They use stuff like that as Probable cause to see what is going on. That is the usual reason the stop you for picayune ship. Then they can get a look at you and see if they see anything suspicious. Arpaio uses the same scenario to stop and look for illegals. If you were Hispanic and had a taillight out his officers where told to stop and make people prove citizenship. actually do a lot of that on I10 in Louisiana, Mississippi etc to look for drugs
You are probably an old white guy so do not fit any profile so it is unusual to you.
Now ask how did it feel?
How would you feel if it happened frequently?
Maybe a little minority understanding will be gained