"Just saw an episode of cops"...
The officer tried to pull over a silver Subaru legacy that he suspected of being stolen because "the rear window was down but was leaning over at a strange angle and appeared to have been pulled down and out of it's tracks." (or words to that effect).
Thing is, my wife has exactly the same car, and I just went out to the garage, wound the rear window down, and found that the "strange angle" is normal for that model of car. As the window winds down the leading edge drops down further than the trailing edge becuase of the location of the rear wheel.
So, as it turns out, this officer initiated a traffic stop based upon an observation that he thought was suspicious but that turns out to be normal. He WAS right about the car being stolen.
So, what impact does this have on the current arrest, and any future stops that this officer might make based upon the 'strange angle' claim?
Can the stop be ruled improper based upon the fact that the suspicious activity was actually normal? Or does the fact that the officer made the stop in good faith override the fact that he was mistaken?
The officer tried to pull over a silver Subaru legacy that he suspected of being stolen because "the rear window was down but was leaning over at a strange angle and appeared to have been pulled down and out of it's tracks." (or words to that effect).
Thing is, my wife has exactly the same car, and I just went out to the garage, wound the rear window down, and found that the "strange angle" is normal for that model of car. As the window winds down the leading edge drops down further than the trailing edge becuase of the location of the rear wheel.
So, as it turns out, this officer initiated a traffic stop based upon an observation that he thought was suspicious but that turns out to be normal. He WAS right about the car being stolen.
So, what impact does this have on the current arrest, and any future stops that this officer might make based upon the 'strange angle' claim?
Can the stop be ruled improper based upon the fact that the suspicious activity was actually normal? Or does the fact that the officer made the stop in good faith override the fact that he was mistaken?
Comment