Armed Polite Society

Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Ben on November 20, 2022, 11:52:51 AM

Title: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: Ben on November 20, 2022, 11:52:51 AM
Youtube has been pushing these "cop interaction" videos on me for the last few weeks. This one was certainly interesting:

https://youtu.be/t5j9X4IcGjs

The guy was flashing his headlights to warn motorists about a speed trap. Okay, the cops roll up pissed about him giving them away and I guess I get that. However they then say he committed a crime by flashing his lights. What the law actually was, was that you can't have flashing lights like a cop's lightbar, not that you can't flash your high beams.

So he gets ticketed for that, and a second ticket (cuz the cop was in a bad mood I guess) for not having signed his vehicle registration. The driver was shocked, and I was too, as I don't believe I've ever signed a vehicle registration. I don't even think there's a place for it on the ones I have had. So the driver asks the cop "Are you serious?" and the cop cops an attitude and tells the driver that he can go to jail for six months for not signing the registration. The driver laughs because he can't believe that's real. The cop arrests him.

The cop eventually takes the cuffs off, but the driver fights it in court, where a judge, while not prosecuting the unsigned registration, finds him guilty of flashing lights even though the state law clearly states the difference between flashing your headlights and having flashing lights.

Just one of many examples from that youtube channel of cops who shouldn't be cops. In fairness, the channel also shows cops who you definitely want to be cops, even when they're dealing with jerks.
Title: Re: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: HeroHog on November 20, 2022, 01:26:30 PM
...the driver fights it in court, where a judge, while not prosecuting the unsigned registration, finds him guilty of flashing lights even though the state law clearly states the difference between flashing your headlights and having flashing lights.

What about judges who shouldn't be judges?
Title: Re: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: Ben on November 20, 2022, 01:33:21 PM
What about judges who shouldn't be judges?

That too.
Title: Re: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: MechAg94 on November 20, 2022, 02:54:44 PM
I have also seen a person on that channel that was being deliberately confusing in order to provoke a reaction from local cops trolling for lawsuits. 

I have flashed my lights at drivers after passing cops.  Never decided to stop and flash them.  I have benefited from noticing people flashing headlights up ahead as well.
Title: Re: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: zxcvbob on November 20, 2022, 03:44:15 PM
Not sure that it's worth the cost of an appeal, but I'm pretty sure flashing your lights to warn other motorists is 1A protected "speech".
Title: Re: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: gunsmith on November 20, 2022, 04:20:13 PM
 is there anyway to report that judge?
 Like I.A for cops , is there a similar thing for judges?

 I am a fan of those first amendment audits/cop watch but sometimes they do seem to be trolling for lawsuits and the cops sometimes seem to be trolling for violations

 I never heard of flashing your lights to warn people, seems like a nice thing to do.
All the local speed traps seem to be designed to catch me coming home from work and no ones ever flashed to warn me .
Title: Re: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: WLJ on November 20, 2022, 04:33:46 PM


 I never heard of flashing your lights to warn people, seems like a nice thing to do.
All the local speed traps seem to be designed to catch me coming home from work and no ones ever flashed to warn me .

Common here in Ky, and yes the police have been known to nail people for it.
Title: Re: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: HeroHog on November 20, 2022, 04:49:45 PM
WAS common in Lousyanna but it tends to REALLY tick off the constabulary.
Title: Re: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: Andiron on November 20, 2022, 05:47:58 PM
Fairly common here for the 45+ crowd.   Younger drivers don't seem to care, if they even look up from their phones long enough to notice.
Title: Re: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: gunsmith on November 20, 2022, 08:45:25 PM
UPDATE From the guys lawyer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93fKvxhibuI

 the cop seems to have a record for being a lowlife, arrested a disabled guy because he couldn't discern between disability and intoxication
Title: Re: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: 230RN on November 20, 2022, 10:14:06 PM
"Flashing lights" laws seem to be directed at folks intending to impersonate emergency vehicles around here.  Stretching it to include warnings or alerts to oncoming drivers as to cops or road hazards ahead seems to be stretching it a bit.

Funny, I thought "First Amendment Rights" too, but I figured that was stretching it the other way.

How.

Ev.

Er, I suspect there are enough wet fart laws on the books that you can't leave your driveway and drive five miles without breaking one or or another.  So don't intimidate the police.
Title: Re: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: WLJ on November 20, 2022, 10:26:09 PM
Back when CBs were a thing it was common to hear warnings of Bear Traps or of a Kojak with a Kodak at certain locations
Title: Re: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: RoadKingLarry on November 20, 2022, 10:27:36 PM
There has been several 1st amendment challenges to flashing lights laws.

https://reason.com/volokh/2019/04/24/flashing-headlights-to-warn-of-speed-trap-may-be-protected-by-first-amendment/


https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1115/headlight-flashing
Title: Re: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: Perd Hapley on November 20, 2022, 11:24:43 PM
https://youtu.be/-L58xNpnqxk
Title: Re: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: Ben on November 21, 2022, 07:22:51 AM
Back when CBs were a thing it was common to hear warnings of Bear Traps or of a Kojak with a Kodak at certain locations

Also, Google Maps will routinely warn you of speed traps along your route. The CBs and the Googles (and other mapping software that does it) certainly solidify the First Amendment argument. The flashing headlights are just another method of communication. I wonder what would happen if people flashed their lights in Morse.  :laugh:
Title: Re: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: MechAg94 on November 21, 2022, 09:20:51 AM
Flashing headlights at oncoming cars after passing a cop was common in the rural area I grew up.  I only occasionally see it now, but I am in a more suburban setting.  Mostly it was just flashing the lights once or twice, not continually doing it.  I have never seen anyone park off the road and flash their lights.  Warning of a speed trap is not what I would assume that was about. 


I have never heard of flashing lights laws in Texas, but there is a law about emergency lights.  Might amount to the same thing.  Road construction guys have them so I figure they can't be hard to get.  The cops all have the strobe light bars on their cars these days.  I have never heard of anyone getting ticketed for it.
Title: Re: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: cordex on November 23, 2022, 02:41:17 PM
Follow-up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93fKvxhibuI
Title: Re: Arrested for Laughing
Post by: ConstitutionCowboy on November 24, 2022, 11:32:08 AM
Hey, if it causes the traffic to slow down, the cops ought to be thankful.  :old:

If they need the money, however ...  >:D

Woody