Modified car drivers call on police to pull overs based on vehicle looks
Posted July 27, 2021 6:47 pm.
Last Updated July 27, 2021 7:01 pm.
WINNIPEG (CityNews) – Car enthusiasts in Winnipeg, especially those driving modified vehicles feel they’re being unfairly targeted by the Winnipeg Police Services Vehicle Inspection Unit, with one interaction going viral in the city.
The video which is posted to Instagram shows a brief conversation between an officer and Liam Charles – the person filming – after Charles was pulled over without explanation.
<img class=”alignnone size-medium wp-image-466819″ src=”https://winnipeg.citynews.ca/wp-content/blogs.dir/sites/13/IMAGE_VIU1_MM_07272021-300×170.png” alt=”” />
Charles got a ticket worth roughly $200 when he was stopped, and says the officer is well-known for coming down hard on the car community, but feels there’s a better use of police resources than ticketing a driver for a modified vehicle, saying police should focus on unfit and unsafe vehicles.
“I got ticketed for my exhaust and brake lights,” explained Charles. “Nothing for speed or how I was driving or anything like that. It was just cause my car makes some noise and lights up.”
Some car enthusiasts, like one member of the Aftermath Street Club Collective, who owns a modified 2008 Dodge Charger with a two-tone paint job and 20-inch rims. He says members of the car community are under pressure from police.
“We want to have something that we are proud of,” said Christopher Copple, Aftermath Street Club Collective member. “I do my car up for my kids, so I can pass it on to my kid eventually.
“With the cops, I’ve been pulled over several times within the period of a month, just the way my vehicle looks. And I don’t think it’s acceptable.”
Copple worries eventually, the relationship between police and modified car drivers will get so bad, people will be less willing to come out to car meets and show and shines.
Some drivers, while they’ve had a more professional interaction with the VIU, say police need to understand these modified vehicles. While loud and flashy, are not intended to be problematic.
Winnipeg Police Service told CityNews they plan to respond to concerns from the community in the coming days, and added if anyone has a complaint about an officer, there are available means to file a complaint.
Members of the car community say the stories and interactions they’ve heard of in the city are putting strain on the relationship between police and the modified car drivers who have to share these city streets.
