I Won't Back Down

Let me tell you an entertaining little story.  On Sunday I was driving home in the late evening across the debatably-great state of Illinois.  I was west of Joliet maybe 10 or 15 miles.  I had just stopped to fuel up a few miles back and was getting back into the driving groove and thinking about the good weekend that was coming to a close.  I actually didn't have any music playing in the car, and I believe I was doing minimal bee-bopping to any music that was in my head.

Suddenly I hear my cell phone start to ring in the center console.  At almost the same time, I see a cop in the median.  I started to reach for my phone, but then thought better of it because I couldn't remember what the law is in Illinois for talking on your cell phone.  I also tapped the brakes a little bit at this time because I was doing maybe 70 or 71 mph.  At this time I also racked my brain trying to remember if the speed limit was 65 or 55 and was 80% sure the speed limit was 65 mph.  All of this happened in the space of seconds as I drove by.  There was no immediate movement of the cop car and he didn't turn his lights on, so I was hoping I was home free.  After I disappeared from the cop's view over a rise, I answered my cell phone and made sure I was only going 67 mph or so just in case.

It was Mom on the phone checking my travel progress.  We talked for a few minutes, and then a car comes up behind me and starts riding my tail pretty closely.  I've had a cop do that one other time to me, so I resisted the urge to speed up to try to get his lights from being so bright in my rear view mirror.  I didn't know if it was a cop or not at that point, but I was starting to get a bad feeling about it.  I maintained my slow speed for a while longer, and then the cop turned on the red and blue lights.  "Gotta go Mom, the cops are pulling me over."  The phone goes back in the center console as I pull over just in case it's illegal to talk on the phone while driving.

As I wait for the cop to walk up to my window, I reach into the glove box and get my car registration.  I also get my wallet out of my pocket so I'm fully prepared.  The cop introduces himself and asks for my license and registration.  As I get my license out of my wallet, he says, "I pulled you over partly because you were doing 69 in a 65 zone, but more so because I thought it looked like you weren't wearing your seat belt."  I told him that I had been wearing my seat belt and that I always wear my seat belt.  This was a true statement.  He kind of asks again in a different way if I was wearing my seat belt.  "Yes, I was wearing my seat belt.  I always do."

He asks me where I'm going, so I tell him home and what state I live in.  Then he asks where I'm coming from.  I tell him.  He asks me to come back to his car while he runs the paperwork and that he'll probably just give me a warning.  He says I can stand outside his car's passenger window (people like to stretch their legs) or have a seat in the car if I want.  I choose to stand outside.

Back at his car he tells me that they watch for people carrying drugs from west to east across Illinois because of my state's law that allows the sale of medicinal marijuana.  Does my state still have the legal marijuana law?  I tell him I'm not sure.  "I know for a while we had a place in town that sold it, but it closed for some reason, and I haven't heard much about the law recently, so I really don't know."  I'm not involved in narcotics, am I?  "No, I'm not involved in that stuff."  So you wouldn't mind if I search your car?

"Yes, I do mind."  The cop asks why.  "Just on basic principle."  And what principle is that?  I tell him, "The principle that you're not allowed to illegally search or seize my car."  I could hear my ex-boyfriend's voice in my head telling me to never let them search my car because even though you aren't intentionally doing anything illegal, sometimes you don't know what may have accidentally been left in your car by a passenger or someone you loaned your car to.  I don't know if maybe Bex accidentally left some of her drug paraphernalia in the car.  Or maybe Dad forgot his concealed carry weapon in there or something.  Maybe it was Bex's homemade granola bar wrapped in plastic wrap on the passenger seat that made him suspect drugs (it could be some really special granola).  Plus, I didn't want to deal with them tearing apart my car when I just wanted to drive home.  They can tear your whole car apart and then leave you to deal with the mess when they're done.

So I stand there outside the window for several minutes while the cop does his thing with his computer and radio and asks me the occasional question.  So where was I coming from again?  Is that where I'm from?  What is my current address?  What do I do in the state where I live?  What kind of engineer am I?  He didn't ask these all at once.  They were spaced out with maybe a question every couple minutes.  I was starting to suspect he had Googled me or had a background check pulled up on his computer screen that he was comparing my answers to.  He also seemed to be intentionally getting things mixed up about where I had come from and where I was going - almost as if he was trying to intentionally get me to say conflicting information.

After a while of this, I see a cop car going in the opposite direction on the interstate with his lights flashing.  I'm beginning to wonder if I got caught in some speed trap or something.  Soon I see that cop car turn around and pull up behind the first cop.  Hmmm.....interesting.  I must look pretty threatening in my denim skirt and cable knit sweater.  The second cop gets out of his vehicle and goes around to the passenger side of it.  He opens the door and gets his German shepherd out of his vehicle.  The second cop and the dog go past us up to my car.  As they start circling my car, the first cop gives me the paperwork to sign.  He's only giving me a warning for the speeding and the seat belt.  He thought he saw me reach for the seat belt, but I say I was wearing my seat belt, so he can't be sure.  Therefore I'm just getting a warning.  Nice.  I sign the paper, and eventually he gives me my copy of the paper after the dog is done sniffing.  I'm free to go.

As I'm walking back to the car and waiting for the traffic to be clear so I can get into my car, I see a third cop car with his lights on pull up behind the second car.  Sorry buddy, false alarm.  Better luck next time.  I drive away and keep the speed reasonable and my seat belt on until I'm out of that state.