• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

Can a police officer run license plates at random for no reason?

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

Status
Not open for further replies.
K

kitty1129

Guest
What is the name of your state? Minnesota

Can a police officer run license plates at random for no reason?
I was pulled over about a month ago and the reason the police officer gave me was that he "thought my license was suspened" I hadn't been speeding or not obeying traffic laws. It turned out to be a clerical error by the DMV but everyone keeps asking me why he pulled me over in the first place and the only reason that I can think of is that he was so bored that he had nothing better to do. I had never had a traffic violation or even a parking ticket now this in on my record. Even though they reinstated my license it doesn't say "Clerical Error" in the record so it looks like my license was indeed suspended.
I'm also concerned with the DMV's record keeping, I wonder how many other people get pulled over and ticketed in Minnesota because someone didn't do their job. I would love to hear any comments or advice you might have concerning this. Thanks
Kitty
 


J

jimmyv

Guest
a police officer can only run your plate if you are doing something suspicious. speeding, in a crack neighborhood etc... if he does run your plate while you are driving and obeying all the laws then he can be arrested himself. it is typical of a police officer to run your plate before he gets out of the car but he has to at least attempt to pull you over for breaking some kind of law. also when an officer pulls your car over they often ask if they can search your car!! keep in mind that they can only ask once!! if they keep asking thats called imtimidation. maybe dabear will argue this... i'm sure he will but he'll lose
 
K

Kittyscorpio

Guest
thats not actually true...my b/f who did have a suspened license got pulled over when he was just sitting at a red light the cop just decided to run his lincense plate...they don't have to have a reason.
 
J

jimmyv

Guest
yes they do have to have a reason.. there reason there was all police departments get a list of suspended drivers and the model car they have. they probably first checked it with their lists and then ran the plate after they discovred it might be an infraction
 

racer72

Senior Member
jimmyv, you are wrong. The police do not have to have a reason to run your plates. That is part of your privilege of being allowed to drive on public roadways. A police officer friend of mine will run a couple hundred plates per shift, most while sitting at red lights. But he is a nice guy, he only pulls over those with warrants.
 

Rochelle

Member
Jimmy, you are again giving inaccurate information. An officer can run a tag for any reason. A list of suspended drivers? Who told you THAT? Puhleez! And no, the officer WILL NOT be arrested himself. You really need to get your facts straight before you tell anyone else this stuff.
 
J

jimmyv

Guest
rochelle i am quoting the law from the state of connecticut that says any officer who runs tags without reason will be written up , suspended, or in some cases fired.. the reason the state has this law is to protect citizens who in the past have been harassed from an officer. rochelle i invite you to come to connecticut and try running tags on passing cars.. in this state the department of motor vehicles decides what the police can and can't do as far as motor vehicle citations and searches go.. not the police or the courts. rochelle how would you like it if someone ran your tag every night? even though your plate is protected by the police department you work for and they'd get no information until they contacted your department. some officers don't believe people have rights and others do.. rochelle if you'd like to come to ct for a day and work i can arrange it for you anytime.
 

Rochelle

Member
Jimmy, I don't know where you're pulling this law from. You seem to be one of those who tell everyone that the cops are out to get them. You may be one of those who have had run-ins. I don't know. But you are giving inaccurate info continuously. From expertise are you speaking? Do you have any law enforcement experience or are you just a regular in court? You can not take for granted what others tell you to be the law. I refuse to believe the state of CT is that distrusting of its police force. And any officer with any smarts, IF THAT WERE THE LAW, would always come up with a reason for running the tag, so it would be pretty much impossible to enforce.
 
J

jimmyv

Guest
And any officer with any smarts, IF THAT WERE THE LAW, would always come up with a reason for running the tag, so it would be pretty much impossible to enforce. just the kind of cop that abuses power rochelle!!! let me know when you want to come and work in ct. in a way i am in law enforcement
 

Rochelle

Member
In a way, you're NOT in law enforcement. By the way, I'm not a street cop. I'm trying to point out to you, how ridiculous what you're saying is, but you are so determind to be right that you're making yourself sound stupid.
 
J

jimmyv

Guest
rochelle i am a lawyer , i recieved my degree from notre dame in 1989.. i think you might want to get a degree before quoting law. being a police officer or a friend of 1 doesn't mean you know the law. you might actually believe that police are the judge jury and executioner and they are all honest. that just makes you an idiot
 

racer72

Senior Member
And jimmyv, it is obvious that having a law degree means you do not know the law. You come here spouting all these half truths and out and out lies yet hide behind the supposed fact you have a law degree. Come on, you can't even type your posts correctly. And for your information, the University of Notre Dame does not have a campus on a Caribbean island.
 
J

jimmyv

Guest
racer72
there you go again trying to get away from the subject .. did i ever mention the caribbean islands? no i didn't. another piece of garbage that is uneducated with a computer. gee what a pity. racer72 you are another person i will not respond to anymore because of your lack of intelligence. smarten up dummy!!!

just remember something !! cops can be arrested , they have been arrested for numerous things in the past and they will be in the future also. people like me make that all possible.. laws weren't made to make the police powerful they are there to protect citizens. maybe you should get a job!!!
 

Rochelle

Member
Racer. this guy is sooo educated but can't spell, and doesn't use any punctuation. Who's the dummy? Doesn't say much for our educational system does it?
 
J

jimmyv

Guest
spelling was correct dummy.. punctuation isn't that important to me unless i am at work. oh i forgot work is a place you go each week to do something important for your country and to make money.. i forgot you don't know what a job is
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top