So the other day i'm sitting in a parkign lot w/ my friend w/ the music up kinda loud. a cop pulls up behind me and comes out to talk to me.

"u know ur attracting attention to yourself with the music up that loud..now i can search ur car and probably find something illegal."

i said "uh..no sir you cant".

he points to my radar detector and says "whats that there? thats illegal."

i did reasearch before i bought one and i was always under the impression that they were legal everywhere except 2 states - New Jersey not being one of the two. i didn't want to argue with the guy but i said "i always thought they were legal"

he says "you're a clown, you think just because they sell them at best buy that they're legal? they're not". then he went on to talk about how if he sees me there again with the detector that he's gonna issue summonces and told me to go home.

what gives? was i dicked over or did the cop have an argument?

 

I've been doing some research on this because I know I have a lead foot at times. I wante dto make sure I could use one here. To my knowledge, radar detectors are illegal only in really 2 places: Virginia, and Washington, D.C. A more advanced radar detector that also scrambles police radars (to make your car look invisible) is more restricted where they are illegal in California, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, and Washington D.C. So, as long as you were around the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.) you should be allowed to have them.

Here's a link to a website that was last updated on Jan 16, 2003 about the laws:

Radar Detector Laws

Also, try going down to your local DMV and ask. It never hurts. Hope this helps!

 

And while you are at it, no matter what the box or manufacturer claims, the ones that send out a pulse or chrip to scramble the radar are also not within FCC compliance, so that makes them un cool in the federal goverment's eyes.

 

You'll probably need connections, but see if you can get a letter from the DMV stating that use of radar detectors is legal in NJ. And just present that paper the next time.

I bet the cops are just pissed off that you're using a radar detector.

 

Of course radar detectors are LEGAL in 49 states. That cop can go **** himself. I use my radar detector everyday and it has saved me from many tickets.

I did get one goddamn fuckig blasted speeeding ticket though cuz i THOUGH the limit was actually higher than it was, I was being an inattentive *****. A cop was tailing me, blasting me with radar, and then pulled me over. He gave me **** about my detector and how he was zapping me for a minute before I "slammed on my brakes " (to get off on my ******* exit). GOD I should have been more ******* attentive .

Waht I would do is just go back to that parking lot (unless you can get ticketed for loitering ) and hold up an official gov't document in his face and not say a WORD to him when he walks up again

 

thanks for the input guys.

yeah, my radar detector is run of the mill, nothign special, definetly not a scrambler.

i dont think i'm even go as far as getting those letters written. what kind of ticket can he write me if there are no laws against radar detectors? thanks again guys

 

you may want to check ONE MORE THING before you get a letter from the state and flaunt it in that cops face....

check to ensure that the CITY in which you live hasn't passed a LOCAL law aginst them....THAT could be...and if that is the case...the police officer would be well within his rights to give you a summons.

another thing....don't give the officer a hard time to his face. you can not win in that situation, right or wrong...he can make your life miserable if he chose to, besides, Put yourself in his place....he has a LOT of dicks to contend with everyday. He does in effect put his life on the line every day he goes to work, and doesn't get paid nearly enough for doing so.....Take my word for it...if you are polite to him....regardless ..... you will be better off...no matter what happens. ESPECIALLY if you have someone with you as a witness. :{D

 

Oh, that's what you think. He CAN do anything he wants. He WILL make your life miserable. He could write a ticket and then make you have to go through the trouble of going to court multiple times etc....

 

Thats one thing i made sure i didn't do - act rude to the cop. i definetly showed him the respect he deserved. i could have argued w/ him about how legal the detector was but i knew he was gonna let me go so whats the point? i've talked to enough cops about what they like and dont like. #1 best way to get out of a ticket: be polite and be as least threatening as possible.