http://11alive.com/news/news_article.asp?storyid=32200 just thought i'd bring this up. I think it'* a bunch of bs! :?

Boy, I sure thought it looked like a police car...

The officer used his discretion. Sure.

THose things are gay anyways

yeah gay but jst a little of a heavy sentence!!

WHAT BULLS***!!! I obviously would never put those on my Bonne or ANY car I will ever have, but $800 fine, jail time, over two small blue lights!! That'* exactly why I have have lost a lot of respect for cops or the judicial system in general. Give the damn girl a break. Tell her they are illegal and have her take them off. Give her a warning if you don't like 'em. And don't send her to jail over something so trivial!!!!! I'm sure there are more important things cops have to deal with than that.

I've heard that they are illegal here in CNY. One person I know had them and a cop told him to take 'em off. I've seen a lot of rice with them too. But why are two SMALL lights illegal anyway?? What'* the big deal!!?? I've also heard driving with neon lights on under your car is illegal. You can park with 'em on but you can't drive.

I'm sorry, but these things **** me off. I honestly WANT a cop to pull me over for a stupid reason so I can give him a piece of my mind. I got a ticket a few weeks ago but the fact that my plates say "SSEEEYAA" and I didn't have one on the front bumper, probably 'provoked' him to give me it. I got it dismissed anyway.

Thanks for allowing me to vent, I'm going to go cruising tomorrow and pick on some cops.



Anyone else feel this way?? No offense to anyone who doesn't. Just me venting.

It may not have just been the fact that she had the lights. They are illegal in some states, but in almost all it is illegal to have "forward facing" blue lights.
Basically, legislators (don't blame the police here; they don't make up the rules, they just enforce them) don't want people "borrowing" the authority of the police to get ahead in traffic, or worse. Just last year a college girl in my town was raped by a man impersonating a police officer. He pulled her over with a small strobe light. That'* all it takes for some people to assume police...to see a blue light or a strobe. Do I think they're dumb? Yes. Do I think the sentence is awfully stiff for someone pleading stupidity? Yes. Do I think the law is a bad one? Not really.
She should have checked the local laws (just like the package says...I'm sorry, but I have little sympathy for someone that doesn't do the research), and she was just lucky that the cops she passed before that one didn't care as much (might have been a rookie, or a "by the book" kind of guy).
Just my 2 cents. I hate hearing all that "cops are the bad guys" crap. The vast majority of them are the greatest bunch of people you'll ever meet, and as soon as most people stop doing things that are illegal, they realize that.

Good points Hailey, but its unique for every case. Impesonating an officer is a problem for sure. In this one, its a teenage girl. Give her a ticket or something, but, fines, tickets, prison...it was a little much

Discretion was not used in this situation

Unfortunately for this poor child, she is being used as an example. With all the rice out there, the blue/strobe light problem is becoming common. I don't think they cared when it was just a couple of cars, but since the first horrible movie which shall remain unnamed but which has a horrible sequal coming out soon , they're everywhere. She is just the unlucky soul who was picked to be the poster girl for "this will land your *** in jail so don't do it". Don't let my previous post fool you, I do feel bad for her. She'* in a lot of trouble, not because she did something heinous, but because she is to be the martyr.

You're right Hailey, cops do enforce the laws and they're basically doing their job. Every cop I have been pulled over by though, has pulled me over for dumb reasons. So that'* where my venting came in on that I don't hate 'em...honest!

I've seen shows on TV where people were pulled over by people "impersonating" police. I don't remember exactly how, it was a long time ago. Even 'undercover' police, some here drive black Tahoes or similar trucks, aren't aloud to put on their strobes. People shouldn't pull over for an unmarked car and should be made aware of that so horrible things like you said can't happen.

In this case, these blue lights are extremely small and go on the hood where the windshield washer sprayers are on a lot of cars...Civics, etc, and they don't flash. It would surprise me if the reason they're illegal (it may be different in every state) was that they will appear to be cop cars. (They do sell strobes for cars and that may be the reason why those are illegal) I've had cars behind me with these lights on the hood and I can easily tell they aren't cops.

It just surprised me they didn't just give the girl a warning! It was without a doubt the wrong thing to do to send her to jail for a day, as well as all that community service and fine. She asked some kind of "officer" in her school, according to the article, if it was illegal and she was told no.

You're actually right that the cops aren't to blame, for everything anyways. I would've given her a warning, not a ticket. But the judge or whoever set the ridiculous fine and sent her to jail...was also overstepping the bounds I think.

Wow I'm talking too much I think I'll let others post something now.

You are right that they should be aware, but they have to pull over, marked or not. Best idea is to call 911 on a cell phone and ask if the stop is legit (an idea suggested to me by a cop), but if you can't, go to a well lit area with lots of people.

It is. I have that straight from the horse'* mouth...a Law Enforcement forum.

Anyway, you are right that it is too harsh, but as I said, she is the unfortunate person that some judge is going to make an example of...in his mind, to nip this thing in the bud.