Welcome to Person County

You know the type. The second they realize they are being pulled over on a traffic stop, they get a attitude. Rather than calmly turn on their signal, and ease off the road, they swerve to the shoulder, Slam on the brakes and stop right on the edge of the highway. They won't put their vehicle into park and refuse to roll down the windows.

I'll politely ask for an ID, registration maybe even proof of insurance. And I get a blank stare.

When they do roll down the window an inch the first thing they start with is "why did you touch my car when you walked up?". Sweet Jesus here we go I end up telling myself.

I get two types of talkers, those who say nothing and those who are talking so fast I can't make out much except that they are "Demanding" that I call for a supervisor and by this time they've told me 8 times that "they know their rights".

I calmly explain that I am the supervisor, to which they always demand my name and badge number I tell them William A Person and that I'm the sheriff and I don't have a badge number, which for some reason upsets most of them even more. Apparently the concept of Sheriff confuses them because they keep calling me "officer".

Still they demand to know who my supervisor is and so I explain that I'm the sheriff and so I am the supervisor. It might seem odd to some folks that the sheriff wouldn't have a supervisor but you see Person County has a population of around 40,000 give or take a few and being as my great great grandfather Thomas Person founded the county I don't usually have a lot of people who question that.

So I usually suggest that if I'd could just have their ID and registration I'll write them a summons and they can be on their way.

Now at this point you'd think they'd just say "get on with it and give me my ticket" but still some go on about the "I know my rights" horse dirt.

So at this point I end up having to explain their rights to them. That they have a right to remain silent and if they don't get me an ID they will be taken to jail where they can explain to the county judge who happens to be my brother in law who they are and why they didn't provide an ID when asked. I further explain and he may or may not let them claim their car from the impound lot on Wednesday because he only holds court traffic court on Wednesdays and Fridays. 

Now at this point you would think that they would have a change of heart and realize that rather than talking to me they could be 1/2 to Chapel Hill by now if they would just let me write my darn ticket and get on with my day. 

But for some reason only known to God and them they want to argue with me. 

They want to see the radar. They want proof they were speeding.

Now we don't have radar in Person County so I have to explain that I followed them all the way from the Golden Corral to the Marathon Station which has a POSTED SPEED LIMIT of 35 miles per hour and they were doing better than 50. Of course they swear they never saw me, which was because they were too busy talking or texting on their cell phones. 

Now let me add that our county's motto "Everything is Better in Person" was not my idea. Someone thought it was cute and I try not to take offense. 

But I'll tell you this getting a traffic ticket "in Person" would be a whole lot less painful if you'd just give me your darn driver's license. 

Please Drive safely. 

William "Bubba" Person - Sheriff