The officer had a right to pull you over and give you a warning. According to the PD standard operating procedure the violator must be going at least five over the limit to be ticketed. But, that is not always the case due to increased pressure to generate revenue.The recession may be claiming a new victim: the 5-10-mph "cushion" police and state troopers across the USA have routinely given motorists exceeding the speed limit.
As cities and states scramble to fill budget gaps with revenue from traffic citations, "not only are the (speeding) tolerances much lower, but the frequency of a warning instead of a ticket is way down," says James Baxter, president of the National Motorists Association.
"Most people, if they're stopped now, are getting a ticket even if it's only a minor violation of a few miles per hour," Baxter says. He cites anecdotal evidence of drivers being pulled over at slower speeds.
As far as the subtle harassment by pulling you out of the car and confiscating your CHL... welcome to the ever growing police state.