I think it was the first of November, and my daughter and I were coming home after I picked her up from her job, when I was pulled over by an Oklahoma City police officer. The funny thing is, I saw the cop behind me (in my rearview mirror) and I remember him sort of smiling. There was a car in front of us that literally ran a red light, and I joked with my daughter Laura and said, "Well, you know, the cop is behind me, and doesn't want to take the time to turn around in the middle of the street to stop that guy I guess."
When the light turned green for us I proceeded, but then out of the blue, seriously, out of NOWHERE, the cop turned on his lights and bleeped his sirens at me. That sort of bleep bleep that they can do to get your attention. He pulled me over. When he came to my window he asked for my license, which I had already dug out, and I was going through my phone apps to find my most recent insurance ID card as well. I thought I could at least be proactive.
I don't get stopped. That should be told right off the bat, because I drive slowly, cautiously, and sometimes overly careful, and if I'm being pulled over there's a real issue. Apparently, there was a real issue. My license decal was missing from my tag. WHAT? That can't happen. It occurred to me that it may be out of date though - - it was November 1, and I was a day out of paying for it. It was due in October. Surely, I thought there was NO WAY this guy was going to give me a ticket for ONE DAY!
No, he was telling me he was giving me a ticket because there was NO decal sticker to show the year I had purchased the tag. He went into his system and it came up that I had not paid for my 2022 tag but I had. He gave me a ticket and asked me to get the tag replaced to lessen the overall charge of the ticket which was something like $178. I got charged $178 because someone stole my tag and because the tag agency that took my money in 2022 didn't record my payment! I had the receipt, but without it being recorded they said I could have generated the receipt on my own computer. (They don't know me. I can't do tech.)
So, the next day, November 2, I went into the tag agency, and my tag was paid for, but not just the 2023 tag, oh no, I had to pay for the 2022 tag as well. That was WRONG. I showed them the receipt, but they had no record of it. The receipt (they said) was probably out of the machine that doesn't register the money because I probably paid for it in cash. I don't remember, but it's not beyond the scope for me to do that. They had a guy who was stealing cash and not reporting it - - so I got stuck.
Anyway, the thing was just so wrong on so many levels. I would think that I should be able to force the tag agency to honor my receipt, I should be able to file a police report showing the tag was stolen, and I should be able to get a new tag to replace the stolen one - - and yes, pay a fee for being a day late, but not have to pay the $178 for the ticket, nor the $275 for the two years of tag plus penalty! Penalty for not having the tag registered - - and they are the ones who didn't do the registration. It was and is wrong.
Again, I am blessed, I am blessed, I am blessed. I was given extra time to come up with the payment, as it was hitting me at a time when I was unemployed. Laura was about to pay it for me, but then lost her job. God is so good. He allowed the city to let me wait, and I was able to pay for the ticket today. They did take off $20 for having purchased the tags within 10 days of the ticket. If nothing else, I have that.
Still, I should have been able to speak with two separate supervisors and explain that I have never not paid for my tag, I have never been pulled over for poor driving, I really do take my citizenry seriously, and though I was ONE DAY late getting the new tag, I shouldn't have needed to pay for a tag I had already paid for. Their system should not allow someone to give me a receipt and not register the cash. How is a citizen to know that? We can't. We just smile and say thank you, and we leave the office with our decal.
It is a lesson I learned that cost a bit, but it is also a lesson to be shared because if it is happening to me, it is happening to others. I asked the cop if I could file a report with him and he told me no, because he was pulling me over. The city told me that he lied. The city told me he should have offered to take my report. Again, I'm not upset with the Oklahoma City Police, but I am upset about that one cop not being diligent, so yes, I reported him to his supervisor; who knows if it will come to anything.
Bottom line - - we need to be kind. We need to do our jobs. We need to be compassionate, and understanding. We need to realize that things happen and even bad things happen to good people. We need to be open to listening and working with people. Maybe no one will care, but I do. I care. Maybe no one will pay attention, but I do. I pay attention. I made sure everyone in my apt complex knew about the theft. There were at least three others who had their tag decals stolen as well. Maybe I stopped them from getting pulled over. Who knows?
Just this: be good to each other. It really does make a difference in this cruel and ugly world.
Photo Credit: Me.
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