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Houston Police attempt felony charge on woman holding speed trap sign

GasBuddy Blog -- Natalie Plummer admits it's probably something she'll never do again: holding a sign warning motorists of an approaching speed trap.

According to ABC News, Plummer was riding her bicycle home from a nearby grocery store when she saw what appeared to be police pulling over "random" drivers. She parked her bike, took one of the paper bags from the grocery store, and wrote "Speed Trap!!!" on it to display to motorists passing by.

I was completely abiding by the law," Plummer told ABC's affiliate KRTK. "I was simply warning citizens of a situation ahead."
Within a mere minutes, a Houston Police officer allegedly approached Plummer, whom he said was in the street (to which Plummer denies), and arrested her, threatening...

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Submitted Jun 29, 2012 By: PD

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baddog58 Champion Author Texas Posts:1,193 Points:707,580 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Aug 23, 2012 3:40:09 PM Ignore baddog58 Report Abuse Any lawyers reading this? Sounds to me like she is well within her rights.
bhb2009 Veteran Author Flint Posts:288 Points:786,510 Joined:Jul 2009	Message Posted: Aug 19, 2012 3:29:26 PM Ignore bhb2009 Report Abuse this reminds me of a youtube posting on topless girls holding signs about speed traps ... apparently the police didn't bother -- because it worked...
gasokie Champion Author Oklahoma Posts:3,487 Points:1,346,755 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Aug 18, 2012 2:02:26 PM Ignore gasokie Report Abuse Is Natalie still holding that sign up? How many months must this poor lady do this?
pfone1847 Champion Author Illinois Posts:3,326 Points:651,280 Joined:Oct 2010	Message Posted: Aug 18, 2012 10:19:13 AM Ignore pfone1847 Report Abuse Old and still bogus. If the pigs can use speed traps we should be able to out them.
albert2008 Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:7,487 Points:1,507,735 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Aug 18, 2012 9:36:10 AM Ignore albert2008 Report Abuse old news
clpassenubye Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:3,374 Points:776,055 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Aug 17, 2012 6:32:31 PM Ignore clpassenubye Report Abuse Wny?
pfone1847 Champion Author Illinois Posts:3,326 Points:651,280 Joined:Oct 2010	Message Posted: Aug 16, 2012 7:20:05 AM Ignore pfone1847 Report Abuse So what if she did it? Cops are liars and cheats. They should be outted
albert2008 Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:7,487 Points:1,507,735 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Aug 9, 2012 8:52:00 AM Ignore albert2008 Report Abuse old news
SovietSunrise Champion Author San Antonio Posts:7,910 Points:1,117,680 Joined:Jun 2007	Message Posted: Aug 9, 2012 8:34:07 AM Ignore SovietSunrise Report Abuse There's a reason this news article continues to pervade the forum: it's because we are all tired of the revenue generators and we won't put up with it!!! Report Speed Traps & Fight Back!
ggg452 Champion Author Manitoba Posts:1,710 Points:359,525 Joined:May 2012	Message Posted: Aug 9, 2012 8:33:01 AM Ignore ggg452 Report Abuse OK...so?
stonecold5005 All-Star Author Waco Posts:819 Points:20,605 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Aug 8, 2012 11:48:43 AM Ignore stonecold5005 Report Abuse sad
tfsmith1 Rookie Author Washington Posts:13 Points:29,795 Joined:Jun 2012	Message Posted: Jul 22, 2012 5:38:37 PM Ignore tfsmith1 Report Abuse Cops try anything if they want, what was the law.
clpassenubye Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:3,374 Points:776,055 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Jul 22, 2012 4:40:20 PM Ignore clpassenubye Report Abuse sad
geminijax Champion Author Jacksonville Posts:16,925 Points:2,742,975 Joined:Aug 2005	Message Posted: Jul 21, 2012 11:29:49 PM Ignore geminijax Report Abuse gasokie: "It beats me why citizens put up with "law enforcement" spending time bothering and molesting the motoring public with speed traps when crime is out of control." Quite simple. Traffic tickets raise revenue. As more counties/municipalities feel the budget pinch, expect more of the same.
Reishman Veteran Author Illinois Posts:384 Points:537,615 Joined:Sep 2006	Message Posted: Jul 21, 2012 6:27:16 PM Ignore Reishman Report Abuse I'm on a speed boat!
SovietSunrise Champion Author San Antonio Posts:7,910 Points:1,117,680 Joined:Jun 2007	Message Posted: Jul 21, 2012 5:28:39 PM Ignore SovietSunrise Report Abuse Revenue generators. facepalm
sluggopyle Champion Author North Carolina Posts:23,608 Points:1,075,890 Joined:Dec 2005	Message Posted: Jul 21, 2012 5:01:12 PM Ignore sluggopyle Report Abuse => I would presume the logical thing to do would be to stop, wave down oncoming traffic, and place, or have placed, a phone call to the appropriate authorities to deal safely with the hippo. This is getting a little silly. We are now a long way off the topic. <= Agreed, but in the time it takes to do what you just described, that motorist and fifty more behind him have hit the hippo. Again, a light flash, being an unusual/unexpected signal, simply means "something is up". That is all it CAN mean. To suggest that there's some different kind of attention that looks for speed traps and doesn't notice a hippo on the road, yes that is quite silly. => They should have just gave her a ticket & let her go. <= a ticket for................ what? Aye, there's the rub.
RONALD777 Champion Author Houston Posts:3,524 Points:391,430 Joined:Nov 2007	Message Posted: Jul 21, 2012 3:54:29 PM Ignore RONALD777 Report Abuse They should have just gave her a ticket & let her go.
HickoryHacker Rookie Author Greensboro Posts:1 Points:145 Joined:May 2012	Message Posted: Jul 21, 2012 10:40:42 AM Ignore HickoryHacker Report Abuse The claim by many law enforcement agencies is 'that speed traps are not meant to catch people speeding but rather to get motorists to slow down' and hopefully avoid accidents. They call it visual enforcement, many times it is parking an empty police vehicle in a very visible place. It would appear in this case the police took the women's actions to be a threat to their power as law enforcement officers. It highlights the problem of a minority of officers, they are not public servants, but power mongers that wear a uniform to gain a level of power they are not able to command themselves. This is a primary reason why I left a successfull law enforcement position many years ago.
rumbleseat Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:23,067 Points:3,550,120 Joined:Oct 2002	Message Posted: Jul 21, 2012 5:26:07 AM Ignore rumbleseat Report Abuse "So does my safety in my home to be free of fear and so my kids can play outside." I presume you would like them to be able to play without fear of speeders on their street endangering their lives when they try to walk to a friend's home, or the playground? "If I see a hippopotamus standing in the oncoming roadway, of course I'm going to warn the driver approaching around the bend with a light flash. What else would I do, just say nothing and let him go commit hippocide on the basis that he might think I'm warning of a speed trap?" I would presume the logical thing to do would be to stop, wave down oncoming traffic, and place, or have placed, a phone call to the appropriate authorities to deal safely with the hippo. This is getting a little silly. We are now a long way off the topic. That being said, I have never just flashed my lights at somebody when a moose or buffalo was in the road, I stopped and waved others to a halt to warn them. What if I flashed my lights, they were speeding, and they ran into the moose while looking for the police car hiding in the ditch, because that is the most common first thought? Nobody thinks "hey, look at the guy flashing his headlights, there must be a wild animal charging cars".
gasokie Champion Author Oklahoma Posts:3,487 Points:1,346,755 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Jul 20, 2012 11:31:28 PM Ignore gasokie Report Abuse It beats me why citizens put up with "law enforcement" spending time bothering and molesting the motoring public with speed traps when crime is out of control. Home burglaries abound and people suffer losses from criminals at an escalating rate. Citizens don't feel safe in their own neighborhoods. Why? All the cops are out on the highway getting in the way and making a pest out of themselves...trying to create revenue. Oh, they whine they are just trying to save lives and I realize that traffic safety has it's place. So does my safety in my home to be free of fear and so my kids can play outside. If you're tired of it attend your next council meeting...do something about it. Let 'em know! It's your city, state and country.
SovietSunrise Champion Author San Antonio Posts:7,910 Points:1,117,680 Joined:Jun 2007	Message Posted: Jul 20, 2012 11:16:27 PM Ignore SovietSunrise Report Abuse Revenue generation. It's something that no one should ever stand for.
Vette1967 Champion Author Albany Posts:6,107 Points:1,303,700 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Jul 20, 2012 9:44:11 PM Ignore Vette1967 Report Abuse An old post.
sluggopyle Champion Author North Carolina Posts:23,608 Points:1,075,890 Joined:Dec 2005	Message Posted: Jul 19, 2012 12:18:16 AM Ignore sluggopyle Report Abuse => When we lived in Germany, when somebody flashed lights at you on the highway it meant "turn your lights on". <= Oh yes, that too. Not long ago somebody flashing their lights on a smaller road also commonly meant "turn your lights off (usually in the early morning when they'd been driving since dawn and forgot their lights were still on). Since the States caught DRL disease, that warning doesn't work so well any more. In any case simply declaring by personal fiat that "flashing lights has always been understood to mean ..." in no way whatsoever proves the intent of any given flasher. If I see a hippopotamus standing in the oncoming roadway, of course I'm going to warn the driver approaching around the bend with a light flash. What else would I do, just say nothing and let him go commit hippocide on the basis that he might think I'm warning of a speed trap? So it doesn't mean "if you are speeding, slow down" since it's not one driver's place to tell others what speed to drive; the flash means simply that something just ahead bears watching. That's simple communication between drivers; it's got nothing to do with "disrespect for the law"; it's an alert about road conditions. The only meaning we can safely ascribe to a headlight flash is "be alert"; it's impossible with that method to articulate exactly what to be alert for. And there aren't a whole lot of other ways to communicate at all in that setting, so a flash is pretty much it, unless you're a really really fast sign painter. [Edited by: sluggopyle at 7/19/2012 12:22:44 AM EST]
rjhenn Champion Author Des Moines Posts:22,606 Points:2,256,995 Joined:Aug 2005	Message Posted: Jul 18, 2012 10:12:24 PM Ignore rjhenn Report Abuse rumbleseat - "It is symbolic of the generally decreasing disrespect for the law." Assuming you meant either "increasing disrespect for the law" or "decreasing respect for the law", much of that is due to the proliferation of stupid laws and stupid government behavior, like speed traps.
rumbleseat Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:23,067 Points:3,550,120 Joined:Oct 2002	Message Posted: Jul 18, 2012 7:38:43 PM Ignore rumbleseat Report Abuse "Could be a deer, a fresh accident, a spill, ice, water, rockslide, speed trap, fallen tree, alien spaceship, anything." I have been driving since 1965. The only time I have seen flashing lights to warn of a dangerous situation people were flashing lights almost maniacally, and usually waving as well. That happens rarely. Simple flashing has always been understood to mean "if you are speeding, slow down". That happens regularly, and more now than years ago because a higher percentage of drivers are speeding. It is symbolic of the generally decreasing disrespect for the law. When we lived in Germany, when somebody flashed lights at you on the highway it meant "turn your lights on".
rjhenn Champion Author Des Moines Posts:22,606 Points:2,256,995 Joined:Aug 2005	Message Posted: Jul 18, 2012 7:18:10 PM Ignore rjhenn Report Abuse Basically, if the government wants more people to agree with speed traps, they need to set rational speed limits, not limits designed simply to improve revenue.
clpassenubye Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:3,374 Points:776,055 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Jul 18, 2012 1:51:17 PM Ignore clpassenubye Report Abuse theres a fine line between law enforcement and criminals
sluggopyle Champion Author North Carolina Posts:23,608 Points:1,075,890 Joined:Dec 2005	Message Posted: Jul 18, 2012 12:26:56 PM Ignore sluggopyle Report Abuse (whew, that was wordy. Never post with a cup of strong coffee by your side ;-) The Cliff's Notes version of the last: the objection to speed traps has little to do with speed and far more to do with entrapment. Consider in this very case, the trap-sentinel isn't even a motorist but a bicyclist -- who stands to be endangered, not empowered, by speeders, so encouraging speeding is clearly not her point. [Edited by: sluggopyle at 7/18/2012 12:28:44 PM EST]
sluggopyle Champion Author North Carolina Posts:23,608 Points:1,075,890 Joined:Dec 2005	Message Posted: Jul 18, 2012 12:03:47 PM Ignore sluggopyle Report Abuse So do I; my last speeding ticket was in the 1980s (70 mph on a rural Puritan freeway, dropped) and before that I don't even remember. That's not the point. => I have long been on record as being against the flashing of lights to warn miscreants of radar cars. <= And there's no way to articulate what that flashing means. When I flash my lights at oncoming traffic (or someone does for me), regardless what the weather is, it means "something" unexpected is ahead to be alert for. Could be a deer, a fresh accident, a spill, ice, water, rockslide, speed trap, fallen tree, alien spaceship, anything. You can't spell it out in Morse code; not enough time. And the presence of an active speed trap, with cars pulled off to the shoulder, IS a road hazard just like the rest, regardless how fast you're going when you get to it. => The warning would ONLY affect people who were already speeding, right? <= Not at all, and you missed the point, which is that your assumption that she's tipping off speeders necessarily assumes there ARE speeders, and that has simply not been established at that point, therefore there are no speeders to tip off. This is more a legal point for the police though. But back to the effect. Assuming the sign is legible (which is doubtful in this case), then it affects everybody by demanding and refocusing their attention. And think about it-- it would have that exact same effect if she just made it up and there was really no speed trap at all. Even if I haven't been speeding my natural reaction is to check my speed. Guess what-- speed limit signs do the same thing. "Radar enforced" signs do the same thing. Automated "your speed" signs, ditto. Some PDs park an empty police car in a prominent spot on the median-- nobody's in there but it creates an effective visual cue. ALL of these grab and refocus attention. Shall we charge the police chief who ordered that empty police car parked there with a felony too? Important distinction: the citizen in this case is not warning citizens not to speed; if they want to speed, they will. She's warning them of the presence of a trap. If a PD were really interested in controlling speed where it matters, they'd be in those places-- not hiding in the shadows of a stable stretch of road just to enforce what is at that point little more than an arbitrary number. I've seen Pennsylvania state police sit at the bottom of a long hill on the PA Turnpike, to enforce 55. That's just plain evil. And creates a danger to traffic for the sake of a number, while somebody ten miles away on a flat piece of road is doing 112. Police get hung up on the letter of the law at the expense of the spirit. That doesn't benefit anybody. Just for balance here, there are certainly times when I know of a speed trap ahead, see some oncoming a-hole driving like one and deliberately don't warn him; that's the rare case of the deserving meeting their fate, but in general, speed traps don't catch dedicated speeders; they trap a general population who happened to be going by at the time. In that sense it's quite an unbalanced application of the law. [Edited by: sluggopyle at 7/18/2012 12:08:34 PM EST]
rumbleseat Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:23,067 Points:3,550,120 Joined:Oct 2002	Message Posted: Jul 18, 2012 4:00:19 AM Ignore rumbleseat Report Abuse "you'd have to know in advance that lawbreaking was going on there, and without scanning speeds before the point where she's standing," The warning would ONLY affect people who were already speeding, right? "This is basically the same thing as flashing your headlights or using trucker hand signals to warn of a situation ahead." I have no problem with truckers alerting of an accident or bad road conditions. It has long been accepted when driving in bad weather conditions that if the lights on a semi we are following start flashing we slow down. I have long been on record as being against the flashing of lights to warn miscreants of radar cars. Again, I repeat, if somebody wants to speed, they are responsible for that action. I take responsibility if I speed, I don't expect others to aid me in doing so. My last speeding ticket was 1984, previous to that, somewhere around 1976. I drive like a responsible human being.
SovietSunrise Champion Author San Antonio Posts:7,910 Points:1,117,680 Joined:Jun 2007	Message Posted: Jul 18, 2012 12:08:27 AM Ignore SovietSunrise Report Abuse Revenue generators are just plain pathetic.
99dakota Champion Author Providence Posts:8,255 Points:2,200,100 Joined:Oct 2006	Message Posted: Jul 17, 2012 6:31:18 PM Ignore 99dakota Report Abuse Old story...
sluggopyle Champion Author North Carolina Posts:23,608 Points:1,075,890 Joined:Dec 2005	Message Posted: Jul 17, 2012 5:22:31 PM Ignore sluggopyle Report Abuse => While I agree this is no felony, it should, indeed, carry some kind of minor charge, she is, after all, assisting lawbreakers. You would be mighty ticked if burglars were in your home, and some lady ran over and yelled at them that she saw the police coming, so they could get away clean. Same poop, different pile. <= False conclusion, Rumbleseat. To proclaim she's "assisting lawbreakers", you'd have to know in advance that lawbreaking was going on there, and without scanning speeds before the point where she's standing, you have no way to know that. Making that assumption is no more honest than a police department quota that requires said officers to turn in X number of speeding tickets even if they have to contrive them. So you have a false analogy here; it's not the equivalent of a lookout as you describe; it's more like a "neighborhood watch" sign. Either way, nobody's ability to commit a crime is infringed. This is basically the same thing as flashing your headlights or using trucker hand signals to warn of a situation ahead. Actually less than that, because that sign she's got is almost impossible to read anyway. Basically the police are just pissed because they set a trap and somebody outed it. If they don't want that happening, then they shouldn't be setting traps. I agree 100% with Gasokie. Let the police expend their energy on problems already going on, rather than playing with traps set up where nothing is going on. [Edited by: sluggopyle at 7/17/2012 5:23:31 PM EST]
stonecold5005 All-Star Author Waco Posts:819 Points:20,605 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Jul 17, 2012 9:30:50 AM Ignore stonecold5005 Report Abuse ok
gasokie Champion Author Oklahoma Posts:3,487 Points:1,346,755 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Jul 15, 2012 2:34:25 PM Ignore gasokie Report Abuse A lot of us consider people who mount roadblocks or set up speed traps as no more than a bunch of armed thugs. Which they very often are. We need police to be protecting us from crime...not molesting us out on the highways.
albert2008 Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:7,487 Points:1,507,735 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Jul 15, 2012 8:44:48 AM Ignore albert2008 Report Abuse not good
99dakota Champion Author Providence Posts:8,255 Points:2,200,100 Joined:Oct 2006	Message Posted: Jul 14, 2012 5:09:41 PM Ignore 99dakota Report Abuse Government run amok
99dakota Champion Author Providence Posts:8,255 Points:2,200,100 Joined:Oct 2006	Message Posted: Jul 14, 2012 5:09:40 PM Ignore 99dakota Report Abuse Government run amok
stonecold5005 All-Star Author Waco Posts:819 Points:20,605 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Jul 14, 2012 9:21:21 AM Ignore stonecold5005 Report Abuse ok
driveonby1 Champion Author Toledo Posts:1,548 Points:264,865 Joined:Jun 2007	Message Posted: Jul 13, 2012 12:09:32 PM Ignore driveonby1 Report Abuse Police should be better trained in these kinds of things; ultimately, they end up looking emotional and reactionary.
prius22 Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:2,364 Points:416,010 Joined:Apr 2012	Message Posted: Jul 13, 2012 1:58:52 AM Ignore prius22 Report Abuse Sad if no real crime was committed.
prius22 Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:2,364 Points:416,010 Joined:Apr 2012	Message Posted: Jul 13, 2012 1:58:52 AM Ignore prius22 Report Abuse Sad if no real crime was committed.
rumbleseat Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:23,067 Points:3,550,120 Joined:Oct 2002	Message Posted: Jul 12, 2012 9:49:12 PM Ignore rumbleseat Report Abuse I still hold to the conviction that a driver who is speeding has mad a conscious decision to do so, and should be accountable for his own actions. In other words, if he gets caught, tough beans, and nobody should be warning him of the radar ahead. Anybody who says she is helping traffic safety is deluded, because a speeder would slow down, then laugh and speed up afterwards. While I agree this is no felony, it should, indeed, carry some kind of minor charge, she is, after all, assisting lawbreakers. You would be mighty ticked if burglars were in your home, and some lady ran over and yelled at them that she saw the police coming, so they could get away clean. Same poop, different pile.
99dakota Champion Author Providence Posts:8,255 Points:2,200,100 Joined:Oct 2006	Message Posted: Jul 12, 2012 9:32:37 PM Ignore 99dakota Report Abuse But it's ok to burn a flag and falsely promote yourself as a war hero???
Mr_Bill_W All-Star Author Virginia Posts:581 Points:379,485 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: Jul 9, 2012 10:33:59 PM Ignore Mr_Bill_W Report Abuse I am somewhat surprised that this story is still making its rounds in the media and that the Texas ACLU has not sued the Houston PD over their outrageous conduct...
Charles_NJ Rookie Author New Jersey Posts:9 Points:197,400 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Jul 9, 2012 11:25:34 AM Ignore Charles_NJ Report Abuse Another example of a policeman abusing his/her authority! What country can you go to for... Freedom of speech and expression? Innocent until proven guilty. Sorry, this is hard... :::Still thinking:::
stonecold5005 All-Star Author Waco Posts:819 Points:20,605 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Jul 9, 2012 9:13:48 AM Ignore stonecold5005 Report Abuse ok
albert2008 Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:7,487 Points:1,507,735 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Jul 9, 2012 8:43:51 AM Ignore albert2008 Report Abuse not nice
Donatelo Champion Author Dayton Posts:1,168 Points:307,705 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jul 9, 2012 7:41:11 AM Ignore Donatelo Report Abuse ok