I just returned from a business trip with another person in my office. We didn't get pulled over and no ticket so this discussion is academic, but I'm wondering what other's think about this situation.
We were driving on the interstate and just about to cross state lines. There was a highway cop, who looked to be checking speeds with the radar gun. He was maybe a quarter-mile from the state line but he was watching traffic that was just about to cross into the next state. We both thought that it would have been real easy to get across the state line almost before the cop could even have gotten onto the highway to pursue. Here's where my coworker and I disagreed.
He thinks that if the cop tried to pull a car over but that car first crossed the state line that the cop could follow the car into the next state and conduct the stop. He also thought that the cop could radio ahead to the next state and have one of their cops conduct the stop and write a ticket.
I think if you could get over the line into the next state the cop is shit out of luck due to jurisdiction, and no the cops can't radio ahead for speeding.
Again I wasn't speeding so this is an academic discussion, and as additional info there weren't any additional cops that I could see once we crossed the state line.
I don't know that this would happen, but if the cops on both sides of the state line had an agreement to do just that, they could probably help each other collect a lot of ticket revenue for people believing crossing the state line gave them some sort of immunity.
Depends on the exact law of the states I believe, but most uphold the general principle of Fresh Pursuit.
Note that while a simple speeding ticket is not a misdemeanor, some states considering speeding over a certain amount to be "reckless driving" and is a more serious offense. So it is possible that the officer was waiting for something more egregious then simple speeding.
http://definitions.uslegal.com/f/fresh-pursuit/ - ( New Window )
As long as it's immediately following the crime or violation, they can pursue
I'm in high speed pursuit!!
The god damn Germans got nothin' to do with it!!
Background (because I speed with the best of them so the last thing I am looking to do is fill the city's coffers from drivers pockets):
I was driving my 2 year old home at the end of a line of cars. This guy (who could have easily gotten in behind me) pulls onto the road from the intersection on the left and if not for some lucky braking and steering to catch the backend we could've either hit him or ended up off the road. Caught up to him, got a plate and drove to the station to report it.
I don't know that this would happen, but if the cops on both sides of the state line had an agreement to do just that, they could probably help each other collect a lot of ticket revenue for people believing crossing the state line gave them some sort of immunity.
That is exactly what would happen.