Alabama --- I was just pulled over by an unmarked car and issued a citation for "following too closely"
The actuality of the events are as so:
Was driving along road like a regular, yet skilled driver (Have both UK and US license and my parents were in the car.
Car in front (Unmarked car) decides last minute to pull into a parking lot and so puts his breaks on THEN indicates that he is turning, under 50 ft from the turn. This causes me to break A LITTLE harder than normal. Car then takes his sweet time going into the turn which then causes me to go a little closer (still 10+ ft from the car in front) so that the guy behind me who had to break more than a little harder than normal doesn't end up hitting me in the butt.
The car that was in front then backs out of the parking lot and onto the main and busy road to get right up on me and put on lights. I pulled over and asked him where he wanted me to stop, he directed me into a lane.
He then gets out of his car (which has no markings to indicate that it is a police vehicle other than the lights) and he is wearing khaki pants and a shirt and tie. He has a gun on one hip.
He does not identify himself to me, or tell me why he pulled me over, he straight up barks that I am to give him my license and insurance. At this point my father has spotted a hair salon across the way and decides to get out of the car and head over there to avoid this confrontation due to the ?officer? 's bad attitude. The officer (who still has not identified himself to me) then puts his hand on his gun and radios for back up. 4 other cop cars turn up. Once of which has to bring him a ticket book because he did not have one in his vehicle.
He gave me a ticket for following too close and drove off without ever explaining how, why, what, anything but has the audacity to speak to me like a piece of ****.
In this town you do not simply pay a ticket, I am now required to go to court over this.
Does anyone have any advice? Should I get a lawyer? I would hate to pay out the money for a lawyer for such a non-event but I feel as though this has to be totally against the law what this man has done? I was considering going to speak to the sheriff before the court date as even if the judge dismisses it, I still have to pay a court fee which again I feel is completely unlawful. (The other cops who turned up were the nice officers I'm used to seeing at town events etc who do serve and protect the people and even they couldn't explain what this was all about the guy told me "He radioed for back up and when I got here he asked for my citation book, I just handed him it without asking what was going on"
The actuality of the events are as so:
Was driving along road like a regular, yet skilled driver (Have both UK and US license and my parents were in the car.
Car in front (Unmarked car) decides last minute to pull into a parking lot and so puts his breaks on THEN indicates that he is turning, under 50 ft from the turn. This causes me to break A LITTLE harder than normal. Car then takes his sweet time going into the turn which then causes me to go a little closer (still 10+ ft from the car in front) so that the guy behind me who had to break more than a little harder than normal doesn't end up hitting me in the butt.
The car that was in front then backs out of the parking lot and onto the main and busy road to get right up on me and put on lights. I pulled over and asked him where he wanted me to stop, he directed me into a lane.
He then gets out of his car (which has no markings to indicate that it is a police vehicle other than the lights) and he is wearing khaki pants and a shirt and tie. He has a gun on one hip.
He does not identify himself to me, or tell me why he pulled me over, he straight up barks that I am to give him my license and insurance. At this point my father has spotted a hair salon across the way and decides to get out of the car and head over there to avoid this confrontation due to the ?officer? 's bad attitude. The officer (who still has not identified himself to me) then puts his hand on his gun and radios for back up. 4 other cop cars turn up. Once of which has to bring him a ticket book because he did not have one in his vehicle.
He gave me a ticket for following too close and drove off without ever explaining how, why, what, anything but has the audacity to speak to me like a piece of ****.
In this town you do not simply pay a ticket, I am now required to go to court over this.
Does anyone have any advice? Should I get a lawyer? I would hate to pay out the money for a lawyer for such a non-event but I feel as though this has to be totally against the law what this man has done? I was considering going to speak to the sheriff before the court date as even if the judge dismisses it, I still have to pay a court fee which again I feel is completely unlawful. (The other cops who turned up were the nice officers I'm used to seeing at town events etc who do serve and protect the people and even they couldn't explain what this was all about the guy told me "He radioed for back up and when I got here he asked for my citation book, I just handed him it without asking what was going on"
