warning all citizens ...

million dollar question of the day: does the police force actually serve and/or protect?

the answer: i'm not sure, but yesterday was definitely a NO.

to give credit where it is due, i have had one positive chp interaction. i hit a giant rock right into the grapevine once and it put a monster hole in my tire. it was winter, rainy, and getting dark (trying to go see my honey) and i freaked out because i didn't know how to change the tire on the crv (on an incline). truth be told, i couldn't even get the jack out. eventually, with the giant trucks whizzing by, a lovely chp officer came to my rescue, put my spare on, and sent me on my way. blessed man -- i will always remember him fondly.

fast forward to 7:10 am yesterday morning on 280 n just before the edgewood onramp. i'm NOT speeding (for once) and minding my own business when i see a patrol car get on in front of me. he speedily moves to the second-from-left lane and turns on his lights, so i assume he is getting some speedster and blithely continue on my way, maintaining speed. all of a sudden, he slows down. slows waaaaay down to 45 mph and starts weaving in the three lanes right in front of me. i had NO idea what he was doing; i had never seen such a thing before. so i slow down, not knowing what to do, and he continues to weave right in front of me, blocking me from changing lanes or getting out of his way or anything. now i'm getting scared, because i think he's drunk or crazed AND i'm afraid someone is going to hit me from behind. so i pull over to the far right lane, he turns on his sirens and slows even further down and pulls me over. (note: i'm already having a crummy time. i am hitting my professional quarter-life crisis 3 years late, i have a bacterial infection AND i hate my job. i was just trying to connect with the Lord and get my ass to work. WHY WHY WHY?)

he tells me the reason why i got pulled over is because i wasn't maintaining 300 feet behind the patrol car. that when he has his lights and siren on (his lights yes, but he DIDN'T have his siren on until he pulled me over) ... i must maintain 300 feet behind him. and was i in a hurry? why was i trying to pass him? didn't i know that that the bridge was iced over?

WUT? he said i wasn't speeding, i was in no way trying to pass him, and the san mateo bridge was like 15 miles away on another highway. why was he trying to slow traffic down, doing the weave thing, when it's 7 in the morning and there is little-to-no traffic? and 300 feet behind him?? a) i have never heard of such a thing, though to be fair, my knowledge of on-the-road laws is fairly sketchy and b) he's driving and weaving at 45 miles an hour on the fastest freeway in the bay area and I'M being the dangerous driver? what if there was ice on 280? he would be the CAUSE of an accident, as far as i'm concerned. and i'm trying to get out of his way, but he continued to block me, FORCING me to drive close than the necessary 300 feet. and then he gave me a citation and i cried all the way to school.

in retrospect, i feel taken advantance of. i don't think fast on my feet like honey, so i didn't even think to ask for a warning. i was too upset and befuddled. but if i could go back and do it again, how could i do anything differently? he forced me to tail him. if i had to slow down enough to maintain 300 feet, i'd seriously be going like 35 mph. that's like asking to die on 280. is he just trying to meet his quota? power trip? because how did he serve and protect his community yesterday morning? by busting on a small asian public school teacher who was (for once) NOT speeding or breaking any laws?

300 feet. *expletive*

you have been warned.