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The next day, in the same part of town at about the same time, he didn't give me a break. He asked me if I knew my headlight was out and I replied that he had told me the night before. This time he actually wrote me up for speeding.

After being pulled over two days in a row by the same guy, I started feeling just a little bit targeted. I'd heard a little bit about profiling and began to wonder. Could they suddenly be going after white males in their twenties driving white Toyota Corollas?

Two days later, Spanish Fork gave me a break. This time the Salem Police flagged me off the road. The guy asked if I knew my headlight was out. As calm as I could, I responded the same way I had the other two times I was pulled over that week. After he checked out my registration and everything, he came back to inform me that there was a warrant out for my arrest. Strangely, I wasn't aware of this. Apparently the arrestable offense came about a year earlier from another speeding incident in Lehi. I remembered the incident, but didn't remember to pay. This is understandable since last I had checked my driving record, the incident was absent.

So instead of arresting me, the Salem cop said it would be easier if we took care of the fine that night with a county deputy. He radioed a nearby K-9 unit to meet us at the Tesoro down the road, then he escorted me there. The reason we had to go to the Tesoro was because I had to get change from the bills I had to withdraw from the ATM. I owed $195 and they wouldn't take a tip. When I went into the store, the clerk asked if I knew if a cop was staking me out. The punk customer and the toothless old bicyclist customer then asked what the cop wanted and I said he nabbed me for some past crimes. Punk and the toothless guy breathed sighs of relief, then all of them consoled me about my plight. It sort of felt good stickin' together against the Man with the late night underworld.

After I paid the K-9 deputy and smiled nervously at the dog they gave me a receipt. The receipt was a huge relief since up until now the whole situation seemed a whole lot like a massive full-force bribe.

The next Sunday I was on my way to the house of my good friend Erin (whom I've mentioned in the past). This time the Provo police nabbed me. He asked if I knew my headlight was out and I responded in a ridiculously calm manner considering my situation. He gave me a fix-it citation which meant that if I didn't get the light fixed within the month, I'd get a ticket for it.

Now, as I mentioned before, I live in terror. I like to think that most law-abiding people see a cop and they're grateful they have some protection in their community. I see a cop and I see the potential for my own personal oppression. Granted, they did catch me speeding, but that doesn't change the fact that I go into an instant panic every time I see a cop even when I'm obeying the law (which is really about 99% of the time). I used to calmly drive wherever I wanted. Now there are certain places on I-15 that always frighten me. UVSC, Thanksgiving Point, the Humane Society and the AutoMall all have flashing electronic billboards that look an awful lot like police lights at a glance in rear view mirrors. I panic when I pass these places every night.

On the first of March SFPD pulled me over for speeding again. It was at 11:15 and I was heading to the BYU-Utah basketball game which had started at 10. I finished work a little late and wanted to catch the second half of the game at the Marriott Center. He asked where I was going and I was surprised to learn that he had no idea about the game. When he arrived back at my car he informed me that I was driving with a suspended license because of a certain Lehi incident. I very calmly told him that such a thing was impossible. I had a receipt and everything. I was told to have the information on my court date.

If they go through with suspending my license, I'm in serious, serious trouble. You can't just catch a bus from downtown Salt Lake to Neways in Salem.

I've admitted to breaking the law, but please let me gripe just a little bit starting right now. In my opinion, there is a HUGE difference between going 50 down Spanish Fork's Main Street at 11 p.m. and going down the same street at 4 p.m. Somehow busting me at least three times for being the only person on the road is important to these people. Have you ever been on Spanish Fork's Main Street? It's like University Avenue. Have you ever been on a really wide road when you're the only one there? How fast do you go then?

I have friends. They'll vouch for me. I drive incredibly slow. I'm courteous to other drivers. I'm safe. Surely I don't get too much credit for the amount of accidents I've been in that have been my fault (zero) or even for accidents I've been in that WEREN'T my fault (zero). Surely nobody can complain that I wasn't driving courteously on the nights in question.

What kind of person becomes a cop anyway? I hear it's kind of a hard job to enjoy unless you enjoy inflicting pain. What kind of person enjoys inflicting pain on someone like me?

I have a huge animosity for cops now. Maybe I don't have much reason. I shudder to think of what animosity exists for people who get pulled over all the time who don't deserve to as much as I do. If this phenomenon truly does happen to minorities, as a white male, I'm really really sorry. I wish only legitimate criminals could look at cops in fear.

Anyway, cops and the cities of Spanish Fork and Lehi are on my bad list. For the next week I will not sponsor or endorse any of these parties. I know a week isn't very much, but I always eat at the Spanish Fork Teriyaki Stix even though they're usually out of curry (which is worth another rant itself). Spanish Fork also has a really dirty five dollar Chinese buffet that I really love. But Lehi's Thanksgiving Point? Hah! What a joke!

After this last incident, someone at work told me that Spanish Fork cops are the worst in the state for pulling people over. That's good to know now.

(4mar04)