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I just wanted to share a story with you about something that happened to me last week. I'll be as brief as possible.

While on a business trip traveling through Charleston, Mo., I was pulled over by a local policeman. I gave him my license and waited in my truck.

After a few minutes another policeman arrived. I was asked to step out of my vehicle (I did with no question) and stand facing my vehicle and spread my legs. I was frisked and told to put my hands behind my back. I asked if I was under arrest and was told "yes." My hands were cuffed and I was escorted to one of the police cars. As I was being hauled off to the police station, my truck was being towed away by a local towing service. At the police station I was fingerprinted and photographed at several different angles. The officer sat at a computer and typed in my replies to such personal questions as, "Married? Children? What sex are the children?

Place of birth? Employer and length of employment?" I was not read my rights at any point and was kept at the police station over an hour. The police questioned how much money was in my wallet. I was told I would have to pay the fine immediately for my offense.

What terrible thing had I done to deserve this treatment you may ask?

Traveling 55 mph in a 45 mph zone!

During this whole experience I kept asking, "Why?" The officer finally told me that a lot of towns were doing this in retaliation to the Supreme Court's ruling in the soccer mom case. According to the officer something similar happened to this woman in Texas for not wearing a seat belt. She fought it all the way to the Supreme Court. I asked the officer, "Is this is your vengeance for a woman who stood up for her rights and won?" His reply was, "I guess so."

My choices at this point were to wait in jail for my wife to bail me out or pay my speeding fine. I paid the fine and was driven to the wrecker service that had towed away my truck. I was then forced to wait there while the officer took another call. Finally, after over an hour, I was released.

I would like to know how many times a day police officers subject citizens to this treatment for a 10 miles over the speed limit offense.

Darren Dodson

Calvert City, Ky.