In the words of one of my favorite entertainers, Dennis Miller...
"I don't wanna get off on a rant here..."
BUT I am getting fed up already. My daily is a modified Volkswagen Golf and in the past 12 months — particularly in my hometown — I've been the subject of relentless police attention. I've been pulled over at least a handful of times for tints, — which are illegal on the front windows in New Jersey — and even a "noisey muffler."
The latter was dismissed as the vehicle is equipped with the OEM catalytic converter and the modified exhaust is a cat-back with two resonators.
I take full responsibility for the tints. I know it's against the law; however, I do work in an urban area where vehicles are broken into. I like having privacy and another deterrent from a thief smashing my windows — tinted windows are not fun for a thief trying to commit a quick snatch and run. Not to mention that vehicles with tinted glass on all windows has, essentially, become commonplace in New Jersey due to a lack of enforcement. Now the thin blue line wants to make up for lost time as local municipalities tighten their budgets.
Now while I took yesterday's ticket in stride, I got a bit chafed when I spoke to Agent 001 today. That's because one of his attorney friends from his his old neck of the woods in New York state noted in a message:
As many of you know, I am an criminal defense attorney. It has come to my attention that many people are getting pulled over for reasons that were not used even a year ago.
These include: 1) Throwing a cigarette out the window. 2) ANY item hanging from your rear view mirror. 3) Your license plate light broken.
I am not saying that this is wrong...but please be advised when you and your wife are on your way home from a dinner after having a few cocktails
So, we want to know: Are cops NITPICKING more and MORE in YOUR neighborhood? AND, if it is becoming a problem is it RIGHT?