red states rule
06-17-2009, 05:55 AM
Seems the Police are becoming more and more like a revenue source for the state - not locking up criminals and getting them off the street
Flashing Lights Gets Maryland Motorist $50 Ticket
BETHESDA, Md. (WUSA) -- Mark Zaid ran across a speed trap on a stretch of Westlake Road where they're fairly common one Sunday afternoon in April on his way to a Nationals Game with his family.
He says, "Cars approaching me were flashing their light, so I flashed my headlights back."
As he got around the next corner, another officer stepped into the road and pulled him over and said, "I could have given you
a ticket for interfering with a police investigation, but instead I'm going to cite you for prohibited use of headlights. It's a $50 ticket with no points on your license."
We found the statute the Montgomery County Police officer used to cite Zaid in the 2008 edition of the Maryland Vehicle law handbook--Chapter 22--Section 227--paragraph c--but it doesn't have anything to do with flashing headlights--for any reason.
Zaid who is a constitutional law attorney says, "What the statute pertains to is vehicles with flashing strobe lights, think fire trucks and law enforcement vehicles."
Montgomery County Police spokesman Lt. Paul Starks confirmed that.
"There's no Maryland law that says you can't flash your lights to warn someone about a speed trap is there?" asks 9NEWS NOW.
http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=87397&catid=158
Flashing Lights Gets Maryland Motorist $50 Ticket
BETHESDA, Md. (WUSA) -- Mark Zaid ran across a speed trap on a stretch of Westlake Road where they're fairly common one Sunday afternoon in April on his way to a Nationals Game with his family.
He says, "Cars approaching me were flashing their light, so I flashed my headlights back."
As he got around the next corner, another officer stepped into the road and pulled him over and said, "I could have given you
a ticket for interfering with a police investigation, but instead I'm going to cite you for prohibited use of headlights. It's a $50 ticket with no points on your license."
We found the statute the Montgomery County Police officer used to cite Zaid in the 2008 edition of the Maryland Vehicle law handbook--Chapter 22--Section 227--paragraph c--but it doesn't have anything to do with flashing headlights--for any reason.
Zaid who is a constitutional law attorney says, "What the statute pertains to is vehicles with flashing strobe lights, think fire trucks and law enforcement vehicles."
Montgomery County Police spokesman Lt. Paul Starks confirmed that.
"There's no Maryland law that says you can't flash your lights to warn someone about a speed trap is there?" asks 9NEWS NOW.
http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=87397&catid=158