Thumb's up to cops -- and yeah PBA cards work!

[NoSoup4U]

Well, just a short story. I was driving into work today and went through the Pentagon lot as a short cut and was not really stopping at any of the stop signs .... and lo'behold I hear two sets of sirens coming up ... from about 1000 feet away.

I decide just to pull over ... the two cop cars come up behind me ... both cops get out ... one on each side of my car. I roll down my windows and shut-off the car and place both hands on my steering wheel. Now, my car has NO cats, B&B exhaust, B&B downpipe ... and 2% limo tint ALL AROUND ... it's basically my gangsta car ... hehe ...

One cop, very big guy (I mean michelin porky big) came up to my driver's side window and said, "do you know why we pulled you over." I said, "no sir." He said, "you ran stop signs throughout the entire lot here ..." I said, "I'm sorry sir" He said, "license and registration ..."

So, I'm fumbling around in my wallet for the insurance card ... crappola ... I don't have it with me. However, I have the insurance card from my other bimmer ... so, I tell him, "I'm sorry, here's the insurance card from my other bimmer, not sure what I did with this car's insurance card.." He sees my Detective's Endowment card and the PBA card ... he says, you support officers ... I say, "of course ......"

He doesn't smile or laugh, he just looks at me sternly and he takes my registration and license and walks away ... after a couple minutes comes back and tells me, "I'm not going to write you a ticket ... just stop at the stop signs ..." I say, "thank you officer ..."

That's it .. not sure if the PBA or detective endowment cards helped ... but, I'm sure they didn't hurt me. Not all cops are assholes ... he could have busted me big time for many things.

I was just in a tshirt and shorts ... I have clear lights with CLEAR turn signals (not yellow ones)... loud-ass exhaust, jet black window tint ... and oh yeah, I wasn't wearing my seat belt, no insurance card for the car I was driving, etc. I mean, I was probably going through the lot at like 50 mph and slowing to 20 mph at stop signs ... I mean, if you've been by the pentagon during the weekend, NO ONE is there ...

respect begets respect IMHO.

The whole officers hate young people driving bimmers ... that holds no merit IMO. I think they could really care less the car you drive. It's more your attitude.

P.S. -- if anyone needs AUTHENTIC cards ... and you are in VA .. I have a couple of extra ones lying around ..

[mens rea]

Dude, I REALLY need to get some of those for PA.


Any idea how or where I could get them?


Are the VA ones the same as PA would have? If so, I REALLY WANT THEM!!!

[sachin528]

Hey you posted what I have felt all along... Cops are great people. Just wait though. LLuke and stjobs will step in and have this locked in no time. just like the thread I started....

[LinearX]

I can't express enough how I feel that any sort of card of favoritism you carry *is* reason to dislike police officers that recognize them. I do not pay tax dollars for them to be partial to their 'brothers' - I want them to be IMPARTIAL like they SWORE TO BE.

[Bill]

James,

I was always under the assumption that cops could not give you a ticket for not following road signs in a parking lot. I think it had to deal with the parking lot being a private own piece of property and not public like a street. You’re a lawyer , whats the deal with this?

[LinearX]

I beleive there is at least one board member here who was ticketed for violating parking lot signs, he had his own thread concerning it. Whether it was justified or not, who knows.. I don't recall him fighting the ticket.

[sirtiger]

Now, I need one of those cards if they actually would work in nyc...

[NoSoup4U]

Bill --

It's not 'technically' a parking lot. It's hard to explain, people here in DC know what i mean. There are some roads that you take that merge into the outer rim of the parking lot of the pentagon. For instance, imagine a stop sign, if you go straight, it becomes a parking lot, if turn right, it allows you back onto the major roads.

This is the way the pentagon parking lot is setup ... basically, it prevents a person from driving in any real DIRECT fashion for obvious reasons. So, many people including myself, use it on the weekends to get to other roads by just driving through these side roads of the pentagon.

I have no clue on whether an officer can issue a citation for violating a parking/private lot's signs. However, this might be different since this is GOVERNMENT property ... and these are federal officers ... they are not the normal DC police ... these guys have the automatic weapons in their trunk ... and god knows what else they carry ... they're pretty heavily armored people.

They are not officers you want to start talking smack with ...

I have no clue if these cards work ... VA doesn't issue them ... I use the NY ones ... b/c a couple of state's attorneys work up there that I know ... like I said, I have no clue if it helped or not, I'm hoping more my attitude in not screaming WTF ... no one around ... etc...etc ...

I mean, I was in the wrong here, nothing but to accept the consequences ... even IF I was not putting people in danger ...

[mens rea]

James, check ur PM's

[NoSoup4U]

oh yeah, if it makes a difference, I was using my V1 as well ... I didn't get busted for that ...

[mtrsprt3/ny]

Originally posted by sirtiger
Now, I need one of those cards if they actually would work in nyc...

My father is a retired NYC leutenint and many of my friends are cops. I have all kinds of pba cards(6 diferent ones right now in my wallet)and all I can say is they are a life saver. I have never gotten a ticket in my life and I have had many fast cars.When I was younger and stupid I thought i was invisable and must have gotten out of at least 5 dwi's cause of the cards. These were extremly stupid moves and I have grown up alot since. I Have never been pulled over in the m3 in the 2 years I owned it. The cards work, you just gotta be respectful about it. You cant just trow them in a cops face and say "I know a cop". You have to slide it into the convo. Like "I dont me any dissrespect officer but will this help...........". I think you catch my drift. Bryan-43 cops-0

[mens rea]

Will someone gimme one of these?

[sirtiger]

SIX!?!?!? that is a lot!!

yah, any extra ones for me?

[nsk223]

What does PBA stand for?

[sirtiger]

Police Benevolent Association