when he first told her it was broken, her chances of a warning would've been much better.
 
911 said:
You know your taillight is out for 6 months and you don’t get it fixed. I would have had to ask WHY?
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I have to ask why she told the cop that? That was stupid. I would never volunteer any information to a cop that he could use against me. If a cop asked me if I knew my tail light was out I would muster up the most wide eyed innocent look of surprise I could and say "Why no sir, I had no idea it was out. Thank you so much for letting me know!" I don't like cops, but I'm not stupid.
 
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AnnieA said:
It's the law. It's his job to ticket someone for a broken tail light.
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That's s relief. I'll sleep better tonight knowing that our Guardians of the Thin Blue Line are out there protecting me from those dangerous thugs that drive around in vehicles with a tail light out.
 
She was wrong in not signing the ticket and moving on but that cop is a stinking no good coward and deserves to have the crap kicked out of him and fired.
 
Trade said:
That's s relief. I'll sleep better tonight knowing that our Guardians of the Thin Blue Line are out there protecting me from those dangerous thugs that drive around in vehicles with a tail light out.
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My friend who is brain damaged from hitting a truck with no tail lights on a moonless night in the boonies probably would disagree with you if she could.
 
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fmdog44 said:
She was wrong in not signing the ticket and moving on but that cop is a stinking no good coward and deserves to have the crap kicked out of him and fired.
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Oh, please. There's not enough money that would tempt me to do the job that police officers have to do. Day in, day out... they have to deal with the bottom of the food chain LOSERS. Then to be treated with disrespect by some classless old bag who KNEW VERY WELL that she was wrong. He should get a raise.
 
fmdog44 said:
She was wrong in not signing the ticket and moving on but that cop is a stinking no good coward and deserves to have the crap kicked out of him and fired.
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I don't know if you mean that or were just playing when you made this post, but I was serious as a heart attack when I liked it. :)
 

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