Saturday morning, I rented a van for a gig I had in the evening. Picked the van up in the morning, dropped off and setup my equipment around 1:00, then went and did the gig from 7-12. Afterwards, packed up and loaded the equipment, drove home and unloaded it into the garage. After getting something to drink and checking on Linda and Tyler, I head across town (about 4-5 miles) to drop off the van. Because Tyler was sick the night before, I had driven a car over to the rental place in the morning and left it when I picked up the van. So I was just going to drop the van and get my car and go. A little over halfway there, suddenly I see lights in my rear view mirror. What the….? I’m going under the speed limit, I haven’t run any red lights, so why am I being pulled over? Turns out it’s a Passaic County Sheriff’s officer, and he’s pulling me over on an empty street at 2:15 in the morning because my drivers side taillight is out. There we go: Passaic County’s finest protecting the safety of our roads! So I go into the glove box for the registration and insurance card: they aren’t there. Oh Sh!t. Worse, since I unloaded all of my equipment, the rental agreement is in my folder with my equipment. Double, Oh Sh!t! I can tell this guy is probably wondering about me. I explained to him the whole thing about having finished DJing a Knights of Columbus Honorary dinner, at which point he asks: “Where’s your equipment?” I tell him that I already dropped the equipment off and that I’m just returning the rental van. (I had stated this previously!) As I’m sitting there talking to the guy, flipping through a booklet that was also in the glove compartment, I find the registration and insurance cards. Phew! I hand them to the officer, he looks at them, says: “These are expired.” Now we’re back to Oh Sh!t! So he takes them back to his car, looks them up, comes back to tell me that the van isn’t even registered. He won’t allow me to drive it to the rental place, which is only about 1.5 miles away. No, it’s got to be towed and impounded. Passaic County’s finest looking out for the safety of our motorists! So I go sit in the back of his car for about half an hour, ‘til the tow truck shows up. After the van is pulled onto the flatbed, he then drives me home. And he must have thought I was in a hurry to get home, as he hit speeds as high as 80 mph, and blew 3 red lights. When we got to my place, I opened the garage door ‘cause I had the opener with me, and I wanted him to see all of the equipment cases in my garage. He hands me a ticket for the light being out ($47.00), and tells me that I can go to court and explain to the judge that it was rental, and that the judge might drop it. You don’t know how much more secure I feel knowing that Passaic County’s finest are on duty. Now I can sleep soundly at night.
Posted by HotWheelSS aka HTWLSS (Member # 117) on :
You get to have all the fun.
Posted by Xsta Z 28 (Member # 740) on :
What? How in the hell can you be held responcible for a rental car?????
Posted by Bill Mason (Member # 1807) on :
I'd love to be a fly on the wall when you "discuss" this incident and the ticket with the rental company!!!
Posted by mhayman (Member # 146) on :
That sucks. I wouldn't use that rental company again!
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Mark H.
Posted by 02ZL1_97SS (Member # 2100) on :
While I am sorry this happened to you, the same exact thing would have happened in Des Moines, Iowa too.
Many intoxicated driver's and wanted individuals are apprehended because an officer had probable cause (headlight/taillight out) and stopped them in the wee hours of the morning.
While you certainly have an issue with the rental company, when you drive a vehicle owned by someone else, you are responsible for the equipment on the vehicle. While 99% of the folks never do this, you should make sure all the lights work properly, the registration is current and the insurance is current. It doesn't make any difference whether it is a rental vehicle, your father's vehicle or a friends. When you get behind the wheel, you are the responsible party.
Again, I am sorry you were inconvienced, but had you been stopped in my city, the EXACT same thing would have happened. You would have had the vehicle impounded for not having current registration and proof of insurance, you would have been ticketed for all three violations (tail light out, no current registration and no proof of current insurance). If the officer just ticketed you for the tail light, it is a non-moving violation and as he told you, since it was a rental van, possibly the judge might dismiss the charge.
Again, while you feel that you were "picked" on without a reason, many and I repeat many, individuals are apprended under similar situations.
Posted by TimeLord (Member # 1389) on :
What fleabag company did you rent that van from? Posted by vyto2 (Member # 2265) on :
Stick the ticket up someone's ass at the rental place, it's not your vehicle to maintain, same goes for the stinking registration. They better not expect you to pay for it to get out of the impound either, it was their tail light and registration that got it there, not your driving or parking. Posted by twobratSS (Member # 2180) on :
Jim, I'm sorry that this happened to you, but like J.D. said, probable cause often gives officers the little bit they need to find a whole lot more.
With that being said, the impounding and ticket are all in the particular officer's discretion. He could've looked at the totality of the circumstances and figured everything out. Especially after he got you home and found everything in order. His supervisor could have voided the ticket for him.
Posted by Diggler's HMS (Member # 1067) on :
Personally, I would have unloaded something to test the endurance of the scotchguard in the backseat of the sheriff car, but then again I am sure that thought might have crossed your mind. Posted by twobratSS (Member # 2180) on :
Plus, (just noticed this)...he made you ride in the BACK? You weren't under arrest, were you? I'd at least let you ride in the front...
Posted by 02ZL1_97SS (Member # 2100) on :
Different departments have different policies. Our department REQUIRES anyone being transported must be in the rear seat. No one rides in the front passenger seat unless they are a law enforcement officer.
Our department has this policy for the safety of the officer and the person being transported. Any deviation from this policy is dealt with by the supervisor on duty. This could be anything from a oral reprimand to a suspension.
And again depending on the department and the state law, impounding the vehicle may or MAY NOT be in the officer's discretion. In Iowa, not having current registraion or proof of insurance, the vehicle is to be impounded UNTIL the OWNER of the vehicle can prove that he/she/they have current registration and insurance. Of course in this situation, the registration and insurance will be up to the rental company to provide to get their vehicle out of the impound lot.
Have you ever watched truck driver's check out a rig before they climb into it and take it out on the road? Even though they don't own it, they know that any equipment defficiecy is their problem once they get it out on the road and are pulled over by law enforcement for defective equipment.
Again, while you were inconvienced, it certainly sounds that the deputy who you encountered was doing his job.
Hopefully the judge will dismiss the charge and you will be wiser because of this lesson you have learned.
Posted by Hawkeye (Member # 88) on :
A guess a lessoned learned for all of us.
A tail light can burn out any time, not necessarily the fault of the rental agency. But, the registration and insurance should have been in the vehicle. Next time we borrow/rent a vehicle let's remeber to check all the paper work before leaving the rental company.
Now, how about we all check our own vehicles to make sure our insurance and registrations are up to date!
Posted by vyto2 (Member # 2265) on :
Last time I rented a truck to pick up some furniture, I checked all the safety equipment, still, the thing had a bad shock and would bounce horribly from the slightest road irregularity. That and an auto trans that wouldn't get past 2nd gear made the drive very interesting to just go 60 mph on the highway... These mom & pop rentals usually suck.
Posted by 2002Z4CSS (Member # 1393) on :
Wow! Posted by blkragss02 (Member # 1801) on :
Wow! not fun
Posted by mhayman (Member # 146) on :
quote:Originally posted by 02ZL1_97SS: Again, while you were inconvienced, it certainly sounds that the deputy who you encountered was doing his job.
While everyone must take their share of responsibility, it sadly shows how doing one's job can get in the way of common sense. The officer certainly followed procedure but common sense would see that their were other factors involved that could have been taken into account.
I have several members of my family in law enforcement and several good friends. NONE of them would have done this - and I showed a few of them the thread. My brother in law said it best -at some point EVERYONE breaks the law, doesn't follow necessary procedures, or just flat out misses something that could cause them to have to answer to the law. That doesn't make them criminals and doesn't warrant them being held. It simply requires the officer to figure out the situation at hand. The inconvenience the person has to go through (finding information, being late) becomes their punishment for the "crime."
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Mark
Posted by Jim Mac (Member # 113) on :
In seeing some of the response here, I'd like to ask everyone to consider this:
What would have happened if I had been pulled over before I had unloaded my equipment at home? Would I have been left on the side of the road with $16K-18K worth of DJ equipment?
Posted by 02ZL1_97SS (Member # 2100) on :
Well Mark consider this too, this officer didn't have to take him home either. He simply could have either left him there, had his dispatcher call him a taxi/friend/family member to pick him up or taken him to a conviencence store so that he could make a telephone call to have someone pick him up.
It appears to me the officer showed a great deal of common sense and he could have charged him with other violations besides just the burnt out tail light.
I am guessing (since I wasn't there and didn't observe this) that he was only "held" until the officer had run his driver's license to verify that he was valid (and not wanted) and had the vehicle impounded by the towing service and then he graciously transported him to his home.
Fortunately he had also already dropped his equipment off at home or it would have probably been impounded as well and then he would have had to prove ownership of it to have it released to him.
Again, it is too bad that he was inconvienced but I am betting the next time he rents a vehicle he will check it over before he leaves their lot and will make sure that it has current registration and proof of insurance.
It is unfortunate but the lessons that most of us learn best in life are those learned by the school of hard knocks.
[ 20. April 2004, 05:25 PM: Message edited by: 02ZL1_97SS ]
Posted by CAMSS (Member # 1388) on :
Holy chit, Jim!!!!
What'd you do to pizz off the dude? Tell him to F.O.A.D.?????
I asked my sister (an ex-cop) and we agree with mhayman: the cop, while certainly within his rights, was not using very much common sense....
Sorry, dude - you got screwed....
Posted by NiravSS (Member # 778) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jim Mac: In seeing some of the response here, I'd like to ask everyone to consider this:
What would have happened if I had been pulled over before I had unloaded my equipment at home? Would I have been left on the side of the road with $16K-18K worth of DJ equipment?
You know, it seems that DJ's always get jacked. My brother took over my DJ business and he's been pulled over or questioned 3 times already. Basically my brother has a custom trailer to transport his equipment, all fancy and logo'ed up. Most of the time the reason for being pulled over is, "there was a report of a stolen black trailer with silver lettering". He goes on a fair number of interstate gig's and usually does not carry proof of ownership of the equipment (though obviously has registration of the trailer). On one of the occasions, him and my cousin where driving to Durango, CO, and were questioned on the side of the freeway/at the station by four officers for about 6 hours because they didn't have proof of ownership of the equipment. Finally my other cousin faxed over some insurance paperwork to the police station, which described the equipment and had their names on it. I mean, do you carry around a reciept in your car that shows that you are in fact the owner of that leather jacket? He was obviously the registered owner of the trailer, which had the markings of a mobile DJ; which would imply that the DJ equipment in the trailer was also his. An absolute an utter waste of time. Not to mention the fact that they were significantly late to their event.
I agree that officers have a difficult job, but sometimes......it's just too much.
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When we got to my place, I opened the garage door ‘cause I had the opener with me, and I wanted him to see all of the equipment cases in my garage. He hands me a ticket for the light being out ($47.00), and tells me that I can go to court and explain to the judge that it was rental, and that the judge might drop it. You don’t know how much more secure I feel knowing that Passaic County’s finest are on duty. Now I can sleep soundly at night.
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These mom & pop rentals usually suck.
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