Saturday, November 2, 2024

Albion Resident Recounts Alleged Unwarranted Traffic Stop by CHP—Letter to the Editor

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[Stock photo by Matt LaFever]

To Whom It May Concern including the California Highway Patrol Superiors

Recently while motoring up the Albion Ridge about milepost 2.5, returning from our beloved Village Hardware Store. I was thinking everything was all right when I passed a CHP cruiser going down, West in the opposite direction. A bit unusual but no biggie I thought.

I was going well within the speed limit, in my own lane etc. The next moment or so he’s on my bumper. I’m going slowly past the dump as the road is bad and my old pickup is empty, rides rough. He’s right there and finally lights me up at the “dognut shop”, after following me for about 2 miles.

I stop and ask right away,”Just why are you pulling me over”? He says, “I thought your brake lights were not working”. Of course, I had no reason to brake, going mainly uphill, until I did come to a stop. Not that he could see my brake lights going in the opposite direction his reported reason for the traffic stop.

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He then says, “your brake light on the rear of your cab is not working”.

I calmly stated, “That is not a brake light, it’s a cargo light”.  It is operated by the switch on the dashboard. So that was strike two for him.

He then wants to know just why was I “driving so slow”. I have to explain to him that the road is in very bad shape etc., etc.

I guess he was out of lies for the moment and then stated, “I get it now”.

Well, what I get is that this traffic stop was built on one lie after the other, and when he could not think of another one he got back in his car and left.

No apology or stating his name, just bad behavior and disrespect on his part.

So, I ask, just why did he pull a u-turn and go out of his way to come after me in the first place?

Was it my faded BERNIE sticker that he saw stuck to the left side of my front bumper when he passed me before the stop? A good chance it was.

If I had been a black person or brown-skinned I would likely found my face in the dirt or worse.

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This is “not” public service by any stretch and is entirely wrong and unacceptable on Albion Ridge or anywhere.

This was about the 1st of September in the afternoon. He did not state his name so I do not know who he is but still on the loose, not tethered by right and wrong so look out neighbors this is a bad cop on patrol now, here.

And for the record, I am not “anti-police”. I just expect much better from law enforcement officers.

Thank you,

Gary Moraga, Resident of the Mendocino County Coast

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6 COMMENTS

  1. I am happy to see CHP patrolling Albion ridge. People drive WAY too fast on this narrow, dangerous road, forgetting far too soon the speed limit, and a fatal accident in the very recent past.

  2. I had a similar story about a year or two ago. I was pulling out of the Safeway parking lot and was immediately lit up by CHP in the middle of Ukiah. I pulled over into the movie theatre and he asked for all my documentation. Once he saw all my docs (Lic, Ins, reg, etc) he told me my lights weren’t turned on which is why he pulled me over? My day time lights were on and the sun was just setting behind the hills, mind you. Maybe around 7pm in July. I feel this was a waste of tax payer money spent and an unnecessary stop. Maybe he thought I was an illegitimate driver or he saw my wife was ethnic or didn’t recognize us from being around here. Whatever the reason it was a strange stop and I have never encountered so many CHP officers in life than commuting in Mendo and Lake County. This was one of three stops in a three year period.

    • I had a similar incident by movie theater and safeway in ukiah. Maybe they hang out around there and just pass the time on people? I’m all about safe driving, but where are they when those assholes are weaving in and out of traffic on freeway or speeding by the schools and parks?

      • Perhaps; It feels like Mendo and Lake County roads/highways are over policed by CHP. Another example; my wife was being tailgated by a CHP in Lake county going to work early in the morning for something like 25 mins. There literally was no one on the road for a mile or so in each direction. She pulled over to a local gas station and they broke pursuit with her. She texted me later that she was stressed out on this drive and didn’t know why they (CHP) were tailgating her for so long.

  3. I love marxists. “If I were black or brow…” grow up. Being indoctrinated is a very sad existence. You have to make every ‘karen’ issue you have into a progressive talking point. Of COURSE you’re anti-police, you’ve been brainwashed into being such but now the BLM is being found out (embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, tax evasion, etc) so you hide like all progressives do, point from behind the yard duty’s skirt. Here, let’s do this. Pack up all your belongings. Give your dwelling to a ‘black or brown person’ (interesting how asians wer eleft out, again asian-hate = progressives), move to a socialist country and give up your citizenship to an illegal crossing the border illegally.
    Uh huh.
    Fact is, police presence, broken window policies work. And since you legalized pot now you have the gangs coming up here. So, we all know progressives lie (man can be woman, election fraud, current usurper in the office isnt a pedo, Trump is X, etc) so lets just unclutch the pearls, karen and go back to holding up ‘climate change’ signs in FB.

    • Erica , you election denying dimwit. t-Rump lost! And racists like you need to be called out when you crawl out from under your American flag camouflage with your twisted views of others. Your fear and loathing of people that don’t look or act like you is so 1950’s. You are what’s wrong with our society today!

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MendoFever Staff
MendoFever Staff
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