The Police in Ajo

Well, I had a run in with the sheriff's deputies in Ajo coming down Thursday night (7/23). Came around the bend down by the fire dept. about 8:30 pm....and there were 2 parked yapping together. I ALWAYS follow the speed limit thru town...never speeding up until I pass the speed limit sign. So I'm doing 25....and one of them pulls up behind me....and follows me out of town thru the speed limits signs. He was right on my bumper....and when I say on my bumper, if someone had been in the bed of my truck, they could have reached out and touched his vehicle. It appeared that he was trying to intimidate me and possibly get me to speed up or something else stupid!!!

When I hit the 55 mph sign he hits his lights....so I pull over. He asks for my license...and proceeds to tell me he won't be issuing me a ticket...but that he stopped me because....now get this...my license plate had no reflective coating...and that I was riding the white line on the shoulder. I definitely was not.

He runs my license, didn't find anything...and comes back and asks for my registration and insurance card. (Why the 2 step process???) Again, he goes back...finds nothing...and returns again telling me that my license plate had no reflectivity, and that this is common on stolen vehicles! Now how could he tell....sitting right on my bumper with his headlights hitting the back of my vehicle? He had 2 good opportunities to check out the inside of my truck....but my dog started barking at him, and she's pretty docile and usually a sweetie, so he didn't stick his nose into the vehicle too much. What a waste of 15-20 minutes! This is the second time I've been stopped on a made up excuse to just check out my vehicle in Ajo.

I guess with fewer tourists going down, they haven't been making enough money........:twisted::twisted::twisted:

I have the utmost respect for the police and the job they have to do, but the sheriff's dept. that patrols Ajo is one of the worst that I've run into...and I've "experienced" a couple redneck sheriffs in Texas, and also down in Louisiana!

So....any tourists going down...watch those speed limits going thru Ajo....I've seen as many as 4 sheriff's vehicles in that stretch thru town.....
 
P

Penasco Pirate

Guest
A friend of mine got stopped every trip down for mudflaps...'just doin' my job'...
 
I allways use the bypass. After being pulled over a few times, I decided not to buy may gas or spend money in Ajo any more.
 

JimMcG

Guest
The bypass starts on the east side of hwy 85 before you enter town and rejoins hwy 85 at the fire dept as you leave town heading for Why.
 

Mentiras y Traición

Sonoran Goddess
I got stopped the same way you did LJ, but he pulled in just behind my sister who was following me and was on her ass all the way thru AJO. We have been driving thru for 40 years, know where they ALL are. Anyway, my "crime" was to have a temp tag on my new jeep and he "couldn't tell what state it was from". Got a warning for defective something or other...same line, just "doing his job". Wonder if it was the same guy.
I would take the Mead as long as there were other vehicles as well. Wouldn't want to see what happens alone. He was very surprised when the car he was hiding behind (my sister's) pulled in behind him when he stopped me.
 

Stuart

Aye carumba!!!
Staff member
Ahh, Ajo. They really have nothing better to do. I always watch my speed right to the inch per hour. I've had them do the same thing - ride my bumper. Then, they go around and pull over the guy in front of me! Did get stopped one time. Told me my brake light was out. I stood at the back of the truck and had my friend hit the brake pedal. Light worked fine. I looked at the deputy and said - "You were saying?" He gruffed some excuse and went on his way.

About the only worse speed trap is Gila Bend (going through town, not I-8). Again... what else do they have to do?
 

garyd

Guest
I was pulled over one night for "speeding". Had my speed st at 25 on cruise control and when I told him that he got upset and asked me if a wanted to argue with him. After he checked me out he came back to the truck and told me that there are a lot of bad things and peolple going thru Ajo at night and just wanted to be sure we were ok. Gave ma a warning and told me to slow down.
 

Roberto

Guest
I drive up from Lukeville to shop and don't get far enough in to use the by pass. Where does it come out on the Lukeville side of Ajo?

I'll pull over, in front of witnesses if possible, if they tailgate. If the follow me off I tell them I thought he needed to pass me and I don't like tailgaters, it's illegal isn't it?

I did get stopped for speeding, 7 miles over, a couple of months back. I was not watching the speedo and trying to get to the bank before it closed. Had a bunch of cash from the sale of a vehicle there at Cord's place. Told the guy I was in a hurry to get to the bank before it closed and was not watching the speedo and he said Do you admit you were speeding" I said "If you say I was speeding I must have been, you have the equipment". He gave me a warning and complained about getting a speeding ticket in Colorado recently !!

After a couple of recent incidents I am seriously considering buying one of those new compact video recorders. They appear similar to a cell phone and I'll just tape everything.

I'd like to run a tape at the intersection of Sinaloa and Fremont and take a copy to the Mayor and police chief. Everyone seems to blow right through that intersection, even the police of course. I dont appreciate being stopped and told I did not make a 'complete stop', even though I did, after watching that all day.!
 
Might be the time to go through Ajo in an old truck and when they start to get realy close to you just see a dog crossing the road and slam on the brakes.
 

Kenny

Guest
Like I've said before Joe.. :roll: I don't want to be any where near you when you are driving down to, crossing the border, or in or around PP. You still have the same truck right? :razz:

Kenny
 
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azbeachboy

Guest
I got towed from Why to Ajo once and the Nappa shop tried to charge me $100.00 for the tow even though I had AAA. Long story short they returned $60.00 of it. Then I needed to rent a car carrier, the only way they would rent to me was if I returned it to Ajo the next day.
 
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