Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

not with the track or racingevents, but with the police state like tactics of local law enforcement??  I was stone cold sober and was driving thru the Hy-Vee parking lot just before 2:00 a.m. and met a unmarked Iowa Highway patrolman. He drove out on to highway 14 and returned to the private parking lot to find me (as I had parked in the very front by the entrance) and exited my vehicle and interrogate me for  having a license plate light out. He was rude arrogant and most unprofessional in his manner and questions.  I kept my mouth shut wanting to tell him "that on private property I didn't need a license plate light." After he quickly discovered I was not there to buy beer just before closing of the beer sales tossed me my "papers" back and told me to "get the light fixed as I am not giving you a fix-it ticket but a verbal warning."  Not to be out done  .... the entire time I was detained, a MARKED Knoxville police car circled us (right in front of the well lit Hy-Vee) not in the lot. Upon picking up my wife and son and returning to highway 14 within maybe 2 minutes of being initially released I was pulled over immediately upon entering highway 14 by the marked Knoxville police car that had watched me NO more that 3 or 4 minutes earlier being stopped for the EXACT same reason ...no license light !! I will say to the policeman's credit at least this time I was on a public roadway, but there is no way he could not have known what had just occurred in the Hy-Vee (as I saw him circling us for several laps slowly) lot. We went thru the same routine not 5 minutes later other than questioning my wife and son for their i.d.'s and why we were out at 2:00 a.m.  I guess they have nothing better to do than stop the same car over and over for the same minor issue hoping to find some infraction other than a license plate light that both times got nothing more than a verbal warning.

"Welcome to Knoxville .... please enjoy your visit to Gestapo-Land"

Nope. That was my 27th Nationals and have never had a problem. Never stopped by the police for anything. 

Jack Dovers mom got pulled over less than a block from pulling out of the parking lot she was in...Trooper said the vehicle reeked of alcohol....it didn't, she hadn't had a drink in years.... he then told her he pulled her over because of a non-working license plate light.... next year at the Nationals I really think I need to set up a booth selling license plate light bulbs...could obviuosly make a fortune.

Loose is when you hit the wall with the rear of the
car, tight is when you hit the wall with the front of
the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and
torque is how far you move the wall.

Better get some 3rd brake light bulbs too.Thats what got Kevin Eckert pulled over last year after the Nationals.

Maybe I am just luckier than some here. I went to Knoxville for 15 years and never had any problems with the cops,although one year they were being real dickheads to all the people there in the late 90's  eary 2000.s.

You might want to incorporate a "free license plate light check" to your idea .... but either way it sounds like a $$$$ maker !!

Knoxville cops must have a quota that they must meet for the Natioanls event. I would not doubt it, almost every municipality is broke and they ALL undersstand that they can hassle people at any huge public event. Tickets help pay the bills. Then again, no one here was issued a ticket as it seems, so who knows. Maybe the town has size issues.

Never hit stationary objects!

It annoys me that legally acting and perfectly peaceful visitors are subjected to this. I attend a few big other events (Daytona Bike Week & the 500 as examples) and never heard others mention nor have had what happened to me in Knoxville during this last Nationals by law enforcement.  Perhaps National's fans should drive late model black Chevy Suburbans then we'd not get stopped for minor infractions ??

Anybody know what all the sirens on Saturday night were for? Sounded like ambulances. 

Follow me on the social medias! ; twitter - 
larryitis   Facebook - Michael Collins 

If I was TMac I would pull out of Osky so fast it would make your head turn. I'm sure the Iowa State Fairgounds would like to have 2 big events at their track. I was harrassed leaving the track as the officer thought I had a beer on me. I asked for a breath test as I had not been drinking and then was followed so close by a state trooper going back to Knoxville I thought he was in my back seat.

maybe they were escorting a shipment of license plate bulbs.

to indy and beyond!!

not signaling, burnt out bulbs, probable cause to pull you over just to bother you and hope for something illegal going on so they car arrest you.

dispiccable at the least.  time to attend some city council meetings with complaints and or letters to the (figurehead) mayor.  the council runs the city of Knoxville, start there with a deluge of letters, phone calls, e-mails and the like.  let them know the red neck days are over......or are they in knoxville???

Ascot was the greatest of all time..

West Capital wasn't half bad either..

Life is good...

here you go...lets deluge them with our complaints "and harassment" issues..
http://knoxvilleia.gov/Index.aspx?NID=182

Ascot was the greatest of all time..

West Capital wasn't half bad either..

Life is good...

I wouldn't blame Knoxville.  I see that everywhere within a small town with a big event.  That's their cash crop.  Cops suck.  I've never been assisted with any situation by a cop for any GOOD, just see them harassing people of the public to get that $$$   When was the last time you rear ended someone with a license plate out?  WTF does that have anything do with anything besides the Cop cant read it to run your shit and see if you're a bad guy?  What a scam!

do it in the dirt

I was in Sturis the week of the nationals was there sat thru weds ..arrived in kville on thurs of the 410s...now mind you sturgis an Kville approx the same size population wise..  2 large events difference being estimated crowd this year in sturgis 550 thousand people kville not sure lets say 100 thous people  ...in 2 days in kville i seen more police cars pullin people over than i did in sturgis riding my bike for for 5 days straight thats alot of miles on the road.In kville i rode into town and road out of town. Just sayin

You might want to study the history of Germany from 1933 - 1945 before you use the word "Gestapo" when talking about Knoxville police pulling you over for a burnt out light bulb. Cops here are a LONG way from being anything like the Gestapo.

Due to the Knoxville city police I know of 2 people that have been going for 30+ years that won't be back. Not going into specifics but they are not hell raisers by any means.

Why haven't I seen a police official at all except for the ride home? They were on the highway out of town both away from Oskalosaa and Knoxville.

I drove from Des Moines to Knoxville every day and back every night after the nationals.  I did see a lot more police this year, but never had a problem with them.

Lets not  get carried away here. "Verbal warning"? That might be minor harassment, but like someone else said, NOT "Gestapo"... did you get sent to a concentration camp?

Of course you have the right to be out at 2 AM, but ater hearing all this stuff about Knoxville police, I  go home right after the race, haven't had  problem in my 3 Nationals

Cops suck huh?  Hope you never need them.  There are bad cops just like there are bad people in all walks of life, but there are some great ones out there too.  Funny, I'm 51, and I've never been "scammed" by the police.  The times I've been puled over, I've deserved it (speeding).  Don't give them a reason to pull you over and you won't be "scammed" by the cops who "suck".