Beware!... $105 citation for camera/mount on windshield

[David Mikulec]

FWIW - I've got a RAM mounting plate between the seats of my Taurus and have a custom made camera mount bolted to it consisting of approx. 2 feet of heavy aluminum sectioned shaft (from stickypod) with a fluid head on top. This setup keeps the camera well away from the windshield and almost out of my line of sight. The last time I was stopped, for a burned out taillight the officer didn't say anything about the video camera but he did like the setup.

 

[Gerard Jebaily]

Its the luck of the draw on what you get when, not if, you get pulled over. It also matters where you are as the cops here in SC are just curious about what I'm doing, while the ones in Oklahoma might be more frustrated with the large number of chasers making their job more difficult and more dangerous.

A couple of you guys may remember this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYY3JNR38_4

..this was 3/28/2004 while the silverton tornado was roping out. There was a major chaser convergence and the cops where there to meet it. This cop was particularly short fused with the situation and this guy got the wrong end of it. I think this was a very inexperienced chaser in the video btw.

I think the tips given on here might help when encountering a LEO. But It's more of the luck of the draw on what the LEO is like. If hes a mean one, he will find something to ticket you for. The nice ones will be polite and most want to ask what the weather is going to do. Sorry to hear about OPs bad encounter.

 

[Jay McCoy]

Its the luck of the draw on what you get when, not if, you get pulled over. It also matters where you are as the cops here in SC are just curious about what I'm doing, while the ones in Oklahoma might be more frustrated with the large number of chasers making their job more difficult and more dangerous.

A couple of you guys may remember this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYY3JNR38_4

..this was 3/28/2004 while the silverton tornado was roping out. There was a major chaser convergence and the cops where there to meet it. This cop was particularly short fused with the situation and this guy got the wrong end of it. I think this was a very inexperienced chaser in the video btw.

I think the tips given on here might help when encountering a LEO. But It's more of the luck of the draw on what the LEO is like. If hes a mean one, he will find something to ticket you for. The nice ones will be polite and most want to ask what the weather is going to do. Sorry to hear about OPs bad encounter.

This was 2007 not 2004 and this wasnt the only driver this jackass LEO went after. Minutes before this he pulled over and yelled at Jason Boggs for supposedly "running him off the road". Jason is an experienced chaser and was chasing that day for a local tv station. This cop actually went on to call the station and repeat his accusations trying to get jason in trouble. Luckily Jason had his dashcam running the entire time and caught it all on tape inculding this guys verbal abuse. Jason had proof he did no such thing. It got into a big hoohah and the station responded to that sheriffs dept. Not sure if this young Barney Fife is still working there. I know if he had done anything more than yell like ticket or arrest Jason he would have been sued and fired. I would have sued his ass anyway for calling Jasons boss and lying to get him in trouble but Jason is a nice guy.

 

[Doug Ott]

Hard to find anything specific, but google the statutes for whatever state you plan to chase in. I think the bottom line is use common sense. If laptop is open when pulled over close it up. I would think that anything that you can view other than the road while driving, would be considered an obstruction or infraction, and may recieve a ticket. Just my guess though. I chase alone and I don't even have my laptop open while on the storm. To look at radar, storm and drive all at the same time is impossible. If I need to look at it while on the road I ll pull over. I would sure hate to miss the storm because I rolled a vehicle checking checking out spc or radar. One other thing that can be done if you want to know your laws is call your local cop, he should have access to the answers. Anyways, I did find this for Kansas, thought it was interesting.

www.kscourts.org/dstcts/4trafin$.pdf

 

[PaulChambers]

If a small camera is a violation, then what about all those GPS displays that are mounted on the widshields?

Just another thought if the camera IS a violation!!

 

[Steven Marshall]

Sorry to hear about all the trouble you are having with LEO in Kansas especially. I was reading many of the post and not sure why people think that LEO hate storm chasers. I use to be a Cop in Great Bend, Kansas and most of the officers I worked with in the city and the county enjoy chasing storms as well. Most of the officers I talked to at trainings were the same way. They did not understand how to forecast or anything like that but enjoyed chasing especially in the local area. As for the law about video screens in the view of the driver the last I knew they had removed that since most LEO agencies have screens they watch and computers up front by them. I know that most LEO's have more stuff in their window then any chaser I have seen. I am not sure of the statue that he wrote you.

James, go over to that LEO message board and you'll see that some officers do in fact, simply hate chasers. I tried to point out the financial aspect of having a couple thousand chasers come in to some forgotten town in Kansas....the taxes paid, the food, gas, drinks and motels rooms paid for ...but theres no reasoning with them.

For what its worth, there is essentially the beginnings of a border war going on across South Texas. The mainstream media isnt really paying attention but its there. There have even been mexican army helicopters crossing the border illegally recently. On the southern side of the border, there is daily violence the likes of which we Americans can not even begin to fathom. The LEO community is on alert for the trouble spilling over on to our side, and a good part of that trouble is drug runners and illegal alien smugglers, both types like to shoot when cornered...so we are All likely to be watched a little more closely this year than last. There have been a number of vehicles stopped that were counterfeit "official" vehicles. Gas company service trucks, an ambulance and turnpike/highway DOT units....all loaded with dope.
In fact Ill go out on a limb and predict that within the next 5 years, southern Texas will become an armed camp with Nat Guard on patrol along the border in big numbers in an effort to keep the low lifes on the Mexican side.

So I dont care how good the storms may be south of Midland/Odessa, this boy aint chasing south of San Angelo this year.

 

[Steven Marshall]

Sorry for getting off topic there with my rant, but heres an prime example from todays headlines:

"NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico – A shootout in northern Mexico between soldiers and suspected drug cartel gunmen killed two children and wounded five of their relatives who were caught in the crossfire, the latest in a string of deaths of bystanders in the nation's drug war."

 

[James Weatherman]

James, go over to that LEO message board and you'll see that some officers do in fact, simply hate chasers. I tried to point out the financial aspect of having a couple thousand chasers come in to some forgotten town in Kansas....the taxes paid, the food, gas, drinks and motels rooms paid for ...but theres no reasoning with them.

For what its worth, there is essentially the beginnings of a border war going on across South Texas. The mainstream media isnt really paying attention but its there. There have even been mexican army helicopters crossing the border illegally recently. On the southern side of the border, there is daily violence the likes of which we Americans can not even begin to fathom. The LEO community is on alert for the trouble spilling over on to our side, and a good part of that trouble is drug runners and illegal alien smugglers, both types like to shoot when cornered...so we are All likely to be watched a little more closely this year than last. There have been a number of vehicles stopped that were counterfeit "official" vehicles. Gas company service trucks, an ambulance and turnpike/highway DOT units....all loaded with dope.
In fact Ill go out on a limb and predict that within the next 5 years, southern Texas will become an armed camp with Nat Guard on patrol along the border in big numbers in an effort to keep the low lifes on the Mexican side.

So I dont care how good the storms may be south of Midland/Odessa, this boy aint chasing south of San Angelo this year.

Steve,
There is probably a few people that have run into a few LEO's that don't like storm chasers. I know after being in LE for 8 years I have been to a lot of spotter trainings and a lot of trainings dealing with wide spread emergencies. We talked about spotters and chasers and the overall attitude was that chasers are a valuable part of protection for the community.

Again I am sure there are some that have issues with chasers and those are the ones that will stick in peoples minds. I am talking for LEO's in Kansas can't say what others are like since I did not have much trainings with people outside of Kansas. I can say the ones I worked with at Great Bend and in Barton County were great and chased on their days off. I think a lot of how you are treated are how you act when you are stopped. Training I had they wanted you to know before you even got the vehicle completely stopped whether or not you were going to write a ticket to the person you are stopping. I know I did not do that and know most of the officers I worked with did not make up their mind about if you were or were not getting a ticket until I got up there to talk to you. If you were nice (depending on the offense) you would most likely get a written warning (written record was required by the department) if I got up there and you started telling me you needed to get going or being a jerk then you were going to get a ticket. I treated people with respect and when I first made contact with you I was friendly. I know that officers for the most part don't like attitude right off the bat and that will almost insure you getting a ticket.
Just a word of advise be respectful when you are stopped and you would be less likely to be given a ticket. I know nothing ticked me off more then when I would stop someone and they would start telling me to hurry up they have things to do, or I am a cop, or start throwing out something like I am so this or that. I stopped one storm chaser in the 8 years. They were very respectful and did not say I am chasing storms so I need to hurry. I wrote them a warning (only because it was department policy to have a written record of all stops) and we talked for a bit about where the storms where and where they were heading.

Again I am talking for the 100's of officer I know that don't have any problems with Chasers but do have problems with attitude and talking down to them. I do know of one officer that stopped a chaser, during the stop the chaser was throwing around that they were a meteorologist and basically was talking to the officer like they were a lot smarter then the officer and treated the officer like crap because they did have a BS or Masters or Dr degree while the officer was doing some low level person below them.

 

[Gene Moore]

James, go over to that LEO message board and you'll see that some officers do in fact, simply hate chasers.

For what its worth, there is essentially the beginnings of a border war going on across South Texas. The mainstream media isnt really paying attention but its there. There have even been mexican army helicopters crossing the border illegally recently. So I dont care how good the storms may be south of Midland/Odessa, this boy aint chasing south of San Angelo this year.

Hi Steve, As many people know I live on the border west of Del Rio at Amistad Lake.
http://www.texasfishingonline.net/Lake Amistad Texas.jpg
I chase in this area during the early spring and I have to watch where I go. Most people that cross the border are just looking for work and they are not harmful, that said, some are desperate and they will hijack you. About 80 arrests a day are made in this area and they catch someone running drugs across the lake pretty much every day. The city of Del Rio has very little crime considering where it is. Acuna is controlled (for now) by the Army with machine gun mounted vehicles. My wife was there today, but I'm uncomfortable, feel like a victim waiting to be found. The drug wars are killing the economies of these small towns.

It's okay to chase along highway 90, but don't let people come up to you and beware of the back roads. I would advise people to forget the lightning and go home at dark. Also, if the border patrol advises you to leave an area there is likely a reason why. Oddly enough, I get hassled by the authorities less here than I do in Kansas.