From: worden@bouncer.nsc.com (Dennis Worden)
Subject: Re: How to answer the Officer when pulled up?
Organization: National Semiconductor Corporation
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 22:51:43 GMT

|>  My favorite story:
|> 
|> Driver closing on a large blue Chevrolet with 2 crew-cut guys
|> in front seat.  Chevy accelerates so driver sustains 85mph to
|> effect the pass.  Several miles later, flashing lights appear
|> in the grill of the (following) Chevrolet.  Conversation with
|> red-faced, neck-cord-bulging officer:
|> 
|> O:  Why did you pass me at 85mph?
|> D:  I didn't know you were an unmarked car.
|> O:  What do you mean?  It's the biggest, bluest, car on the g*d*m road!
|> D:  Now I know.
|> O:  If I ever catch you again, you're done.
|> D:  OK, sorry.
|> 
|> End of incident.

Here's an incident that happened to me about 6 years ago.  Travelling
I5 north of Stockton in Ca.  Conditions: foggy, visability was about 500
or 600 feet with taillights, and maybe 300 feet without.  Day time, 
traffic light.  Speed limit 55mph.  I am following a car at the limit
of visibility, about 600 feet since he had his lights on.  Notice that
although 600 feet may not seem like much, it is about 10 times what
most drivers leave between vehicles in normal weather.  We are cruising
at about 70 in the fast lane.  I have two clear lanes to my right, and
an open median strip to my left.  Since I was very intent on the vehicle
ahead of me, as well as general road conditions, I didn't see the county
sheriff pacing us on the frontage road.  Note that he didn't have the 
luxury of following anybody, rather he had to speed through the fog
on the frontage road to follow us.  My exit approaches, and I slow down,
and carefully lane change to the #3 lane for exit.  I pull up at the
4way stop interchange, and notice that there is a sheriff calmly waiting
off the side of the road.  Ahhh, I think.  Better be real careful and
show great effort to be safe!!!  After 3 sets of checking all directions,
I slowly accelerate across the interchane, and start down this 2 lane
country road.  I watch the sheriff turn in behind me, and all lights
come on.  My wife asks whats going on, and I tell her I don't know.

Back in those days I used to get out of the car, and meet the officer
halfway.  Today, I don't think that I would.  Anyway, he asks me:
Officer:  "Do you know what the speed limit is?"
Me:   (turning to look for sign posts on the country road) "ah, well..."
Officer:   "No, on the freeway!"
Me:    with a big sheepish grin: "  Well, sure!!!  Its 55."

The officer went on to tell me that he paced me as I blazed blindly 
throught the fog at 70.  To which I responded that while I wasn't
arguing about the speed, that I wasn't just blindly racing through
the fog, and that there was someone reliably just within my eyesight.
We went around once about that, and he told me to slow down, and let
me go!!!

Now I have heard that different departments (CHP vs sheriff vs city) police
don't like to ticket on each other's turf, and that unless the offense
is especially bad, they usually let you off with a warning.  I don't know,
but he didn't ticket me!!

-- 
Dennis Worden, not representing $  When the TEAM succeeds, you succeed,
anybody, not even himself, in   $  but when the Team fails, you're FIRED.
any way shape or form.          $  Don't EMAIL me at worden@berlioz.nsc.com