Quote:
Originally Posted by Traum
I am going to play the devil's advocate a bit, and point out that the officer is probably not satisfied with the answers you've provided him with. "Okay" and "Several different places" can easily be considered as vague and/or dismissive answers that don't really carry any meaning to them. So IMO, from his perspective, you were really being non-compliant / un-cooperative. Attempts to file a complaint on those grounds would probably be insufficient. At a minimum, I think it would be difficult to use that non-compliant accusation as grounds for complaint because it would simple degenerate into a he-says-you-says.
IMO, the "I'm the one asking the questions" issue might provide better grounds to file a complaint on. Officers are supposed to be professionals, not dicks with a ticket book and a gun. Even if we were to assume that you are guilty of violating the MVA, there is no place for the officer to go on a power trip the way he did. It is unnecessary and escalates the tension instead of de-escalating it. In other words, it is completely unprofessional. The lack of professionalism while on duty is something you can certainly complaint on.
The lack of automotive knowledge might also be something that would result in a meaningful and admissible complaint. I don't expect officers to be auto mechanics, but when they are issuing you a citation on the mechanical functionality of your vehicle, I think it is fair to at least expect a basic level of mechanical knowledge as you have pointed out. "There is no suspension" is a wholly inaccurate and non-factual statement to make, and while I am not surprised by officers making false accusations towards potential suspects, it can again be used as something to challenge the officer on for his lack of professionalism while on duty.
Lastly, the threatening with Box 1 & tow could again be used (by you) as grounds to complaint about his power tripping tendencies -- as in, how he is once again losing his cool and his professionalism when he has been challenged and proven wrong (by you regarding his weak automotive knowledge). The obvious counter argument he can make here is that he is simply stating to you that he has the legal authority to issue those citations, and he is not wrong in that regard.
Good luck with your re-inspection as well as your complaint. I hope you would pursue with the complaint even though it is a draining and labourious process that might well be fruitless. But if we were to hope for any chance to end this (or at least see some meaninful change), I think the automotive community has to push back as much as we can.
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Thanks for the suggestions, I appreciate your input. As for your counter argument about our initial encounter, I feel like me saying "okay" isn't being dismissive, It was simply an acknowledgement of what he just said. Also he kept asking me where my car was done but never clarified what he meant even after I asked. I understand that it may be obvious to most as to what he was asking, but in the moment I wasn't sure if it was that or if he was asking who passed my previous VI. I can't recall if this is the moment that he said "he was the one asking the questions" when I asked for clarification.