Police officer clocks you speeding, do they have so many feet to pull you over within to give you a ticket?

Question

I was pulled over after I had made a turn and went quite a ways down a different road. He said I was speeding way back on the road I turned off of that was quite aways away. Does the officer have so many feet from where he clocked me speeding at to pull me over?

Answer 1

No, they don't have any legal guidelines.  Only professional ones.  Normally officers like to keep it in the area where the violation occurred and not after the motorist has traveled to a different area, block, vicinity, or has pulled off the street, into a parking lot and gotten out of their car, etc.  But they are within their legal right to cite you at just about any point.  However, a judge might question an officer who has pulled someone over MILES from where it occurred, or has followed someone through a mall, store, or on the other side of town.  The only time this is a valid issue without question is when the motorist was trying to get away, dodging in or out of traffic, or purposely trying to distance themselves to cause question or even discourage the officer from giving the ticket.  There are people who in fact that try this!  It generally doesnt work except in cases where the officer has actually lost sight of you for some time.

Answer 2

The short answer...no.

Answer 3

that is a really good question. but knowing all to well that the system is set up to favor cops i bet they have no such rule. this guy was probably being an *** hole to get his monthly quota in. last minute shopping!

Answer 4

No.  A cop can't just follow you for miles and miles, but he can wait until he has run your license plate information or is comfortable with the location for the stop, or so forth.  As long as it can be argued that the stop was made within a "reasonable" amount of time following the observance of the violation, it's all good.  What's reasonable?  Well, if you have a complaint about it, it would be up to the officer's supervisors/department administration and/or the courts to determine if it was reasonable.

Answer 5

No.  If that were true, all you would have to do is run from the cop for so many feet to avoid every ticket.

It just took him awhile to catch you.  Slow down.