From: Luci Griffith on Monday, July 12, 1999
State: Utah
Story: Well we were not exactly stopped for speeding. I don't think that speeding is legal in Utah. Unlike the state where I live, New Mexico. My sister was driving. We were in Northern Utah on our way back to New Mexico when a Utah Johnny law was so close on our tail I could have flicked his hat off of his head. The officer turned on the flashing lights but they were so small and not very bright so it took us a moment to realise that we were in fact being pulled over. The officer approached the car in a rather unusual manner. Perhaps it is the norm in Utah but I think it was more based in his misconceptions about the general population of New Mexico. He crept around the passenger side slow and deliberately. As if he was going to find a bunch of "Mexicanos or cholos" waving guns and smoking dope. Basically what I am inferring is that the police officer was a racist but I think that will come out more clearly as I finish the story.
The officer asked the usual police officer question. "do you know why I stopped you? We of course had no idea because it definetely was not speeding Utah is one place I would not speed. The officer said, "Well first off your windows are tinted too darkly for the state of Utah" Just as a brand new dodge minivan drives by with windows tinted so dark you could only see silhouettes of the driver and front passenger. But I could still see the Utah plates. Then the officer said, "You were also driving too closely behind the semi in front of you." Which unbeknownst to us is 200 ft in Utah. Well the officer takes my sisters information and returns with a ticket for driving to closely behind the semi. Not a warning regarding the law in Utah, a ticket for 50 dollars which we cannot fight because the county is almost 600 miles from our home. So my sister inquires how the officer establishes the distance between us and the truck and he informs us that he counts 1 1/thousand, 2 1/thousand. The police officer was never at any moment had a line of sight with which to perform his most scientific judgement of our distance behind the truck. Oddly the officer was never more than half a car behind us and at no moment were we unable to see the mirrors of the truck in front of us. Which is a reasonable distance to be behind a truck of that size.
My sister suggested to the officer that he should have considered giving us a warning rather than a ticket. He then offered us a ticket for our tinted windows which we kindly declined. Certainly we cannot claim ignorance but we also know that there are millions of lawyers who cannot know every law of every state to the letter. My sister continued to suggest that in other states the officer would have merely informed us of our error and allowed us to be more informed drivers. The officer then suggested to us in a very rude and bully like manner that we not return to the state of Utah. He said, "Perhaps you should not return to the state if you don't like the law here."
The truth is that the officer had no reason to pull us over. We were not breaking any laws whatsoever. He used this local statute, his position, and the fact that we were not of local origin to railroad us into this ticket. We were guilty of the crime of having plates from a state that is a much different population compared to the state of Utah. We cannot fight the ticket because we cannot afford to appear in court in Northern Utah. But it does not mean that it is over. It does not say much for a state which gains so much of its jobs and industry through tourism to have it's police officers harrassing and bullying the very same people who go there and spend money and time. And the last thing you suggest to a tourist is for them not to return. The state is about to host a major international event. Where people from all over the world will be gathered, and if the police officer could not handle a group of people from the state of New Mexico what will he do when the people do not speak English. I think that the officer was sorely dissapointed to find four white travelers in the car and not his picture of a carload of "New Mexicans". Perhaps his county will become wealthy on the backs of tourists by forcing them into fines they cannot fight. I truly fear this kind of action on the part of police officers. This kind of bullying and threats cannot happen. I am in some ways glad that this happened to me and not to some of my hispanic friends. The officer certainly would have been searching the car on whatever sort of trumped up charge. Especially since very few cars in New Mexico do not have tinted windows. The risk to your skin and eyes is too great. For most people it has little to do with trying to hide illegal activities.
I would suggest to any interested readers to avoid a town in Utah called Duchesne (I do not know the name of the county). Any time we have to drive in Utah in the future we are going to attempt to stick to the larger roads and bigger towns and I suggest other drivers do the same. We are going to alert the Senators, Reps and Governor about our experience. I am certain they do not want the tourism in their state to suffer. Although perhaps it already has since my sister and I are now hesitent to return to a state I once claimed to be the most beautiful area of the country. It is somehow overshadowed by the police officers unfriendly and condescending attitute. The town and the state suddenly have a very facsist overtone to me. On the trip home I never thought I would be so happy to see the Welcome to Colorado sign up ahead.
They have sworn to serve you
