OT: Vehicle registration and anti-theft.

[TurinTurambar]

Me neither. But here's the thing: I respect the job, its sacrifices, and its difficulties. But rarely have I ever come away from any meeting with a police officer with respect for the cop. (Keep in mind that I live in Los Angeles.)

I am so clean I squeak. Never any drugs, don't abuse alchohol, not a single moving violation ever. My problem is I have really long hair. Cops stop me at the airport, at traffic roadblocks for construction, late at night coming home from a gig... whatever. And why?

Because 95% of the police force is a bunch of jaded, goose-stepping profilers. I remember one highway patrolman who pulled me over cuz he thought I wasn't wearing my seatbelt (I was) and he was the nicest guy; a genuine human who looked in the back of my truck, asked me what I did for a living, chatted with me about it for awhile and wished me a happy, safe day. I thought "Wow. That was cool. Maybe I'm wrong." Then a couple weeks later, some arrogant fool with a flat-top pulls me over and asks if I've been drinking today. My kid's in the car with me on the way home from guitar lessons. So I stand in front of the car with my hands on the hood while one guy frisks me and another digs through my stuff in between my seats. Looking for what? My obvious pot-stash because I have long hair? "Dad, why was that guy so mean to you?" "I don't have an answer for that, Derek, maybe he thought I was doing something wrong."

I know not all cops are pr##ks, but if you don't look like they think you should look, their pitiful view of humanity makes them immediately your superior and you're in the wrong until you prove otherwise.

My $0.02
Turin