I was over in Mountain View yesterday getting my final alignment at Sonic Motorsports (great shop btw) after new wheels and springs and I had the oddest encounter with a police cruiser on the way home

I left Sonic MS heading out on shoreline blvd towards the 101 N. I immediately had a police cruise pull up behind me on shoreline blvd and tailgate me for 3 or 4 blocks. at the next light he pulls next to me and we exchange head nods, but I could just feel this wasn't a friendly "hello"

Light turns green and the car in front of me pulls away, I pull away matching the speed of the car in front of me. We go another 3 blocks to the next light and the cop is back on my tail. At the next light I'm watching him in my rear view and he's definitely running my plates. At this point I'm just sure I'm getting "profiled"

Light turns green, his lights turn red and blue!

I pull over and a young officer, maybe 25-26 yrs old, comes over and he proceeds to explain to me that he pulled me over for not having front plates and for going over 40 in a 35! are you serious?? I wasn't about to argue with him, that was a debate we could have in court.

He takes my documents and heads back to the squad car and comes back with a fix-it ticket for the front plate and a "warning" but no ticket for doing 41 in a 35 zone

Never had this kind of experience before in my life, and mind you I haven't had front plates on any of my cars in CA for over 10 years and never been stopped for "no front plate and driving 6 mph over the limit". I live in the east bay but is this type of "stop and search" normal in the Palo Alto, Mountain View area?

 

not related city but in burlingame

i got harrased for exhaust. running it for many years....

i got lost in a neighborhood at night and trying to work my way to a freeway entrance. i got pulled over. and harrased but got let go.

and next day put my exhaust for sale....

front plate ive only been poped once during a speeding ticket.

get some double stick tape and go to your nearest officer to get signed off.

he or she can do it from there desk. at the station. they dont care.

and yes fight it in court.

i used a lawyer firm in sacramento recently very good.

 

I drove around Fremont/East Bay side for years never had any problems for no front license plate. Parked one day in Palo Alto and got a fixit ticket.

It wasn't worth it to me to fight the ticket so I just paid it.

 

Interesting feedback from both of you. South Bay seems to have quite a different level of "tolerance" for 6 speeders LOL. I Guess the cops in SF and the east bay have real criminals to chase down while South Bay cops have a lot more time on their hands.

As for the fix it ticket, no point in fighting it, I'll either pay the fine since I did the crime or just get a bolt on like the toe hook plate attachment to pass the inspection but taking it off immediately afterwards

however if I had received a speeding ticket for 41 in a 35 that would have been worth my time in court!

 

I live in Palo Alto and so far have been lucky, no ticket for missing the front license plate. The only time a cop pulled by my side, he said something along the lines of "nice car, I bet I'm still faster". I hope he was kidding...

Your guy must have been bored, bad luck.

 

were you driving over 35mph? rule #1, if a cop is near you, no matter what the speed limit, do not go over. it's an ego thing for some of them. they want you to respect their authority. if the speed limit is 25mph, crawl at 25mph.

 

Yea you gave him a reason to pull you over since you sped.
I bet that he wouldn't have pulled you over for a just having no front plate.
At that age, he's just following the law lol

I had the same issue in DTPA but was in a suit so he just gave me a warning for no front plate. This was awhile back in my nissan

 

From what I can tell, the front plate tickets are hit and miss and seem to be more person (cop) dependent rather than city dependent. Since it's not a big revenue generator, most don't bother. On the other hand, you can also get flagged from parking enforcement too if they're paying attention.

 

What was the exhaust?

 

I've gotten about 3 no front plates ticket in my life, all from parking meter maids...these days I basically won't park on the street.

 

Since '00 I put about 18k miles per year on my car(s) and none have had a front plate.

I have never been pulled over for that, but I do keep it in the trunk. I have been stopped for speeding and they have never inquired.

If I ever get pulled over for the lack of a plate, I tell them where it is and ask if they would like to see it. That can help put them at ease.

Funny how motorcycles don't require them. I wonder if autonomous cars will?

 

I got a front plate ticket in SF driving down Haight St a few months ago. Sometimes I think they just do it to harass you.

 

I have heard parking downtown with no fronts will easily land you a ticket. I have seen a police car coming at me when we both stopped at a light, pull to another lane like he was going to turn and follow me,watch me pass, see my rear and let me go...that's the closest I've been... CA actually seems pretty easy going compared to other states...

 

just to close the loop on this thread. I got my citation from the "California Superior Court" with two options

Pay:
1) $175 for no front plate
2) Install a front plate and take it to a CHP office for confirmation, pay $25 fee for their trouble

I ordered the tow hook plate from US Mills (~$70), installed the plate and took the car to the local CHP office yesterday. Walked in with my citation and was greeted by a chubby, jolly officer at the window. He took my citation and escorted me out to inspect the car.

We walked out and he asked me to identify my car, I pointed at my turbo and from 20 feet away he stopped in his tracks and said "you ain't gonna leave that on but for a minute. You're taking that off as soon as I sign this paper, let's go"

I literally burst into spontaneous laughter, he totally called me out! we both started laughing, I told him he was right and I may be back a few more times

we walked back, he signed the citation and that was that. funny end to ridiculous story

- Art

 

i have gotten few no front plate citations. almost all of them came from SF parking or CHP. they are just busting you to fill their quota. the young CHPs love fishing small violations that won't be contested. easy win for them. it's just that simple. cops get dinged for excessive losses in courts and they have to fill their quota.

dont go to CHP for fix it ticket sign off. they issue no front plate tickets more than anyone else. instead, local PD is the way to go. I use zip ties and even 3M tape and they have no issue with that! if anyone needs more info, PM me. i will set you up.