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absinvestor
Senior Nomad
Posts: 725
Registered: 11-28-2009
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Chavycha- your post is a classic case of the "messenger getting shot." Seemed to me your comment about "hopefully an isolated incident" indicated that
you were not out to bash the police etc but was meant to alert other travelers to be extra cautious. I have never had a problem traveling thru CC but
I'm extra careful due to prior reports. Thanks for posting your experience.
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
Registered: 12-1-2003
Location: Baja California México
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Statistical Reality is sometimes a bitter pill for some folks to swallow.
Not that long ago I read a story in the L.A. Times about a motorcycle CHP who chortled "I am going to break the state record for the number of
citations issued in one single day" Damned lucky thing I was not on the freeway that day.
Can anyone drive for 5 miles on an LA freeway without breaking any laws whatsoever? Mechanical, legal, driving? Number of feet traveled when
signalling. I don't appreciate hyper-enforcement anywhere at any time. it sucks.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64755
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by monoloco
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Went through Ciudad Constitucion twice on 2012 summer trip, didn't even see a policia either time. Stopped happily at every red light and any stop
sign (and counted to 3 before going). |
Why is it that every time someone posts about getting shaken down by
the police, two or three will predictably chime in that they didn't get hassled? Just because it didn't happen to you, doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
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A misunderstanding...?
Why is it when someone posts a negative comment about something in Mexico anyone would be upset to read of a positive one? Just because it happened to
someone doesn't mean it will happen to everyone.
I know Cavycha didn't insinuate it would, I thought his post was great, and I wasn't trying to contradict him. What I was trying to get across is that
it doesn't mean that all gringos are targets. We drove through CC (Ciudad Constitucion) expecting to be eyeballed by the cops... and we looked for
cops... Maybe they were on siesta, as it was early afternoon both times we came through town.
So, please post the good, the bad, and the ugly! For every time I have said something good about El Rosario, there was usually a counter-opposite
post. This is a discussion forum, not just a god news only forum, afterall.
Have a nice day!
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Martyman
Super Nomad
Posts: 1904
Registered: 9-10-2004
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bob and Susan
it wasn't a "shakedown" ...
you made an illegal U-turn
since you stayed in town that night...
did you go to the police station and pay the fine?
or did you become a "criminal" and pay "mordita"
Mexican towns have many "one-way" streets
if you were in the USA and made an illegal U-turn...
wouldn't you get a ticket too?
just because you are a tourist doesn't mean you can break the laws |
Oh Jeez!
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oxxo
Banned
Posts: 2347
Registered: 5-17-2006
Location: Wherever I am, I'm there
Member Is Offline
Mood: If I was feeling any better, I'd be twins!
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I was in Cabo San Lucas on business at the INM office a couple of days ago. I left town on the four lane about 11 am. Immediately a policia
transito pulled in behind me on his motorcycle. Well, the speed limit was posted at 60 kph and I set my cruise control on 60. I'm just slow poking
through the outskirts of town while the local traffic is passing me going 100 kph. Local traffic was not a problem for the officer, he just stayed on
my tail. After about 4 km of this cat and mouse game, he got bored with me and turned off.
No mal dias. 
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by oxxo
I was in Cabo San Lucas on business at the INM office a couple of days ago. I left town on the four lane about 11 am. Immediately a policia
transito pulled in behind me on his motorcycle. Well, the speed limit was posted at 60 kph and I set my cruise control on 60. I'm just slow poking
through the outskirts of town while the local traffic is passing me going 100 kph. Local traffic was not a problem for the officer, he just stayed on
my tail. After about 4 km of this cat and mouse game, he got bored with me and turned off.
No mal dias. |
It was an escort. 
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
Registered: 12-1-2003
Location: Baja California México
Member Is Offline
Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Would you have sweat any less if the rider wore a gold helmet and had the California star emblem on the gas tank?
Look, if you think a cop is hassling you, turn on your signal, pull over, wave him down. Then start asking questions: The best carnitas, is this the
road to Culiacan, where is his favorite hotel. Hell I follow them all the way back to their car and wave my arms as they spin gravel getting the hell
away...
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9274
Registered: 12-15-2008
Location: Disneyland Adjacent and anywhere in Baja
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The CC kerfuffle of a few years back really seems to have abated. Time was that you could not transit through town without seeing numerous of cops
laying in wait for a sting. I have to believe that all of the Nomad posters and their actions had a positive effect on the situation. Last couple of
times through there we saw zero cops on the main drag.
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monoloco
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6667
Registered: 7-13-2009
Location: Pescadero BCS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
| Quote: | Originally posted by monoloco
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Went through Ciudad Constitucion twice on 2012 summer trip, didn't even see a policia either time. Stopped happily at every red light and any stop
sign (and counted to 3 before going). |
Why is it that every time someone posts about getting shaken down by
the police, two or three will predictably chime in that they didn't get hassled? Just because it didn't happen to you, doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
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A misunderstanding...?
Why is it when someone posts a negative comment about something in Mexico anyone would be upset to read of a positive one? Just because it happened to
someone doesn't mean it will happen to everyone.
I know Cavycha didn't insinuate it would, I thought his post was great, and I wasn't trying to contradict him. What I was trying to get across is that
it doesn't mean that all gringos are targets. We drove through CC (Ciudad Constitucion) expecting to be eyeballed by the cops... and we looked for
cops... Maybe they were on siesta, as it was early afternoon both times we came through town.
So, please post the good, the bad, and the ugly! For every time I have said something good about El Rosario, there was usually a counter-opposite
post. This is a discussion forum, not just a god news only forum, afterall.
Have a nice day! |
IMHO, it doesn't add much to the discussion. The OP posted a report about something that
happened to him recently, how does your experience driving through there 2 years ago have any bearing on that? I don't think that anyone reading his
post would think that 100% of the gringos who drive through CC get hassled by the police, there must be a few hundred gringos who drive through there
everyday, considering the size of the police force it would be impossible to extort more than a handful of them, so no matter how corrupt they are,
your odds of having any problems are very low. I personally have driven through there probably 30 times, I have been pulled over and extorted once.
From that small statistical sample should we deduce that there is a 1 in 30 chance of being extorted?
"The future ain't what it used to be"
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64755
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by monoloco
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
| Quote: | Originally posted by monoloco
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Went through Ciudad Constitucion twice on 2012 summer trip, didn't even see a policia either time. Stopped happily at every red light and any stop
sign (and counted to 3 before going). |
Why is it that every time someone posts about getting shaken down by
the police, two or three will predictably chime in that they didn't get hassled? Just because it didn't happen to you, doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
|
A misunderstanding...?
Why is it when someone posts a negative comment about something in Mexico anyone would be upset to read of a positive one? Just because it happened to
someone doesn't mean it will happen to everyone.
I know Cavycha didn't insinuate it would, I thought his post was great, and I wasn't trying to contradict him. What I was trying to get across is that
it doesn't mean that all gringos are targets. We drove through CC (Ciudad Constitucion) expecting to be eyeballed by the cops... and we looked for
cops... Maybe they were on siesta, as it was early afternoon both times we came through town.
So, please post the good, the bad, and the ugly! For every time I have said something good about El Rosario, there was usually a counter-opposite
post. This is a discussion forum, not just a god news only forum, afterall.
Have a nice day! |
IMHO, it doesn't add much to the discussion. The OP posted a report about something that
happened to him recently, how does your experience driving through there 2 years ago have any bearing on that? I don't think that anyone reading his
post would think that 100% of the gringos who drive through CC get hassled by the police, there must be a few hundred gringos who drive through there
everyday, considering the size of the police force it would be impossible to extort more than a handful of them, so no matter how corrupt they are,
your odds of having any problems are very low. I personally have driven through there probably 30 times, I have been pulled over and extorted once.
From that small statistical sample should we deduce that there is a 1 in 30 chance of being extorted? |
You are right...
Uh oh... better rag on howodd too, can't have too much good news following bad:
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
The CC kerfuffle of a few years back really seems to have abated. Time was that you could not transit through town without seeing numerous of cops
laying in wait for a sting. I have to believe that all of the Nomad posters and their actions had a positive effect on the situation. Last couple of
times through there we saw zero cops on the main drag. |
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vgabndo
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3461
Registered: 12-8-2003
Location: Mt. Shasta, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Checking-off my bucket list.
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Why is David's post important to the discussion, reason number 39173?
Undoubtedly, there are people who cannot afford to give the anchor of sanity even the slightest tug. Sam Harris
"The situation is far too dire for pessimism."
Bill Kauth
Carl Sagan said, "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself."
PEACE, LOVE AND FISH TACOS
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64755
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Yup, good news is bad. Do you read George Orwell, Perry? Are the drones flying overhead yet in Mt. Shasta?
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Cliffy
Senior Nomad
Posts: 986
Registered: 12-19-2013
Member Is Offline
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If I may jump in_
I'm going down to B of C in a few weeks and have never driven that far in Baja (BOLA before). The comments on CC have me thinking of my small town
We have a population of 4000 and we are literally 100 miles from the nearest town any bigger. The hiway going through our area is about 5 miles long
and we have 5 LEO agencies that write tickets on that 5 miles. Local police, state sheriff, state DOT, Park Service,and Indian police, and write they
do. 90% of our summer traffic is from out of town. If the sign says 25 you'd better be doing 25! We see it every day. People coming into town doing 80
(65 limit) for the last hour and then 25 seems stopped so they cross the bridge at 40-45. Bingo! 1 ticket.
I don't blame the LEOs, it's their job. People don't pay attention or care. I have them pass me in the 45 area over a double double yellow doing 60+.
Now we might not have "questionable tickets" but we have a LOT of tickets.
Don't know what I'll find when I get there but in CC I'll be stopped at every stop sign and probably as slow as anyone else on the road (very slow).
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Cliffy
I don't blame the LEOs, it's their job. |
C.C. LE is living through a reputation which they have earned. For a while there, it wasn't just cops doing a tough job. It was roadside extortion
gone wild.
I appreciate what you're saying, Cliffy, and in time, CC will outlive this reputation. But until then, they get the respect they earned for
themselves.
Tecate has done the same disservice for themselves as well.
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8813
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Full Time Residents
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actually this morning the title of this thread was different...
it said something like..."Ciudad Constitucion police SHAKEDOWN"
chavycha changed it
it wasn't a shake-down at all...just a traffic violation
and he said he did it...guilty
chavycha is the guy in another thread wants someone to "smuggle" a few new rods across the border...
now it looks like he paid mordita...
paying mordita is not good for any of us
it is what it is
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Pescador
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3587
Registered: 10-17-2002
Location: Baja California Sur
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I talked to a couple of good friends today who are Mexicans and they laugh when we have a problem with the local police. They have the same kind of
thing but they generally do not get as much money from them as they do from us. The really interesting thing is that I have never heard of the
Federales (that is the pandas to those who do not know the difference) constantly shake down the locals but I have never heard of a tourist ever
getting shaken down by them. They also work over the truck drivers with the following approach. OK, senor, let me check all of your paperwork.
MMMMMM, everything seems in order, now if you would kindly unload your truck we can check everything in the back. Truck driver typically asks if a
small donation could perhaps speed things up a little bit and the Federale says that might make his job a little easier. Of course, the drivers may
or may not be reporting the correct amounts to the owners. And on and on it goes.
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motoged
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6481
Registered: 7-31-2006
Location: Kamloops, BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: Gettin' Better
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I just returned from a 7-week and 16,000 km trip from Canada to Baja and back.
In ALL that driving, I had one speeding violation in Pendelton, Oregon on Day Two that was forgiven by the officer....gave me a warning that I tended
to observe for the rest of the trip.
I was aware of the CC issues thanks to BN's and was VERY careful to obey all signs and my good judgement. I stayed there two separate times and was a
real visible target with my moto in the back of the truck as I drove around "enjoying the sights" and looking for the best taco and burger stands.
I have adopted an attitude of "pretend I have drugs and guns in the truck"....this is my self-regulation mantra that seems to have kept me from
tickets.
Now, I just hope I don't shoot myself in the foot or huevos after smoking a joint
Don't believe everything you think....
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Pescador
The really interesting thing is that I have heard the Federales (that is the pandas to those who do not know the difference) constantly shake down
the locals but I have never heard of a tourist ever getting shaken down by them. |
My understanding as well. My worker says they are the worst.
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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vandy
Senior Nomad
Posts: 538
Registered: 10-10-2003
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Let's see: PFP
Stopped three times for infractions:
Improper lane change;
Tinted windows;
Open beer.
I did them, and paid on the spot.
Other times pulled over just to say "howdy!" And to look me over.
Still fundraisers, like all traffic cops.
States, Canadia or Baja, they all leave a bad taste.
I am sorry I compared them to ugly Girl Scouts with bad expensive cookies.
They are worse.
Policia chupen ****** de burros muertos.
[Edited on 2-12-2014 by BajaNomad]
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
Registered: 12-1-2003
Location: Baja California México
Member Is Offline
Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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As long as the cops have to buy their own uniforms, firearms, bullets, handcuffs, gasoline, oil, flat tire repairs and tow truck rides to the taller
mechanico this is going to continue. Mexicans get outraged at the idea of paying cops a decent wage. 3/4ers of the carcachas I see pulled over by the
PFP are showing no license plates, decals, or permit papers. If la patrulla sees a truck with no light fixtures in the rear they are likely to pull it
over.
Wait 'till someone runs a red light in Tecate and they find out the official fine costs double that of a drunk driving fine. A mere 1,100 pesos.
The eggchickeneggchickeneggchickeneggchikeneggchickeneggchicken, debate over we won't pay your more 'cause we don't trust you, is not likely to change
anytime soon.
But if a Constitucion transito is running really low on gasoline, cause business was slow, then what would you think? It's the SYSTEM not the cops.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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