Removing State Registration From My Automobile

So I get pulled over on my way home from a friend's house late tonight / early this morning. I get off a couple exits before mine due to road construction on the freeway, and the neighborhood isn't the best ( not that mine is any better ) having 'one ways' and all ( folks in these parts know about one way streets and how much trouble they can be, and I'm not talking about traffic wise ).

So as I'm coming down the hill from the freeway exit ramp and make a left onto the first street heading in the general direction of where I live, I notice a police car coming from one street prior ( one way coming from the other direction ) make a right and then a quick u turn to follow me. I make my left, and they make the same left.

Thoughts of all kinds of madness start to flow through my mind.... for I know that the registration is suspended, although the tags are good until October ( longer story than this one is going to be ).

So I come to the first stop sign in the narrow road of a one way street in not the best neighborhood.. and as soon I come to a complete stop, I proceed and sure enough, it is Christmas on steroids behind me. So I think "so this is the night I get arrested and the car gets impounded and I don't even have any of my documents and affects with me, just my shorts, shirt and my hat ( which was sitting in the seat next to me, so with my bald head in this neighborhood, I fit the description of a criminal of sorts ).

I immediately pull over, shut the car down, turn the lights off and crack the window just enough to pass the driver's license through.

Mr. officer comes up, states the reason for pulling me over is that my license plate lights are out. Asks me if I knew. I had no idea. Asks for my driver's license ( D.L. ), which I hand over without issue. He asks if the car is insured, which I respond with showing him the proof from my wallet, yet it is expired ( he doesn't ask for it to be handed to him ).

After looking at my D.L., he asks me if I still live in my previous residence ( I have a P.O. Box address on my D.L. ) and I tell him I moved to this city, he asks where, and I tell him the address and cross streets to pin point the exact neighborhood for him. He says he'll be right back.

He then leaves to search out some things in his vehicle. Not 30 seconds later, he returns, asks me again if I knew the plate lights were out, which again I respond I had no idea. He let's me know it would be a fix-it ticket, yet says they may have gone out and it would be a simple fix with a screwdriver and replacing the bulbs. I said sorry I missed that they were out and thanked him.

Prior to handing me the D.L. back, he asks about the US DOT number and such on the side of the car ( I just put them on this evening in the parking lot where I purchased them ) and so I let him know I have a small business, and since the state's tags were coming due, I simply got the federal number.. and that I transport building materials I sell online to local shipping carriers.. and he says "oh, so its for your business?" I said yes.

He hands me back the D.L., requests I update the bulbs and wishes me a good night.

I noticed I didn't even go into anything about what I've been reading and studying the past year and a half. I handled this encounter as I have others... with a calm and honest demeanor which usually pacifies the officer doing the questioning / investigating... and although I have talked my way out of several tickets in the past ( and once a ticket which was already issued and the officer tore it up ), I realized it is all in the approach, rapport and dynamic you establish when dealing with these public servants.

I think also my acting skills from several years of training and pursuing the arts in college doesn't hurt one bit either. I have gotten out of some really expensive situations in the past now that I think about it. My record is clean, no tickets or issues of any kind in the last four years now or so.

Some free men / sovereigns suggest keeping the D.L. for it is easier to navigate the waters of commerce having one than it is trying to explain to an officer why you don't have one ( cognitive dissonance occurs in them I'm sure, plus why would one listen or believe you when not having one yet being behind the wheel... that just creates a red flag for them and an easy arrest / property confiscation opportunity ).

I'm thinking about having either the same DOT number where the plate will soon not be, or the docket number from the filing statement I'll be doing next month.. not sure yet. Either one will be brightly lit with the new bulbs so they can at least see what they'll be dealing with when stopping me next time 8^)

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