This past April, an Ontario woman was stopped for speeding in Georgia. It happens, right?
You know the routine, you drag your license and registration out, the cop writes you a ticket.
Not in Georgia, not if you have a Canadian driver’s license. The 27 year old grad student was told her license was invalid. She was handcuffed and ended up in jail. Mug shots, fingerprints, scary stuff.
The article I read had over 1700 comments. Quite a few people felt the woman should have had her passport with her. Apparently, having copies of her passport, birth certificate, and Nexus card on her phone wasn’t good enough. Some felt that she should have had a Tennessee license since she was living there while going to school. One comment said that particular area of Georgia was known for “financing their counties through bogus charges and fines.”
Whether you think the cop was right or wrong probably depends on which side of the border you live on, but the report got me to thinking…
I’ve been stopped for speeding more times than my husband appreciated. Never once was an officer less than polite. Most were friendly, and a few had a sense of humour. I’m certain they would be just as professional if I was holding a Non-Canadian license.
To every police officer in my neck of the woods; Toronto Police, York Region Police, Ontario Provincial Police, and the Quebec Provincial Police I want to say thank you 🙂
The next time I’m in the States? Uber.
I still think America is a good place, despite those in positions of power who abuse their offices and our citizens.
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Of course, those are exactly the kind of people who make the news. Nice guys don’t get headlines 🙂
I’m in the States a fair bit, I’ve met amazing people there so I know you’re right. A few bad apples…do not the country make 🙂
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I’m guessing good cops and officious ones exist wherever you drive. I’m thankful I don’t have a car.
JP
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If I lived closer to a subway station, I might consider ditching the car.
I often drive by an interesting area and tell myself I’ll go back and check it out on foot, but I never get around to it. You miss a lot when you’re zipping through the streets at 80 km 🙂
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It’s impossible living in central London with a car x
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Who needs a car when you’ve got London?
Love your city 🙂
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Ugh, that’s horrible. That wouldn’t have happened here in Massachusetts, I’m sure. The whole thing is sort of ridiculous. I hope in the end any charges were dropped.
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Yes, a judge ruled the license valid and the bail money was returned. No plans on going to Georgia any time soon though 🙂
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Ooof. Only takes one or two bad coppers to give a whole force a bad name. We know that in London with the MET. 31,000 coppers, there’s always gonna be a few problem types. Then they all take the flack when the odd few get the front page of the papers.
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Always. Good guys don’t make the headlines 🙂
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