Wyoming Highway Patrol...Too Much Time on Their Hands
87"Why-oming???"
A Frustrated Driver's Saga
I have the utmost respect for law enforcement. My husband is a retired police officer with over 23 years on the force, so before I begin my gripe, let me just make that crystal clear. However, I do not have much love for the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
In August, my son and I drove up to Minnesota in my Jeep Grand Cherokee. After a lovely visit to the Midwest, it was time to drive home to Nevada, and though the weather was pretty awful during the drive, overall the drive was uneventful. That is...until I hit Cheyenne, Wyoming. I was driving the posted speed limit, it was raining, and I was quietly longing to get home and out of my car and just be done with the roadtrip at this point, but suddenly in my mirror I caught the red and blue lights of a Highway Patrol car. My son thought it was hysterical, but I assured him I wasn't speeding, and had no clue why I was being pulled over. I see the short, stocky patrolman walk up to the passenger window as I sat there perplexed over what this was about. It was like a movie, "M'am, do you know why I stopped you today?" I told him I had absolutely no idea, and then the aggravation began. "Well, you only have one license plate, I need your license and registration and insurance, please."
One license plate? This is what you stopped me for???
So I smile, and said to this lovely gentleman, "I am from Nevada, we don't have to have two plates," thinking that would be the end of this. Wrong! Trooper "Wyoming" advised me that as an officer of the Wyoming Highway Patrol he was in fact able to cite me for driving with one plate because, according to his law enforcement bible, the AAA manual, Nevada required two license plates. Now, at first I thought he was joking. I mean, what cops use the AAA as their legal resource? He wasn't joking. Here he was in the pouring rain, stopping this mom in a Grand Cherokee for not having a front plate. Again, I inform the trooper that my car doesn't even have a bracket or holes for a front plate and he sternly answers, "I guess you best get to Auto Zone and get one." Huh???
So while he is running my ID through NCIC my son calls my husband on the cell phone, laughing the whole time. The trooper walks back over to my car and hands me my ID and registration, and hands me a blue warning ticket. He informs me that he could have given me a ticket but he just gave me a warning this time. So being the wife of a retired cop, I say to this robocop, "You know, my husband was a police officer for 23 years and he drives my car all the time. Don't you think he would know the laws of Nevada?" His response, "Obviously he doesn't." He then goes on to tell me that I am driving the type of car that drug runners use on Wyoming highways. A Jeep Grand Cherokee...who would have thought!
As soon as I was out of view from the trooper, heading out of Wyoming, I called my husband who was furious. He was ranting and raving about how the WHP had no right to enforce the laws of another state, etc etc. I knew this issue was not over.
After I was home for a day I decided to call the Wyoming HIghway Patrol to discuss this. I had done my research online and found on the Nevada DMV that we do NOT have to have two plates if our car does not have a mount for a front plate. Problem solved. I called the main administration number at WHP and asked to speak to a supervisor, and they got me a lieutenant. This was the direct supervisor of Trooper "Wyoming." I explained to him what happened, how my husband was a retired law enforcement officer and how his officer was wrong and how absurd it was to quote the AAA manual as the laws of the highway. Imagine my surprise when he told me that I was the one who was wrong. He now brings up the AAA manual again, and I advised him to go to www.dmvnv.com and he can see for himself that we do not have to display a front plate in Nevada. Still, he argues, and he then informs me that as a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper they CAN enforce the laws of other states. As an example, he tells me he can ticket Colorado drivers if their window tint is too dark because Colorado has certain requirements about tint percentage. While Colorado may in fact have laws regarding window tint, I know that law enforcement does not have the ability to enforce the laws of other states in their own states. The Lieutenant gets very testy with me and lets me know that I am incorrect. Apparently the troopers of the WHP can police the laws of all states and all environments. So in parting, I told him that I would make sure that I avoid the state of Wyoming on my next road trip because it is clear that their officers have way too much time on their hands if they stop people from other states for not displaying a front plate on their car.
Granted, I did not receive a ticket in Wyoming, just a warning. According to attorneys I have spoken to in Nevada, this traffic stop was actually a violation of my civil rights. The WHP had no probably cause to stop my car and I was detained after there was no reason to stop me. The reason I am writing this article is to let others know that this kind of stuff can happen on an innocent road trip. I was wearing my seatbelt, I wasn't speeding, I was simply driving home to Nevada. There was no reason for this traffic stop, and I suppose that others have shared my frustration on road trips. If so, I would love to hear from you.
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When we were in college, my husband was pulled over by a Cheyenne highway patrol man, for having out of state plates, then written a ticket, claiming our college was not exempt from needing to register in WY. This was ridiculous, because (1) he was driving 'my' car. (2) I had just borrowed the car from my dad the week before. (3) There were no other violations, therefore he should never have been pulled over, as it was no one's business why he was in the state or how long he had been there. Since I had been followed by State Patrols on more than one occasion, driving that car, but never pulled over, I can only assume that they were looking for a car like mine, driven by a male, for some reason (I was frequently followed in NE too).
Here in western WY, I have never had a problem with the police/highway patrol in any manner. They have always been most helpful, even when we had Idaho plates.
I'm a police officer in another state. I recently returned from a tour in the Middle East and was on vacation. It was 7:55 am I was driving a rental car with CA plates. I was passing through Wyoming enroute to Colorado. The speed limit was 65 mph on a two lane highway. I was traveling south and the Trooper was traveling north behind a school bus. As soon as we passed each other I looked in my side mirror and saw him beginning to make a u-turn. I immediately pulled over and waited for him. I didn't want to be arrogant and flash my badge out the window, which some cops do, looking for "professional courtesy" so I laid my I.D. wallet on my leg. I also had my Military I.D. out. He told me why he pulled me over, 80 mph in a 65.mph zone. He goes back to his car and comes back with a summons, not the written warning I was hoping for. Wrote me for the 80 in the 65. I was speeding and I'll admit it, doing between 70 and 75, but to tack on the, minimum of 5 mph, that's wrong! I'm not as ticked off about the ticket as I am about the extra mph. What's that about? The only thing I could think of is he might not have wanted to look foolish for writing a summons 5-10 mph over the limit on rural stretch of highway. Maybe the out of state plates played a roll. I will say this, he was very polite. And yes I payed the summons and joined the ranks of those who have been issued a traffic ticket. Now I can say I've been on both sides of the fence.
I'm a 60 year old guy,hardly the profiler of a drug trafficer andhe same thing happened to me and my wife in 2007. I have CA plates on my Saturn VUE so I expected trouble somewhere on my trip.I was on I 80 50mileswest of Rawlings WY.I was 5 miles under the speed limit.In the rear view mirror I see the WHP hang a u turn and starte following me. A short time later he stopped me.In the passenger side mirro I see him down low approaching the car like I was Ammericas most wanted. He poped up in the passager window and informed me that I was driving to close to the white line nearest the shoulder. He said that my GPS was distracting me.He asked for my license reg and proof of insurance. After 10 minutes he returned and told me that he was giving me a warning and that I should get the GPS off of the dash.Over the next 10 days I drove an additional 4500 miles through 13 other states and never had got stopped again. If I ever drive to Missouri again I will head south at Salt Lake and pick up the I 70. Wyoming never again.
Just happened to me today outside of Casper Wyoming. I'm from Montana. I was driving the speed limit.
I've been run off the highway when a WHP passed on a two lane over a hill into my lane and I had to swerve onto the shoulder to avoid him as we met on a hill (one experience), also have had them pull over numerous colleagues since we work in WY from time to time with out of states. They never have probable cause, just do because they are out of state and assume we are working there. I can't stand Wyoming law.
I live in Laramie, WY (about an hour out side of Cheyenne) the whole Wyoming police street force is shady. They love to pull people over with out of state licence plates because of a school called Wyo Tech. The police force hate these students (for no real justified reason) so if you look like you are one of them they will pull you over. I am fighting a ticket now cause I was pulled over doing 66 in a 35. The sheriff that tagged me with his radar was not the one that pulled me over. It was the one that was sitting next to him that was facing the other way. ( mind you I didnt see the sign to slow down and it was in the middle of no where and all of a sudden there is a town) so the sheriff that didnt tag me askes me what I am doing I told him that I am doing store resets across wyoming and I am trying to get to our next town. He then asks for my ID and registration. Takes over 20 minutes with them. them comes back with tickets stating that i was speading and that my story sounds fishy and he would like to search my car. I tell him I can prove that my story is real and show you all the proof you need. he then takes it as a threat to him and tell me to get out of the car so that he can search it. so he searches the car ans tells me he found and open container (some beer can) I told him the only can that is in my back seat is a rusted on we found at a gas station that looks like it has been there for over 6 months. He then asks me " well what are the other cans" " well officer i recycle and those are soda cans" (thinking to my self can he not see the coke a cola writing, mtn dew, dr pepper, etc) it was bullshit!!!! The sheriff was an asshole the whole time, and I could tell he was new to the force cause he didnt even know what to fine me, for my tickets.... the police force is a joke here. and i hope that you guys don't let that reflect on the state. some how we just get ever low life out of the academy on our police force.
I'm amazed at the number of people who contact me about this issue. something needs to be done about their traffic stops that actually violate the civil rights of people traveling through Wyoming.
Wyoming is a great state, every state has their issues. I could also complain about every State Trooper I come across in other states including my own, for some of you...you let one person ruin your whole idea of the WHP. I am a Paramedic on the road and I work in the ER and I have seen them in action...instead of talking negative about them or any agency, try praising them for the good they do. Officers get up in the middle of the night to go pull crap off the road so you or I don't hit it, they help stranded drivers change a tire, they give you a ride if your car is broke down, mostly troopers are out on the road rarely with any back up, they take a huge risk every time they go on patrol. I've seen them take a bullet, hold compression on a bleeding open wound, set in the back seat of a crashed vehicle for 2 hrs holding a teen boys head in position while the jaws of life worked to get him out, this wasnt a sunny day either, middle of a severe blizzard the trooper layed in the snow and reached through the vehicle to hold this kid, this was the worse traffic accident I have ever seen and I have been doing this a long time. (FYI: this trooper alone saved this boys life because he held his position), I could go on for hours over all the great things I have seen Troopers do. These men and women serve us, they are heroes. Yes every agency has a bad egg, follow the chain of command and deal with the issue if you have one. But please do not come on here ranting and making all of them look bad, its an unfortunate human flaw. Every job has it, the one person or group that puts a negative shadow on an entire group of great people.
8 times out of 10 when I get a call about my ambulance group or the ER I work in its a complaint. Sometimes over the most outrageous issues. But when I do get someone calling praising what we do it helps employee morale and makes you feel great.
How about next time instead of complaining...try praising.
In Wyoming doing some contract work. I do believe they profile out of state vehicles even though they state otherwise.Wound up with citation for not registering vehicle on day one. I realize this is thier law. However they have jobs in which they have to import workers. For me the cost of coming to Wyoming has been hard to offset. To register vehicles in multiple states can be very expensive. I think with this law they are penny wise and dollar foolish as people will recoupe their losses by some means if it means spending as little as possoible while in the state.
Daena B. 20 months ago
Oh my. What an absurd situation.