Got pulled over by the Italian Police, They checked everything Options

[DonTraver]

Left Torino and headed for Genova. About a hour into the drive I get pulled over by the Italian Police. They wanted all the paperwork for me and the RS America. Passport, drivers licience, insurance, California Pink Slip, registration, shipping documents, you name it. Luckily I had it all and it was all valid.

I was going about 10kph under the speed limit following a couple of other cars.

They spent about 45 minutes going through it all, calls on their cell phones, etc. Finally let me go. When they were done, they just gave me all my paperwork, turned around and left. I think they were disappointed.

I don't trust cops. I grew up in a family of cops, I know how crooked they can be. My dad called it the John Wayne Syndrome. Give them a badge and a gun and they think they're John Wayne. Looks like it's the same over here.

Oh yeah, just found this out, before you can use the internet in Italy, you have to register your passport numbers. I'd been wondering why I had to turn in my passport at each hotel. This is the only country that I've had to do that in.

Oh well, I'm having fun in Genova now.

Later, Don

[Bleyseng]

My experience is that in half the Hotels you have to turn in your passport. In Suriname if I am driving and get pulled over by the Police I speak English and say "Mi no sabi" to their replies. I always get off as I am a white guy and no one Dutch....yes, the Police are looking for a little "Sweet" as they call a bride here. The Police are looking for drivers without a license or no insurance. So they have checkpoints all over the city.

[DBCooper]

....yes, the Police are looking for a little "Sweet" as they call a bribe here.

I never knew how to bribe a cop until I lived in Brazil, where my wife taught me. There you say 'tut, tut, tut, how stupid I was" and offer the cop something to get himself a "cafezinho" or "cervezinha" to make up for the trouble you've caused him, and all's well. Sounds wrong, but their courts and jails are not clogged.

Funny story, instead of flying straight back a Brazilian friend decided to drive a rental car from New York to Miami and fly back from there. So he could see a little of the U.S. Of course he got caught in a speed trap in the Carolinas somewhere, gave the cop a $50 bill along with his driver's licence, so the cop could "buy himself a beer". My friend spent the night in jail, which he found to be hugely impressive. He told that story to everyone back home, to explain why the U.S. was a First World country while Brasil was destined to remain Third World. His story impressed and amazed everyone, proof of what I've always said, that what you see depends mostly on your point of view.