This incident happened during morning commute on the Beltway 8 south bound near 290. As I left the toll booth, a Constable (Precint 5, SGT Hubbard) pulls out from the toll area and follows me as I merge on to Beltway 8. Of course I notice a huge Constable SUV as it is following me down beltway 8 so I am aware of my situation. I was cruising at about 70, no more than the flow of traffic although the posted limit is 65. He is basicaly on my *** like a half car length just following me as I change lanes. For 2 miles he rides me and as I change lane to pass up a slower group of cars he follows me to the next exit and hits his siren and lights. I pull over in a gas station and he asks "do you know what the speed limit is and do you know how fast you were going." I replied speed limit is 65 and I was going about 70. He then says did you not see me behind you? I was like yes I saw you from the begining you got behind me. He says he was pacing me (which he was) and I was going 74. Here is where I am pissed, I was going with the flow of the traffic and he rides my *** so I would speed up to change lanes and then pulls me over. I asked one of my Sherriff buddy's to see if he could talk to this guy and make this go away and he tell me that he talked to SGT Hubbard and SGT said I was purposely speeding while he was behind me and if he saw what I was driving (95 Supra TT) he would know why he followed me. So he basicaly followed a nice car and gave me a ticket for 74 (what he says) while I was in uniform (Marines). I respected this guy by saying yes/no sir the whole time while he just acted like a jackass and needed to feel good about what he did. Thanks Constables, great service.

 

Sounds like a real asshat, I would say fight it. A traffic lawyer will cost you about the same as the citation and keep it off your record. A constable was tailgating me this morning on Huffmeister, I just downshifted and took my foot of the gas, he finally got fed up and went flying around me.

 

Yea, dick move for sure but in that case I am not going with the flow of traffic, I'm putting the cruise control on at 60mph and letting him go around me. Has your speedo been calibrated for different tires or gears or anything? That could explain the diff between 70 & 74. I had the same thing happen to me but it was like 40 in a 35, the cop needed his last ticket for the month or something I assumed.

 

I would hire an attorney. You might want to have your speedo checked. If it is off, you can get the ticket dismissed.

BTW, did he write on the ticket that you admitted you were doing 70 in a 65? I had a friend do this once and the ticket stuck because he admitted it. I never tell them that. I always say something like "my speedometer showed I was doing right around 65 (or whatever the speed limit is).

 

If you were doing 70 in a 65 you were speeding reguardless.

 

Online defensive driving?

Don't know why you'd purposely go above the limit if you're aware he's following you...

 

I was going with the flow of traffic. All the cars around me were pacing at 70, some were going up to 75. If I was going 65 then I would have been slowing down all the lanes and would look like an *******. But now knowing that I had a pig on my tail I should have just slowed down to 50.

 

Should have brake checked him for tailgating.

Just go to a local traffic lawyer. Its well under $100 here.

 

Bad part is they will tell you that going with the flow of traffic is still speeding. BUT it is pretty standard practice to allow up to 10mph cushion and anything from 1-5mph over shouldn't be ticketed. A cop only gives you a ticket for 5mph over because they're having a bad day or they needed that ticket.

 

Who cares if you look like a *******. Now you have to get a Lawyer, court and pay a fine for not looking like a *******.

If everyone was going 70-75 and you was only going 70 then he singled you out for a reason.

 

That does suck, I've had my share of a-holes and I have also had some very polite and respectful officers, so you never know. I have had this exact scenario happen to me a few times, and just slowed down to whatever the posted speed limit is, especially when I still had my '00 SS. I had a Trooper follow me for several miles on 249 once, even with people passing the both of us well over the speed limit. He eventually gave up and went on about his business. The next time I think I will do what a friend of mine told me, just exit and pull into a parking lot. If you're getting stopped, may as well get it over with, LOL.

 

Have to agree on this one that you should have slowed down to 65 when he was right behind you. They will let you slide if you're just driving by, but by continuing to speed when he's right behind you it appears that you're either showing him up or just don't give a **** and neither of those are good. Marine uniform should have bought you some credit though. Thanks for your service!

 

I know how you feel. constables will not give any leniency to military members, (im a former marine) especially if you drive what you do. i got 3 speeding tickets, 1 was blatant speeding but the other 2 were like yours. all in a 3 month time span in my 2002 35th anniversary camaro ss. all in pct 5. do you have out of state plates? or and usmc stickers on your car?

 

Texas military plate showing the branch of service.

 

NO F'KING WAY!?!? Was the constable black and called you a 'Soldier' the entire time?

I had the exact same **** in 09 on 290 just off the toll road. ******* 3ft off my bumper for a good 2mi. I had just checked into 1/23, still wearing my alphas, half-ton of gear in my shitty grand am that hadnt been driven for a year. He made me get out on the side of the highway, in uniform, and claimed he smelled something so he pulled everything out of my car, uniforms, packs, etc on the muddy grass, and searched my car. After not finding a single thing wrong, he wrote me a ticket for, get this, 74 in a 70... I went in front of the judge in my chucks, he shook my hand and said "sorry to waste your time Marine" and dismissed the ticket. Constable's name was Booker I think

 

Gentlemen, we have the power of the break check. 3 break checks in one department in a month will stop it happening by cops city-wide.

 

Do you really think you would come out on the winning end of that one ?? LOL

 

exactly, they have the power of the night stick, that would probably be used in a vicious manner should you brake check a smokie...

 

Yes, I fact he was a black dude, named STG Hubbard in Precinct 5. A military hater.

 

Active duty military outranks a cop any day of the week to me. You should have brake-checked him, and made your own arrest on him.