Pulled over for burn out fog lamp?

[WashburnGT]

This is a little long...sorry in advance I really need some LEO opinions about this though...

Ok...so I was driving home from work on the highway earlier tonight. I was doing the speed limit exactly, just kind of cruising along listening to the radio. I notice a county mounty start creeping up and pass me. I don't really think anything of it. He gets a little way ahead of me then he breaks and gets behind me. He follows me for about thirty seconds then lights me up. I pull over right away. He lets me sit for a few minutes while I assume he's running my plates. So he walks up, does the whole flashlight in the face thing. He then asks me if I knew why he pulled me over. I said that I knew I wasnt speeding, so I didnt know why I had been pulled over. He then told me my "lower passenger-side light" was not functioning. Now...I was completely confused. I asked him if he was serious. He gave me a look like how dare I question him. I then told him I didnt even know it was out, and that I didnt know it was a violation. He simply replied "yup." he then starts asking me questions about my exhaust. Wether it was street legal, if I had mufflers and cat's "under there" I told him that to the best of my knowledge it was legal and that it had all of the required equipment. He said it sounded a little to loud and raspy to him. So now he asks me to get out of the car and asks me to go stand in front of his car. He then does a little walk around of my car. Shines his light under my rear bumper, I assume to see if I had mufflers. He then comes back and asks me to pop my hood. I do. He starts looking around the engine compartment. He sees my Steeda CAI, asks me if it is stock, I say no, its an aftermarket part. He then jiggles it to see if it's attached securely (I guess) He flashes the light around in the engine compartment a little more then shuts my hood. He asks me to get my license and insurance card, then asks me to wait in my car. After a few minutes he comes back and hands me my stuff back. He says that he's decided to give me a warning for having a burned out lamp. Tells me that I need to get it fixed, and that for now I should just drive with my fog lamps off. Then he tells me to drive safely and walks off.
Ok...so was this even a legal stop? I have to say this seems like it borders on harassment. I have high respect for cops. I considered a career in LE after I got out of the Army, and am still considering it...
I just want to know what some of the LEOs think about this situation and if I should call the PD and talk to a supervisor about this.

 

[240_Bullitt]

that sounds like bs by the cop...ive never heard of one doin that

 

[WashburnGT]

Thats how it seemed to me too. This is the only time I've ever had anything like this happen...

 

[dks]

I dont know about having burnt out fog lights are illegal in your area (KCKS where is that?) or not, you should check just to make sure. It sounds like the officer was having a bad day, and wanted to keep you in check.

When I had an import back in 96 (Sunnyvale CA), I was pulled over for nothing (at least that was my thought). It was pouring rain and some police officer decided to pull my red car over. He told me I was going too fast for conditions. I was really 10 under 35 mph (the limit) due to the rain and poor visibilty. Well, I was asked to pop the hood and after I did, he starts telling me my mods were illegal. The mods were CARB approved header, MSD ignition (CARB approved), and drop in K&N (also CARB approved). He started to write up the ticket, but I asked him "arent CARB approved items legal for my vehicle?" He glares back and started to talk about how low my car was. He busts out with a tape measure and proceeds to measure the distance from the head light to the ground (needs to be at least 22") in the ****ING pouring rain. In the end, he gave me a warning, and had to rip up that BS ticket he was trying to write me.
Everyone has bad days man.

 

[WashburnGT]

KCKS = Kansas City, Kansas.

 

[240_Bullitt]

im from olathe ks and have never heard of that ever...i doubt kc cops would ever do anything....i know olathe dont cuz i was speeding in my mustang one night and a cop flipped a bitch and pulled me over and my fog light ground is bad so sometimes one of them flicker and he was asking if i had a strobe or somethin in my fog light and i said no i have a bad ground and hes like o cuz it kept goin off and on...owell sorry for sayin all that but he didnt give me any ticket...just told me nice car and to keep the speed down for the remainder of the night

 

[Double"O"]

If a LEO ever asked me to pop my hood i wouldn't do it. Unless the reason for the stop could be related to something amiss under my hood.

What does opening your hood have to do with a burn out fog??? not a damn thing. Now if you were purging your nitrous at the redlight and a LEO saw then yeah i can see him wanting to see under your hood and most likely in your trunk as well

 

[Double"O"]

Oh one more thing i can see being pulled over for having a fog light out...faulty equipment, it would work the same as a headlamp i would imagine or taillight for that matter.

BTW what time did this occur he may have been checking to see if you were sober

 

[pwnt04]

He used the burnt out fog lamp as probable cause to pull you over. Police officers find a lot of criminals and drunk drivers using probable cause alone.

 

[WashburnGT]

BTW what time did this occur he may have been checking to see if you were sober

Well...I got off work at 9:00 so It was probably around 9:30 or so.

 

[brkntrxn]

The LEO was probably just looking for drunks and used that as an excuse. And heck, you never know, maybe he was just looking under your hood so he could have something to talk about with the hot rod guys back at the station.

 

[OhOneSnake]

I can't see how this could be PC for a stop, since you're not required to even HAVE fog lamps, let alone have them on and fucntioning properly.

 

[blk04cobra1]

I could see it being a legit stop, if he only said "hey, did you know your pass. side fog lamp was out?" and let him go on his merry way, but not to interrogate him about his mods and the car (at least not in the tone WashburnGT is saying it was in)...

 

[NasteeNate]

Yeah man i never heard of that either...I think he was admiring your stang so thats why he said popped the hood..Cops are like that sometimes..

 

[Floridalawdog]

You know why I stopped you? Littering and, Littering and, Littering and, having a fog light out. I dont know of anyplace where that is PC for a stop. I dont believe it is a violation. Sounds like a BS stop to me and I am a cop. Maybe things are different in Kansas.

 

[Lawman85]

We have an equipment codes sec. that states all factory equipment must be operational to factory specs... so the fog light would fall in there.

 

[Top_Fuel]

...I asked him if he was serious.

Note to self: Don't ask a guy with a gun and a badge if he's serious. oke:

 

[Floridalawdog]

We have a similar ting but it pertains to the safety of the vehicle, bald tires, cracked windshield, headlights, taillights, etc.

 

[Mika]

Wouldn't the fog lights be considered an auxiliary light, and not main lighting(ie, headlights)? I guess it varies state to state.

I'd have to go with probable cause on this one...



Mika

 

[FordSVTFan]

He used the burnt out fog lamp as probable cause to pull you over. Police officers find a lot of criminals and drunk drivers using probable cause alone.

Exactly!

Additionally to ask the poster a question, how in the world would you think he was harassing you? It was a single event and not a series of event by the same officer. The supervisor would be pleasant to you, but he would most likely inform you that the stop was legal.