A MAN has been hit with a $138 ticket after holding up a sign to warn motorists of an impending speed trap.
Daniel Gehlke of Seattle, Washington, says he noticed the speed trap and decided to make a sign on the back of a plastic lid that read: “Cops Ahead! Stop at sign and light!”
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Speaking to ABC affiliate KOMO-TV, Gehlke said: “I thought it was nonsense.”
But five minutes after producing the sign, he found himself being stopped by police.
In a video later posted to YouTube, an officer can be heard telling Gehlke: “I’m Officer Elliott. I’m with the Seattle Police Department, and I’m letting you know that’s against the law.”
Gehlke replies: “What specifically am I breaking, Officer Elliott?” to which the officer replies: “11.50.560, which is forbidden devices or signs.”
“So I can’t hold a sign?” Gehlke asks, to which the officer answers: “No, you can’t.”
The officer then writes Gehlke a $138 ticket for holding the sign in public.
Seattle police later explained the law prohibits any signs that contain words like “danger,” “stop,” “slow,” and more.
But Gehlke believes the problem isn’t with the words on his sign, but rather his desire to alert the public of the speed trap.
He added: “I do think this is police overstepping their bounds and using twisting laws.
“(The code) doesn’t read like it’s meant for stop signs like this. It’s clearly meant for people trying to put up ‘no parking’ signs or stop signs or yield signs on a public right-of-way.
“Not someone who made a sign on a Rubbermaid.”
Gehlke says he wonders if protesters holding signs reading “stop police brutality” would also be cited for the same infraction, or if suburban families who post notices reading “slow, children at play” would face similar penalties.
He now plans to appeal the fine, adding: “I wasn’t trying to bother the cops.
“The idea was to get people to look and say, ‘Oh, there are cops. Maybe I should slow down.'”
What does Florida’s license plate law say?
Driving on a public roadway with customized license plates is illegal in Florida.
Florida Statutes Section 320.061 prohibits the unlawful altering of a license plate.
The law states that altering or obscuring the following items is illegal:
- Motor vehicle registration certificates
- License plates
- Temporary license plates
- Mobile home stickers
- Validation stickers
Drivers cannot mutilate, alter, deface, or change the color of the plate in any way.
You can also not apply or attach the following to the license plate:
- Substance
- Reflective matter
- Illuminated device
- Spray
- Coating
- Covering
- Other material interfering with the legibility, angular visibility, or detectability of the license plate
Nothing should interfere with the ability to record any feature or detail on the plate.
“A person who violates this section commits a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a moving violation as provided in chapter 318,” the law states.
The penalties for the violations include a $60 fine, three points on the driver’s license, and additional county fees.
