Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should: New Hampshire “COPSLIE” Plate

Just because you can do something in no way means that you should do something. Case in point- the New Hampshire Supreme Court just told a guy (David Montenegro) he could have a personalized license plate that reads: COPSLIE. This strikes me as a bad idea.

Now, I understand that this guy is apparently upset and wants to protest what he sees as police corruption. I understand that. I don’t know his story enough to know why he feels that way, but I can understand there are probably circumstances justifying his desire to protest. I don’t personally believe that all police lie, but police are human beings and surely some have.

However, say goodbye to ever getting warnings on speeding violations ever again. Talk about something guaranteed to turn any traffic stop into at least a slightly more hostile situation.

Is it really necessary to poke the bear like that? There are some situations where police legitimately have discretion. This makes it much more likely that such discretion will go against you, even potentially legitimately.

This just seems unnecessarily provoking to me. I wouldn’t do it. I guess David Montenegro is mad enough that he’s willing to take that risk.