Question regarding police stops

[matt819]

5. Funny thing

So, this trooper stopped me and warned me about a tail light being out. I had no idea and got the warning. So I go to to the auto parts store and pick up a tail light, figuring, how difficult can it be? It was like the Rubik's cube of car part replacement. I give up after an hour and drive over to my mechanic and tore him away from what he was doing to change the damn tail light. He opened the "Rubik's cube," which, even if I had done it, I didn't have the right tool to undo the screw to get to the light itself. Then, while he's doing that, he points out that the tail light compartment is full of water due to a hairline crack, which might eventually have shorted out all the lights.

So, while the stop was irritating, it turns out to have saved me a larger problem, though that probably wasn't part of the trooper's intent.

Oh, and another observation. Some years ago, when I first moved to the state, I was stopped because I didn't have a state, or even a current out of state inspection. I told the cop (town, not state) that I had an appointment the next day to take care of just those items. He asked me where, and actually called to confirm. I wasn't ticketed.

To be fair (don't you just hate that?), when you think about it the cops are just doing their jobs and, as irritating as it is to us, every stop is a potential threat to them.