Geoff The Lawbreaker

He finally walked back to the car and handed everything back. There was still a piece of paper in his hand.

As predicted speed is much too appealing during my nightly trip through Cheshire!

The patrol car was off to the side of the road and well hidden in the dark. His lights were on before I even passed him! I pulled to the curb.

I wouldn’t want to be a cop. Who knows who you’re pulling over?

I turned on the interior light, pulled out my license and held it where it could be seen. Both hands were visible on the steering wheel.

I’m a middle age guy in a suit. I suspect I don’t look threatening, but I’ve always been told this is what you do.

If you’re wondering if I said anything ‘weatherish’ the answer is no. I was Eddy Haskell polite&#185. I hoped the officer knew me, but I wasn’t going there.

He took my license, registration and insurance card and walked away.

I was hoping for a warning. That only lasted the first few minutes. The longer it took the more I knew there was a ticket to follow.

He finally walked back to my car and returned my stuff. There was still a piece of paper in his hand.

“I’m giving you a written warning,” he said and then explained what it wasn’t.

When he was done I asked how fast?

He told me he knew my drive was longer, but he didn’t have to make an excuse for me. I was in the wrong. A ticket would not have been inappropriate.

I thanked him for his consideration. A police officer has lots of discretion. I am grateful for his.

I was above the limit, but I was also driving safely in a well maintained car on a dry and deserted road I know well. Unfortunately I don’t get to choose the speed limit.

I guess I’m going to have to reconsider driving through Cheshire.

&#185 – Seriously, if you don’t know who Eddy Haskell is please don’t tell me. I know it’s an old reference.

40 thoughts on “Geoff The Lawbreaker”

  1. What is that route that goes through Middlefield right past Lyman Orchard? Is that a possibility. I took that route on the way home from a gallery in Guilford. But I do not know what town you are going to/from.

  2. I was pulled over on a trip home from Bristol. I was returning from a one year old’s birthday party. The only other time I’ve been pulled over it was from a one year old’s birthday party too. Thirty years apart and both in the same family. Anyway, I had a broken taillight. License and registration. No problem, both in my pocketbook. “Insurance card please” My son, the passenger, opened our glove compartment and 20 yrs worth of registrations/insurance cards/napkins/emission records/ etc fell out. The cop’s mouth fell open. He took my license/registration back to his vehicle. My son and I began searching for the insurance card. I’m sure the cop could see us holding up pieces of paper to the light. I guess since my license/registration panned out, he decided he didn’t want to stay there all night and let me go with a warning. Sometimes it pays to be disorganized! I’ll never forget the look on his face. lol.

  3. You got lucky, Susie. I got pulled over last month & could not find my most recent insurance card in my glove box. The police officer made me call my insurance company & get an agent on the phone. He then took my cell phone back to his patrol car while he talked to the agent to confirm that I did, indeed, have a current & valid insurance policy. I have no idea what he was doing, but he sat in his car for 15 minutes after he hung up with my insurance company. Came back to my car, handed me phone & told me to “slow down” & walked away. No ticket, but just an odd experience.

    1. That is odd Tanya. Maybe his computer was slow. I was lucky I got a cop with a sense of humor. I guess he figured if I had every insurance card from the past 20 yrs, my current one must be in there somewhere. Plus, there weren’t any cancellations listed on the registration. My other encounter was not as pleasant but full more stupid. Cop said there had been home break-ins and he observed me leaving the home with “bundles.” My infant son was in the car. I told him that when you have a baby in tow you’re already carrying too much stuff to bother with items that aren’t yours.

    1. Andre….thought the very same thing! I’ve been pulled over twice in Cheshire, once for a missing emissions sticker and once for a missing registration sticker on the license plate. Now I literally crawl through Cheshire, much to the dismay of the motorists behind me!

      Don’t know where you live in Hamden, Geoff, but consider the Oakdale Theater exit in Wallingford and shooting up Cook Hill Rd. to Rt. 10, which dumps you almost on the Cheshire/Hamden line.

  4. as a police officer – thank you. you did everything right. makes our jobs easier when the person is cognizant of the proper way to act/behave on a traffic stop. hands on the steering wheel and interior light on are perfect!

  5. You were indeed lucky, however a lot of times when you’re polite and cooperative you will get off with a warning unless you’re a repeat offender. They do make note of the warning so I would be careful for quite some time. If you get stopped again, you will pay the fine. I’m a bit amused at the fact that you will be avoiding Cheshire so that you can continue racing home, LOL.

  6. The worst feeling in the world when you know you’re going over the limit and you spot the cruiser. That route 10 is a nice straight run when it’s late at night, guess that’s why they were waiting for you. Good luck, Geoff.

  7. I was pulled over for speeding and as I was sitting there waiting my son in laws’ father drives by. He pulls over, gets out and comes over to see if I was alright. I later found out he said to the cop…oh come on let her go…shes a grandmother! The cop told him, he was really mad at me because when he pulled out to chase me, he spilled his coffee on his lap. Even more than he was at me for speeding. I guess some of them do have a sense of humor. Now here is the real kicker. I too just got a warning. Why? Because when I gave him my driver’s license he noticed he and I shared the same birthday. Of course he never told me any of this, he was professional about it in that way. He told all of this to my son in laws’ father. Of course I should not have been speeding but we laugh about this whole incident every time the family is together.

    1. I was pulled over one Christmas eve on my way to a family gathering. While waiting for the officer to get out of his car, my son-in-law drove by in his truck and waved and honked his horn. (Really, what else could he do…I was guilty). Anyway, after a stern lecture about speed limits, I got a big smile and was informed “nobody gets a ticket on Christmas eve”. When I got to the party, everyone was on the porch having heard of my misadventure from my son-in-law. So I told them I was going to have to pay a $200 fine (then started laughing so they’d know I was kidding).

  8. Cheshire is known like OS for it’s diligent Police Dept…..here in town we have a speed limit on Main St of 25mph….go over that and be prepared to be pulled over. PERIOD. Glad all you got was a warning……time to work on rerouting yourself me thinks!!

  9. Honestly if you’re traveling over the limit…which I do frequently…it doesn’t matter what town you’re in you are just as likely to get stopped. It’s usually a matter of timing and knowing where and when to slow down. Keep going through Cheshire.

  10. Circa the mid 90’s I was enroute to Ft. Stewert, GA from Ft. Campbell, KY for a TDY assignment. If you have never driven I-16, I can tell you it’s a rather straight road that traverses some desolate areas with quite a distance between exits. Was cruising along and noticed a small copse of trees on the opposite side of the interstate, the thought that “gee… that would be a good place for a police officer to hide” occured to me just as I reached it and sure enough, a local sherrif’s department cruiser was hiding in the shade. Lights went on and I immediately slowed down and pulled over. Was traveling at a high rate of speed (young, dumb, and bullet proof in those days) and it took a bit for the officer to turn around and get to my position. When the female deputy approached my vehicle, she commented that she was happy I stopped right away. My reply was that no matter how fast my car was, I couldn’t outrun her radio. She laughed and a half hour later we were still chatting with her telling me about every family member that had been in the service. In the end I received a written warning and advice about where the next potential speed traps were. Looking back I now realize that I could have been going the speed limit and she still would of pulled me over out of bordom.

  11. * don’t feel too old, I’m 32 and that show went off the air 16 years before I was born. Thanks to TV Land though, I get the reference.

    “Wally, if your dumb brother tags along, I’m gonna – oh, good afternoon, Mrs. Cleaver. I was just telling Wallace how pleasant it would be for Theodore to accompany us to the movies.”

  12. Just remember where he was. They like speed traps here, but they pretty much stay in the same spots. And use your cruise control. That way you can pay more attention to where the cops are hiding!! =)

  13. Geoff, you’ve been at the new job location for, what, two weeks and you’ve already been pulled over?? That’s not good! How much good will do you think one billboard will bring you??

    You know, if you get too Eddy Haskell they’ll give you a ticket just for that!

  14. Why is everyone advising alternate routes where there are fewer policemen? It doesn’t save much time to speed. It especially doesn’t save any time if you get stopped. Gads, I sound like Ms Perfect. I’ve gotten several oral warnings and one written in my time. Not so bad and I’ve learned to slow down.

  15. I was returning home (Litchfield County) after dropping some friends off at the Denny’s by the outlets (we had just been to the casinos). After some convuluting directions (thanks to my GPS), I finally ended up on Route 9, heading home. I guess it must have been a boring night, because I got pulled over soon after getting on Route 9 (I was only going 5, maybe 7 above the limit). I handed the trooper my license, insurance and registration. He asked where I was going. I told him I was going home. He asked where home was (my license was in my hand so he knew where I lived) and I told him. He asked where I was coming from and I told him Mohegan Sun. He then asked what I had been drinking. I told him a coke, maybe two. He then asked me again what I had been drinking, and again, I told him just a couple of sodas. He asked me AGAIN what I had been drinking, and AGAIN, I told him nothing alcoholic. Looking exasperated, he asked me about the red star stamp (like the kind you get when you go to a club) on the back of my left hand. I replied, “Officer, I’m a ham radio operator and I was at the Newington hamfest earlier today. I’ve washed my hands, but it still won’t come off.” He looked at me, looked at my papers, looked at me again and handed my papers back to me with a warning to drive safely.

  16. You should remember that Eddy Haskell, played by Ken Osmond, grew up to be a Los Angles PD motorcycle cop whom I’m sure wrote many traffic tickets in his day.

  17. Did you include a “Speeding ticket clause” in your new contract? I don’t know exactly where your studio is, but 91S to 15S ? seems like quickest and most direct…….but then again you said you’re off the beaten path in Hamden………

  18. When I worked evenings as a nurse, I tended to drive fast when going home. I was stopped two or three times. Each time the cop saw that I was in uniform and let me go.

  19. Phew! I’m not the only one! Same thing happened to me last week in Southington. (I’ve never been pulled over in my almost 20 years of driving.) I went through a yellow light that turned red – go figure! The police officer was at the adjacent intersection. He was so pleasant and KIND and only gave me a written warning. He repeatedly told me he was a nice guy! That he was….I certainly could not afford a ticket! Happy driving!

  20. Most speed limits are used to collect revenue, not save lives or property. Little remembered fact: the National Defense Interstate Highway System was *designed* to be travelled at 70 mph. Reductions in accidents are tied to miles travelled, not speeding. Alcohol is the single most important cause of accidents. Broken tail lights aren’t.

  21. I live in Woodbury and they have police all over but you know what I still people talking on cell phones all the time. I am glad you got off with a warning.

  22. Agree with Robert Although I think cell phones will surpass alcohol in the not to distant future as the most important cause of accidents

  23. Hey, I love Eddie.He reminded me of my brother.They were both up to something and acting cool about it.

  24. I guess you can feel fortunate that you did not get a ticket, Geoff. But as you said, Cheshire might be a place to avoid for now…

  25. I agree with you, Geoff. I think being a law enforcer is a tough job these days. You never know who you’re pulling over and in what condition they’ll be in or what they have in their possession. You did it all correctly with the hands, the light etc. and I’m certain that officer appreciated your cooperation. We once got a ticket while driving up in the “quiet corner” as you call it and it was a big one. We’d passed a truck and didn’t realize how fast we were traveling. (It was an unmarked sports car!) The look on my hubby’s face was priceless. We were totally wrong, said we were sorry and paid the giant fine. Kids learned a lesson from that one as well. 😀

  26. It’s just not worth speeding to get anywhere these days. the roads aren’t designed for the high speeds. too many things happen at higher speeds that you’re not expecting. the posted speed is for a bright clear day. everything after that reduces the speed you can safely react to situations.
    It’s about a 40 minute ride from Hamden to Hartford. so, if you do twice the speed you save 20 minutes. Nah, ain’t worth it. leave a little early and relax at driving and reduce the stress.

  27. Here’s one of my favorite Eddy lines, as I recall:

    Beaver had gotten himself stuck in a tree, and the fire department had been called. While watching the rescue, Eddy said with his best wiseguy voice:

    “Fireman, fireman, save my child!”, only to turn around and see June giving him the stern evil eye, which shut him up right away.

    Love the Beave.

  28. “Well, hello, young Theodore! And, Mr. Cleaver, don’t you look dapper as you make your way to the dinner table this evening!” (Followed by general eye roll from all present) “Thank you, Eddie.” See, I remember!

  29. Before I even saw “Cheshire” I was going to say, “It must have been in Cheshire.” It’s ridiculous lately. I’m afraid to drive in my own town. I’ve been followed many times, plate run, etc. It’s getting really tiring.

  30. Okay, I can beat remembering “leave it to ‘beaver”. I remember watching “The Jack Benny” show with my mom on Friday nights when my dad went bowling!!

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