Got pulled over Saturday afternoon

[Blehner]

So driving home after going up north to celebrate a friends birthday at the bars. On the way home, I get pulled over my a State Trooper (Minnesota).

Pulled me over for my Tail Light Tint and Headlight tint, 20% on my tail lights and 30% on my headlights.

After telling me it was highly illegal, he then opens my door and pulls me out of my car! Handcuffs me and gives me a breathalyzer, because he smelt alcohol on me, granted it was 1 P.M. the morning after going to the bars. Blew under the legal limit, then proceeds to ask me who's car I am driving.. and if I stole it, because it matches a description of a Car that had been stolen Friday night. I'm 21 so probably surprised I was driving a Camaro

So after all this he puts me in the back of his car, and tells my 2 friends to get out of the car and go walk 50 yards ahead. then proceeds to destroy my car searching for something. Broke my $100 pair of Ray Bans, threw everything around in my trunk. Comes back into the cop car and finally looked me up in his computer and proves that it's my car under my name and everything.

Continues to give me a ticket for the illegal tail Lights and tells me he is giving me a warning for my speeding.. 72 in a 70... I had cruise control set.

Real question is should I go to court to fight the illegal tail lights? I've Had them on over a year and this is the first time I've ever heard anything from a cop. I have been pulled over 3 times since I have had the tint. My friends mom is a cop and she said they look fine.

Thanks in advance

[nitrorcr1787]

A whole lot of excessive... I would get an attorney if I were you. I know here in Joisey, when the Troopers pull you over, the dash cam comes on, and videos the stop. I would have them review the tape. If he trashed the car like you said he did, it will show it, and you have a case. You gotta act fast. You should have the badge number on the ticket.

[Blehner]

Originally Posted by nitrorcr1787

A whole lot of excessive... I would get an attorney if I were you. I know here in Joisey, when the Troopers pull you over, the dash cam comes on, and videos the stop. I would have them review the tape. If he trashed the car like you said he did, it will show it, and you have a case. You gotta act fast. You should have the badge number on the ticket.

Yea, he took all the clothes out of my back pack, my softball gear. Even took my friends pack of cig's and ripped it too pieces, then throws it on the floor. I remember sitting in the back of his car and he did have the video recording as when he was typing the ticket into the computer he checked Recorded.

[Nightspore68]

That's odd because it sounds like the cop had no probable cause for searching your car. Did he ask permission?
It's probably not worth fighting for a small ticket though. I imagine the attorney will cost way more than the ticket.
You might be better off writing a letter to the police chief or the local district attorney. If they don't respond, maybe some bad piblicity will get their attention: write to a paper or a TV station.

I hope you got his badge number or his name. His bosses may not realize they have a loose cannon on their force.

[Blehner]

Originally Posted by Nightspore68

That's odd because it sounds like the cop had no probable cause for searching your car. Did he ask permission?
It's probably not worth fighting for a small ticket though. I imagine the attorney will cost way more than the ticket.
You might be better off writing a letter to the police chief or the local district attorney. If they don't respond, maybe some bad piblicity will get their attention: write to a paper or a TV station.

I hope you got his badge number or his name. His bosses may not realize they have a loose cannon on their force.

I got all his information, asked for his badge # and Name. Not to happy with how he handled things. Unnecessary to hand cuff me and everything.

[nitrorcr1787]

Probable cause comes from 3 things, tint, the 2MPH over the speed limit CLAIM, and as the OP states he had alcohol odor in the car from the night before. But the trooper should had advised him about the search, and does not have the right to tear the car and belongings up. Also at the point of search a back up unit is dispatched. They can pull you over for not wearing a seat belt, and then claim they think they saw something, or smell something that gives them the right for a search. Kinda sucks, but this is the way it is now.

[Blehner]

Originally Posted by JasonVoorhees

Illegal tint on taillights and headlights is STILL illegal tint, even if you haven't been pulled over before.

I ran with no front plate(illegal here in Iowa) for nearly 2 years before being pulled over for it twice in the past 2 months.

Though I hadn't been caught before then, illegal is still illegal.

You saying I haven't been pulled over before so I think I should fight the illegal tint ticket is like a serial killer saying he's going to fight the charges on all the killings he did before he got caught.

I read before I put them on that if you can see red from 1,000 feet away then they are LEGAL. He was telling me that anything aftermarket on a cars lights is illegal. But if I get pulled over by 3 different cops, they all have to look at my tail lights and have said nothing about them being 2 dark. So all the sudden because 1 cop wants to give me a ticket for them, but other ones don't care I have to get them removed and pay the fine? Find that to be some bullsh!t

[mlee]

Obviously a lot of excess there on the officers part... but if I were you... 21, like to hit the clubs, drive after one or two, out at 1AM with my buddies I would definitely remove that tint. Way more cars get pulled over for that than front plates or window tint put together.

Think if you would have blown slightly over, you would be screwed right now just because of some tail light tint that really doesn't look that good anyway. JMO

Not trying to be an ass here just think you might want to error on the safe side.

[Blehner]

My 2 cars with the tint, guess it does look really dark but when my brake lights are on you can see it just fine! I was in the black one.

[Blehner]

Originally Posted by mlee

Obviously a lot of excess there on the officers part... but if I were you... 21, like to hit the clubs, drive after one or two, out at 1AM with my buddies I would definitely remove that tint. Way more cars get pulled over for that than front plates or window tint put together.

Think if you would have blown slightly over, you would be screwed right now just because of some tail light tint that really doesn't look that good anyway. JMO

Not trying to be an ass here just think you might want to error on the safe side.

No, I see were you are coming from on that. I thought I was for sure getting a DUI because right after I blew he said "Holy shit you must of been hammered last night!" (.023) then proceeded to hand cuff me and not tell me what I blew until He came back into the car after searching my car.

[Fiveg56]

Originally Posted by Blehner

So driving home after going up north to celebrate a friends birthday at the bars. On the way home, I get pulled over my a State Trooper (Minnesota).

Pulled me over for my Tail Light Tint and Headlight tint, 20% on my tail lights and 30% on my headlights.

After telling me it was highly illegal, he then opens my door and pulls me out of my car! Handcuffs me and gives me a breathalyzer, because he smelt alcohol on me, granted it was 1 P.M. the morning after going to the bars. Blew under the legal limit, then proceeds to ask me who's car I am driving.. and if I stole it, because it matches a description of a Car that had been stolen Friday night. I'm 21 so probably surprised I was driving a Camaro

So after all this he puts me in the back of his car, and tells my 2 friends to get out of the car and go walk 50 yards ahead. then proceeds to destroy my car searching for something. Broke my $100 pair of Ray Bans, threw everything around in my trunk. Comes back into the cop car and finally looked me up in his computer and proves that it's my car under my name and everything.

Continues to give me a ticket for the illegal tail Lights and tells me he is giving me a warning for my speeding.. 72 in a 70... I had cruise control set.

Real question is should I go to court to fight the illegal tail lights? I've Had them on over a year and this is the first time I've ever heard anything from a cop. I have been pulled over 3 times since I have had the tint. My friends mom is a cop and she said they look fine.

Thanks in advance

What exactly are you going to fight in court? Ignorance of the law is not a defense.

[Blehner]

Originally Posted by Fiveg56

What exactly are you going to fight in court? Ignorance of the law is not a defense.

I'm asking if it would be worth it to go to court and fight the ticket sense no other cops have said anything about it. Yes I know it just takes one. But I used to do stings for the Cops in a city called Eden Prairie and I talked to some of the cops saying that they were fine and I shouldn't have a problem as long as when I brake you can see red.

[PoorMansCamaro]

wait, you want to go to court to try and fight something that is illegal? lol good luck with that one!

[metthem]

Originally Posted by Blehner

I read before I put them on that if you can see red from 1,000 feet away then they are LEGAL. He was telling me that anything aftermarket on a cars lights is illegal. But if I get pulled over by 3 different cops, they all have to look at my tail lights and have said nothing about them being 2 dark. So all the sudden because 1 cop wants to give me a ticket for them, but other ones don't care I have to get them removed and pay the fine? Find that to be some bullsh!t

They have to be reflective, and the tint makes them non-reflective
And just feel fortunate that the first 3 cops didn't cite you for the tint. Just because 3 cops don't give you a ticket, don't mean its legal.
He pulled you over expecting a dui, you were drinking but not drunk. He was probably pissed you were drinking and also pissed he couldn't get you for a dui. The smell of alcohol gives him the reason to search, (not destroy your property tho). The moral of this story is, don't drink and drive.
If you go to court and say, look, I have illegal tint on my car but 3 cops let me slide and then this guy comes along and has the nerve to cite me for tint when I was drinking and driving with 2 buddies in my car, how dare he. You will get to pay the ticket AND court costs, and look stoopid.