Driving through... (real estate, 2014, transporting)

[2011KTM530]

I’ve got a question to Idaho drivers. I pass through your state on the way home, I live in another state. I’ve been followed by your highway patrol and pulled over twice, at least once a year. Both times they asked if I do drugs like meth, heroin, cocaine, marijuana. Do I have any in the car. Where am I going, where am I coming from. How long was I there. Did I stop in Idaho, ect. Is this common? I feel like this is kinda like a communist country all these questions.

[ocoilslick]

California plates are always seen as suspicious... Must be delivering a big load of meth for the MX cartels, or a little something green from Humbolt County.

[Boone1791]

Originally Posted by 2011KTM530

I’ve got a question to Idaho drivers. I pass through your state on the way home, I live in another state. I’ve been followed by your highway patrol and pulled over twice, at least once a year. Both times they asked if I do drugs like meth, heroin, cocaine, marijuana. Do I have any in the car. Where am I going, where am I coming from. How long was I there. Did I stop in Idaho, ect. Is this common? I feel like this is kinda like a communist country all these questions.

That's really dirty. Is this a simple traffic stop, or do they have probable cause (or even reasonable suspicion) to expand the stop into more? They likely don't. Unfortunately, they do have a right to ask such questions, but you also have a right not to answer. But it's a dirty catch-22, since if you say you have a right not answer such questions, they're likely to be suspicious and extend the stop, maybe call for a drug sniffing dog or something.

But first, they absolutely cannot pull you over for no reason, and having California plates is not a good enough reason. If you're violating some traffic rule, then sure, but otherwise NO. That is a clear violation for which they can be sued for money damages.

Here is a site that gets into more detail about traffic stops and your rights. But probably the easiest (and quickest) thing to do is just to say no, you don't do drugs, you don't have any, etc. This sort of excessive questioning has nothing to do with any traffic stop for a traffic violation, and officers should not be extending the stop beyond the business at hand, which presumably is a traffic violation. It's tough to cut off such questioning though without seeming suspicious. Like I said, catch-22.

I used to work in a small law office that sued cops for illegal searches, illegal stops, well, also illegal use of deadly force. The case most similar to the problem you pose was the case of Officer Lisa Steed. She was a superstar in getting DUI arrests. Officer of the Year! Turns out, she was getting them illegally. I looked at a lot of videos of her traffic stops. (She'd wait near a bar and pull over patrons once they left.) The first question she'd ask was "When was the last time you smoked marijuana?" (Or took meth, or whatever.) So many idiots would answer "Oh, that was two weeks ago." Busted!

It's a dirty business. I don't know what to tell you, or what the best strategy is for keeping a traffic stop focused on the reason you were pulled over in the first place. Of course it's best not to be argumentative, to be cooperative, but of course do not give your permission to search your car, even if you're not carrying any contraband. For that, a cop must have probable cause, which is a fairly high bar. Best advice: don't give law enforcement any reason to pull you over in the first place. Even 5 mph over the speed limit is reason enough to pull you over. Best of luck!

[banjomike]

Idaho is an island of prohibition surrounded by a sea of more permissive states. All our neighboring states and Canada are more permissive on pot possession than Idaho, which is not at all permissive.

There's really no other way a pot grower has to distribute his products out of state but to drive them. Pot can't be legally shipped interstate, as federal laws prohibit it.

Now that Oregon has de-criminalized possession of harder drugs, I'm sure the state cops are going to be stopping even more cars with out-of-state plates.

It's not going to change until there's a change in federal laws and Idaho state laws. Possession law changes have been proposed for several years now, but so far, nobody wants to pass any changes.

All I can say is: Don't drive through here with any kind of dope in your car if you have out of state plates on it. Since Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Utah and Montana all have looser laws, the cops won't be stopping only California cars these days.

I wouldn't be surprised if the cops aren't stopping cars with Idaho plates that are coming back into Idaho from any of those other states pretty soon. Drug busts are always good promotion potential for them.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by ocoilslick

California plates are always seen as suspicious... Must be delivering a big load of meth for the MX cartels, or a little something green from Humbolt County.

Or looking to buy real estate in the area.

[2011KTM530]

Thank you for the reply’s. Mainly is was curious if it’s standard for the Highway Patrol to bird dog a car for miles then pull them over because you don’t signal for a full 15 seconds before you start to change lanes to pass a truck, according to the cop. Then question you about drug use, where you are going, where you have been, who did you see, ect....then not even give you a ticket or even mention it again after the questioning. Really kind of disconcerting and frightening every time a person comes through Idaho.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

They are stopping you for some other reason than your license plates. You are driving too aggressively, speeding, weaving, something not normal. Or you have a taillight out or something else that attracts their attention.


I drove in Idaho for a full year with Oregon plates (on two different vehicles) because I had a house in both states and I was back and forth often. My son has his legal residence in Idaho and Idaho plates on his car, but he is working in Oregon and is back and forth every weekend, with Oregon plates on a rented car and before that Washington plates on a rented car and before that, California plates on a rented car. No one ever stopped him. The police can't tell he is an Idaho resident just by looking at him through the windshield, so they weren't ignoring him because he is an Idaho resident. He had "foreign" plates on the car he was driving and they never stopped him.


Slow down, obey the traffic laws, be courteous, check your tail lights occasionally, and they won't be stopping you in the future,.


(Or hey, someone who knows you are transporting and smuggling has ratted you out)

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Is Idaho asking visitors to self-quarantine? Maybe they are checking to see if you are complying with that ruling.


Even so, you are doing something that makes you look suspicious or they wouldn't stop you for no reason.

[skeddy]

Originally Posted by 2011KTM530

Thank you for the reply’s. Mainly is was curious if it’s standard for the Highway Patrol to bird dog a car for miles then pull them over because you don’t signal for a full 15 seconds before you start to change lanes to pass a truck, according to the cop. Then question you about drug use, where you are going, where you have been, who did you see, ect....then not even give you a ticket or even mention it again after the questioning. Really kind of disconcerting and frightening every time a person comes through Idaho.

they are running your tags to see if the car is stolen and who it's registered to. Then they pull you over and you give them your license and registration they can find out about you and your driving record. Then they'll ask a few questions, your reaction to them is usually a dead giveaway....

[volosong]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

They are stopping you for some other reason than your license plates. You are driving too aggressively, speeding, weaving, something not normal. Or you have a taillight out or something else that attracts their attention.

I drove in Idaho for a full year with Oregon plates (on two different vehicles) because I had a house in both states and I was back and forth often. My son has his legal residence in Idaho and Idaho plates on his car, but he is working in Oregon and is back and forth every weekend, with Oregon plates on a rented car and before that Washington plates on a rented car and before that, California plates on a rented car. No one ever stopped him. The police can't tell he is an Idaho resident just by looking at him through the windshield, so they weren't ignoring him because he is an Idaho resident. He had "foreign" plates on the car he was driving and they never stopped him.


Slow down, obey the traffic laws, be courteous, check your tail lights occasionally, and they won't be stopping you in the future,.

I tend to believe this. Before I moved full-time to Idaho, I came in both winter and summer for a week or two at a time for four years. Did a lot of driving on those trips. Summer to get the lay of the land, winter to see if I could handle the snow and ice. I was never, even once, stopped in my California plate car.

As oregonwoodsmoke suggests, I kept strictly to the speed limit, even under on the interstates. 75 and 80 is just too fast for me. I can do it, and have done it, but on vacations, there's no big hurry. Besides, going pretty fast burns too much gasoline. Its a waste of money. It's so awesome up here that I enjoy watching the landscape too. You don't see much when speeding.