Just made a trip this last weekend to Chicago & back on the Ohio Turnpike from the Cleveland, Oh area. I've made this trip many times, but never in the Crossfire (04' SSB). Got pulled over in Elyria (an old rust-belt suburb of Lorain) by the State Highway Patrol. I've always had respect for these guys because of the risk they take on this highway. It's the major East - West route through Ohio. However, my attitude had changed.

It was early Sunday morning with little traffic. I was exactly at the speed limit & no other infractions. I was pulled over because I have no front plate (the car is ugly with it & reportedly the requirement for a front plate will be dropped in '06). I had the plate in the car & have driven this car for nearly 2 years without it installed. However, the "officer" thought it was important that I have one & commented that I had 2 years to take care of it & that was enough time. I asked if I could place the plate in the windshield for my trip to Chicago. He indicated it would be OK & smiled at me as he gave me the $200 minor misdemeanor citation.
I guess he had nothing better to do on a Sunday morning.

Two days later, I returned home from Chicago being extra careful the entire trip. The errant plate was now placed clearly in the right side of the windshield and I monitored my speed, etc. even more carefully. No problems until I reached the exact same mile marker (opposite side of the road) in Elyria on the Ohio Turnpike where another "officer" was "assisting" a troubled vehicle. The officer was the only one visible on the berm & was directing traffic to move into the adjacent lane. Unfortunately, I was driving cautiously in the far right lane next to the berm & had traffic near me in the lane to the left. I passed him reducing my speed further and saw no problem or risk in the situation. However, about 30 seconds later, I get pulled over again.

This officer was the one on the berm & indicated to me that he was going to give me a warning about not "using caution when approaching an emergency vehicle", but he was going to give me a citation for not having my front plate mounted properly. After some difficulty in getting him to listen to me regarding my earlier citation for the plate, he agreed to then give me a warning for the plate & would now site me for "not moving into the adjacent lane". Another $200 minor misdemeanor citation. He refused to allow me to explain the conflict with the traffic next to me & when I asked him what he was going to do about all the traffic currently passing us in the adjacent lane, he responded "nothing he could do about it".

My point about all of this is that I believe the "patrol" has a revenue crusade on & the Crossfire is easy to pick out of traffic & there are so few of them. Little chance to get them confused with other vehicles.

If anyone else has experience anything like this, I like to hear about it. I am seriously considering selling the car if it continues to get this kind of exposure. This was an expensive trip.

 

We know this car draws attention, but that is unbelievable. I feel bad for what you have gone through.

 

I've had many similar cases but to a greater extent since my car has some ext. mods on top of it being the only SRT6 in the area. (My biggest trouble is changing lanes since people like to seem to keep up on the side of my car). Also I remember getting pulled over in my Merc. a long while back by a rookie cop, and even by his own words, just wanted to check out my "cool" car.

So unless you plan on buying a base Dodge Neon, Focus, Accent, etc. get used to the attention, both wanted and unwanted...

 

It hasn't happened to me yet in the XF (knock on wood) but it did happen to me 2 years ago on Labor Day while driving my '96 Viper GTS. My wife and I were going west on 224 just a mile east of the Wadsworth exit doing exactly 65 mph (because the old lady in front of me wouldn't go 1 penny over) when we came around a curve, and just 3 feet off the road in the median sat one of Ohio's finest. Well the old lady naturally slammed on the brakes (for no reason) then promptly moved over into the right lane. Which would have been OK if there wasn't a car already filling the space she took. That's right, she ran a car completely off the road. Well I sped back up to 65 as soon as I could, watching the "Bear" in my mirror come flying out of his spot to apprehend the little old lady. But nooo...he went right by her and flew up behind me with his lights flashing.

When I pulled over I shut the car off and unbuckled my seat belt to get my wallet out. He came up to me and of course asked for my license and registration. He then proceeded to tell me that he pulled me over, because I didn't have a front license plate, my seat belt wasn't buckled, and I didn't have a county sticker on my rear plate either. I informed him I always wear my seat belt, and he simply didn't see it because I was wearing a black shirt, and in the Viper the belt goes over the drivers right shoulder not the left. I also pointed out that I had a number on my rear plate instead of the usual county sticker that's spelled out. He then told me that I still wasn't wearing my belt. I then asked him if he had ever seen a Viper with a front plate, because they don't come from the factory with a front bracket. He told me they had too. I told him well they don't. He of course told me that they did and that was that. He then told me he was just going to issue me a warning and that I had better get a plate mounted on the front as soon as possible. I told him that I would get right on it. Then he asked me how I liked my car, and how fast have I had it up to? In the most "innocent" voice I could come with I said, "Officer, I would never go over the posted speed limits, that would be against the law." He just looked at me for a couple of seconds then said, "Yeah...right". Then he turned and walked back to his cruiser. When I pulled out I got "into it" as much as I could without it breaking the tires loose until I got up 65 again. He pulled out behind me at exactly the same time, but I had already put about 7 or 8 car lengths on him by the time I got up to speed. He came right up behind me again and followed me for about 10 more miles. My wife said I was lucky he didn't pull me over again for showing off. I told her the only reason he pulled us over was to ask us about the car and to brag to all his fellow "bears" that he got a chance to bust a snake that day. I still haven't got a front plate. You think the XF looks bad with one, the Viper look down right awful!

I'm sorry to hear about what happened to you last weekend, sounds like they really "railroaded" you. I'd fight it in court, not the plate charge, but the other citation. Don't bother putting the plate on, just go to a Chrysler dealer and order one and carry the order form with you. If you get stopped again just show them the order form and tell em it's on back order. (I thought not having a front plate was just a $40 fine)?

 

It seems to me also that the $200.00 fine is a bit stiff. Makes me not want to travel in the Crossfire anywhere here in the state if they are going to be that way. But I have to tell you I do have my front plate on the car for that reason...just don't want the hassle of getting pulled over without it. Just gives them a reason to pull the Crossfire over. Don't get rid of the car though because of this...that isn't fair to you if you love the car.

 

What a shame, most cops are good people, but you do get the occasional "IDIOT WITH A GUN". I got pulled over in Delaware @ 8 pm for a so called improper lane change. The cop was maybe 24 and was shocked when he discovered The Driver was a 57 year old guy. I know he was expecting a kid. He was belligerent and basically made an as* of himself. I wasn't doing anything, he hoped it was a kid so he could search for drugs. I have discovered that is a popular stop now. It was a $40.00 fine with 1 point. I haven't had a ticket in over 25 years and his comment when he discovered that was, "You have just been real lucky up till now, I'll be watching out for you". I explained to him that saying that, constituted the basis for a harassment complaint and that if he stopped me again, I would file charges against him. That was 8 months ago and I drive over there all the time and haven't seen him since.

 

Cops are just as*holes sometimes...someone gets a power trip and runs with it.

Similar story happened to my and my wife when we were on our motorcycles. We have those flasher/modulators on our headlights so they switch hi/lo beam constantly (for safety) and just riding along a highway some state trooper pulled us over and said, they were for emergency vehicles only. He even pulled out his TN law book and showed me the passage which read (paraphrasing here) "emergency and police vehicles are only permitted to use RED OR BLUE flashing lights and only under emergency situations". It didn't say anything about using your regular headlight...so we got a $500 dollar ticket (2 counts $250 each) and went to court. Ended up beating it costing us $250 for a lawyer and a wasted day at court...just because someone wanted to be an as*hole.

I'm sure you guys have seen a bike with a flashing headlight... that's exactly the point - YOU SEEN the bike and didn't pull out in front of him.

I'm so glad TN doesn't have a front plate rule...

 

i live in ohio and know the highway patrol can be strict. (ohio is know for this). i agree...you were treated unfairly.

i have been driving without a front plate for 10 years. i have been pulled over a couple times but no tickets (knock on wood). i always state, the bumper was just replaced at the body shop and they have the bracket is on order. this has worked so far. having a white crossfire helps as well, a white plate would blend...not being so obvious. a dark color car is very noticeable without a plate...you look for the beacon. i was told the cost of a no plate ticket was about $90. but this varies upon city, police dept, etc.

the crossfire looks like crap with a front plate imo (law or no law).

 

Yet another reason why OSP are the biggest ****** out there, regardless of their job! I wish I didn't have to drive through that state to get anywhere, but going all the way around it is just stupid, so I pay close attention while in the state of Ohio. Sorry if I offended anyone who has a relative or loved one working for the OSP, but what can I say. I'm surprised they don't have the death penalty for speeding, I bet they tried though. When they "just have to write you a ticket" it gives more credence to the "quota" theory.

 

I know plenty of cops and almost all of them are ******. I hate cops despite the dangerous job. Heck there are other people that do dangerous jobs to and they don't have the power to abuse you.

Yeah yeah, there are good ones but most of the time they are harassing people. And please spare me the whole 9/11 backlash.

 

Out in CA having no front plate is a $10 court fee and a "fix-it" ticket.

My husband got pulled over once driving a company Crossfire with a manufacturing plate on it. The officer argued with him that it should have a front plate, after he proceeding to politely inform him that you only get ONE plate when it's a manufacturer's car. He was a complete di*k and despite all of the paperwork (insurance, registration, license) he decided to run the VIN and anything else he could find to run through his computer. Anyways, although it was only a huge inconvenience, there are cops out there who will just go over to any car that stands out just to ruin your day and have a chance to pull a power trip.

I had way more run-ins and problems with cops when I had my Eclipse (out in CA, not AZ)than I did with the Crossfire - and most were just for the fun of harassing me. AZ doesn't require a front plate, and the cars I've had in CA I've never put it on and I definitely don't plan on starting any time soon either.

I'm really sorry for your troubles and hope you are able to get it somewhat resolved.

 

Didn't I hear that "Death penalty" quote before? It seems like Brock Yates said something like, "As far as we know they haven't enacted the death penalty for speeding yet, but we're not sure about Ohio", in his cameo appearance in the Movie, Cannon Ball run? (where's movie buff Saskins when we need him?) Just busting your ***** AERO. LOL

 

This is precisely why I left my front plate on the car. It may be ugly, but it's one less excuse and officer has for pulling me over.

 

That's what crossed my mind when I read the previous posts ... lol. Great movie!

Sorry to read about your troubles you had, jpgp51.
I had a similar experience, luckily my one turned out the other way round. So I guess it depends on troopers and not the car itself.
That's my post in an older thread:

 

I'd really like to thank everyone that responded for their comments. I admit I now feel somewhat paranoid every time I drive by a cop. But just telling the story helped to relieve some of the shock & anger. What I didn't mention is that I have not had even a parking ticket in the last 25 years. My wife & I drive quite a bit and we have 3 other cars including an '04 Tundra dbl.cab, an '04 Jag X-type & a '93 Mr2 (no turbo). None get the attention of the Crossfire. Even my wife's Mr2 which has only has 50M miles on it & looks new.

The more I review my action that resulted in the second ticket, I would consider contesting it. However, I realize that even if the "officer" doesn't show up, or if I make my case & get it dismissed, there would be some court costs in addition to my time & effort to prep & prove my case. I don't know if I mentioned it earlier, but I checked with 5 other communities covered by the Highway Patrol and asked what similar citations cost under a waiver of a court appearance and found that they ranged from $85 to $125. AND, a speeding ticket in Elyria up to 30 mph over the limit would only range from $110 to $180!!! All less than the $200 each for the 2 "minor misdemeanor" citations I received. IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE other than prove that this is a money-maker for a greedy little community like Elyria, Ohio.

I still love the Crossfire. It is truly an enjoyable touring vehicle to drive & look at.

However, I've decided that ...I will be even more careful in the future, move on and get over this, have less respect for the Ohio SHP (but not show it) & STAY OUT OF ELYRIA & off the Ohio Turnpike whenever I can avoid it.

Thanks again for all your help & responses.

JPG

 

This is a clear example of them (LEA) having the mandate to generate income for the City, County, Township, State... Here in CA, they have mandated the enforcement of front plates because the state has started installing camera systems at intersections which will remotely cite you for "pushing" the yellow light. They can't cite you if you don't have a front plate that the camera can take a picture of...

LEA has now become a method of generating income for its governing body... $200 there, $140 there...it all adds-up... I've been privvy to the conversations at the county level... It is strictly to generate income, not safeguard the public...

 

Income under the guise of safe guarding your safety - try the Police & Speed Cameras in the UK.

"The Home Office figures show that police are increasingly more likely to issue penalties instead of written warnings for less serious offences. Only 6,000 written warnings for speeding were issued in 2003, compared with 35,000 in 1997"

"Speed cameras are netting more than £20m a year profits for the Treasury, it has been reported.

The number of fixed penalty fines issued in England and Wales has risen seven-fold from around 260,000 in 2000-2001 to 1.8 million in 2003-2004, according to figures obtained by The Daily Telegraph.

Motorists caught by the cameras have three points added to their license and pay a £60 fixed penalty.

Councils can keep revenue from fines to cover costs. But they cannot profit from them and any surpluses go to the Treasury.

The number of speed cameras has now reached about 6,000 across the country, 2,500 of them mobile.

The Government has defended speed cameras, saying they improve road safety."

We get 12 points - I drive through 12 cameras on my round trip to work and back!

 

Speed cameras...my first encounter with them was in Germany, back in the early 80's. My wife was driving my Mustang 5.0 and did not slow down as she passed a city limits sign, the beginning of a reduced speed.

The camera was hidden in the left headlight capsule of a supposedly stalled car parked on the road side with it's hood open.

I had a German friend tell me to fight the citation since it was in my name as the owner of the car. Under German law, at that time, I did not have to identify the operator of the car, if that person were a close relative, and I could prove I was not driving. I was at work, so that was easy. I sent the German court a letter, in English, with the facts, and received one from them about 3 months later dismissing the citation.

I have no problem with cameras at traffic light intersections which have a high accident rate. The brain dead are alive and well. Just the other day I saw a male driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee, with three kids in it, stop at an intersection with a traffic light. He looked both ways, and then proceeded to drive through the red light! Great example for his kids who will, I am sure, be just as good a driver as dad.

 

Just because they are greedy bastages doesn't make speeding right. I can't understand the issue with any means of catching people either exceeding the speed limit or (especially) running traffic lights. It the limit is 45 and you go 60 the police should be able to prove it and you should pay the price. I especially get peeved when someone runs a red light; it happens way-y-y more often than not. I am all for cameras at traffic lights and hope we can somehow get people to go back to the concept of Red light = STOP! Green light = Go.

Now I admit I often drive faster than the limit - but I don't think I drive irresponsibly. That said, if I get caught - I'll pay the fine and move on.

...and keep my radar detector ON!!!

 

I got a speeding ticket in Jackson, Michigan last month. I was driving a rental, a Toyota SUV, so both the passenger and I were very visible. I was about 5-8 mph over the speed limit but I was being passed by a red T-bird. Guess who got the ticket?
After the officer left, I mentioned to the colleague who was traveling with me that I had never gotten a ticket before. He told me that when he came here from India 8 years ago he never got stopped but since 9/11 he says he gets stopped every few months although he's only gotten a few tickets.
I think I know why I got the ticket and not the T-bird.