Is it the name of the next blockbuster movie of the summer? Not quite. Actually, it sounds more like some kind of advanced military maneuver. The latter is much closer to the truth. The US Military does not have to worry about having an ulterior motive when stopping a vehicle in a war zone. Like it or not, neither does your local Arkansas police department. And it looks like the Benton County, Arkansas, Sheriff’s Office is making the most of the law (click here for article).
After reading the article and watching the video, I really find the statements of the deputy, a member of the “Crime Suppression Unit”, quite refreshing:
Benton County Sheriff’s Deputy Corey Coggin drove an unmarked car past the Bentonville home of a suspected methamphetamine dealer.
You know what because the man drives but he wasn’t there. Coggin kept driving.
“I’ve been trying to stop him at a traffic stop the last few nights,” Coggin said. “I’ve been out but haven’t been able to find it.”
It’s rare for a police officer to have the courage to tell the truth, and it’s even rarer for such a statement to see the light of day.
But fear not, Deputy. Arkansas law IS on your side: A stop with an ulterior motive (also known as a pretext stop) is okay under the law. A police officer still needs a technical reason to stop someone. To help the cops find a reason, Arkansas has a wonderful new “public health” law that allows cops to stop anyone for not wearing a seat belt. Fortunately for the officer, personal safety and seat belts are not top priorities for most meth addicts.
However, as a small aside, while it may be legal for a police officer to have an ulterior motive when stopping a person, it is NOT legal for a police officer to have an ulterior motive when making the decision to arrest a person. For example, a police officer pulls over a suspected methamphetamine dealer for a seat belt violation and then arrests him for that offense so that he can then legally conduct an inventory search of the suspect’s car during which he finds a pound of methamphetamine. Result: pretext arrest is illegal, meth suppressed.
Be afraid any time the government applies euphemisms to the actions it takes against its citizens, especially when the euphemisms sound like terms you learn in boot camp… “road ban,” “crowding,” “displacement,” and “crime suppression”. Bottom line…buckle up (and hope you have a witness).
blow job