The Fuzz
December 14, 2007 9:10 am Chris, GeneralThe other day I had a little excitement, a first for myself, I was pulled over by the police!
He followed me for a little bit and when I turned the corner he lit up his colourful lights, he asked to see my license, breathalised me and then went on his way.
So not much excitement in the end, but it was a first for me, and I’d always wondered how I’d feel if they pulled me over… yeah not that bad or nervous, I suppose I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong, except for that time a few years back when I was running illegal Mexican immigrants over the US border, but surely that news hasn’t filtered back to Dubbo yet?!
(there goes any chance I had of getting into the US, one little joke on our blog, the FBI see everything don’t you know!)
Dicker :
Date: December 14, 2007 @ 1:27 pm
Great. Now we’re on the ASIO hit list…
Dicker :
Date: December 14, 2007 @ 1:46 pm
About 4-5 years ago I was at the end of year footy dinner at Penshurst RSL all dolled up in my suit and tie for the big occasion and driving the dirty ol’ work ute… When I was leaving the RSL (from the rear entrance) at about 11:30pm, I hopped in my ute just as a police patrol car drove around the corner.
I watched them in my rearview mirror and saw them pull over and chuck a uey with their headlights turned off, I thought “this’ll be interesting.”
I’d had about 4 beers over about 4 and half hours, so I knew I was right to drive.
I pulled out and turned onto Forest rd, and suprise suprise the coppers turned their headlights on and pulled out too - it was just like the movies!
I continued on and drove through the lights that cross over Penshurst rd just as they turned orange, and the cops missed the lights and got the red.
I did think about pulling into some side street to play hide and seek, but then that might make things a bit complicated… I drove from Penshurst girls high to the corner where the gamesmen is and by the time I reached the corner the cops were hard up on my tail - they must’ve floored it the whole way.
As I took the left hand corner in the left lane at the 7/11 I had to move into the right lane in front of another car and I thought that’d force the cops to be an extra car space behind, but they forced their way in front of the other car and almost drove him off the road.
Now they were once again right on my tail and on came the pretty lights just outside Olds park.
Sure enough, a breath test ensued, a flash of the lisence, and some dumb questions like “wher you been? Look a bit too dressed up to be driving a ute eh?” (WHAT! what sort of comment is that? a guy in a suit can’t drive a ute?)
I was way under the limit, but for some reason the whole chase thing kinda made me feel guilty, like I was a criminal when I’d done nothing wrong… wierd.
He asked where I’d been (dah, RSL…), and where was I going, so I told them I lived just around the corner, and with that, I was free to go, and they did an illegal u-turn across 4 lanes over double lines and sped off back to the RSL to see if they could find someone else.
So I was innocent and felt guilty. They probably just violated 8 different traffic laws and drove off with a clear conscience… what’s the deal?
This story may or may not be even vaguely interesting, but this is probably the longest comment ever written for a blog on this site.
You’re welcome.
Pete :
Date: December 14, 2007 @ 7:01 pm
When I used to drive Brown (my first car - a blue 1982 Toyota Corolla, with stickers all across the back windscreen) I’d get pulled over for pretty much every Random Breath Test that I drove past. These days, in my little girl’s car (silver 2003 Holden Astra), it’s rare that they wave me in, and usually just let me cruise on past.
The most memorable time I got pulled over was driving back from Martin’s parents’ place at Yarrawarrah to Hurstville one Sunday afternoon. I had Megan and Vanessa in the car, and we were driving just below the speed limit (I know…) down the Princes Hwy at Sutherland. I noticed a police 4WD pull in behind me, and at that moment happened to change lanes. The police vehicle followed me to the new lane, so I started wondering if there was something wrong with the car, or my driving (a distinct possibility).
They stayed right on my ‘tail’ for quite a while, which made me nervous, and then suddenly they blew the siren and flashed their lights and waved me into Bates Drive (off the highway). I pulled over as soon as possible, and just waited there with my window down. Four police were in the car, and they all got out and stood at all four doors of our car. I was told that I had been targetted for a random breath test, which I passed with flying colours (I hadn’t had anything alcoholic to drink). They asked where I was going, and when I told them (truthfully) that I was going to church, they took my license back to their vehicle to ‘run some tests’.
In the meantime, three of the police stood by the three doors of our car, as if we were about to make a bolt for freedom. When they got back with my license they said that Vanessa’s seatbelt wasn’t on (it was), and when she showed them that it was, in fact, on, they got a bit stroppy, and said that she hadn’t been wearing it properly. She started to give a fairly (probably quite rightfully) indignant reply, but I cut her off (worried that they were desperate to ‘get’ us for something, anything). We apologised (?!?!) for any misunderstandings, and eventually they let us go on our way, although we had to drive about a kilometre out of our way down Bates Drive, because I wasn’t keen to do a u-turn in front of the (already worked up) police.
I’m not sure what their issue with me was, but I suspect it had something to do with dealing with many, many teenaged P-platers in the Sutherland area, and probably being used to copping a fair amount of verbal flack. I’m still not certain why they came on so militantly, but it all worked out in the end. Except for Brown.
But that’s another story…
Pete :
Date: December 15, 2007 @ 11:58 pm
By the way, my experience of US customs / immigration was pretty much entirely positive. Even when I returned from the baggage claim to find a beagle sitting next to Vanessa, looking at her backpack… turns out it was sniffing for food, and could smell a cheese sandwich that had been in there the day before. Phew.
Took about 6 months off my life, I’m sure though…