Cop searched my uhaul just cause my tag light was dim.

[quincy]

Why is it "interesting"? One's criminal history rarely ever establishes probable cause for current incidents. Knowledge of one's past can - in some instances - be used to contribute to reasonable suspicion under the right circumstances. But, knowledge of said past criminal history usually comes from personal knowledge of involved officers, or a readback or display (on a MCT) of local contacts. Running a criminal history in the field is uncommon, and in many/most cases (like ours out here) generally verboten per law and policy. Local contacts and records are not the same as state or federal CORI/III files (criminal histories).

I just find it interesting. I thought the police accessed more on a traffic stop than what they apparently do.

 

[CdwJava]

I just find it interesting. I thought the police accessed more on a traffic stop than what they apparently do.

Nope. In busier agencies, they sometimes don't check anything at all. CHP is notorious for this. When I was down south, we might check DMV status, and sometimes we'd check for warrants, but depending upon the stop and how busy things are, very often this won't happen. Something about being told you're "fourth in the queue" or some such thing that can discourage running even DMV status or wants.

 

[quincy]

California tends to operate so differently in all areas from Michigan. Your posts continue to educate me.

 

[CdwJava]

California tends to operate so differently in all areas from Michigan. Your posts continue to educate me.

From your link, not so different at all. The link indicated NO criminal history records, which would be the norm.

 

[quincy]

From your link, not so different at all. The link indicated NO criminal history records, which would be the norm.

I was referring to your statement that CHP often won’t check anything at all.

 

[CdwJava]

I was referring to your statement that CHP often won’t check anything at all.

I used the qualifier, "sometimes." In my neck of the woods they have one dispatch center for a huge swath of territory so running people can be time consuming, and doing so in the car on day shift (solo patrol cars) is not safe. But, it varies by officer and office. Though, tales over the years of CHP missing wanted persons because they did not run people are common.

 

[quincy]

California is a bigger state. I don’t doubt there are differences in how stops are handled.

 

[HighwayMan]

I used the qualifier, "sometimes." In my neck of the woods they have one dispatch center for a huge swath of territory so running people can be time consuming, and doing so in the car on day shift (solo patrol cars) is not safe. But, it varies by officer and office. Though, tales over the years of CHP missing wanted persons because they did not run people are common.

There is no capability to run your own checks on an MDT/MDC? I gave up on depending on my dispatchers many years ago.

Many cops I know don't bother with any checks on vehicle stops. People seem to think it's automatic and universal, but far from it.

 

[quincy]

Whatever is the case in California or New York, the UHaul plates will not tell the police anything about the driver of the vehicle.

And this thread has drifted from the original concerns of the poster.

 

[CdwJava]

There is no capability to run your own checks on an MDT/MDC? I gave up on depending on my dispatchers many years ago.

Many cops I know don't bother with any checks on vehicle stops. People seem to think it's automatic and universal, but far from it.

Checks for most things, yes. Criminal offender records, NOT in California. We can check the local county databases (for those with access - which tends to be widely controlled and frequently updated at least in the counties around here) for contacts, arrests, bookings, and court actions if you have the time and desire, but no CORI.

Yep. In most agencies here a DMV check is most common followed by local wants. NCIC/CLETS is not always an automatic thing. When it's slow enough, some dispatchers might do it on their own, but it is far from a universal thing.

 

[CdwJava]

Whatever is the case in California or New York, the UHaul plates will not tell the police anything about the driver of the vehicle.

And this thread has drifted from the original concerns of the poster.

Just correcting some of the misperceptions out there as they arise.

 

[quincy]

But that wasn't my question. My point is, when you get pulled over for your tag light being dim on a rented uhaul, you get a warning or a ticket which uhaul would usually be responsible for. I've never heard of someone having to get out and then threatened that they would cut the lock off if you don't give them access. I thought they had to have probable cause to threaten someone like that. And a dim tag light is not probable cause.

As a reminder, here is AngelC’s concern.

What officers do in unrelated states might be better discussed elsewhere?

 

[CdwJava]

And, I think it was addressed repeatedly early on. It was the deviation into areas that were not entirely true that were being addressed.

As if deviation is NOT a common occurrence here.

 

[quincy]

Detours away from the actual concerns of the poster are indeed common. I contribute to these detours, as well, and only tend to notice how far we have strayed when a thread reaches 4 pages.

As another reminder, AngelC was stopped in Texas.