Had a run-in with Johnny Law last night...

[Lee_in_KC]

Well sorta. I jumped in the bucket after work to run to the grocery store. As I was idling down the street at about 25 mph I noticed a local occifer headed the other way. He was really checking me out me as we passed. I happened to look in the rear-view a moment later and saw him pulliing a u-ee behind me. I thought, "Oh crap, he doesn't like my loud pipes!" I pulled into the left-turn lane to turn into the shopping center, and he pulled in behind me two cars back. I just kept driving normally and pulled into a parking spot in front of the grocery store, and he pulled up behind me in the aisle (or whatever you call the part where you drive between the rows of parking spots).

As I was climbing out of the bucket he got out of his patrol car. He was an older guy (for a street cop), probably 50-ish. (I noticed later that he was a captain.) As he walked over to the T I said, "Howdy" and he said, "Good afternoon" in kind of a stern voice. He crossed his arms and stood looking at my motor for what seemed like forever but was probably 30 seconds, then he turns to me with a big grin and says, "That is about the coolest hot rod I've ever seen." He then starts asking all kinds of questions about the T... you know, the typical questions you get when someone is checking out your car... what motor is that, is that a 6-71, how much horsepower, did you build it, who did the flame job, etc. I'll bet he spent a good five minutes checking out the T, not in a "law enforcement" way but in a "car guy" way. Then he shook my hand and said, "Sorry to hold you up, but I just had to see your car close-up. Have a good evening." Gets in his car, gives me a wave and drives off!

 

[RexRod]

What a great story! Thanks, that really perked up my morning.

David

 

[Coupefreak]

Thats a cool story Lee, thanks for sharing

My home town of Scott City KS has an annual Rod Run, its a small town, about 3500 folks. after the show Sat evening, everybody "drags" main street, I was sitting at the only stop light in town, waiting for it to turn green, the local cop pulls up beside me, says, "Man, your coupe sound mean" so I ask him,"you wanna run for pinks?"
he holds up his ticket book and says "how 'bout yellows?" we had a good laugh, and went our seperate ways.

Vance

 

[T-Odd]

Lee, you should have offered a ride in that bucket. Sure way of getting another hotrodder turning wrenches and building a bucket.

A while back I had a flattop (unmarked crown vic) pull up to the left of me at a light... happened to be right in the busiest part of town, right at the entrance to the big Mall here... He slightly rolled his passenger window down and gave me a smile and proceeded to light up his tires slightly!!! Good old Brake Torque burnout for a half second.

I just gave him a smile and when the light went green I did the old "Zero mph to posted Speed Limit in a flash" and back off the throttle again routine just as the hefty old Vic went by screaming.

Just because they're wearing blue doesn't mean they can't be hot rodders.

 

[LKE]

A few years ago I got pulled over in my air ride equipped truck, I assumed for adjusting the height while moving. Nope... He was a hot rodder, and saw me adjust it, and wanted to talk air ride for his street rod. Some cops are cool. Some are dicks... Like the one 2 months ago that wrote me a $130 ticket for going 4 mph over the posted speed limit

 

[HAceT]

$130 ticket for going 4 mph over the posted speed limit

Heck I'm a cop and I'd say that he was more than a dick.....I've gotten into a cops face one day while I was in uniform and so was he. Granted I was in his jurisdiction he still didn't need to cuss at me like he did. After it was all over he was released from duty for good. I figured heck if he acted like that with a fellow officer then I can't imagine how he'd act with a citizen. I assured him that it would look really funny 2 cops slugging it out on the side of the highway.
Luckly his supervisor arrived about that time.

 

[FastEddie59]

Thats a great story. Good to hear about a friendly encounter instead of the bad ones we have all had or heard about. Don't know what it is but there's always a "dick" in every crowd, and it's those you hear about mostly, Smokeys need hotrods too!
Eddie
P.S. HAceT, where does spankin' Porsches fall into the regulations? LMAO

 

[Rick]

[ame=[media=youtube]jzPJurrLnHE[/media] - THEY SAW ME COMEING[/ame]
About 3 years ago the drug inforsment cops busted a dealer and took all his stuff including a 32 ford .This is in the Detroit area (Where i live)and Ford said bring it on and they put a new drive train,interior,wiring,suspention in it and it does patrol the free ways here.We also have VETTE cops,F-150 cops,Dodge Charger cops,Challenger cops.You just dont know who the players are anymore.

 

[putz]

If you hold a lighter out the window you can usually tell which ones are cops because Fuzz burns real easy.Or maybe you might smell pork if you have a big lighter.:lol:

 

[Telman2]

Over the years I think every officer in our department has pulled me over. 99% of them are interested in the bucket and have tons of questions. I've always treated them with respect and never gotten a ticket. I don't know why it is but I find myself driving like I had an officer sitting next to me when I have the bucket out.

 

[HAceT]

HAceT, where does spankin' Porsches fall into the regulations? LMAO

Just above wearing a seat belt but before dick behind wheel

 

[der Spieler]

A few years ago I made a U-turn at the edge of town and jumped on it coming back in. I had a 3.70 gear in it at the time and it really boiled the tires getting up to speed. I passed the tire shop a couple of blocks into town at a pretty high rate of speed. A couple of nights later I was in a convenience store when a cop came in and told me that some guy had told him that someone in a red car with big tires went by Jim's Tire Shop at about 70 mph. (I was going faster.) I told the cop that it must have been the guy with the other red car. The cop ignored me and said he told the complainant that he would tell the guy driving the red car with the big tires that "he wasn't to G*& D$@^ old to get a ticket."

That was twice that Denny (the cop) let me off. In the early seventies I was home on leave. I had a 340 Duster. I made the same U-turn and jumped on it with a very similar result. But this time Denny stopped me. He asked me when my leave was up and I told him I was heading back to Houston in the morning. He told me to keep the rubber on my tires until I left town and he would see me the following year when I came home again.

Denny and I are both retired now. When I see him we talk about my antics with the overpowered cars I've owned over the years and he tells me about some of his exploits with the cop cars. Cops ain't always angels either.

 

[der Spieler]

A quick anectdote. In 1969 I was stationed in Oklahoma City. I had an Olds 442 and one night I was cruising Classen Boulevard near downtown. I pulled up to a stop light and a cop pulled up next to me. The light turned green and I pulled away, not showing too much stuff. The cop stayed with me. At the next light I accellerated a little bit more forcefully. The cop stayed with me. This went on for a couple of more lights, each time both of us jumping on it a little harder. When the last light turned green we were balls out. I let him stay just a little bit ahead of me. (Even when you are having fun you have to use a little discretion.) We caught a green light at around 39th street. I let him go on through and I made a right turn. I figured I had pushed my luck enough. Never saw the cop again.

 

[fluidfloyd]

Cops are kind of like lawyers and insurance agents. Nobody likes them till they need one. Back the Blue and Pay Them Like Your Life Depended On It!

George

BTW: I grew up in West Tennessee and knew ole Bufford Pusser (Walking Tall). Now he was a real piece of work. A legend to many but a real bum to the people of McNary County. Maybe someday I'll tell you some tales.

 

[rooster57]

One saturday in 77 i stoped on I35 south of 59th street on my way to get some new Daytona sport 60s for the rear of my 71 nowa. I saw an older fella changing a tire on some of the busiest highway in oklahoma city. I went to the next exit and came back around and helped him change his tire. he offered me a fiver and i passed. About 2 months later i was on my way home and got in a little race with one of my friends going back to midwest city . The Delcity cop was not happy and issued me a 95.00 dollar ticket. Darn neer a weeks pay. i was telling a couple of guys of my misfortune and they suggested seeing the traffic court DA in Del-city to see if i could get it reduced or smaller fine and probation. I made a phone call and he told me to come in between 10-2 on wednesday. I was 19 nurvious as a cat when i walked in i told the lady at the front desk who i was and from another room i heard a voice say hey young man what are you doing here. I still got my ass chewed out but that was a 95.00 dollar tire changing event. The Traffic DA was none other than the older fella on the inerstate that sat morning.

 

[Keeper]

One saturday in 77 i stoped on I35 south of 59th street on my way to get some new Daytona sport 60s for the rear of my 71 nowa. I saw an older fella changing a tire on some of the busiest highway in oklahoma city. I went to the next exit and came back around and helped him change his tire. he offered me a fiver and i passed. About 2 months later i was on my way home and got in a little race with one of my friends going back to midwest city . The Delcity cop was not happy and issued me a 95.00 dollar ticket. Darn neer a weeks pay. i was telling a couple of guys of my misfortune and they suggested seeing the traffic court DA in Del-city to see if i could get it reduced or smaller fine and probation. I made a phone call and he told me to come in between 10-2 on wednesday. I was 19 nurvious as a cat when i walked in i told the lady at the front desk who i was and from another room i heard a voice say hey young man what are you doing here. I still got my ass chewed out but that was a 95.00 dollar tire changing event. The Traffic DA was none other than the older fella on the inerstate that sat morning.

Thats karma for you!

 

[blownt]

been driving the bucket now for about 15 years and have never been stopped by a cop. They will drive by a wave and smile. Driving down Westheimer (one of the main drags in Houston) on a Saturday night I have been in a few street light to street light deals with kids in their Mustangs, Camaros, Chevelles, etc.... The cops are TOUGH on them and the riceburners but tend to look the other way for a street rod. Gues they figure we are older and know better LOL

 

[T-Odd]

fluidfloyd, my father's side of the family is all around McNairy County (Ramer, Selmer, Corinth and Walnut, MS).

My father's twin brother Terry worked at a gas station on 64 and has a few stories about Buford driving up on rims, after the tires were blown out.

Unc said that Buford never stopped.

I've also heard a completely different account of what happened with Louise at the Shamrock than what's written in the history books. True or not, it's a completely different story.

It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it.

 

[jbisme]

Cops aren't always angels. That one is for certain. What I don't like is when I'm going home at night, watching a cop pull up to a stop light and then then driving through on a red. They don't have their lights on, they're not headed to any emergency. They don't use their turn signals even though they can pull me over if I don't. I've just about lost complete respect for Wichita PD.

(Former LEO for 3 years too.)

I also don't understand why the many layers of the same thing, highway patrol, police department, and sheriff.

 

[der Spieler]

Cops aren't always angels. That one is for certain. What I don't like is when I'm going home at night, watching a cop pull up to a stop light and then then driving through on a red. They don't have their lights on, they're not headed to any emergency. They don't use their turn signals even though they can pull me over if I don't. I've just about lost complete respect for Wichita PD.

(Former LEO for 3 years too.)

I also don't understand why the many layers of the same thing, highway patrol, police department, and sheriff.

I've seen alll of the above too. Several years ago a friend of mine, who was an over the road trucker who had his share of run ins with the law, was passed on Owen K Garriott in Enid, OK by two cops in a real hurry. No lights, sirens or anything. He told his wife he was going to make a citizen's arrest and he followed the cops to the Wagon Wheel restaurant on Van Buren. As the cops got out of their cars, they were racing to see who paid for the coffee, my friend made his intentions known to them. He had the cops call themselves in. A supervisorwas called to the scene and the two cops were given three days off without pay. My friend told me that he had been hassled for years in his travels and it was time to get a little back.

My hat is off to the cops who go out there and do their jobs but there are those who tend to feel important because they have a badge and cross the line. We have one of those here. He'll do anything for a bust. A couple of years ago a guy left one of our local bars. He knew he had had too much to drink so he locked his car and headed home on foot. He got a block or so down the street when the cop pulled up and asked him what he was doing. He told the cop he had had too much to drink and drive and that he was walking home. The cop busted him for public intox. So much for doing the right thing.