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I'm puzzled here, maybe someone in law enforcement can clarify for me.

So I'm stopped for speeding on the Hardy Toll Road northbound (cruise set on 75, officer says 80 - but that's neither here nor there). The stop goes perfectly fine; I have the interior light on, CHL, DL, insurance waiting for him. He doesn't use any probing questions at all. Brings the plastic back in about a minute with a citation.

The problem is, the CHL has been purposefully damaged. The back of the license has been scored/scratched with a back and forth movement all over the rear of the license, like a key or sharp point had been rubbed on it. It was perfectly fine when I gave it to him - I know this because I was thinking to myself before he approached how the CHL was wearing much better than the DL.

Why could be have done this? What is he marking me for?

I dont know why someone would do that to your CHL. Maybe it is a code.

A LEO friend told me that if they cite a jerk and he mouths off about getting a LEO friend to fix the ticket, they will draw a circle with lines radiating from it (like sun rays) on one of the upper corners of the ticket.

This informs the LEO friend that his buddy was a jerk and dont bother trying to fix the ticket.

I dunno if this is true as my LEO friend has a well deserved reputation for taking liberties with the truth.

It could be he was testing the CHL to see if it was fake or altered, a possibility considering that you realized it was doing much better than your DL. Alternatively he may have been annoyed by you or someone else in some manner and was "doing something about it." Then again he may be doing this to CHLs in case he or someone else with a similar system encounter the same one in the future they will know it. Or it could be .... and the list simply keeps on going.

Maybe the marks came from him putting it on his clipboard

I've heard of them bending or clipping a corner to "mark" an individual. The few times I've handed mine to a LEO he simply handed it back.

Was it a state, county or city officer? Did it make anything unreadable on it?

I don't know why an LEO would purposely damage your CHL.

patterson wrote:Maybe the marks came from him putting it on his clipboard

That was my first thought.

Put on clipboard upside down under a really tight clip then pulled out without squeezing clip to relieve pressure thereby putting bouncing parallel marks across it?

Likely unintentional. Probably put both DL & Chl into purpose built ID clip on citation holder and it was a bit tight for two cards.



As for LEOs purposely marking an ID ... only if you're wearing a tinfoil hat

It was a Harris County Constable from precinct 4. I don't think it was the clip because the scratches are about an inch and a half wide and travel the length of the license - like scratching off a lottery ticket. Seems like it stops short of the magnetic stripe purposefully as well.

I'm not too concerned. The stop was perfectly cordial, I can't imagine why he would feel the need to flag me. I could see the need for an unofficial practice like that with a hostile and uncooperative CHL holder, but that ain't me. I'm just going to report it damaged and request a reissue. If I bump into a Constable I'll ask him sometime.

THX wrote:It was a Harris County Constable from precinct 4. I don't think it was the clip because the scratches are about an inch and a half wide and travel the length of the license - like scratching off a lottery ticket. Seems like it stops short of the magnetic stripe purposefully as well.

I'm not too concerned. The stop was perfectly cordial, I can't imagine why he would feel the need to flag me. I could see the need for an unofficial practice like that with a hostile and uncooperative CHL holder, but that ain't me. I'm just going to report it damaged and request a reissue. If I bump into a Constable I'll ask him sometime.

Sounds to me like a binder clip and he just yanked it through without thinking. At least the stop was cordial.

On another note my CHL has a pockmark right on the magnetic strip and some of the black is actually stripped off. I have no idea how that happened. Is it worth asking for a reissue since my DL is fine?

I don't see why it would be on purpose or what would he gain by doing that

I don't have a picture to post but take the photo above and imagine the CHL not in the little stand up clip but under that wide toothed clip and then pulled out. Seems like that would be the cause of what is described.

Why not get in touch with the Officer or someone in the Officer's line of command and see if they can shed any light on the issue?