Woman Arrested for Warning People About Speed Trap!

Just one more example of police being screwed up.

Houston woman Natalie Plummer was arrested for obstruction of justice, and had her backpack searched illegally, all because she made a sign warning motorists of a speed trap in Houston.

Police are supposed to protect and serve, not harass, illegally search and arrest citizens.

A woman tried to save drivers from getting ticketed by police and instead ended up in jail herself. Now she claims she was wrongfully arrested.

After a few minutes, Plummer claims one of the officers drove up, jumped from his car and started pulling at her backpack. She says he searched it without consent, and then arrested her.

"He was telling me he was taking me to jail for obstructing justice, that was an automatic three to five years," Plummer recalled.

Source

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reply to post by UltimateSkeptic1


That was not obstruction of justice!

That was clearly an obstruction of revenue gathering conducted against the Houston PD!

I say good for her, I hate speed traps (gotta love the 'trap' part there). She was trying to help her fellow citizens out and she paid the price for it, but what she was going was civily, and I think morally, right.

Speed trap = Money.
Holding up a sign = Less money

Amswer: Arrest the person holding the sign.


In the UK truckers hold a hand against the screen with the thumb pointing down to indicate to other truckers theres a speed trap....just something I heard, I'd never do it

There was a case just like this years back. I'm going to try to find it. The police were found at fault and to have no authority to arrest the person.

I didn't know that was illegal to warn motorists to slow down.
Perhaps they should arrest a few traffic lights.

If her sign would have read "Slow down" it would have been considered a public service. But since she was reaching into their pockets they got upset. Ridiculous.

Another example is that you can get a ticket for flashing your headlights warning drivers of hidden police cars.

reply to post by UltimateSkeptic1



I applaud her for trying to help her fellow human beings...but I also think she was foolish in how she went about warning people.

here in Vancouver our news station 1130AM takes calls for people to warn where the speedtraps are.
every 10 minutes we get a good solid warning on the whereabouts, pinpoint locales.
they tell us where like 4-5 of them are throughout the metropolitan area.

I don't see how she was obstructing justice.

She was alerting drivers to monitor their speed and keep it under the posted limit. That, just in case the police need a reminder, is a good thing.

What this story does is remind the rest of us citizens that the police aren't checking speeds to insure someone's safety. They are collecting revenue for the government.

What she did most probably had the effect of slowing down vehicles. Therefore she was doing a public service. Who knows, may even have prevented an accident or two. I like to see them deal with her lawyers.

Seems like the courts ruled it's a freedom of speech thing like flashing your headlights and it's not against the law

reply to post by UltimateSkeptic1


Respectfully, I will have to disagree, I'm afraid.. I would say they acted correctly, in respect of interfering with speed enforcement, at least.

Though I'm not sure what searching her back pack had to do with the matter. Possibly some facts missing here ?

Here in the UK, warning other traffic of police speed traps, usually by flashing your headlights to oncoming traffic, could get you arrested.

Though flashing headlights has no meaning in the UK highway code, we do flash headlights here for a variety of reasons, we usually understand the use, given the situation.

Anyway, if you aren't speeding, what's the problem ?

reply to post by mikellmikell


Flashing of headlights is a moving violation, so technically it is not against the law but you will get ticketed if you are caught doing it

In England people tend to flash their lights on and off a few times which means a speed trap is near by, and if your caught doing it you will be arrested and fined.

Money makes the world go round

reply to post by UltimateSkeptic1


Woman Arrested for Indulging her Ego and Stroking her Self Importance

next time make a proper sign, nail it to pole, hammer pole into ground and make a quick get away

Originally posted by dxdydz
There was a case just like this years back. I'm going to try to find it. The police were found at fault and to have no authority to arrest the person.

There's this guy here who flashed his lights: Flashing lights to warn of speed trap protected under first amendment

This is gold right here:

At an earlier hearing Circuit Judge Alan Dickey said, "If the goal of the traffic law is promote safety and not to raise revenue, then why wouldn't we want everyone who sees a law enforcement officer with a radar gun in his hand, blinking his lights to slow down all those other cars?" reported The Crime Report.

Right? Right!

Too often police act on what they just dont like rather than act on the law and it ends up costing municipalities money in settlements and further spreads the rift of trust between the cops and the non-cops.

But hey, contempt of cop is important. Dont want them feeling all butt-hurt all the time throwing fits left and right.

reply to post by UltimateSkeptic1


We have the same crap in the UK-its a big no no to tell another driver there is a speed camera.

I hearby claim all official speed camera signs illegal under the same law.



You illegal goverment sign you!!
How dare you warn drivers of speed cameras!!

Double standard,revenue thieving low life bureaucratic,hypocritical,greedy sons of you know what of a so called government.
Idiots,the whole lot of them.

So basically the police's motto is 'step on the gas, we need more money, and if someone get hurts it's not our problem' lol. Another stupidity from them.
Someone tell me, is this illegal?

Originally posted by MrJohnSmith
reply to post by UltimateSkeptic1

 

Respectfully, I will have to disagree, I'm afraid.. I would say they acted correctly, in respect of interfering with speed enforcement, at least.

Anyway, if you aren't speeding, what's the problem ?

edit on 29-6-2012 by MrJohnSmith because: (no reason given)

Seriously? What's the problem?

Here in America we have this thing called freedom of speech. The 1st Amendment. The woman was simply holding a sign.

Do you really think it's interfering with "speed enforcement" by warning drivers to slow down?

Is this really the standards U.K. citizens accept from their government?

Exactly the point !
They must have just gotten peeved at the obstruction of revenue, and decided to harrass the defenceless girl instead.....
Im surprised the officer didnt have to taze her into submission or spray her with mace......
A 110 pound girl is a dangerous crinimal you know...especially armed with a piece of wrapping paper.....
When you flash yer lights be carefull to just turn your headlights off and on quickly without turning your warning and tail lights off...this way anyone behind you is unaware of you flashing the oncomming traffic......