Engelina Smith: Was that really a cop who pulled me over?
I was driving on V Street and made a right turn going to Home Depot. I noticed flashing lights in my rear-view mirror and it looked like it was meant for me, so I immediately turned and parked. I had no idea what was going on, so I got out of the car right away. I approached a young man, wearing civilian clothes, who had exited a small white sedan. A female also exited the car, but stayed next to the vehicle.
I said: What did I do wrong?
He replied: I can see that it was an honest mistake. He told me that I made an illegal turn.
In a lengthy exchange he said it was dangerous to make a right turn because of traffic from the right. I had told him that I had not driven that route for years, and he mentioned that things had changed.
He said: “I’m not going to give you a ticket this time, and let you go with a warning.”
I decided to go to the Highway Patrol office in Atwater to find out who pulled me over. Since the vehicle was unmarked, and the young man had no uniform, I had no idea which agency he belonged to – and neither did the Highway Patrol officer. Lesson learned. Don’t get out of your car, and always ask for ID.
Engelina Smith, Atwater
This story was originally published October 24, 2017 at 4:33 PM with the headline "Engelina Smith: Was that really a cop who pulled me over?."