We had a big problem with that on the SP in CA. If you hit someone or something they would ask for you drivers license. Then the cop would write the report up as Vehicle 1 and Vehicle 2. Guess whos insurance went up ! Had a hoghead on the NWP answer the door one day and there was the sheriff. He had an order for him to vacate the house as it now belonged to someone else. He had hit a cement truck a year or so in the past and for some reason, they issued a warrant for him and he had lost title to his home. That was the first he had heard of it. It took forever for the SP to find out what was going on and restore his reputation.

Most of us just gave the cops our name and the address of 65 Market (later 1 Market Plaza)in the City. I had one cop in Salinas go nuts when I would not show him my drivers license and I told him my license was in San Francisco.

We had a Coast engineer, McCallif, and a cop that didn't know the law, make Mac a nice retirement gift. He was on the Gilroy local on a Sunday morning making his way back to San Jose. He was pulling out of town off the center siding very slowly while the conductor was lining up behind. The rear man who was on the head end, on the second unit came into the cab and told him to stop. He said some kid on a motorcycle came around the corner off of 101 and hit the side of the train. He had turned onto the highway that went over the hill to the San Joaquin Valley, I think it was 152. In any case a Gilroy cop shows up and gets up on the engine. Thats a no-no law by the Feds & Interstate Commerce. He asked McCallif for his drivers license. He refused and the cop demanded it or he would arrest him. Wrong thing to say to the hoghead. He ordered him to stand up, cuffed him and took him off the engine. As the hoghead passed the conductor he handed him the reverser. Here it was a nice Sunday morning with people off to church, etc. and Highway 152 blocked at Highway 101.This was before we used the term Gridlock and was before the bypass was put in around the town.

Well after about 30 minutes a CHP cop shows up and walked over to the conductor who was sitting on the steps of the engine. He told conductor that he would have to write him a ticket for blocking the Xing. The Big O stated, "I would like to but we don't have an engineer. The Gilroy Police took him to jail for not showing them his drivers license. The cop just shook his head, got in the car and was busy on the radio. It turned out they had to get the Chief out of bed and to talk to this cop. They finally got the hogger out of jail and on his engine in order to clear all the Xings. Turned out the motorcyclest was okay but his bike toast.

Mac was returned to his engine and they finally made it to San Jose. I will let you guess what happened down the road. False arrest, false confinement, etc.,etc. Oh, and the cop was in trouble for violating Federal laws.

Mac had a huge nest egg to retire in. Now there is law on the books in CA and other states that prohibit the police to ask personal information. Just your name, appx speed, and was the bell, headlights and horn operating. The BLE made up some cards for engineers to carry that spells out the law, its number and what the cops should not do.


Nudge