[Grovenet] Policing in the Grove

[David Morelli]

On Mar 10, 2008, at 11:12 PM, Steven wrote:

> ...
> Cornelius was notorious for tickets. So is North Plains out on 26.  
> Is that what we want FG to be known for?

I would certainly hope not.  Cornelius has been known as a speed trap  
and I have always watched my driving there.  However, my last  
experience with Cornelius was a bad one.  One night I was targeted  
for a ticket.  The police did about 40 in a 25 to catch up with me in  
a residential zone, tailgated me, then followed me half way across  
Cornelius and finally pulled me over in Forest Grove claiming an  
improper signal for a lane change the last block before leaving  
Cornelius.  And no, they were not running my plates, because I  
checked and the first radio call came after the traffic stop.  And  
no, there was no watch out for any vehicle similar to mine, I asked  
about that too.

For the record, you must signal 100 feet before a lane change.

The Cornelius judge, Leon Colas, determined that that meant you have  
to turn on your signal 100 feet before you change your position  
within your lane.  You can still be in the lane for the whole 100  
feet, but, if you have moved closer to the dividing line, you are  
guilty.  I asked him and he said so in the trial.  The police had  
stated a standard of 100 feet before the car was completely in the  
new lane, and the judge changed that standard.  The police officer  
does not have to have any training in estimating distances, because  
the police admitted that they had no training, not ever.  The police  
was allowed to use a rule of thumb that five stripes on the pavement  
equals 100 feet.  When it was pointed out that a steel rule tape of  
that section of road showed that 100 feet was 2 and a half stripes in  
length, the judge still allowed the police estimate and said that it  
met the "preponderance of evidence" rule.  The judge would not allow  
for an illustration prepared in advance showing the path that my car  
took, which was greater than 100 feet because I wrote a mathematical  
conversion on the paper before handing it to the judge.  The ticket  
wasn't even written for the correct block, and the trial was delayed  
twice because for the convenience of the court.  But, in Cornelius, I  
was still guilty.

  If a police chief needs a reason to avoid that sort of behavior, I  
offer the following.

I have always had a respect for those who put their life on the line  
to protect me.  When I see a police car, I look to see if they are  
okay.  That is why I know that police was sitting there doing work by  
a red flashlight when I drove by that night.  But, after my  
experience, if I saw a police down in Cornelius, my first reaction  
would be, "they probably did something to deserve it".  And, I don't  
know that I would do anything more.

David