Pulled over

[grabdemankles]

pigs sicken me

[RunDownHouse]

Oh good, a thread to hijack!

I was in Tunica with some friends over Memorial Day weekend. Heading back to Nashville, we had just crossed over the state line, but hadn't really gotten on 240E yet, so we were still in that pretty ghetto part of west Memphis. I'm driving my friend's car, and as we pass a gas station, I see a cop pulling out over the corner of my eye. I don't really react, because I've been keeping it to about 10 over. In fact, I don't really pull over immediately after he turns his lights on some way behind me. I just start to get over and out of the way so he can get wherever he's going.

Of course, I was getting pulled over. He comes up and asks if I know why, I respond with a no, and he says, "You were doing almost 60 in a 45." I just sit there and stare at him, thinking to myself, What, he pulled me over for doing 12 over the limit or something? After a second when I don't respond, he asks where we are headed, whose car it is, and takes my license back to his car.

He returns a minute or two later, ticket in hand. He says, "I wrote you up for 55 in a 45. Is that ok?" Is that ok?? I'm now totally nonplussed, and ask, "Ummm, 10 over?" and shoot him a look of absolute incredulity. He just says yes. I ask him how much it will be, and he says he doesn't really know, that I'd have to call, and then asks, "What, are you guys college kids [note: we are not, but we're not over 30, so I can't blame him for that]? You want me to knock that down a bit for you?"

At this point I'm confused as hell. I tell him that I'd really rather not have the ticket at all, and he just kind of says, "Yeah, well, you want me to knock it down some?" Seeing that there's no way I can avoid the ticket altogether, I figure this is the only option and say sure. He hands me the ticket, I sign, and when he hands me my copy back, its for 50 in a 45.

This is absolutely the most bullshit ticket ever. There's no way he clocked me at all, and I think it might be as bad as him filling up his tank and then just grabbing the first car to go by. He didn't even bother asking for insurance - although maybe that's because I wasn't driving my car? - and its pretty obvious he was just filling a quota at the end of the month. Complete bullshit. My friends said they even thought he looked guilty or sheepish for giving me the ticket, but I was too dumbfounded to notice.