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  1. #1

    Default Diplomatic Status in Reqards to Excessive Traffic Stops and Police Mistreatment

    My question involves police conduct in the State of: California

    As the son of a diplomatic agent, I have diplomatic license plates issued by the Department of State installed on my vehicle (BMW 740iL, plate begins with D GP).

    I have been pulled over on what seems to me to be an inordinately frequent basis by CHP officers, who do not clarify what violation I am committing.
    These stops take an unusually long time (averaging 10-11 minutes) and my driving license is always handed back to me without a word and with no word on why I am pulled over.

    I normally would not comment on such as what can be percieved as rudeness can also just be curtness and the desire to complete traffic stops as quickly as possible, but the particular incident I am about to refer to is so unusual that I just wanted to gauge the opinion of others.

    At around 10-11pm on a Saturday night, I was travelling Northbound on an Interstate motorway. While in the far right lane with passengers in the car, my passage was significantly slowed by a pickup truck driving somewhere around 55-60mph.

    I pulled to the left to pass him, and was immediately passed at high speed by a car coming from my right that was very dimly illuminated (my passengers and I initially thought the driver did not even have his headlights turned on). The car proceded to draw very close to our front end whilst passing, then slammed on the brakes (I have heard it called a "brake check").

    There was very little room to stop; only the fact that I reacted quickly kept us from rearending the car. To stay out of the way of whatever out of control road-rage crazed maniac was in front of us, I changed lanes to the right and passed the other driver, heading for the next exit.
    The other driver pulled up behind me and, of course, turned on his police lights. I was instructed through the police car's communication system to "pull over onto the right". However, there was no space to pull over to the right, so I proceded down the highway until a shoulder became available.

    I pulled over with the car following. Having gone through this tedious procedure so many times, I of course rolled down the window, placed the keys on the dashboard, and kept my hands visible. The officer came to my window and proceded to ask me why I was driving so "idiotically".
    I looked at him in surprise, and responded that I just avoided the accident he was about to cause.
    He stated that he had clocked my speed at 102 in a 65mph zone, which to me sounded completely unreasonable, innacurate and.... wrong[.

    He then raised his voice and asked for all the occupants of the car to exit the vehicle. I told him that we would not leave, did not consent to any searches, and requested the reason for his instructions. As diplomatic status prevents us from being detained or arrested, we would not comply with his requests.

    He did not reply, and asked for my license. My license from my home country is backed up by an international driving license, so I gave both of them to him. He then asked what I had given him (despite the words "DRIVING LICENSE" clearly printed on both documents, the presence of holograms and official seals, UV watermarks and my information, of course) and I told him "my driving license".

    He said, "we'll see about that" and walked to his car. We sat for a good 15 minutes before he came back and handed me back my driving license.
    I asked him about the delay and he informed me that he had "looked me up" and then told me that "we're not in Lethal Weapon, you know".
    He allowed us to go, then, while we indicated to turn back onto the motorway, his car shot past us, cut off our path without a turn signal, and revved his motor.

    We had gotten the officer's badge number, and we have reported him to CHP. Hopefully he treats the people he stops with less obnoxiousness in the future?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
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    98,846

    Default Re: Diplomatic Status in Reqards to Excessive Traffic Stops and Police Mistreatment

    If you resent the fact that police officers verify your diplomatic status when they pull you over for breaking traffic laws, consider... not driving.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Diplomatic Status in Reqards to Excessive Traffic Stops and Police Mistreatment

    The issue isn't that I have a problem with police verifying my diplomatic status, it's with the terrible driving habits of the police and the unsafe manouvres this particular officer performed.
    If an accident was to occur (if he was to broadside me whilst changing lanes, or if I was to rear-end him because he "brake checked" me), would normal regulations involving traffic law leave him at fault, even though he is a police officer?

    Additionally, aren't the officers able to check license plate information while in the car? Certainly the distance between his car and mine was close enough that I would assume he would be able to check quite a few times....

    What is the correct procedure for lodging a complaint about the officer? I wasn't sure whether to go to the local police or if there is another division for highway patrol.

    Thanks so much for your help. I've been reading this forum for a little while (it's an interesting and dangerously effective procrastination tool) and I see how many individuals have posted who basically ask for others to vindicate them after they've done something they know is wrong and want to blame the police for it....

    This is not at all what I intend. I am simply curious as to why departments put up with people such as the officer I experienced.

    Policemen in my experience are hard-working, knowledgable persons who want to provide safety for all. It just seems that there are some/quite a few who have gone on power trips or have serious anger management issues (understandable for the line of work, though not at all professional, dangerous to everyone around them and detrimental to the reputation of policemen).

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Behind a Desk
    Posts
    98,846

    Default Re: Diplomatic Status in Reqards to Excessive Traffic Stops and Police Mistreatment

    If you wish to make a complaint about an officer's conduct, contact his department and ask about the procedure. The CHP makes it easy.

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