Posted: 2/19/2013 11:22:37 AM EDT
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I am planning a road trip north this summer, and I have a couple of questions. Are there any tips that can help keep you from being targeted as a potential drug smuggler, or will having Texas plates be sufficient cause for a stop? Is it simply a matter of minding the speed limit, or does minding the speed limit too closely solicit attention? |
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Remember in school when your teacher told you "There is no such thing as a stupid question"? She lied. So are you saying that it's a myth that people get targeted for drug enforcement stops based on the the state on their license plate? "...or does minding the speed limit too closely solicit attention?" Perhaps I should have been more specific to the derp in which I was responding to. |
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If they want to stop you they will find a reason. Plates from the south aren't enough to do it so they'll wait until you do something illegal.
Keep the floor free of trash, it's something cops look for. Drug smugglers like to drive straight through apparently. They also look for rental cars. |
Take the Natchez Trace if you can. If you go north from TX you will end up in ND. 
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Remember in school when your teacher told you "There is no such thing as a stupid question"? She lied. So are you saying that it's a myth that people get targeted for drug enforcement stops based on the the state on their license plate? "...or does minding the speed limit too closely solicit attention?" Perhaps I should have been more specific to the derp in which I was responding to. Are you suggesting then that police don't look for "overly cautious drivers" when doing drug or alcohol enforcement stops? |
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I am planning a road trip north this summer, and I have a couple of questions. Are there any tips that can help keep you from being targeted as a potential drug smuggler, or will having Texas plates be sufficient cause for a stop? Is it simply a matter of minding the speed limit, or does minding the speed limit too closely solicit attention? 1. Myth... we like to fuck with north and south bound traffic. 2. Nope... no tips... we're gonna fuck with you no matter what you do or how safe you drive. 3. Both speeding AND minding the speed limit will draw our attention. Now OP... is that what you're looking for? Didn't think so... just drive safe and enjoy your trip... quit being paranoid. |
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Remember in school when your teacher told you "There is no such thing as a stupid question"? She lied. Not to hijack, but back in my days of flying for MAC, we had a woman come up on the flight deck of our C-141, look around, then say "So, is this the front of the airplane?" Every time I hear someone say there's no such thing as a stupid question, I say "Yes there is" and tell that story. 
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Quoted:
I am planning a road trip north this summer, and I have a couple of questions. Are there any tips that can help keep you from being targeted as a potential drug smuggler, or will having Texas plates be sufficient cause for a stop? Is it simply a matter of minding the speed limit, or does minding the speed limit too closely solicit attention? I dont know about all that, but I can attest to the fact that in the Great State of Texas 5mph over will get you a ticket  "Your in a heap o trouble boy"
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Quoted:
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I am planning a road trip north this summer, and I have a couple of questions. Are there any tips that can help keep you from being targeted as a potential drug smuggler, or will having Texas plates be sufficient cause for a stop? Is it simply a matter of minding the speed limit, or does minding the speed limit too closely solicit attention? I dont know about all that, but I can attest to the fact that in the Great State of Texas 5mph over will get you a ticket "Your in a heap o trouble boy"Ohio used to be that way but a few years ago they got their minds right. |
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Quoted: Quoted: I am planning a road trip north this summer, and I have a couple of questions. Are there any tips that can help keep you from being targeted as a potential drug smuggler, or will having Texas plates be sufficient cause for a stop? Is it simply a matter of minding the speed limit, or does minding the speed limit too closely solicit attention? I dont know about all that, but I can attest to the fact that in the Great State of Texas 5mph over will get you a ticket "Your in a heap o trouble boy"It's "You" As in : "You in big trouble boy!"
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Made the trip from here to Ohio many many times. Never, not once, had an issue. You'll be fine, have a safe trip. TXL Yeah, I'm not exactly looking forward to this. I got guilted into going "home".  Understand, had to do it last year. Reminded me why I love Texas more every day. TXL |
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Quoted: Is this just a dumb way to get tips on how to smuggle without getting pulled over? If you're not doing anything wrong, why are you already worried about being stopped on a vacation. That would be the last thing on my mind. There are several reason for asking and none of them have to do with getting away with anything illegal... 1) I want to avoid any hassles that I can. I've had my car searched by the police before and it's no fun. 2) While my few encounters with police in Texas have unremarkable, my encounters with police in northern states (specifically Michigan and New York) have been horrible. They have belligerent attitudes, assume that you are guilty of something and treat you like a criminal until they are satisfied that you are not. I never had a traffic stop by a cop in Michigan where I dealt with a courteous officer who simply wrote the ticket and sent you on your way. 3) We've all heard the horror stories of people getting stopped and had their legally owned stuff seized while they were forced to prove that they obtained it legally. I would rather not have to go through that. I look at stories like the one from a couple of days ago about the old man traveling south through Memphis who got stopped and rousted by the cops for having a buckeye on his bumper (which they said looked like a pot leaf) and think "Oh great". My experience with police in Northern states has been that just because you aren't doing anything wrong doesn't mean that you don't have anything to worry about. Before I moved to Texas I hated the police, and for good reason. Since moving to Texas I have had very few encounters with law enforcement and none of them have been remarkable in any way. I'm not overly excited about venturing North again. |
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So are you saying that it's a myth that people get targeted for drug enforcement stops based on the the state on their license plate? Quoted:
Are you suggesting then that police don't look for "overly cautious drivers" when doing drug or alcohol enforcement stops? Last I knew, the state name on someones license plate was not a violation of the vehicle and traffic law. Nor is being "overly cautious" a violation of the Vehicle and Traffic Law...unless you are impeding traffic |
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Quoted: Quoted: Is this just a dumb way to get tips on how to smuggle without getting pulled over? If you're not doing anything wrong, why are you already worried about being stopped on a vacation. That would be the last thing on my mind. There are several reason for asking and none of them have to do with getting away with anything illegal... 1) I want to avoid any hassles that I can. I've had my car searched by the police before and it's no fun. 2) While my few encounters with police in Texas have unremarkable, my encounters with police in northern states (specifically Michigan and New York) have been horrible. They have belligerent attitudes, assume that you are guilty of something and treat you like a criminal until they are satisfied that you are not. I never had a traffic stop by a cop in Michigan where I dealt with a courteous officer who simply wrote the ticket and sent you on your way. 3) We've all heard the horror stories of people getting stopped and had their legally owned stuff seized while they were forced to prove that they obtained it legally. I would rather not have to go through that. I look at stories like the one from a couple of days ago about the old man traveling south through Memphis who got stopped and rousted by the cops for having a buckeye on his bumper (which they said looked like a pot leaf) and think "Oh great". My experience with police in Northern states has been that just because you aren't doing anything wrong doesn't mean that you don't have anything to worry about. Before I moved to Texas I hated the police, and for good reason. Since moving to Texas I have had very few encounters with law enforcement and none of them have been remarkable in any way. I'm not overly excited about venturing North again. Look up Barry Cooper's videos on Youtube. He's a former narcotics interdiction officer that went pothead. There's all sorts of stuff he has on youtube (and a full length DVD or two) about the tricks and justifications some police use. The bottom line, drive normally, make sure your equipment is working properly.
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[/div][div]I look at stories like the one from a couple of days ago about the old man traveling south through Memphis who got stopped and rousted by the cops for having a buckeye on his bumper (which they said looked like a pot leaf) and think "Oh great". My experience with police in Northern states has been that just because you aren't doing anything wrong doesn't mean that you don't have anything to worry about. Before I moved to Texas I hated the police, and for good reason. Since moving to Texas I have had very few encounters with law enforcement and none of them have been remarkable in any way. I'm not overly excited about venturing North again.[/div] [/div] The first half line is the important one "I look at STORIES" (emphasis added) Drive normal and enjoy your vacation. |