Have you ever talked back to a cop?

[Major Nikon]

21. I got into a heated argument with a cop

I was cruising down the highway and by cruising I mean I had the cruise control set to exactly the speed limit (70mph) and not even 1mph over which is normal for me.

The next thing I know a local cop (not even a highway patrol) in an unmarked police vehicle pulls along side and very irately is telling me to pull over. Come to find out he had been behind me for a while and I didn't notice so he's already hot under the collar, by the time I pulled over.

He asked if I knew why he pulled me over. I asked if I had a low tire or something because I had no idea why he pulled me over. He kept quizzing me claiming I knew why he pulled me over and I kept insisting I didn't. Finally he tells me he clocked me at 83mph. I told him that was impossible as my cruise control was set to 70 and was verified with my GPS. He asked me if I thought his "$20 thousand dollar radar" was lying (I've forgotten more about radar theory than this guy will ever know). I told him it's possible or more likely it was operator error. By this time he is yelling very loudly at me. I had my daughter in the car seat in the back and I told him he was upsetting her and he really should start acting like a professional. The guy had a big pot belly and his uniform looked as if he had slept in it. Needless to say he didn't instil confidence. He told me to step out of the car and go with him to his squad car. I refused saying I wasn't going to leave my daughter alone. By this time his face was red. He stomped off back to his car and returned a bit later with a written WARNING of all things.

The next day I called the municipal police office of the small town that employed this guy and asked to speak to a supervisor. To my surprise the chief of police got on the line. I asked to be mailed a complaint form and explained what happened. The chief wouldn't go into details, but I got the impression this wasn't the first time they had trouble with this guy. I always wondered if he got fired or disciplined over it.