Bad cop, south of La Paz

I have posted several reports about good encounters with the cops in Baja. Yesterday, for the first time traveling in Baja for 42 years, I felt I was singled out because I am an American.

Yesterday, we had to make a quick trip to La Paz from Cabo to conduct some business. We were returning to Cabo in our California plated car around 2:30 pm. Oxxa was driving. We were south of La Paz on Hwy 1, outside the city in the undeveloped area, just desert around us. We were proceeding at about 45 or 50 mph while the general flow of traffic on the 4 lane was 60 to 70. A La Paz police pickup truck with lights flashing pulled in behind us and pulled us over. Two uniformed police offiicers got out of the truck and pointed to our speedometer, 40kph speed limit they said in Spanish. He asked for oxxa's license and the car registration. Apparently neither spoke English and we feigned ignorance of Spanish. He pulled out a typwritten piece of paper that showed our fine. He had conveniently converted all the peso charges to US dollars! Our "fine" - USD $100. We said in English we didn't have the money and we would follow him to the police station. He said in Spanish it was too far and it was dangerous to make a u-turn on the 4 lane. I pointed to the relatively heavy traffic zooming past us at 100+ kph in both directions - cars, semis, and busses - and said in English, "Look, the law is for everyone." He shook his head no and said he was pulling us over not those other cars. He looked me straight in the eye and said in Spanish, "I AM the law." There was no mistaking the threat in his voice.

We continued to profess our confusion and lack of understanding. He continued to say we needed to pay the fine on the spot. We continued to say we would follow him the the police station back in La Paz. He continued to profess confusion and lack of understanding. Finally, he handed the license and registration back to us and sent us on our way. He flipped a u-turn on the four lane and went back the other direction. I suppose that taking us into the police station would have caused them to lose the rest of the afternoon and it was better for them to cut their loses with us and look for another victim instead.

One kilometer down the road, a speed limit sign was posted at 90kph. I presume that point was the beginning of the federal highway outside of La Paz. Evidently the La Paz municipality extends quite a ways out into the country and the speed liimit is 40kph within the municipality even though unmarked as such. Obviously that limit is not enforced unless a corrupt cop sees an opportunity to make a few bucks on the side by intimidating someone.

I wonder if we had proceded another 1 kilometer if he would have pulled us over on a federal highway or would have given up the chase.

I am going to make copies of our drivers licenses and registration. If asked to produce them in the future, I will hand over the copies instead of originals. When dealing with a corrupt cop, I will continue to feign ignorance of Spanish.

Be wary on Hwy 1 south of La Paz, I have heard several reports of people being pulled over there.

Feigning ignorance?

Who says am white...oh that's right we've met.

I guess we have just been lucky when it comes to cops in other countries.

Lee, it's too easy to get into an argument with them if you speak the same language. Better to act like you don't understand and are confused but convey that you want to cooperate with body language. Hopefully a "bad cop" will give up out of frustration because it just isn't worth it to him.

Next time I might show them that I can pay with a credit card. I wonder how he would react?

Because it works, you're creating a standoff. Just stand there scratching your head and butt, pointing at things and looking stupid in the HOT SUN. He'll end up running away with your fake drivers license. Works for me!

We were headed south in La Paz last January and turned left towards La Ventana with our camper in tow when we got lit up by what could be the same cop. Accused us of turning left without the arrow but there was no red. I'm not sure what the law is but after 20 minutes of him asking for $100 and me smiling in stupidity, he finally returned my license and left.

Any chance that there is a book of "rules of the road" for Baja traffic laws ?
Nevermind ....... silly question !!

What turnip truck did you fall from?

well, let's all hope that in another 42 years this problem (beggar policia) will be all sorted out by then......perhaps mexico will cede Baja to it's neighbor to the north for "reparations"!

OK, I just sent them the following message:

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=32096&pag...

"Por favor, lea esta página de Internet. Si continúa la mordida, las turistas se van para otros lugares."

Now I have to go pick the turnip leaves out of my hair.


Anybody else here with the huevos, can just cut and paste what I sent into the message box. Or, you can just do nothing about it but complain on this message board.

thanks fulano...

i just sent the following...in my best gringo lingo extrodinaire.....:

"Por favor, lea esta página de Internet. Si continúa la mordida, las turistas se van para otros lugares."

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=32096&pag...

gracias

ahorra, yo tengo un huevo, tambien!!!

?Un huevo solamente? !Ay Caramba, que lastima! !buena suerte!

Quote:

Originally posted by oxxo Quote: Originally posted by woody in ob ahorra, yo tengo un huevo, tambien!!! ?Un huevo solamente? !Ay Caramba, que lastima! !buena suerte!

regarding fulano's challenge, yes....

Quote:

Originally posted by bancoduo Quote: Originally posted by fulano This is the virtual email box for La Paz. Send them your complaint (denuncia). If enough people do it, they'll have to fix that guy. http://www.lapaz.gob.mx/formularios/index.php What turnip truck did you fall from?

I have been pulled over a couple of times .....once in Ensanada very early in the morning with a detor....what a set up....however while they were telling me to get out of the car.....through the cracked window...I called my stafford shire up into my lap and told her to "get um" under my breath....oh boy did they change their minds in a hurry....I told them in muffled spanish it was tooooooo dangerous to open the door....they ran back to the cop car and I drove off laughing.....
what ever works......

It's my understanding that La Paz City Police (the guys in the white trucks) jurisdiction ends at the city limits & the Federal Police in the black & whites takes over....like on the highway beyond the PEMEX station near Comitan, just past El Centenario & likewise on the road to Cabo before you get to the LP plant. It sounds to me like these guys are really outside their authorized jurisdiction....not that that would have any moral weight considering their actions....but if I were stopped by a city cop in what clearly falls under Federal jurisdiction, I'd demand a ticket AND be encouraging him to follow me back to the station in La Paz to sort it all out with his superiors!

Quote:

Originally posted by longlegsinlapaz It's my understanding that La Paz City Police (the guys in the white trucks) jurisdiction ends at the city limits & the Federal Police in the black & whites takes over....like on the highway beyond the PEMEX station near Comitan, just past El Centenario & likewise on the road to Cabo before you get to the LP plant. It sounds to me like these guys are really outside their authorized jurisdiction....not that that would have any moral weight considering their actions....but if I were stopped by a city cop in what clearly falls under Federal jurisdiction, I'd demand a ticket AND be encouraging him to follow me back to the station in La Paz to sort it all out with his superiors!

Are you certain about the city limits being at the LP plant on the road out of town ? Others have said before that it is all the way out near the hwy19 turn-off ....

I am considering making my supply trips to Cabo rather than La Paz ..... don't need the tsores

CaboRon