So, the police stole my buddies car trailer...

[Baron Von Crowder]

So anyone could then just steal a trailer and grind off the VIN. I mean if all your going to get is a ticket. Hey, I get it, it sucks, and a lot of people do it. Doesn't make it right. There is a shit load of stolen trailers out there and if you ever had a trailer stolen you wouldn't feel this way. Easy way to fix this. Do away with BS homemade trailer tags. Either get a builders VIN like a street rod, or bonded title. I have seen very few actual homemade trailers in my lifetime.

20 years ago, it was cheaper to buy a trailer kit at the supply house, take it home and spend a weekend welding it up. I built a bunch of them at school, and got a donation to the FFA/VICA programs. They sure enough looked like a manufactured trailer, since they were the same as the welded up/assembled ones. How would you be able to tell?

I agree on the need for the law to change to eliminate this issue. What I dont agree with you about is that LEO's are ahead of the law here, and are profiting off the loopholes they have created/found.

AND BTW, Ive had a trailer stolen, along with quite a few other things, including my truck, guns, etc. Shit comes up missing frequently when your dad is slinging dope out of the house. So please dont tell me how to feel about this.

[bcoop]

So anyone could then just steal a trailer and grind off the VIN. I mean if all your going to get is a ticket. Hey, I get it, it sucks, and a lot of people do it. Doesn't make it right. There is a shit load of stolen trailers out there and if you ever had a trailer stolen you wouldn't feel this way. Easy way to fix this. Do away with BS homemade trailer tags. Either get a builders VIN like a street rod, or bonded title. I have seen very few actual homemade trailers in my lifetime.

You're missing the most key part of this entire deal. Illegal for DJ's friend to own. Illegal for the coach to own. Illegal for the guy the coach bought it from to own.... But the police can own it, use it for their purposes and then they can sell it and profit from allegedly stolen trailer they confiscated.


You're usually pretty level headed, but you're absolutely dead wrong on this.

[kingjason]

I feel the same way. In our case, there isnt a way to prove it was or wasnt stolen. Shoot us a ticket, fine, whatever, have the assigned vin stamped in and send us on our way. Instead, the police get to keep (or sell, when they see fit to) something we owned outright.

So anyone could then just steal a trailer and grind off the VIN. I mean if all your going to get is a ticket. Hey, I get it, it sucks, and a lot of people do it. Doesn't make it right. There is a shit load of stolen trailers out there and if you ever had a trailer stolen you wouldn't feel this way. Easy way to fix this. Do away with BS homemade trailer tags. Either get a builders VIN like a street rod, or bonded title. I have seen very few actual homemade trailers in my lifetime.

[Baron Von Crowder]

exactly
so it's illegal for the guy the coach bought it from to possess and sell it, and its illegal for the coach to possess and sell it, but it's OK for the police to seize it and sell it, and since the police sold it, it's suddenly legal to possess? You don't see a problem with that bullshit? The coach didn't steal it, and the guy he bought it from might not have even stolen it (why would he register a trailer he stole?). It should go back to the coach

I feel the same way. In our case, there isnt a way to prove it was or wasnt stolen. Shoot us a ticket, fine, whatever, have the assigned vin stamped in and send us on our way. Instead, the police get to keep (or sell, when they see fit to) something we owned outright.

[Nash B.]

I wouldn't believe a word that comes out of the police chief's mouth about any of this because his department gets money from it. I do like him trying to blame the guy who is out taking his time to mentor young folks though. I guess if he can steal from a Cub Scout troop he'll do that next.

No really he "Moved to Florida" lol

exactly

Also if it is sold at auction, I believe they will be issued some paper work and a new VIN will be assigned to it.

so it's illegal for the guy the coach bought it from to possess and sell it, and its illegal for the coach to possess and sell it, but it's OK for the police to seize it and sell it, and since the police sold it, it's suddenly legal to possess? You don't see a problem with that bullshit? The coach didn't steal it, and the guy he bought it from might not have even stolen it (why would he register a trailer he stole?). It should go back to the coach

[Baron Von Crowder]

I got news for you guys, a lot of cities are doing this now days. We have a commercial vehicle lot that has all kinds of trailers in it. Big business. I have a trailer my brother bought new in Alabama that he gave me. Said he would have to look for the title. I said I would just register it as a home made. Been that way for 10 yrs. Guess that could cause me some shit

Ours was from out of state, and we didnt have the ability to tell what the vin was or if it ever had one. PD said it should have a sticker, since there isnt one etched in. We're just proper fucked, due to circumstance.

[bcoop]

What we have here is an analogy recognition failure.

Not really.

[SSMAN]

I got news for you guys, a lot of cities are doing this now days. We have a commercial vehicle lot that has all kinds of trailers in it. Big business. I have a trailer my brother bought new in Alabama that he gave me. Said he would have to look for the title. I said I would just register it as a home made. Been that way for 10 yrs. Guess that could cause me some shit

[Jose]

Some have a damn sticker on them as a VIN. I would etch my VIN into the frame A.S.A.P. Besides, even if your VIN fell off, you would still have the proper plate to it and current registration, and title at the house I hope.

Ya when I bought a trailer from Lowes the VIN was a sticker. If I hadn't taken extra care of it, sucker would have been lost a long time ago.

[kingjason]

If it's like 99% of the trailers I've every seen, after so many years of setting out in the Texas weather, the VIN is usually rusted, corroded or just fallen off.

Some have a damn sticker on them as a VIN. I would etch my VIN into the frame A.S.A.P. Besides, even if your VIN fell off, you would still have the proper plate to it and current registration, and title at the house I hope.

[kingjason]

What is the evidence that the trailer was originally stolen before being puchased by the coaches? It is referenced in the article but not expanded upon.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

There are some very unique identifiers on trailers that most people don't know about. Probably why that one from above had a new tongue on it. That is why a lot of the meth heads that steal them cut them up and sell them for scrap. Orrrr sell them with no title off of a random street corner or craigslist add. I have seen a 40ft Hallmark loaded down with 30k in tools, stolen from Kansas, recovered the next day in Dallas, being sold on craigslist, with a home made tag on it.

Also if it is sold at auction, I believe they will be issued some paper work and a new VIN will be assigned to it.

[racrguy]

So much for "innocent until proven guilty". Civil asset forfeiture = Prove you're not guilty. Kind of like Sean calling everyone who disagreed with him a child molester and demanding they provide proof that they aren't. Only his had no legal consequences other than slander.

What we have here is an analogy recognition failure.

[Broncojohnny]

If it's like 99% of the trailers I've every seen, after so many years of setting out in the Texas weather, the VIN is usually rusted, corroded or just fallen off.

In Alvarado that is known as stolen.

[Whiteboy2.0]

Or they just said "prove it isn't stolen" then ran it through a kangaroo court process. I find it hard to believe that 75% of the trailers they pull over with no VIN were stolen. However I have no problem believing that they declare 75% of them stolen and the owners can't prove otherwise.

If it's like 99% of the trailers I've every seen, after so many years of setting out in the Texas weather, the VIN is usually rusted, corroded or just fallen off.

[Shorty]

Oh, I think they are a bunch of jack booted thugs and full of shit. I'm not advocating for police theft under whatever guise they claim.