Had a weird little traffic stop yesterday on southbound I5 by Paulsbo RV in west Kent.

Heading home in the carpool lane in my very unassuming 2002 Ford Taurus granpamobile with a BFL in the back window.   I'm following a bus in the carpool lane and make the decision to go around said bus safely but carrying a little extra speed.    In the process going by an essentially unmarked Tahoe (did not see).

About a half mile up the road he gets in behind me and I knew I was toast.  I pull over to the right shoulder and wait.  

This is where it gets weird, he comes up to the passenger window and the first words out of his mouth were,  "do you have any guns in your car today?"  I respond no.  I don't normally carry to my job during the week.  He then starts in with the normal proto and takes all my stuff back to his Tahoe.  

He comes back and tells me I was going 74 in a 60 and I was going to get a ticket, he then said he would make it a 70 in a 60.  Like that's supposed to make me feel better lol.  

Then he goes, today's your lucky day.  Our ticket writing system is down so I can't cite you right now.  I'm of course ecstatic over this news.   Shake his hand and thank him for that.    Go about my way.  


Couple questions,  

Can he tell before he pulls me over if I have CPL through his computer system?

Can he tell if I have a CPL if the car is registered in my wifes name only?  

Do they really rely on a computer system to write tickets nowadays?  


If he'd given me a ticket I deserved it.   Every ticket I've gotten (4 or 5) in the past 25 years I deserved.  

The BFL will stay in place proudly.

As Far as i know in Washington they can see your CPL when they run your name. I called in a Robbery at one of my properties, the contacting officer asked me if I had my pistol on me.

I should have mentioned that from the time he got behind me to the time he was at the passenger window was probably under 90 seconds.  Can LEO look stuff up or request info that quickly?

Technology.  I know that they have license plate scanners available out there that can look up pertinent info.  No reason that it can't be set up to spit out during a traffic stop.



 

I suppose they can see info on the registered owner. But how do they know who is driving the car?

I've been pulled over more times than I can count, but most of those were in a corporate vehicle not registered to me.


Can any WA Leos chime in?

Anytime you identify yourself with an orginaztion with a sticker you'll stand out.

Why temp fate?

Almost all states have concealed carry license info, the drivers license records, LEDS (law enforcement data system), linked together so when they run either your name, or vehicle (owner info) , it automatically spits out that you have a CCL. They don't even need to ask the computer to do that.

That license plate is registered to my wife only.  Does that not matter?   I am amazed a computer system can get that kind of info to know who lives at an address attached to a plate and to include marriages?  

I have had a CPL in this state for 20 years and have had at least 3 tickets in the last 15 years and have never had this come up before during a stop even in vehicles with fix it problems.  Tint, truck tires sticking out too far, missing lights, missing front plates.... ect.

20 years ago Seattle PD would call in the traffic stop over the radio, and the plate info would be sent to their MDTs and it would pop up in seconds.  The radio call would occur before he hits the lights, so by the time he is pulling you over, he already has the info.



 

35 years ago I had put a Harley sticker on my back window and one day a buddy asked me
why I was inviting the thieves over to my house.  

It came off.  


Nowadays information travels faster than a bullet.

if you listen to scanner traffic over in Pullman, they tell the officer when they call in the plate that the RO has a CPL (or at least they did as late as 2009). I know Kirkland PD used to have that information as far back as 93.

My wife does have her CPL so that very well makes sense then.    Man, it just happened so fast.  

The only way we know if you have a CPL, is if I run your name and under WACIC it will tell me. Also depending on how you registered your vehicle, your WDL could show up when the plate is run, but since the vehicle is not registered to you, nothing would have poped up except your wife's WDL info unless your both on the registration. As far as writing the ticket goes, WSP is done by computer now including collision reports. They might still have ticket books, but not sure. My dept has the computerized tickets as well, but I chose not to have one as I don't like writing tickets anyway, takes up room in your car, so I just have the old school ticket book. I am sure in the future we will all have to go electronic, but I hope to be retired by then.

I got beat by ^^^ that guy^^^

If I run you in WACIC I will see it.

It has WAC right in the name

A good friend of mine is a Whidbey Island Sheriff deputy. Over the radio "Caution Locals" is the dispatch id for CPL holder. I find it funny as well as a little disturbing.

1) yes, if the is registered to you.

2) no



when they run your plate.  Any licenses you may have come up on the screen.  When I did a ride along with Snohomish County working south county and were running plates the amount of strippers we ran was pretty funny.  Apparently they need a license to "dance".

Yes.





It actually prints the ticket out on thermal-paper. At least for WSP, if the computer is down they tend to let you go, vs hand-write the ticket on whatever old form they used to use.


 

WSP not writing a ticket?  Has hell frozen over?

No kidding...my son just got a ticket for 75 in a 65.....he was passing someone....Myself, I don't even get noticed, and I have blown by troopers at 75+


of course it doesn't help that my son is driving a bright yellow Corvette.

No need for a BFL there...
Yellow is faster than radar...or whatever 'dar'.  

( you have a kid old enough to drive a 'Vette?  Jeebus, we've all been around this place a long time... )  

In WA, the DOL holds all of this information in its many databases.  Depending on the agency making the request, they may have software installed on their MDT's that automatically scans the plate #, which leads to the R/O and their D/L #.  These will get run as well as cross-matched for any other registered vehicles.  A short-list of names and D/L's gets compiled and ran looking for wants, warrants, restraining orders, CPL's, etc... as well as anything local to the agency (outstanding tickets, infractions, etc... but more importantly, it gets them historical information for additional matches)  They're looking for flags.  It's why you see DOL always asking for D/L #'s whenever you register or renew - they want up to date info for their DB's.

So in otherwards.

Don't stand out