Officer Admitted That He Ran My Plates for No Reason and Pulled Me Over - Is It Legal

[itsjustme]

My question involves police conduct in the State of: TN

Now can a police officer run your license plates for no reason at all just because there fishing?


I got pulled over. Officer did a u-turn while I was driving down the street and followed behind me. Now he may had just did a uturn just because he was headed in opposite direction.

But he was behind me for awhile then he drove along side me and then got behind me again.

Well he pulled me over. i showed him my license and registration. Come to find out I'am suspended for a traffic ticket which i will pay in the morning.

He wrote me a ticket for DWLS and he let me drive away in front of him. He told me to head home and get it taken care of.


On my way back to car, I asked him why did he do a uturn and get behind me? I asked him was I speeding or anything and he say NO. He then acts like he didnt do a uturn and says he made a right hand turn and got behind me and I must have him confused..LIE!

I watched him the whole time.

So then I asked him another question. I ask him what did I do to make him run my license plates. He says youy didnt do nothing. You have a out of state plates and most people with out of state plates is illegal and plates not legit so thats why he ran them. WOW. I just shook my head in disbelief and got back in my car and drove off.


Now from what I have known a officer cant run your plates just because they feel like it..

Am I correct?

[cdwjava]

Now can a police officer run your license plates for no reason at all just because there fishing?

Yeppirs.

I got pulled over. Officer did a u-turn while I was driving down the street and followed behind me. Now he may had just did a uturn just because he was headed in opposite direction.

But he was behind me for awhile then he drove along side me and then got behind me again.

Okay.

Well he pulled me over. i showed him my license and registration. Come to find out I'am suspended for a traffic ticket which i will pay in the morning.

Good. t is usually best to take care of these things immediately. That will put you in a better light than if you ignored it even after being cited.

He wrote me a ticket for DWLS and he let me drive away in front of him. He told me to head home and get it taken care of.

Lucky you. I don't know the law on this in your state, but in most states your car could have been impounded ... I suspect the same holds true in TN as well.

On my way back to car, I asked him why did he do a uturn and get behind me? I asked him was I speeding or anything and he say NO. He then acts like he didnt do a uturn and says he made a right hand turn and got behind me and I must have him confused..LIE!

He doesn't have to tell you why he got behind you.

So then I asked him another question. I ask him what did I do to make him run my license plates. He says youy didnt do nothing. You have a out of state plates and most people with out of state plates is illegal and plates not legit so thats why he ran them. WOW. I just shook my head in disbelief and got back in my car and drove off.

Odd reason, but since he does not need a reason to check your plates and run the license of the registered owner, it is a non-issue.

Now from what I have known a officer cant run your plates just because they feel like it.

What you "have known" is wrong.

Am I correct?

No.

[itsjustme]

So basically a officer can run up and down the streets and run plates for no reason. and pull u over because when he ran the plates something came back bad and then tell you I was just fishing and ran your plates, found something bad and pulled u over?


And he can go to court and tell the judge I was out fishing plates with no probable cause found the suspect out of state was expired and pulled him over? And thats okay with legal system?

The cop said He runs Michigan license plate all the time just because most people with Michigan tags are illegal and he had no other probable cause besides that

[KeyWestDan]

WRONGO.

A police officer can "run" your plates at any time for any reason, even a bad reason or no reason at all.
There is no need for reasonable suspicion, much less probable cause.

Stopping you requires a reason, looking at your car and using his in car terminal or radio does not. It implicates no property or constitutional right.

If he only did it because of your race or for an impermissible reason like that, it would be legally improper, but that would be impossible to know for sure or to prove, and you couldn't get any damages of significance to make it worthwhile. The only way to approach it is as a class action but that would not be practical for a wide range of reasons and no attorney would risk it.

Finally, if you have out of state plates, and the officer has seen your car before over a period of time, that is a perfectly valid reason to run your plates and/or stop you. Here in Florida you must get licensed locally if you are living here for more than 30 days.

[cdwjava]

So basically a officer can run up and down the streets and run plates for no reason.

Yep.

When I was in the big city, we used to do that a lot. We also used to roll through hotel parking lots running plates for stolen cars or for drivers who were on probation and parole. We would then check with the desk to find out the room they were in and do probation and parole searches - especially if they were locals. We solved a lot of crime that way.

and pull u over because when he ran the plates something came back bad and then tell you I was just fishing and ran your plates, found something bad and pulled u over?

If the officer has articulable reasonable suspicion to believe that the driver has committed a criminal offense, he can make the stop. The courts have tended to rule that if the registered owner comes back suspended an officer usually has good cause to pull the car over ... unless clearly NOT the R/O (like the registered owner is a 60 year old male and the driver is a 20 year old female, and it is daylight and the driver is obvious).

And he can go to court and tell the judge I was out fishing plates with no probable cause found the suspect out of state was expired and pulled him over? And thats okay with legal system?

If the person was driving a car with expired registration or a suspended license, yep.

No reasonable suspicion or probable cause is necessary to run your license plate or even your name. So long as the record is accessed for official business and not for some personal or non-work related activity (like trying to get a date or wanting to buy it) then an officer can run the plates or the driver or other occupants.

Not a shift passes where an officer does not run people they see driving, walking, or riding in a car. Sometimes this is a person that might have a warrant, sometimes it is someone on probation or parole that we have an interest in, and sometimes it is a slow night so the officers check people they see and know ... and run plates of cars they don't know. Nothing unlawful about it. We tend to call that good, proactive police work.

[free9man]

Did you know that there are now police cars in some places with high-tech cameras on them? As they drive along, the cameras scan plates, run them, and alert the officer if there is any kind of warrants/other issues tied to the plate. Certainly couldn't have that if it were true that they need a reason to run you.

Coming soon to a PD near you!

Probably the reason he pulled up beside you, and then back behind, was as cdwjava stated...to verify that you appear to be/are the RO with a suspended license.

[itsjustme]

Yep.

When I was in the big city, we used to do that a lot. We also used to roll through hotel parking lots running plates for stolen cars or for drivers who were on probation and parole. We would then check with the desk to find out the room they were in and do probation and parole searches - especially if they were locals. We solved a lot of crime that way.

Yea most people know this. My friend used to park in backwards so the officer couldnt see his plates and or take his his plates off his car. He also would register in a false name

If the officer has articulable reasonable suspicion to believe that the driver has committed a criminal offense, he can make the stop. The courts have tended to rule that if the registered owner comes back suspended an officer usually has good cause to pull the car over ... unless clearly NOT the R/O (like the registered owner is a 60 year old male and the driver is a 20 year old female, and it is daylight and the driver is obvious).


If the person was driving a car with expired registration or a suspended license, yep.

No reasonable suspicion or probable cause is necessary to run your license plate or even your name. So long as the record is accessed for official business and not for some personal or non-work related activity (like trying to get a date or wanting to buy it) then an officer can run the plates or the driver or other occupants.

Not a shift passes where an officer does not run people they see driving, walking, or riding in a car. Sometimes this is a person that might have a warrant, sometimes it is someone on probation or parole that we have an interest in, and sometimes it is a slow night so the officers check people they see and know ... and run plates of cars they don't know. Nothing unlawful about it. We tend to call that good, proactive police work.

I see what your saying. I wouldnt call it good police work though because I feel its a waste of time running plates and then pulling people over for a suspended license or non registered plate. The time it takes to pull the person over and run plates the police officer could be doing real work like catching a robbery in process or stalking out the main drug flop house, if you get what i mean.

Usually 90% of the time when they run plates and pull somebody over the only thing that comes out of it is a traffic ticket. Huge waste of time but good pat on the back for you because you made the city more money that will come from the fines..

and while your sitting there writing a traffic ticket somebody is out robbing homicide or whatever but your to busy running plates and writing traffic tickets..

Now if you got 4 shady looking characters in a car by far runt he plates

Right now where I live on main shady long road undercovers and main police officers are pulling over people left and right, I mean u will see 4 cars pulled over in 1 block radius. They been doing this all weekend. Sadly there has been alot of robbery in same area because the criminals know the officers is to busy writing tickets


Also isnt kind of shady or stereotype for a officer to say since you have out of state Michigan plates I ran it?

[cdwjava]

Did you know that there are now police cars in some places with high-tech cameras on them? As they drive along, the cameras scan plates, run them, and alert the officer if there is any kind of warrants/other issues tied to the plate. Certainly couldn't have that if it were true that they need a reason to run you.

Coming soon to a PD near you!

Ah, if only the price were such that they could be readily deployed.

The problem with a lot of this nifty technology is that it is too expensive to deploy widely, and most agencies in the country just don't have the money for it. Heck, in CA only a few cars or officers even have cameras and that is technology that has been around for a long time.

The expense to purchase, install, maintain, and replace technology is hefty. And with budgets disintegrating right now, less will be deployed in the next few years.

Probably the reason he pulled up beside you, and then back behind, was as cdwjava stated...to verify that you appear to be/are the RO with a suspended license.

Exactamundo.

[free9man]

Ah, if only the price were such that they could be readily deployed.

The problem with a lot of this nifty technology is that it is too expensive to deploy widely, and most agencies in the country just don't have the money for it. Heck, in CA only a few cars or officers even have cameras and that is technology that has been around for a long time.

The expense to purchase, install, maintain, and replace technology is hefty. And with budgets disintegrating right now, less will be deployed in the next few years.


Exactamundo.

Yeah, gotta be able to afford it. I was flipping through the channels one evening and saw that show "Parking Wars" about the parking enforcement folks in Philly. They apparently have a couple vans outfitted with this system for id'ing cars to be booted/towed. The PD could probably put them to better use...but parking enforcement can generate a crapload of dough with them.

[itsjustme]

No he got beside me to be nosey like always. I had cops do that all the time while they run plates they go beside me then get back behind me even when im legit..