msmith1199 wrote:
He gave you the textbook answer on this because technically you aren't supposed to let the attitude of the driver determine whether you issue a ticket or not. But I can say with almost 100% certainty that no cop operates like that. I can't tell you how many times I stopped people who would have got a warning, but instead they talked themselves into a ticket. And I've probably had just as many people talk themselves out of a ticket that I had intended to write.
When I live in CA my next door neighbor was a CHP officer and essentially told me the exact same thing. Everybody, no matter how professional they are 99% of the time, has a bad day. His advice if stopped was to always try and show respect to the officer, and not cop (no pun intended) an attitude. If it was not a major violation that was potentially endangering other drivers or pedestrians, you just might get off with a warning.
