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Excaliber wrote:A few observations:

1. At night it takes no effort at all to see whether a vehicle that has just passed in the opposite direction had its license plate illuminated or not through the side view mirror. I takes a little practice to get the focus, but once you do, it's easy. Try it.

2. The term "pretext stop" as used here seems to imply that it's improper law enforcement practice to use an actual minor violation as a reason to stop a vehicle an officer would like to examine more closely for potentially more serious offenses. It's not. The supreme court has held that as long as the violation the stop was made for actually existed at the time the stop is valid, and so is any lawful action taken in response to observations that come from that stop.

3. If a vehicle is equipped with 2 license plate lights, it's because both are needed to adequately illuminate the plate. Manufacturers don't spend a dime on regulatory compliance lighting that they don't have to.

4. There is nothing inherently illegal or unsafe about an officer making a U-turn on a 4 lane road if traffic conditions permit. They must have been OK because the OP does not mention any wrecks or near collisions as a result.

If all the emotion is taken out of it, this was a simple and lawful minor traffic violation stop.

This stop could easily have happened to me, and I have been stopped by officers for rear lighting violations. In one case a suitcase had shifted in the trunk and pulled the tail light plug out of its connector to the wiring harness. If he hadn't stopped me, it would have taken me weeks or months to find out about it.

In another case a trooper stopped me just after I got off an interstate to tell me all of my rear lights were out - a very bad thing while driving 70 MPH at night. The next day I found that road salt had worked its way into a crack in the tail light power wire and eaten through the conductor. That was another issue I could have driven with unknowingly for some time at significant risk.

I can't find anything at all valid to moan about in the OP's description of his incident. Both officer and motorist acted courteously and professionally. The officer did what he is being paid to do, and he used his discretion to simply advise a motorist he believed to be a responsible person to correct a minor violation instead of issuing a citation. That's the way things are supposed to work.

If the officer was looking for something more, he did so at the invitation of the motorist who had in fact not maintained his lighting devices in compliance with requirements everybody knows about.

Rex B wrote:So Erik had two license plate lights, and only one was burnt out.
Seems to me the law only requires one in the first place, or doesn't specify number except that the plate must by illuminated.

razrbak wrote:Very true Erik... and thank you for your service.
Eric

razrbak wrote:

gigag04 wrote:

razrbak wrote: After a quick chuckle and a "you're kidding me"

My "chuckle" was more of a relief exhale w/a laugh thrown in w/some indignation. Again, it was fairly late at night (did not recognize my vehicle?), I had been driving for a couple of hours from Ft Worth. I cannot answer as to why the officer decided to abrutly conduct a u-turn and quickly come in behind me , but it kinda freaked me out. I was aware of my speed, I was not speeding or driving erratically, I drive for a living (outside sales/consulting), 41y.o. with a VERY clean driving record. I found it somewhat off-putting that someone who is to "protect and serve" would 1.) Pull a quick u-turn on a town main street (4 lanes plus turning lane)-possibly endagering others and himself, then 2.) tailgate with feet of a person to verify if there was enough light on their licsence plate- endagering me and himself. Yes, the light was out. Yes, I do apperciate being notified of it. And yes, the officer was extremely polite and respectful.

razrbak wrote:Around 10:30pm I arrive in Lampasas for a business call that next morning. As I procede down the main drag I notice a LEO pull a quick u-turn and pull in tight behind me, so close that I am not even able to see his headlights. Then I notice him turn his headlights off for a couple of seconds, then back on with the blue lights. So I pull off into an Autozone lot, dome light on, window down, hands 10 & 2. He approches and introduces himself and I annouce that I am a CHL holder and that I have a firearm in the vehicle. He says "No problem, as long as I don't see it. I pulled you over because one of your licence plate lights is out". After a quick chuckle and a "you're kidding me", I collect my DL, CHL and insurance proof. He's back in 3 minutes with my ppwk, not even a warning and says "thank you notifying me of your firearm and pulling off the road, you would not believe the number of people who will just stop in the middle of the road, I really appreciate that. Have a nice evening."
That's all,
Eric