License Plate Profiling Miffs Coloradans

Everybody thought that Colorado had it easy, what with the legal pot and all. But it turns out there may well be some rust on that “legalize it” pot of gold. Drivers from Colorado are star...
License Plate Profiling Miffs Coloradans
Written by Mike Tuttle
  • Everybody thought that Colorado had it easy, what with the legal pot and all. But it turns out there may well be some rust on that “legalize it” pot of gold.

    Drivers from Colorado are starting to complain that they are getting hassled with driving in other states. They are accusing cops from states other than Colorado of “license plate profiling”.

    Basically, license plate profiling is pulling over a vehicle simply because it has Colorado plates. Why would a law enforcement officer do that? KRDO’s story about Bill Despain of Colorado might give us a clue.

    Despain and his wife, April Anderson, were pulled over in Oklahoma. They say there was no reason whatsoever for them to be pulled over other than the fact that they had Colorado plates.

    “Basically if you leave the state of Colorado with Colorado plates you have a target on your back now. There was no reason for him to pull us over other than those Colorado license plates,” said Despain.

    Anderson explains, “The officer took Bill to his car, put him in there, started questioning him and asked me to step out of the vehicle. He searched my purse and every little crack and cranny in the vehicle.”

    Despain says, once in the officer’s vehicle, he was immediately asked if he or his wife were prescribed medical marijuana. The officers then searched the vehicle for over an hour. Finding nothing, they then gave Despain a warning for speeding 3 miles over the speed limit.

    KDVR- FOX 31 reports that one Darian Roseen, a 70-year-old man from Pagosa Springs, Colorado, is suing Idaho State Police. Roseen also says that he was targeted because of his Colorado license plate.

    The officer’s dash cam shows that Roseen was pulled over and asked, “Where is your marijuana?” Roseen had none. The trooper searched part of Roseen’s vehicle there, then according to Roseen’s attorney, “Another officer came and drove Mr. Roseen’s vehicle to the sheriff’s office where a more thorough search was done by the officers.”.

    Nothing was ever found. Roseen is suing over this as a violation of his civil rights.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

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