Readers: Colorado pot profiling is out of control across the country

When we shared our latest post about alleged pot profiling, keyed to a lawsuit against the Idaho State Patrol by a man who says he was pulled over because of his Colorado license plates, we asked readers if they'd experienced anything similar. The response was huge and the stories were...

By Michael Roberts

April 3, 2014

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

When we shared our latest post about alleged pot profiling, keyed to a lawsuit against the Idaho State Patrol by a man who says he was pulled over because of his Colorado license plates, we asked readers if they'd experienced anything similar. The response was huge and the stories were many. Here are five examples.

Justin Harned writes:

Yup. Spent an hour in the front seat of a highway patrol officers car in Nebraska while he questioned everyone in the car individually about what we were doing driving through Nebraska. It was unreal. Cop was nice, but it was still profiling and we had done nothing wrong.

Robert Lucero writes:

In Michigan got my car tore up by dogs cuz of my license plates, Colorado is bein profiled aroun da world, I got fam in Australia and England, we're profiled more than Amsterdam.

Taber Olson writes:

My friend was pulled over on I 80 in Nebraska . The cop got the dogs and everything. He was legit, doesn't even drink.

Sophia Carbajal writes:

My younger brother was out of town on business and he was driving a rental car from here to Iowa to Chicago and back. He was pulled over 3 times for no apparent reason except that he had Colorado plates. He said one of the officers straight up asked him if he had any weed in his car.

Patrice Garcia writes:

Happened to us in Kansas. We were detained for 48 hours and let go with no charges, not even a ticket for speeding, which was the excuse they used to pull us over. Be careful driving anywhere out of state with Colorado plates.

Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.

For more memorable takes, visit our Comment of the Day archive.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Westword has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

Follow:

Facebook: 111180895657427

Twitter: @mikerobertscolo