Was officer right?

[BROWNING7WSM]

The only thing I question is WHAT IS A FOG LINE? In 36 years of driving I never heard that term. Getting a warning is no big deal and I support their diligence in trying to control as many drunks as possible.

Fog line is the solid white line by the shoulder of the roadway.

 

[BlackKnight755]

Contender*

OCGA 40-6-391 is the code section dealing with DUI in the State of Georgia...

 

[livewire328]

Fog Line is just what it says (FOG) the white line is present to keep people from running off the shoulder of the roadway when there is low visibility. such as when raining, at night, in fog ect. Try driving a road that has been previously paved and don't have the fog line at night on a unlit area or heavy fog and you will see the purpose of the white line.
I hope this helps

 

[tv_racin_fan]

Yes he could have written you a ticket. I full well understand your attitude BUT you have to see things from his perspective as well.

Like someone else said you be polite and answer his questions. He may not believe the answer, he has been lied to many times before. Then again he will more than likely use pretty good judgement on you and IF you did nothing serious you get a warning and go on.

Just recently I was shooting some black powder firearms in my back yard. As far as I know I am perfectly legal BUT... Young man shootiung with me mentions he sees the police in the road so I go down to see what is up. Nice policeman asks me have I heard anyone shooting a gun. I said yes sir it was me. He asks me a couple of questions to which I give nice polite answers and he very nicely informs me IF he had found me actually shooting I would have gotten a citation, as it was he told me not to shoot again. I'm not in the position to challenge if he was correct or not and unless I knew for certain and had the cash to contest the issue I wouldn't. I simply found a range close enough that allows black powder, I'll just shoot more when I do shoot but may shoot less often to make up for the hassle of making the trip.

 

[Ol_Oneshot]

Ask anyone in jail.....they are all innocent. Funny how when a thread like this is started, some assume they are hearing the full story. There is always three versions, your side, their side and the truth. Sometimes two sides may be the same, but most of the time the truth does not completely agree with either of the other sides. The people that complain most about LEO's usually have had the most contact with them. Some people might have to look at their driving habits and then wonder why they seem to be a po po magnet.

X2 I agree 100%.
I also believe that people get upset just due to the fact of being stopped by a LEO and it really hurts their pride.

 

[Ol_Oneshot]

Let me change your mind on this. A good Officer's first instinct is to provide public safety. It's not to harass you or make you have a bad day. It's to maintain our roadways free from possible danger. Do you want an Officer pulling folks over for crossing a line, yes you do. Because the next one that crosses that line could be coming at you head on. That next person could be drunk or could be fatigued and falling asleep at the wheel. I want my Officers looking for all signs of impaired motorist. I've been with Kennesawlawman behind a possible DUI subject through several counties one morning on the way hunting and you better be greatfull law enforcement pulls those people over or it will be another white cross on the side of the road. That subject was a heart beat away from killing innocent motorist that morning.

Well Said! KUDOS to all Law Enforcement

 

[Holloman]

I am pleasantly suprised to see that the majority of you support the LEO. I am in the first stages of my LE career after being in a youth LE program for 2+ years, and for the most part, my peers and others look down upon my choice. I know I'm doing something admirable, and conversations like this re-affirm my decision. It is true that police can be at times a hassle, but I'm glad I'm not the only one who realizes the real purpose of LE in our society.

That being said, even as an LE Explorer (the youth program), I have seen some really tragic and sad stuff in terms of DUI. I fully support higher occurances of traffic stops to try to control this problem, and I'm glad the cop let you off.

God bless as the LEOs and I'm sorry if I got off topic.

 

[biggsteve]

here's a simple solution. if you see those roof racks with lights on 'em pull in behind you, turn on your right turn signal, then turn right. into a side road, a driveway, a store, or whatever. he'll roar on by. then get back on the road. simple. see, you lost, maybe 30 seconds of your life. no big deal. i do it all the time. --steve

 

[tuffdawg]

He could just as easily left it with pulling you over to check you out and then went on his way instead of the paperwork and hassle of a warning.

Not arguing the pulling over part because they can and do catch drunks that way (crossing or touching the line part). But, when he was able to see quite clearly upon visual inspection that there was nothing wrong, he could have just said have a nice day and went on his way.

I agree with this and I will tell you why......

For you fellow woody members that are cops. This is not meant to disrespect you.

HOWEVER, it seems like alot of cops these days have ego issues. Sounds to me like he got his ego busted thinking he had something that he didnt. He was too macho to just walk away... so he had to do his thing.

 

[discounthunter]

No worse then the trooper that followed me down I-575/75 yesterday. I was doing 80-85 in front of him, and when we finally got into traffic downtown he hit the HOV lane and hit about 95. He was by himself and I never did catch up.

you get a warning(nothing wrong with a warning)and fools like this dont even get pulled over,,stupidity like this is what gets inocent people killed. i wouldnt even try to brag about being an accident waiting to kill somebody.if the world is lucky it will be a one car one person accident.i feel for your family.

 

[Bill Mc]

Haven't we already had this discussion in the "Campfire forum?"

But then...

Originally Posted by jettman96
he could have been doing something much better with his time than harrassing you

GSP's jurisdiction consists of the State and Federal highways. That's why they're call Georgia State Patrol rather than Georgia State Police.

Local police and sheriffs "do the other things"

 

[Buck111]

Some departments want written documentation for every traffic stop, i.e. written warning , citation or arrest. Your stop had nothing to do with ego or harassment, just a simple traffic stop.

 

[Jr Branham]

Think of it in a different perspective. The Trooper pulls over 5 drivers on his shift for what you did...touching the line, 3 of those drivers are DUI. Hmmmm, might have prevented a fatality. He did not know you from the others. I would rather get a warning than a ticket.
Some of the posters on this thread assume they know what is going on in this trooper's mind. Ego,owning the road, hair-styles, etc...I say bull. Troopers are well-trained. I have total respect for them and their handliing of situations. I do come from a family of law-enforcement. Just take this as a chapter in life to become a wiser person.
Jr.

 

[seaweaver]

They can Kiss my ....

The warning in this case was easily justified by your own admission. You could have also received a citation for it (40-6-48 is the code section). Many departments require that all traffic stops be documented; this means that you either get a warning or a ticket. Failure to maintain lane, or weaving is the top indicator of an impaired or fatigued driver. Impaired driver's and fatigued driver's are the most lethal on our roadways. This Trooper was just doing his job. Sounds like he was pretty nice for not writing you a ticket.

I love an arragant cop who rationalizes his actions in the "public interest" and then end his summery w/ "be glad...."

Yes be glad he didn't bend you over the hood...
yep be glad!
COPS are employied by Citizens and many all too soon forget it and let the power go to their heads.
I know cops, former cops, and family cops, and seen cops crack friend over the heads w/ gun, and had my windpipe baton smacked in a crowd of bystanders who showed up and where shut down in court. The power is evident in person and in writing (see above). The self-affirmation of righteousness is a full time occupation that eases into routine.
The dang lines are NOT off limits.
Be Glad.....

cw

 

[ABBYS DAD]

seaweaver They can Kiss my ....

The warning in this case was easily justified by your own admission. You could have also received a citation for it (40-6-48 is the code section). Many departments require that all traffic stops be documented; this means that you either get a warning or a ticket. Failure to maintain lane, or weaving is the top indicator of an impaired or fatigued driver. Impaired driver's and fatigued driver's are the most lethal on our roadways. This Trooper was just doing his job. Sounds like he was pretty nice for not writing you a ticket.

I love an arragant cop who rationalizes his actions in the "public interest" and then end his summery w/ "be glad...."

Yes be glad he didn't bend you over the hood...
yep be glad!
COPS are employied by Citizens and many all too soon forget it and let the power go to their heads.
I know cops, former cops, and family cops, and seen cops crack friend over the heads w/ gun, and had my windpipe baton smacked in a crowd of bystanders who showed up and where shut down in court. The power is evident in person and in writing (see above). The self-affirmation of righteousness is a full time occupation that eases into routine.
The dang lines are NOT off limits.
Be Glad.....

cw

Yes, "Be Glad" you have LEO putting their lives on the line to protect it's citizens. Even the disgruntled and bitter ones.........

 

[Throwback]

Last week, I was driving down a two lane expressway when a GSP pulled in behind me. I was talking to my son just as he was coming up behind me and I went over and touched the right hand line. The officer followed me for about 3/4 of a mile and proceeded to pull me over. He of course asked me if I had been drinking and I told him I had not. He told me that he pulled me over because I had crossed the "fog line". I told him that I saw him pull in behind me and that I knew I had touched the line once. He took my info and came back with a written warning for failure to maintain lane. I asked him what constitutes failure to maintain lane, and he told me that if I touch the line, he can write me a ticket. Does anyone know if that is correct? I quess it just ticks me off that I was doing nothing wrong and end up getting a written warning. I do not mind being pulled over, just the fact of him writing this up. While he sat there with me for 10 minutes, he could have been looking for someone that was TRULY endangering the public. Sorry this is so long.

That's what he was doing--looking for a drunk driver. That's the way they get most of them. A warning is nothing other than a number so he can show he did something at the end of the week. It means NOTHING.

T