Is a cop allowed to pull you over for a civilian complaint that supposedly occurred in the previous city?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Is a cop allowed to pull you over for a civilian complaint that supposedly occurred in the previous city?
I just a police officer pull me over because I supposedly passed someone in a no passing lane. The officer told me they person who complained did not want to file charges but wanted me pulled over and warned, he wasted my time and made me late for work based on a complaint by a person who said they would not press charges.
Asked on December 23, 2011 under General Practice, Oregon
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Law enforcement is allowed under statute and case law of all states in this country to act upon information provided by citizens of this country to make a stop even though the stopping police officer may not have seen any actual wrong doing done by the person stopped.
As an example, suppose there was a bank robbery where the suspects drove away in a 1970 green El Camino driving south on Main Street of a given town. If the bank called in this information and description to law enforcement and a police officer saw the 1970 green El Camino within several minutes of the call, the police officer would be justified in stopping the vehicle.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.