Most Ridiculous Law Enforcement Encounter

[Jules]

Back in 1981, I lived 13 miles out of a real small town with very little for us young folks to do on Friday and Saturday nights. One night as I was heading home, a car suddenly appeared on my back bumper. He was so close I couldn't even tell what kind of car it was.  Every time I sped up or slowed down, he did too. At one point, I slowed to 15 mph and tried waving him around me. He wouldn't budge. Now I'm getting nervous, thinking I'd PO'd somebody or something. I slowly let the speed creep up. At the bottom of a hill 7.5 miles out of town, my speedometer hit 65 (in a 55). This deputy sheriff hit the blue lights and wrote me a $45 ticket. I wanted to argue with him, but had an empty beer bottle in the back floorboard. I don't know if he saw it or not, but I wasn't going to push it. Son of a gun followed me for over 7 miles and baited me into the ticket!

OMG, it sounds like you grew up in the same town, as "The Dukes of Hazzard"!!!

I figured for all the times I probably should have gotten a ticket and didn't, that I'd eat this one. It didn't help that the local judge had known me since I was a little kid and had always told me "I don't care what you did or didn't do. If you appear in my court, you're guilty and it will cost you double!"

[chollyred]

OMG, it sounds like you grew up in the same town, as "The Dukes of Hazzard"!!!

Believe it or not, it was the next town over from where "Dukes of Hazard" was filmed. "Dukes" was filmed in Covington, Ga. and I grew up in Conyers, Ga.

[Clive]

I had a car tailgating us once at about bar-closing time.  So close I couldn't see anything but bright headlights.  I turned on the hazard flashers and pulled over.  He pulled up alongside, stopped (in the road) and asked what I was doing.  I told him I thought he was drunk, he was tailgating me pretty hard, and I didn't want to get rear-ended, so I was letting him go by.  We stared at each other for a little bit, then he drove off.

Mostly, my interactions with the police have been positive.  That one, and the cop who suddenly decided I'd been going 6mph faster than he'd written on the ticket I was contesting, they're the only negatives.  (And yes, ticket cop told me he had clocked me at the speed he wrote -- no discounting.)

[spacey]

First road trip with the Honda was to the Canyon Lands in Utah.  Driving there, we were approaching town south of Salt Lake City on our way to Capital Reef...

Really this was your first mistake. If you had contacted the Utah Department of Tourism, they would have informed you that we don't take kindly to outsiders here. Meanwhile they would have already traced your phone number and had Mormon missionaries on their way to your door. (They pride themselves on these types of extra efforts.) Next time you'll know.

[Dunk]

This doesn't fall under the ridiculous category, but I did have an encounter with Utah's finest once.

My wife and I were driving through Utah on my way to Vegas.  On a divided highway I was doing 65 mph, 10 mph above the posted limit.  A cop pulled up alongside of me and and flashed 5 fingers twice at me, indicating that the speed was 55 mph.  I smiled, nodded and slowed down.  Then I told my wife, "I think he means I'm supposed to have 10 wives."   

[Aske]

pigs!