grizzlyfsh95
Nomad
Posts: 226
Registered: 1-8-2010
Location: East Cape
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Constitution
Constitution is at it again; ie, shaking down travelers north and south of town. Sometimes using radar, but more often than not, motioning you to stop
near the cones they have out, and estimating your speed. Strongly hinting or asking for "coffee money". Haven't heard that it is happening through
town as in the past. Lots of threats and intimidation. Travelers beware.
The harder I work, the luckier I get
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Maron
Nomad
Posts: 458
Registered: 4-14-2014
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thanks for the heads up.
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dtbushpilot
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3288
Registered: 1-11-2007
Location: Buena Vista BCS
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Mood: Tranquilo
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Hey fish, when you break the law you pay the price. It's not mordita when you break the law. Pay your fine and move on, maybe you'll obey the law next
time....or let Lizzie drive, she will talk her way out of it 
"Life is tough".....It's even tougher if you're stupid.....
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oladulce
Super Nomad
Posts: 1625
Registered: 5-30-2005
Location: bcs
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Both are irritating but mordida and "coffee money" are different ballgames to me with mordida being much more sinister and threatening with false
infractions and $1000-3000p pay-on-the-spot fines. We haven't experienced that in Cd C for 3 or 4 years.
Two weeks ago we were pulled over 2 times in one trip to Ciudad. The first was a moto cop who questioned our registration sticker. If you have SD
plates you know the month of expiry is more visible on the sticker than the year so from a distance it looks like we expired in "11". A quick
explanation and showing him the paperwork was all it took and he couldn't have been nicer and more professional.
On the drive home we were stopped in Insurgentes and were hit up for "gas money". The police in our small town are members of the Comondu dept in Cd
C. The cops are given very little $ for fuel here and many of us help out with periodic "gas money" contributions to keep the patrols going. The
regular staff doesn't abuse it and rotate the donation requests around (i imagine amongst the gringos only) so it's not not excessive.
Some of the policemen request San Juanico duty and are great guys, but for others it's a punishment since most live 120 miles away. Some of the
visiting cops are not in the best-and-brightest category.
One of these former "visitors" is now stationed in Insurgentes. Unfortunately he recognizes my husband and our vehicle and has pulled us over 3 out of
4 of our trips through there lately. After a little chit chat he asks for "gas money" because he hasn't figured out he needs a better sales pitch. We
explain that we don't live in Insurgentes so we're not giving him money to patrol there. I give him the $20pesos "coffee money" stash from the console
and off we go. It's irritating, but easier and it's just part of "The Show" as the saying goes around here.
[Edited on 10-22-2014 by oladulce]
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DirkEXC
Junior Nomad
Posts: 64
Registered: 12-14-2006
Location: Sherman Oaks, Ca.
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I had a similar experience on Sunday afternoon 10-05-14. A friend of mine and I were coming into Tecate from the east on the free road, we were on
plated
dirt bikes. There is a long down hill before the cut off to the toll road, we were sandwiched with cars in front of us and cars and trucks behind us.
About the middle of the downhill there was a cop going up but he was stopped with his lights on. As we go past he give us a long stare. I get on the
radio and ask my buddy did you see that. The next thing I know he is behind us.
I want to thank everyone who has given advice on how to handle these situations. Its always a little nerve racking to get pulled over but we remained
calm and waited for his game.
He comes up to us and shows us his radar gun and its says 107, the speed limit in this area is 60KM, he asked me how fast I was going and I say 60 and
he says no 107, I almost say how long has you gun been stuck on 107 but I keep my mouth shut.
He is acting all peeed with his hand on his gun but thanks to other Nomads stories I kind of expected this. This guys actually was really hot, he
kept saying mucho vilosio or something like that and I'm saying los siento but no speeding. When he finally gets done with his dance he points his
finger at me and says one ticket for me for speeding then he points his finger and my friend and says 2 tickets for you for seeding and no license.
We go back to his car and he is filling out the paperwork for the tickets and he is all peeed because we do not speak Spanish very well, he tells us
you cross the boarder you must speck Spanish in mexico, I am like ok Barny did Andy give you a bullet for your top pocket. Anyway after a few minutes
he says I have to come back to Tecate in 30 days to get my license back, I said ok can we go the station its only a couple of miles down the road,
then my friend says can we take care of it here. This was the only time the cop smiled.
The cop says the fine is going to be $50.00 for my friend for speeding and no license. Well he pulls out his money and he has $27.00. cop goes into
his peeed dance again. My friend is like dude we are at the end of out trip this is all I got so the cop takes it. He turns to me and I have $20.00
in my money clip and he does not see anymore money so after what he went through with my friend he just took my $20.00 without saying much except
despacio about 50 times.
Ok Ok barny I got it, we were going with the flow of traffic with cars in front and behind us but we will despacio if that makes you happy.
So the cop stung us for $47.00. I know you are not suppose to pay these guys and I was ready to go to the station but I had to follow the lead my
friend set up. Oh well its just a gringo tax I guess. Christmas is coming up so I think the sting will be on really soon in Tecate .
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StuckSucks
Super Nomad
Posts: 2323
Registered: 10-17-2013
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We were prerunning the '10 1000 headed south on 53, 5-10 miles north of Insurgentes and we saw a stopped cop truck next to the road. Two cops were
standing in the middle of the road waving us down. We stopped and they said they were out of gas and needed 40$ to buy more. In a rare move of
thinking quickly, I offered them the gas which was in our dump can - we had to assure them it was pump gas and not race fuel.
We gave them our gas, they were happy and appreciative, we shook hands, and we were on our way.
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Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9274
Registered: 12-15-2008
Location: Disneyland Adjacent and anywhere in Baja
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Deja Vu all over again.
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Maron
Nomad
Posts: 458
Registered: 4-14-2014
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good info
thanks
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chavycha
Nomad
Posts: 373
Registered: 1-20-2014
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We certainly won't be stopping in Constitucion or spending any money there after our unpleasant experience with the town's traffic cops this past
spring.
Hoping to keep our heads down and make it through unscathed this winter.
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bajalorena
Nomad
Posts: 141
Registered: 3-31-2009
Location: BuenaVista, BCS
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We drove thru going north on Friday (Nov 14), stopped at all the stop signs ( although those behind us didn't appreciate that), never saw a
policeman, had no problem at all. They might have been out at the checkpoints watching the Baja 1000 come thru.
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Russ
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6742
Registered: 7-4-2004
Location: Punta Chivato
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It's getting close to Xmas. The girls in their police uniforms were out with their donation can in Mulege the other day.
Bahia Concepcion where life starts...given a chance!
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