When was the last time you got a performance award from a LEO?

[Skywagon]

..Confession. I've only had one ticket in my whole life of 66 years.  I was on my home from college during Thanksgiving weekend.  I had to work the night before T-Day and needed to travel 180 miles home.  I got off at 7pm.  My 1971 Camaro with a 454 V8 was already packed.  I hit the road.  There is a road that is 60 miles long that even today it is rare to see a car.  I was hauling the mail and my CB radio was on.  I called every once in a while, for bear alert.  Finally, somebody answered.  All clear.  Hammer down.  Well it turns out that all clear was a LEO.  He cited me for doing 115 in a 55.  Remember the 55 days?  I had to appear before a judge.  The LEO told me he could jail me but because I was a stupid college student and it was a holiday, he would let me go..  I appeared before a small town judge who ran the court from his trailer...and yes like a real trailer.  He never turned around from watching TV and said fine is $80 or 30 days in jail. Eight dollars might as well have been a million dollars as I doubt I had $10 to my name.  I wrote him a hot check and called my parents for help.  They deposited enough money to cover the fine and took my car away.  I spent the next 2.5 years of college on a bicycle and a bus for long distance.  

 

What crazy ticket have you encountered.  P.S.  My camaro was way faster than 115.  I suspect on the straight away I was considerably north of what I got tagged for.  Youth......

[Dennis Andress]

I ticketed out in the 55 days...

[roadscholar]

Got a ticket on Thanksgiving in the early 80's on 95 just south of Savannah on the way to my parents'. Driving a 911 Targa it was wet out and when I saw the Leo hiding in the woods in the median I hit the brakes too hard and it slid a ways, guilty! There have been others, actually quite a few, it took me awhile to figure out how to not get them, mostly,

 

Told this one before but a buddy always tried to beat his previous time from Jax to The Citadel (before I-95), one night he passed a LEO while he was chasing a Corvette so he pulled my buddy over instead. Said he'd seen some pretty bizarre stuff but never had that one happen, did let him go though.  

[taylor1]

Got one about 6 months ago for no seat belt. $186.00   Cop even mentioned my veterans D L, but still would not cut me a break. Guity as charged

[John Ranalletta]

2014, Sheridan, WY.  Overnighted on the way to the Unrally in Moscow, ID.

Stopped and issued a warning for doing 35 mph in 30 mph zone.  Chickenshit.

 

Most memorable?  Passed 5 cars ( 1 at a time) on a double yellow coming out of Highlands on the m/c.  Young trooper said, "I can give you one ticket for passing 5 cars or 5 tickets for passing 5 cars."  I replied, "I'll take door #1 officer".

 

Most scary?  Flew by a older pickup on I70.  He sped up and closed in.  I thought, "Wanna play?" and sped up with him closely following.  Turned out, he was a state trooper going off shift.  He radioed ahead and I was stopped by a squad and the pickup.  Uniformed trooper asked, "How fast do you think you were going?"  I replied (knowing then the pickup driver was a trooper), "Likely, between 90-100mph."  He replied, "If you'd lied to me, you'd be going to jail for reckless driving."  Got a sizable ticket; otherwise, nothing.

[TEWKS]

Coming back from the Midland MI MOA rally. We came across the top of the lakes and while making our way south crossed through Port Henry NY. While leaving town the 50 MPH sign was a hundred or so feet in front of me. I touched 50 before passing the sign and got caught in the trap.

 

Bribery didn’t work on the young officer so it cost me $260 ish IIRC. It was rather a lame ticket, compared to what could have been during that week long trip. 

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

My last ticket, also maybe my most interesting, was at Torrey in Spring 2007, as we were trucking along UT 12 on our way back to Torrey from Bryce Canyon.  From my ride tale:

 

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During discussions at the Chevron station, we had decided that we would take a short scenic detour down the paved portion of the Burr Trail. Now we're moving fast, about 90, partly out of the sheer joy of speed, and partly out of a desire to make time for that detour. Traffic is thin and the road has long straights and sweepers with great sight lines, so whenever we need to pass someone it's done without breaking stride at all.

 

Somewhere west of Escalante an SUV approaches in the oncoming lane. It's a Dodge Durango, dark silver. As he goes by, I spot a heavy brush guard with pusher-bumpers over the front end, and I can see the windows are virtually blacked out. In my mirror, the Durango gets on his brakes hard and dives for the shoulder.

 

Uh-oh. 

 

“Is that a cop?” I say into the FRS.

 

Shawn's reply: ”YES, F*#(, THAT'S A #&;*&;#$&;*$ COP! #!@#!@*!!!!!!”

 

We quickly scrub our speed down to less than 60 MPH, and in fairly short order the Durango comes up behind John, treating him to an impressive red, white and blue light show. John and Shawn rapidly slow and pull over toward the edge of the road, but there's no shoulder here. If we're going to do this, I'd rather see all of us get well out of the traffic lane, so I slow to about 30 with my right blinker on, and continue toward a scenic turnout about a quarter-mile ahead. The cop by now has made a note of Shawn's and John's license plates; eager to make sure none of us escapes scrutiny, he pulls around them and follows me closely until we reach the scenic turnout.

 

As we shut the bikes down, the Garfield County Sheriff approaches and waits for us to get our helmets off. He's polite and sympathetic, but firm:

 

“Fellas, I realize it's fun to go fast on motorcycles, but you're going way too fast; I'm sorry, but I can't let this go.” 

 

He thanks us for not making him give chase, and for not arguing with him, and says he's going to cut us a break because of it. After taking all of our licenses and paperwork, he retreats to his vehicle.

 

Pretty soon Drew rides by at a nice, sedate pace, followed shortly by Knappy. A little while later, Knappy circles back to see if we need any kind of help (like maybe some bail money), and for some reason decides to park behind the Durango. If you've ever read Pilgrim's excellent write-up on how to comport yourself during a traffic stop, then you know that smart, long-lived cops work hard to control the encounter and keep track of everyone in their immediate vicinity. Our sheriff is no dummy: he watches intently in his mirror as Knappy parks and dismounts. We tell him that Steve is with us, though I'm not sure this does any good or not. Now there are four of us for the sheriff to keep track of. 

 

After a few minutes, he calls each of us back into his Durango, one at a time, to sign and receive our citations. During the process, a considerable number of BMW bikes pass by, most of them having left the BBQ in Boulder City bound for Torrey. Eventually a familiar red Malibu creeps by; just like Knappy, a few minutes later Rainy turns around and parks behind the Durango. Now there are five of us for the sheriff to keep track of. 

 

While the sheriff is processing the last of us, Rainy asks if she can take some photos. He says she's allowed to take pics of his car, but not of him: “if you shoot me, I get to shoot you,” he quips. Rainy snaps a few souvenir shots:

 

 

 

Unfortunately, none of us are doing the things we really should be doing to put the sheriff at ease. In addition to keeping my hands hidden in my jacket pockets most of the time, we all wander extensively and separately:

 

 

 

Finally the paperwork is done; we've each been cited for 80 in a 60 (instead of the true 90), saving us each about $150. The sheriff steps out to chat with us informally about BMW motorcycles. Are they reliable? Does the ABS really work? Just how quick are they off the line? After a bit of conversation, I notice he's acting a little strangely, keeping his distance, making sure there's no one getting behind him. Finally I notice another important detail: his right arm is not dangling casually, it's flexed to keep his hand hovering near his holstered sidearm, and he's nervously snapping and unsnapping the strap over it. It's a genuine friendly conversation, but he's no dummy, and he will not let his guard down. He gets even more uncomfortable when a complete stranger on a BMW doubles back and pulls in to talk briefly with us; for a short time there are six people for the sheriff to keep track of. 

 

With the traffic stop over, we all suit up and head out – this time doing not much more than 65 MPH. 

 

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[Rougarou]

2015, two in one month.

 

First one me, wife, her sister and my youngest daughter on the way to look at a house.  I hit the on-ramp, press the skinny pedal and off I go, crest the  hill at the end of the on ramp, see the unmarked, pass him, and he blue lights me.  He asked how fast I was going, I told "I havent' hit cruising speed yet",......bam, 80 in a 60.

 

Second was on the bike, less than thirty days later.  SUV in left lane not moving right, road rage gets at me, I swerve right, throttle the bike and bam, blue lights behind me.  The law asks me how fast I was going, I said I really didn't know but definitely above 80,...ta-daa, nuther gift from the state.

 

Then, 'bout 2018, got another 60 in 45, no special story, happened near my house at 0530 and I didn't even see the county mountie.

 

I'm kinda due now and am just waiting to get hit.  Tuesday this week, leaving work, I merge into traffic and throttle the bike, corner of my eye catches lawdog, so, I get behind him.  We traverse through Greensboro on I40 at 80 (speed limit in spots is 55), he finally hits an exit ramp the west side GSO and I throttle on........ya, I'm due.

[Hosstage]

Got nailed a out 3 years ago, I passed a marked Trooper in traffic, gave him the "I'll meet you up there" acknowledgement wave as I passed him. How was I supposed to see him in all the heavy traffic I was trying to pass?

We met, he just gave me the "you're a dumbass" look for a few seconds, we chatted, he locked me at 89 in a 55, wrote it for 74 mph so I wouldn't get a reckless.

I went thru a deferral program for an extra $75, stayed clean for a year and it's off my record. First ticket in 35 years (which was quite an accomplishment for me), and is now off my record. Last official moving violation Nov. 2nd, 1985.

[MichiganBob]

I'm pulled over doing 75 in a 55 heading into Lansing by a motorcycle officer. He was friendly, I was friendly.  He said that his dad had several BMW's and he was just a little tot when pops would take him out on it. Said he had great memories of those times. I asked him if his dad still rode and he told me that he had passed away about 6 months ago. Being trained as a therapist, I could see the slight changes in his facial expressions, voice tone, and body language. So I told him how hard it was to grieve and say goodbye, hopefully not as a ruse, or at least not a full 100 percent ruse. I had a lot of grief training so it was in my wheelhouse. And you can't be a good human and not respond in a caring way. Next thing I know, he's sobbing and trembling, and I thought once again Michiganbob you screwed up and crossed the line. But there was something in him that needed to get out, and all of a sudden, maybe out of dumb luck, the moment proved cathartic for him. "What" is easier to answer than "why."  And ... no ticket. We exchanged telephone number and had coffee twice after that but I haven't seen of spoken to him for at least five years now. You know how that goes. 

[MikeB60]

Ive had too many to count. Last performance award was in Vermont during the 2019 Lake George UN. The deputy was all of 15 years old, knew I was getting a ticket as soon as he got out of his vehicle. 

 

When I was stationed at Fort Irwin in the Mojave desert I got a ticket that was totally DyAnne's fault. Anyways thats my side of it. Fort Irwin is 35 miles north of Barstow.  The state has improved the road since we were there but with the exception on a passing line in Jackhammer pass it was two lanes and extremely hazardous. No shoulder and everyone drove between 80 and 100.  Rare to see the CHP on that stretch of road but I got pulled over in our red GTI for 75 in a 55. To set the stage,   DyAnne hed gotten a ticket the week prior for tinted windows ad was super pissed about it. When the officer got to my car he said " Hello Sergeant Barksdale I met your wife last week." Crap, I know that meeting didn't go well.  He wrote me for 75 and when he handed me the ticket he said with a smile, tell your wife I said hello! Thanks again DyAnne!

[John Ranalletta]

12 minutes ago, MikeB60 said:

Ive had too many to count. Last performance award was in Vermont during the 2019 Lake George UN. The deputy was all of 15 years old, knew I was getting a ticket as soon as he got out of his vehicle. 

 

When I was stationed at Fort Irwin in the Mojave desert I got a ticket that was totally DyAnne's fault. Anyways thats my side of it. Fort Irwin is 35 miles north of Barstow.  The state has improved the road since we were there but with the exception on a passing line in Jackhammer pass it was two lanes and extremely hazardous. No shoulder and everyone drove between 80 and 100.  Rare to see the CHP on that stretch of road but I got pulled over in our red GTI for 75 in a 55. To set the stage,   DyAnne hed gotten a ticket the week prior for tinted windows ad was super pissed about it. When the officer got to my car he said " Hello Sergeant Barksdale I met your wife last week." Crap, I know that meeting didn't go well.  He wrote me for 75 and when he handed me the ticket he said with a smile, tell your wife I said hello! Thanks again DyAnne!

 

I can imagine that conversation between DyAnne and the LEO.

 

[szurszewski]

17 hours ago, roadscholar said:

it took me awhile to figure out how to not get them, mostly,

 

I had that same issue; if I had more time now, I could add a few stories, but the last time I got a ticket was in maybe '18 on a road where I shouldn't have been speeding and didn't mean to be. To top that off, an oncoming car crested the hill I was headed up and kindly flashed their highbeams at me. It had been so long since I'd been a habitual speeder, all I did was check to make sure MY high beams weren't on. Crested the hill, saw the trooper on the shoulder and thought, "Oh - that's what that meant."

 

Before that my last speeding ticket was...in...man, so long ago I honestly don't remember the last one. Probably in 2000 or maybe before. How many tickets did I get between getting my license in '92 and '00? I can't remember that either, but it's more to do with it being a really large number vs a long time ago. Actually, I got one BEFORE I got a license as well...guess I didn't learn anything from that one. 

 

I guess, Bill, I also don't have enough time right now to mention that 50% of the times I've been in the car with you there may have been LEO involvement. Nope - no time for that.

[Lowndes]

WE got time!!

[Darbarian]

My Valentine One seems to be the perfect antidote for electronic surveillance targeted for those whose performance exceeds that of the political advisors to the highway department. Its warnings have set my brakes before unpleasant numbers stabilized on opponent's computer screens. 

[Sonor]

The last one I got was in 2016 (+- a year). I still think the cop wanted someone else as it was thick traffic and I was in a 22 year old civic. He cited me for doing 81 in a 65. I took it to one of those testing places and they said they couldn't even get the car up to 80 mph let alone 81.

 

The worse was two in one night travelling through West Virginia. Small towns make their money there by issuing tickets so beware when travelling that state with an out of state license plate.

 

[Hosstage]

Years ago a friend was taking his girlfriend to college, got popped in a small town on the way down going about 25 or 30 over, not good, qualifies as reckless.

On the way home about 6 hours later, he got popped in the same town in the same spot by the same trooper, again going about 30 over.

The trooper was not impressed, said he'd never started and ended a shift with the same violation by the same driver, most learn the first time.

My buddy did not have a license for a while after that day.

 

[ESokoloff]

Yesterday!!!!

 

Thanks for the Jinks Gents 

[Hosstage]

2 hours ago, ESokoloff said:

Yesterday!!!!

 

Thanks for the Jinks Gents 

Glad we could be here for you!

[LBump]

3 hours ago, ESokoloff said:

Yesterday!!!!

 

Thanks for the Jinks Gents 

 

That's a bummer.

Was it for trail riding?

[ESokoloff]

1 hour ago, LBump said:

 

That's a bummer.

Was it for trail riding?

No but it was (loosely) trailhead related.  
I was a dumbA$$ and decided to pass a pickup truck (dbl yellow) on S bound Malibu Cyn just after Piuma & unfortunately just before the Backbone trailhead parking were two LACSD Moto cops were parked.  
 

I really dislike traveling behind any truck at anytime & now will pay the price.