Pulled Over by a Florida State Trooper Today..

He did, did he not and Jeff is a go to guy in Florida . . . Was a lil surprised to see this one come back to life . . . However it shows that there are some that actually take it to heart when they are told to do some reading here.

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Do not consider anything for your interest which makes you break your word, quit your modesty, or inclines you to any practice which will not bear the light, or look the world in the face .... Marcus Antonius

I AM Some Folks "KARMA" and A MODERATOR @ FRN

Firstly Bill & LuVonda, Thank You both for the kind words.. it means alot. I just try and do the job the right way and be as professional as can be while doing it. I dont always get my guy I am looking for, nor claim to have over 8000 captures under my belt .. I actually do not know the actual # of people I have arrested / captured while doing bail ? I am sure if I looked at my records I could count them up but for what ? I am not looking for no award for the one with the most captures ... I just do them to clear the Liability for the Companies I write with and other Companies that may need an extra hand for help. If I can help, I will .. if I cant help, then I will tell you I cant.

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2 incidents with the same Trooper as I posted previously .. (2nd Incident with same Trooper- Different Roadway) I was stopped by the same Trooper exactly one month later (I Should play Lotto I am so Lucky!).. and also drove away that time with a "WARNING CITATION" which forced me to contact this Trooper's Superiors. In all my years in Law Enforcement I have never called to complain about another Officer that did something wrong, but this Trooper left me no other alternative as he was determined to make my life a living hell due to the "MODEL" car I was driving and how I have it "EQUIPPED". This trooper's supervisors advised me I had broken NO LAWS, VIOLATED NOTHING, and that they would speak to their TROOPER and "Educate" him a little better, in regards to Bail Bondsman and my rights as one.
(The warning citation was for " REMOVE FLEX CUFFS OFF REAR VIEW MIRROR" "REMOVE CAGE" "LOOKS TOO MUCH LIKE A POLICE CAR" "REMOVE NON WORKING EMERGENCY LIGHTS FROM FRONT OF VEHICLE") I didnt remove anything that was stated in Warning Citation FYI.
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One month ago (July 2012) .. NEW INCIDENT # 3 !

I received a phone call from a close friend involved in a serious Traffic accident where she was "T-Boned" at an intersection by a vehicle failing to stop at a Red Light. I was on my way to the Court House and it just so happened the Hospital is only a few blocks from the Court House.. so I immediately detoured to the Trauma Center.. I have NEVER been to this hospital before. I have driven past it many times, but did not know the Emergency Entrance to the Trauma Center. I get to the Front after a few people pointed me in the right direction. I see a "NO PARKING - POLICE VEHICLES ONLY" area.. There is a Metro Dade Officer in his car there. I ask him can I leave my car here for a few minutes I have a friend who was involved in a serious accident and wanna make sure she is ok. I go on to tell this Officer I am a Retired PO and a Bail Agent. The officer tells me "No Problem for a few minutes" and directs me to the Emergency Entrance for EMS Ambulances. I enter the Double Sliding Doors that say "AUTHORIZED PERSONAL" I go through another set of double doors to an Info Desk and ask the Lady is they have a Female by the name of XXXXXX XXXXXXX that was brought in that was involved in a MVA. At no time did I mention my name, say I was a Ret. Cop.. or a Bail Bondsman .. Nothing ... I get to my friends bedside finally see her boyfriend is there already .. as I am asking how she feels and what not..

Approx 7 minutes have gone by. The same officer outside now comes to get me and says "I need to see you outside, we have a small problem". Me thinking I over stayed my parking allotment so I walk out with the Officer. As we are walking out .. he asks me "Do You have any ID ?" I reply "Yes". I hand him my FL Bail Bondsman ID, CCW , and RET PD ID card. We continue to walk out to my car and to my astonishment there are 6 Police Cars parked all around my car. I am baffled now.. There is (1) Uniformed Sgt from the City of Miami, and the rest of the officers all from Metro-Dade. I am wearing a Grey Shirt with the Gold badge embroidered emblem from the US AIR MARSHALL SERVICE that my buddy who works for gave me and actually the female that was in the hospital involved in the crash was given one also by my buddy.. The Miami Sgt asks me why do I have a "PLASTIC COVER" over my rear license plate. I told him I do PI work and when I sit on residential streets it keeps my tag a little less noticeable. The Sgt goes on to tell me that it is Illegal to Have anything covering my Tag. I tell the Sgt that he was correct and I have a screw driver in my car and can remove it before I pull off. He goes on to ask me now about my shirt.. I tell him it was a gift from an Air Marshall. He says I cant be wearing that shirt, and it seems I am impersonating a Federal Agent. I was like "OH? But they sell these at the police shops all over town". Long story short .. The ONLY THING SO FAR THAT I DID WRONG WAS (1) PARK ILLEGALLY (But with an Officer saying it was ok for me to park) and (2) Had my Rear Tag Covered. The Sgt goes on to ask me what color are all my lights...? Are they Blue ? ... I tell them "NO BLUE LIGHTS ON MY CAR AT ALL" .. The Sgt then leaves a few minutes later .. (The Sh*t Stirrer, I now call him, as he NEVER came back to the scene at all and probably went home)... The Metro Dade Officers call for their supervisor...a Metro Dade Sgt arrives.. and by now I pretty much asked and answered EVERY QUESTION ASKED BY EACH Of the 6 officers and the Sgt from Metro Dade making 7 now.. as I sit on a bench next to my car.. STILL ARMED with my Gun, as I told them I was armed from the beginning as I handed over my ID. One of the Metro guys now calls the US MARSHALLS OFFICE and (2) Marshalls arrive at the scene and question me about my Shirt and also eventually question my friend in the emergency room who also tells them she has the same shirt given to her by the same marshall .. one takes a Camera Photo of the logo and sends it to their Legal Division as these Metro Cops are reading the Florida Statutes page by Page looking to "GET ME ON SOMETHING" ... They were on a mission to jam me up .. no if's, and's about it. I sat there calmly and politely and complied with everything they asked. Another officer asks me "Why did I walk into an :AUTHORIZED PERSONAL ONLY ENTRANCE" to the hospital? " I told him cause the other officer told me too..! UGH!! He goes on to say "You know you cant carry a gun in the Hospital"..I reply " Yes I can! The only time I cant is if it is posted on the Hospital Entrance with a sign".. I then call my partner at the Bail Office and tell him to come to the scene.. he arrives and they tell my partner to stand across the street due to this being an ongoing Police Investigation. My partner complies. I ask the Metro Dade Sgt at this time am I under arrest ? ... The Sgt says "NO, you are not." I then reply "well the you wont mind me making another phone call ? " The Sgt says "No Problem". I call my Attorney and ask him to come to the scene now. They hear me talking to my Attorney and all huddle in a group to talk with one another. Then the Sgt comes back and tells me a Detective from Metro Dade needs to just come interview me and "debrief me" I am like debrief me for what ? Parking Illegally and having my Tag Covered?" He says yes.. The Detective arrives.. and says " WE NEED TO SEARCH YOUR VEHICLE" I reply " WHY ? and FOR WHAT ?" By now, YES I AM GETTING REALLY PISSED OFF, but STILL KEEPING IT COOL AS ICE... The Detective says "To search your vehicle for BLUE LIGHTS". I look at the Consent to Search form .. and it is BLANK.. I ask the Detective.. "why is nothing written on the lines that you want to search for filled out ? You cant just search my car and then find something and then fill out the paperwork... with that the Detective fills out the top line of 3 blank lines.. "TO SEARCH SUBJECT's VEHICLE FOR BLUE LIGHTS" .. then hands me the paper to sign.. I then tell the Detective.."Why dont you "X" out or Line out the 2 other blank lines and initial them and then I will let you Search my Car until you are all BLUE IN THE FACE since that is the ONLY BLUE you will see today in my car." with that my Attorney shows up and after all of these Officers see I have no BLUE LIGHTS when I turned on all the Vehicles lights they let me go.. even without Telling me to Remove the Tag Cover .. or Issuing a PARKING TICKET for being parked Illegally. This whole incident took a little over 3 hours for their "Investigation" and they found NO BLUE LIGHTS ..

My point to telling this new story is to show you all, That if you are doing nothing wrong and you KNOW you are legally 100% within the guidelines of the law, remain calm and Do not mouth off to the Officer(s) at the scene. That will get you no where but in more hot water. Answer their Questions professionally and intelligently ..

I was quoting Florida Statutes / Regulations to them like I knew the book in my sleep.. They even had to look up the codes as they didnt know them by hard.

I sat there without a care in the world. Now could I have mouthed off to them and demanded they let me go ? Sure I could have.. but I am almost positive that's what they wanted me to do to give them a reason to put me in bracelets and have them arrest me. For what ? Well anything the nice officers wanted to charge me with that they could and would make up... and then let the State Attorney's Office drop the charges later..

Would it have been worth it ? No !! Why ? Cause then my Headaches would have begun, ALL MY LICENSES WOULD NEED TO BE SURRENDERED... MY CAR TOWED... ME NEEDING TO GET BAILED OUT FOR TRUMPED UP BULLSH*T CHARGES, THEN Not be able to work for however many months until I clear up all my stuff.

These cops saw I was just sitting there letting them look stupid minute by minute hour after hour... I even asked the Sgt with my Attorney now present at the scene how was he going to Justify paying all these officers Overtime for this incident when I didnt break the law ?? Except Park illegally ( Citation ) and my Tag be Covered an EQUIPMENT Violation (Another Citation) .. I also asked the Sgt that I needed each and Every Officers Name and Badge # on the Scene for my Attorney. I also asked the Sgt to PLEASE give me the 2 Citations for Violating the Law too ! I told the Sgt I was 100% wrong for Parking Illegally and having my Tag Covered. I will always admit when I am wrong, I am only human .. I make mistakes, but hopefully learn from them if I do make them..

Remember these things when stopped by the POLICE:

STAY CALM....

LET THE OFFICER(S) DO THEIR INVESTIGATION... THEY ARE IN CHARGE ..NOT YOU ! ...

DO NOT ASK QUESTIONS RIGHT AWAY !! ...

DON'T GIVE THEM A NEW REASON TO MESS WITH YOU...

MAKE SURE ALL YOUR LICENSES AND PAPERWORK ARE READILY AVAILABLE...

I WOULD SUGGEST MAKING COPIES OF ALLLLLL THE STATES LAWS THAT YOU ARE OPERATING UNDER SO THAT YOU MAY "SPEED / ASSIST / AID" THE OFFICERS SEARCH FOR THEM. (This way the officer knows that you know The Law / Rules!!) ....

DO NOT BE ARROGANT AND OBNOXIOUS THAT WILL PISS THEM OFF...

If you follow your State and Local Laws... Obide within the Scope of your Duties as a Bondsman / Recovery Agent in that Particular area then you "should" have no problems and be on your way without incident.

Remember you set the TONE for the Stop with Law Enforcement... If you start HOT HEADED you Will Lose..

You might win the WAR in the end, but you will Lose the Battle presently at hand..

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JEFF P.
Limited Surety Agent (FL) - License # P_2O8124_
Private Investigator (FL) - License # C_27OOO33_
NABBI Member



"Surprise Sex is the Best Thing to Wake up to, UNLESS, You are in Jail... "

I was driving down the Orange Blossom Highway outside of Orlando, FL and saw a trooper come flying up behind me. So being a law abiding citizen, I nailed it. Well he caught me. He asked why I took off when he lit me up, and I was honest about it. I told him my wife left me for a FL State Trooper and I thought you were bringing her back!

scott

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R.E. "Scott" MacLean III

"Leaders are like Eagles, you never see them in a flock, but one at a time"

Chesapeake Group Investigations, Inc.
Chesapeake Bail Bonds
877-574-0500
301-392-1100 (fax)
301-392-1900 (Office)

ROTF-LMAO...

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Domestic Security Investigations
P.O. Box 4462
Rockville, MD 20849
Tel: 1-800-387-0787
Anti-Moral Majority Club President
"Fear not the unknown, Fear the person who controls the unknown" Gene 7:14

Jeff,

Unfriggin believable!

Some of you know I have a '08 CV with strobes front, rear and wigwag. What most people don't know is that they are not operational. I don't even know what color they are, though I can guess.

They were never wired up to a controller. And never will be as long as I own the car.

When I first got the car, I had to have it cleared by CA DMV as it came from Buffalo New York. I asked the DMV people do I have to remove the lights. after a few minutes they said no.

Not that I think they would know anyway.

Anyway to cut to the chase, my local sheriff, police chief and a CHP officer I know all said as long as they are not operational and actually used, I'm ok.

The only reason I really keep them is, most street people leave me alone, the parking enforcement don't give me tickets if the meter is expired and most other motorist seem to give me the right of way.

The only negative is, like this past weekend, when driving down I-5, most people will see the car and slow down and create a traffic bottle neck. They don't want to pass me.

Tony, Here in Joisy if you have any light anywhere it has to funtion or a ticket. any police type light including wig wags, strobes. lightbar ect ect is prohibited by bondsman, FRA's etc, etc. Fireman & voli fireman are permitted to have blue lights.

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Yak .... H.B.I.C.
Riverside Enforcement
Hackensack NJ 07601
Ph. (201) 538 - 2947
Fax (201) 342 - 5405

That is why I have never driven to the Garden State!

The first 2 stops by the Trooper the lights in the vehicle were NOT wired .. and DID NOT WORK.. although they were Yellow and White.

By The Time of the 3rd Stop, I had MORE LIGHTS Installed and ALL WORKED... NONE ARE BLUE.. NONE were powered ON at the time of the 3rd Incident.. Therefore LEGALLY, They had NO REASON to BOTHER ME... But ... are you going to Argue with WORKING UNIFORMED OFFICERS ? Like I said, I could've fought them and won in the long run .. but that would have come with me being Arrested for some Trumped up Charges and it was not worth it to me... It was better for me to Comply .. and make them all look like IDIOTS.. which I did Proudly ..and drove away without any Ticket or Problem except for them wasting 3 hours of my life.. which in my book was alot cheaper than fighting them Legally in Court...

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JEFF P.
Limited Surety Agent (FL) - License # P_2O8124_
Private Investigator (FL) - License # C_27OOO33_
NABBI Member



"Surprise Sex is the Best Thing to Wake up to, UNLESS, You are in Jail... "

Jeff,

Although I understand the reasoning for using a vehicle such as yours, the fact is that having a vehicle like that is going to draw attention from law enforcement regardless. And as you have proven, more likely than not, you can talk your way out of any problems by keeping a cool head. My only question would be, is it worth it? Does the benefits that the vehicle provides outweigh the aggravation of being pulled over repeatedly? Only you can answer that.

And although you would probably beat it in court, one could argue that the vehicle violates Florida Statutes, Chapter 848.085 (2), which states:

(2) To own or operate a motor vehicle marked or identified in any manner or combination by the word or words “police,” “patrolman,” “sheriff,” “deputy,” “trooper,” “highway patrol,” “commission officer,” “Wildlife Officer,” “Marine Patrol Officer,” “marshal,” “constable,” or “bailiff,” or by any lettering, marking, or insignia, or colorable imitation thereof, including, but not limited to, stars, badges, or shields, officially used to identify the vehicle as a federal, state, county, or municipal law enforcement vehicle or a vehicle used by a criminal justice agency as now or hereafter defined in s. 943.045, which could deceive a reasonable person into believing that such vehicle is authorized by any of the agencies described above for use by the person operating the motor vehicle, unless such vehicle is owned or operated by the appropriate agency and its use is authorized by such agency, or the local law enforcement agency authorizes the use of such vehicle or unless the person is appointed by the Governor pursuant to chapter 354.

I agree that no singular item on your vehicle is illegal, however, the totality of items on your vehicle may "deceive a reasonable person into believing that such vehicle" is an authorized law enforcement vehicle. I'm not sure if you use the vehicle for surveillance at all, but I would imagine that if you did, it would be very difficult to drive through high crime areas, without having "street vendors" running in every direction. I ran into that problem when I had my Dodge Charger, even though it was a civilian model, and had no lights or front plate attached.

Just my two cents.

Several years ago... I had a friend, who is even crazier than me .... who was not in any way affiliated with our industry or any LE organization.... in fact, he was an insurance agent.... he purchased an old police car not to work in but just to ride around in and cause problems (I told you he was crazier than me)... I think it was a CV as Tony said... but anyway... it was even black and white and had all the police stuff removed... although it was a dead ringer for LE... it had the really good suspension and the 'interceptor' engine with all the bells and whistles... he had two magnetic signs made up... that read... and I quote...

"THIS IS NOT A POLICE CAR"

It was printed just like that.... "Police Car" was in large green letters and the "this is not a" was in small green letters.... he rode around with it like that for years.... people would pull over or not pass him... he got stopped pretty much every week till all the cops figured out that he was not breaking any laws and was of no harm... just crazy... they tried to get him to remove the signs but to my knowledge, he never did.... I think a judge finally convinced him to take the signs off but then it got worse.... everyone still knew him and thought he was really a cop.... I think he traded the car to some guy in the "Hood" who jacked it up 25"... put some really loud speakers in it and drove it around in the drug section of Richmond.... I don't know what happened after that???????????????????

Me........ I drive my wife's black Minivan with "handicap' plates and a scooter on the back.... the only give away are the "Marine Corps" plates... I have never been mistaken for a police car.... although I did get approached by a lady in a wheel chair that wanted a ride to Walmart....

My personal vehicle is an old Chevy Duramax truck... with a camper shell.... the window in the back of the shell has all sorts of stickers on it.... among them.... several that seem to ward off LE.... one big one says... "GUNS SAVE LIVES" another is for "LIFE MEMBER NRA"... another is for "IDPA" (you know what that is)... another says "USMC"... and a "Harley" sticker, a Karate sticker reading "Matsubayashi-ryū".... then the plates are Marine plates and then another sticker that is for "EXCALIBUR CROSSBOWS"... I have had police cars run up behind me many times but I guess they run my plates, find out I am legal and that I have a carry permit... read all the stickers and decide it would probably be best not to stop an old ugly former Marine with a grey beard... who is a bondsman and a PI... who rides Harleys... who is a life member of the NRA... shoots IDPA... probably knows some martial arts... and hunts with a crossbow... maybe a slightly less intimidating old codger would be more acceptable....

Last time I got stopped for anything.... I was going a little too fast and it so happened the state trooper was a former Marine... he saw my plates and just smiled and after verifying that I had in fact been in the Corps... he just said... well, slow it down a bit... and I said.. "yes sir, thank you and Semper Fi"... he smiled, gave me a low 'hooyaa' and left... Gail was in the car with me and she just looked at me and shook her head.....

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Bill Marx, Sr.
"FREE STATE BAIL BONDS"
"FREE STATE INVESTIGATIONS"
DCJS: 99-176979
Cell: 434-294-0222

"Endeavor to Persevere" "Lone Watie"

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that , comes from bad judgment" "Will Rogers"