The other day I was driving through a neighboring town that has a rather busy main street, when I saw, in my rearview, that a state trooper was speeding up behind me, lights flashing, sirens blaring. I pulled over to let the car pass. Obviously there was a crime happening and I’m not one to step in the way of the law. Instead of speeding past, however, the police car pulled up behind me. It was me they were after. I did a quick inventory of my driving behavior. I hadn’t been speeding or talking on my phone. I wasn’t drinking, littering, fornicating, firing weapons, sleeping behind the wheel, smoking bath salts. No, I was just driving along, minding my own business.
When the officer arrived at my window, he asked to see my license and registration which I immediately produced for him.
“Your registration is expired,” the officer informed me.
“Oh no,” I said. Then, “Why did you pull me over? Was I speeding?”
“No,” he replied. “Your registration is expired.”
We don’t have registration stickers on our license plates in Connecticut anymore, so I had no idea how the officer knew my registration was expired. I explained to the officer that I didn’t know that it was expired. I apologized and told him that I would have it taken care of immediately.
“Do you have somebody who can come and get you?” he asked.
“Really, you’re not going to let me drive home?”
“Not with an unregistered car, no,” he said.
“Okay, well, I guess my husband can come and get me.”
Somehow, I had it in my mind that I wasn’t allowed to drive the car, but somebody else could.
Why did I think that? I’m just not the brightest bulb.
I called Denis and told him to bring a friend to drive my car back to the house. While I was on this call, the trooper had returned to his vehicle and a huge tow truck had pulled up. This wasn’t one of those trucks that pulls your car along behind. No, it was the kind that pulls your car up onto a long flatbed that is designed to carry several cars. I saw the driver, who was stopping traffic, shouting something to the cop, and the cop shouted something back. This guy has a lot of nerve, interrupting a cop in the middle of writing a traffic citation, thought I. Then the driver of the rig got out of his vehicle and walked over to my window.
“What town do you live in?” he asked
I told him, and he said, quite apologetically, that he wouldn’t be able to tow my car to my town.
“OH! That’s so sweet of you!” I gushed. (I wish I was joking about this, those were my exact words). ”My husband’s coming to get me, so I’m all set.”
I thought the man was some kind of good Samaritan who had been passing by, and, sensing, somehow, that I wasn’t going to be allowed to drive my car home, was kindly offering to tow it for me. I had only been pulled over a few minutes prior, so it seemed like a coincidence that he happened to drive by.
“Okay,” said the driver, and he got back in his rig. The police officer returned to my window and gave me my ticket. He told me that I had to pay it within ten days and that I needed to get my registration renewed before I could drive the car again. I told him that I would. The officer then returned to his car and that’s when I saw that the tow truck had pulled up right in front of me and that the driver had slanted the bed of the truck down toward my car, as if he intended to tow it. I got out of the car and marched up to the guy’s window.
“Are the keys in the car?” he asked.
“NO! No, I don’t need you to tow me. My husband’s coming to get the car!” I said. I was losing my patience. ”So, thanks anyway,” I snapped, and I returned to my car. The tow guy then got out of his truck and walked back to the patrol car and then the cop and the tow guy approached my window together. They seemed like they were being cautious for some reason.
“Ma’am,” the officer said, “You can’t drive the car and your husband can’t drive the car.” He was speaking very slowly. He was smiling and speaking slowly and calmly as if he was trying to explain something to a small child. ”So this man is going to have to tow your car and you can get it from him when you get your reg-i-stra-tion renewed.”
I just blinked at them.
“So you need… to… get… out of the car, you see, or else the …man… won’t… be able to pull the car onto his big truck.”
“Don’t worry, ma’am,” the tow truck guy said. “Here’s my card. I’m just taking it to Middlebury. Give this card to your husband, he’ll know what to do.”
Then I was finally able to process exactly what was going on. “Okay,” I said to the men. “I was having a blonde moment there. So I guess nobody can drive an unregistered car, is that it?”
I’m not a natural blonde but I find it less humiliating to blame my hair color than my actual brain during moments of profound stupidity.
I got out of my car and handed the tow truck guy my keys. “I don’t understand how you got here from Middlebury so fast.” I said. Middlebury is several towns away. That’s when he and the officer explained that I was part of an “experiment.” Connecticut has new Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR) on many of the squad cars. These are cameras that scan the license of every car that drives past and when it reads a plate that has expired, it immediately alerts the officer. “We got 40 people yesterday alone,” boasted the officer.
“So I guess your experiment is a success,” I grumbled. “Do you have all the cars towed?”
“Yup!” exclaimed the tow truck driver. “Haven’t slept in 24-hours. Hope you get your registration sorted out soon, my lot’s pretty full.” Apparently, he is sort of on standby, waiting for his next victim. He towed my car to Middlebury, and then, two days later, to my town. The bill? $350.00.
My registration is still not renewed because you can no longer renew your registration at the DMV. You must do it online or by mail. The problem is that you must be “invited” to renew your registration and on that “invitation” is a pin number that you need in order to renew online or by mail. I don’t remember receiving this invitation and cannot find it so I must wait until I am sent a new one.
So I guess the moral of my story is, when the DMV invites you to do something, DO IT.
I’ve had a few issues like that…maybe Connecticut should go back to putting expiration date stickers on your tags…Bummer
OK, that is officially the stupidest thing I have ever heard! With all the texting, drunk driving, revoked license drivers on the road, they TOW your car for a late registration payment? Nice “experiment.” Really helps build community-police relations locally.
Whatever happened to a “warning” and if you didn’t get it done and brought proof back to the station it turned into a very expensive ticket/fine? Seems that would produce the same results AND promote a more positive relationship between the police and public.
Shaking my head here. Can’t believe the tow truck company and police are getting away with such an intrusive and unnecessary “experiment.”
It is about money…
And just think: the Police Department hires the Tow Truck Company, so, any more questions??
Sounds more like an “increasing revenue” experiment. And gee whiz, they’re helping local tow business, too! The late, great Steve Goodman wrote a song about them years ago…”Lincoln Park Pirates”. Guess now the police need to be added.
So sorry that happened Ann. I am reminded of an old friend who was a defense attorney in NC. He was stopped for speeding and finished his cell call before rolling down his window…probably aggravating the police officer. “Do you know why I stopped you?” His reply, “Because there are too many of you with not enough to do?”
I am actually concerned about our lack of privacy here. With many large police departments purchasing tiny drones, I’m not liking the direction we seem to be headed. Chris
Yeah… they have tiny ones, drones I mean, that are the size of a hummingbird…
I wonder if this is bad dream….
This is Hilarious!! I am so sorry what happened to you though, My heart pounds when i get pulled over,
What did Denis say about it?
Denis should write a skit and get it to play in all television channels!!!!!!!
Not unbelievable at all. “Hi we are the government and we are here to help you.” Stupid is as stupid does.
That’s crazy!! But yet sorta funny.. What a money racket!
Let me guess – You were in Southbury. I bet I even know the officer’s name. I agree with Rebecca’s comment above.I know of 2 other incidents where warnings would have been enough for something anyone can mistakenly overlook.
Woodbury. It was a dragnet there all week.
The cutting out of those renewal stickers is going to be the death of me. First, when CT stopped using the stickers I thought it meant that we no longer had to register our cars in general. Hmm. Yeah. Stupid. I’m aware. So I was driving my unregistered Jetta for nearly two years before my husband–then boyfriend–noticed on a whim one day that “Wait a minute, your registration has been expired since 2006!”. Oopsie. But I had just gotten my license renewed a few months ago! To which my husband immediately looked for something hard to bang his head on in response to my womanly stupidity.
I hate everything to do with the technical aspect of cars. If it rattles, fix it. If it needs paperwork or a tune up or an oil change-slash-tire rotation please let me know where I should sign on the dotted line and call me when it’s ready. Cars are to get us where we are going and they should work perfectly all the time like good little children, right? Well I was so embarrassed that my car had been unregistered for so long and the check engine light was on anyway (you can’t register it until you get a passing emissions apparently) so my Irish pride sold my car a boss’ nephew for $150. A perfectly functioning paid off car. $150.
So I’m with you. Don’t feel blonde when it comes to this whole fiasco because you are certainly not the only one in this predicament. I’m very glad CT has decided to save money by letting our glorious registration stickers go by the wayside, I just wish it wasn’t at our expense.
Ann thank you for sharing this. The first thing I did after reading this out loud to my family was ask my husband if our registration was up for renewal! What is a law abiding citizen suppose to do if they accidentally forgot to renew it or never received the paper work in the mail? Not go to work because they cannot drive their car and there is no public transportation to take them to their place of employment because they live in a very rural area (like me!) I can see getting a ticket, but then if you cannot get the registration immediately renewed at the DMV, why wouldn’t they give you some time (2 weeks) to receive a new invitation/pin number via mail or email and have the matter taken care of? Doesn’t sound right.
I’m guessing this topic should hit the local TV news stations soon. I agree with what Rebecca wrote.
Christine, I have been on the internet looking for the public outcry about this. I guess it’s making the lines at the DMV shorter for people renewing their license but I had to apply, online, for another “invitation” to renew my license. That should come within ten days, I’m told. Then I can renew online. They are not kidding around with this. I’ve been telling everybody around here to check their registration.
A friend of mine posted on a picture on facebook just yesterday the line outside DMV all before 8am – Let’s not forget how many DMV’s have been closed or have cut back hours. On top of the money Ann has had to pay out for the tow, the fine, etc.. She will now have to pay extra toward her registration because it is late in being renewed. Sorry Ann!
My issue with them not giving a warning is what if this was a struggling family who innocently did not know. Now they are in a bigger hole having to choose what bill not to pay or food they cannot buy all because they now have to pay all these fines, etc.
Maureen, these were my thoughts exactly. What if I had small children in the car? And in the end, it will be quite a lot I will have paid out. I understand that I was negligent in not renewing my registration, but I really don’t recall seeing the “Invitation to Renew”. If this had happened to someone on a limited income who needs their car to get to work, it would have been a disaster. I’m sure it has been for some. I like the idea that they can scan license plates to find criminals, child abductors, even deadbeat dads (which they do), but it seems a little harsh to take the car of somebody whose registration has expired.
Well, if they want to say you were negligent because you did not pay on time, what are they by changing the rules one side only?? aren’t they there to take care of us?? They are public servants, aren’t they?.
Ann,
I was telling your story to my cousin Kathleen this morning and she reminded me of the time a few years ago she too did not know her registration expired. Kathleen was pulled over in Southbury on Rt 172 just passed the training school, where the police just love to sit in wait, anyway, she was carpooling children to school – she also had her newborn with her. The officer made her get out of the car, call someone to pick her up and also had to call the mothers of these children to get them to school. It was an embarrassment and a complete nightmare for her. There were no previous infractions for her or her husband as the car was registered in both their names. In my opinion a warning would have been more than enough.
I too am all for them running plates but when it’s for someone who has never had a ticket, has never been arrested and had a car load of children – a warning would have worked just as well.
He said, “Your husband will know what to do?” What is this? 1967 and you’re Betty Draper?
Seriously, I can’t fault him. I was acting like Betty Draper. Really, I was not processing what was going on very well. If I had been, I would have asked if I could call my local garage and have them tow me. But I think the answer would have been “No.” I just couldn’t believe the way the tow truck was just standing by like that.
I saw one tow-job last friday. There was this vehicle parked on the street (McAllister and VanNess) and the metter read “expired”. The meter maid came and placed a tag, white plastic around the meter. A bicicled policeman came in, looked around…. poked here and there…. called the tow truck…. meter maid still there watching… and without further ado they took the car. There is no way in hell they had the time to send a letter to nobody, AND the car was worth more than the 4,000 that does NOT require it. Then again the tow company appraises the value!!. Is this not a conflict of interest? Yes it is.
The Police Department hires the Tow Truck company, who are also appraisors. What is this?
I read a article in a major newspaper here in NJ about these scanning devices. They are using them here in NJ. They drive through mall parking lots scanning cars. They can drive down an aisle and scan all the cars with all the information popping up about them on their screens. Very quick. They claim they can find stolen cars and people they are looking for with them (I guess that is how they justify them). I wonder how many good citizens that just forgot to renew license, registration, insurance, etc. they get compared to the criminals?
Another moral for your story: nothing good ever happens in Southbury.
Or Woodbury
Main St in Woodbury is a total trap!
I forget every year until tax time due in feb taxes April yah two months every year lol
I’m laughing with you and pissed for you! This is ridiculous.
Agree with Rebecca & sorry this happened to you. I had an incident happen one time when an officer pulled me over. It was early morning, not my best time of day, & I had the judge for a dressage show with me on our way to the show. I had seen this officer in the road earlier, waving at me to go slow & the judge & I both it was b/c there was an accident up ahead. So, I proceeded very slowly. The officer jumped in his car & came after me with lights & siren blazing. I pulled over and he asked why was I trying to run from the police? I started laughing hysterically, looked at my friend/judge, and said do we look like Thelma & Louise to you? He wrote me a ticket for careless & reckless ($350). I went to court over it and the State Court Judge threw it out. Stupid stuff happens. I’ve never looked at the police in the same way since that day. BTW, I wasn’t speeding, but I was guilty of a half halt at a stop sign.
Hahahaha. I’ve been stopped for the half-halt at stop sign myself.
Half-Halt. Never heard of that. Sounds like what we call a California Stop. Sorry you got caught in this scam, Ann. Why do cops always seem to have such attitudes? Give me a firefighter any day.
Almost as risky as driving in NYC with a 17 oz. soda!
HA!
O.K. Here’s what happened to us.
A few years back, CT changed the way our car registrations are re-newed. Used to be, you’d get the bill in the mail, send in your payment and a while later, you’d get you new registration and for a couple of years you’d also get a sticker to put on your plate.
Now, you get the notification in the mail and if you look VERY CLOSELY you MIGHT see that at the bottom of the notice it says nomething like ” This is your registration, You will not receive anything else in the mail. Save the bottom of this notice after you pay the fee for registration renewal and keep in in your vehicle.”
Well, we missed the whole new process and headed off to our snow bird place in FL. Only after we got back to CT in the spring did we realize we’d been driving our car for 4 months without proof of registration! We got a hold of CT DMV and for a “nominal fee” of $20 we were able to get proof that we indeed paid our registration renewal fee in a timely manner.
And now this!??? WOW! What a crock of revinue inhancement crapola!
I am a died in the wool bleeding heart, Democrat Yankee from CT, but boy have they pissed me off about this!
I get that ther’s a shortage in a lot of state budgets, but Holy Cow!
Sorry you had a hassle Ann, I can only imagine how many other state residents, without means have had an even worse time dealing with similar circumstances.
Shame on them!
The tow truck driver told you that he hadn’t slept for 24 hours. Wouldn’t that pose a dangerous situation as he towed a flatdeck around several townships with heavy lids and lack of concentration from lack of sleep. The Cop should give HIM a ticket…after he has finished towing all the unregistered cars, that is!
Ann-
this is one of the funniest posts I have ever read. My wife looked at me strangely as I laughed out loud. Thanks for making my day
matt
Such a helpless, annoying situation! Hope your sleep deprived tow truck guy remembered to fasten the tie down chains so your car didn’t crash into the guard post by the truck cab and get dented.
Why the delay in getting a new “invitation”? A cheesy way to make more money for the state. Don’t get me started.
Negligent tow truck driver was how my car got dented. Our car just had a minor malfunction, but the dragnet setup STINKS out loud.
Running outside now to check our paperwork!
What a bunch of crap. Its all about making all the money they can and quickly. They should be great for all the senior ciizens in CT.
I can’t believe they’ve got nothing better to do than waste their time trapping innocent people with their new toy.
I would have been absolutely furious.
I like the way you told the story, mind you.
Even more embarassing: Getting pulled over for expired registration whilst your teenaged childen and MOTHER are in the car with you. True Story.
What a joke – How many shootings this weekend in Chicago and other parts of the country are towing cars for expired plates. The world is spinning out of control. Cha Ching CT.
I posted on Ann’s FB link and? it went away, the whole page. (‘da’one I posted on, that is).
My thinking is this: If the DMV cut their hours because of the budget, that is ONE thing. But, do not tighten up the regulations so that you are probably going to be LATE anyway, UNLESS you pay in advance. Did you read my posting on the fellow whose car was stolen and and and??
If you take the number of Licensed Drivers in the US
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/pubs/hf/pl11028/chapter4.cfm
And you make them late by changing the rules, tightening them, so they owe, just think of the newly found revenues…..
I am going to post here the information about the fellow whose car was stolen…
[email protected]
May 30, 2012
1. Michael Midden’s car is stolen.
2. Stolen car was recovered by police.
3. Then hauled away and auctioned off by the City’s contracted towing company.
4. Auto Return is their name
5. Nightmare began August 31st, when car stolen in Ashbury Heights, near owner’s home.
6. Owner of car filed a report and police tracked down the car Sep.2nd.
7. However, owner was not able to pick up the car within 20 minutes, the standard allotment of time allowed for thefts.
8. The car was thus towed by Auto Return (who had no trouble over the 20 minutes, they were probably waiting…)(I say this).
9. When owner made it to the tow company, they told him it would ost 500.00 dollars to retrieve his car.And not only that, but the car was in a separate lot, one that was to close in 30 minutes from the time of this conversation with the towing company peoples. Unsure if the car was running, unable to get there in the 30 minutes, owner decides to contest the towing costs.
10. The City allows for this and we are thankful!!
11. The Police Department number that owner was instructed to call 415 553 1398 was not being answered and never went to voice mail.
12. Owner mailed a complaint to the hall of Justice and did not hear for one month.
13. During that time, daily storage fees of 61.25 were accruing.
14. Still waiting a reply from authorities, owner calls Auto Return.He was told that his car was auctioned off October 12th.
15. A tow company can auction a vehicle without notifying the owner but only if the value is appraised at less than4,000.00 according to the California Vehicle Code. Auto Return had appraised the owner’s car at “a couple of hundred dollars less” (than the 4,000.00 that require notification??
16. When owner contested the auction in small claims cort, owner was summarily dismissed by a San Francisco Superior Court Judge. Auto Return’s attorney threatened to sue Midden for 1,100 of unpaid storage fees.
17. Owner questioned why the storage and towing fees are so steep in San Francisco. If a car is towed in NYC, it costs 185.00 to retrieve after four hours of storage. Here, the cost is 392.75, and the price increases 53.00 after four hours in storage. Part of the charge is 186.00 in city administrative fees.
18. In a letter to owner from Auto Return, Dan Scanlan, VP said that if he had spoken to him….
(he did, he went to see them personally, when the owner was given the 500.00 pseudo bill…
And in the article, by newspaper person, the Supervisor is looking into it….
The guy is ridding MUNI, which is slow as molasses. You cannot get around fast in San Francisco, no matter what. And do not listen to what it is said, experience it yourself.
… I was not fornicating…..
Funnier than heck!…
How do I get my picture in the little box?
I just received my “invitation” to register my new car. I didn’t realize it would cost almost $1000 to attend the party, though. Ugh!!
HAHAHAHAHA
HILARIOUS Ann. Not funny then but now wow! Can just imagine what Denis had to say about it. It is stupid that there are no stickers on the cards in CT though.
the same thing happened to us in new milford a few weeks ago. the officer pulled over our daughter (who is learning to drive) for the same reason. the only problem was that his info was wrong. we had renewed the registration but his computer said otherwise. luckily we had documentation in the car to prove that we were in fact in compliance. our daughter remained calm throughout the whole ordeal…i would have been freaking out! i hate to see those flashing lights in my rear view!
What in the world did Denis say or do when you called him and he heard your story when he picked you up??!! Can you even write it in this blog?? Ha ha!
Though I have requested one, I still have not received my invitation to renew.
UGH!!!!! I would be so upset not being able to drive MY car for that long. Shame on them!
This had to have happened in Woodbury. The officers have nothing else to do all day!
Ann, I am only laughing through tears because a)you are so darn funny; and b) something similar happened to me a few years ago. In my situation, the cop spoke slowly because (I think) he saw my humiliation paralysis as deafness. I literally was trying to read his lips, because my heartbeat was pounding so loud in my ears.
Catherine, that would be me! My face would turn red and my ears would turn off. It is one of those…I see your lips moving but I just can’t hear what you’re saying.
It’s nice to know I’m not the only one, Christine.
>Gasp!giggle<
Peace & Patience!
~@thestorysmith
Oops… Full comment got html’d w/ my usage of the <
At first I thought this was going to be a lighthearted story about someone trying to get an autograph from Hubby… however your real tale is far darker and more insidious than most plots on scripted tv, (reality shows excepted.)
Gasp!
That. Sucks.
Silly question: How attached are you to that car?
Peace & Patience!
~rnd
I don’t think you should be embarrassed at all. It doesn’t make any sense. I never would have assumed that my car would be towed for such a minor infraction either.
What a racket!
Did Denis have a fit? I think he may work this one into his latest routine.
Ann, at least TMZ wasn’t there!!!!
Actually, this is true. There was a test run, in NYC (I believe). The police car slowly drives down the street and the front mounted camera scans plates (originially intended to find stolen vehicles) looking for unregistered vehicles. And yes, in a high density street or parking garage they can tag 10′s of cars.