PBA cards are issued by the high-rank officers in the New York Police Department, and they are handed over to their friends, colleagues and family members. This card can only be used in the United States.
PBA ensures fair treatment to the citizens by the U.S. police department. However, obtaining the PBA cards might be hard, and they might sometimes refuse to work.
PBA cardholders get a plethora of benefits and facilities. For instance, you will receive only a warning from the police for a traffic violation if you have a PBA card. Individuals without a PBA card will receive a speeding ticket for driving above the speed limit.
The U.S. police unions stated that these cards don’t immune a person from violating traffic rules. So, one must obey all the rules when driving on the streets of the United States.
Now, the question is, can a police officer take away a PBA card from anyone? The obvious answer to this question is “Yes”; you will lose the ability to use the card if you misuse it or try to escape a situation after breaking major rules. It is important to mention that PBA cards are for getting out of minor law infractions, not the major ones.
Let’s learn more details about the Police Benevolent Association cards and the powers they hold:
Benefits of Using Police Benevolent Association Cards in New York City:
PBA cards are often called “get out of jail free” cards, and many consider it as life-saving cards. Do you have a PBA card? You can use it anytime to get out of a high-traffic road in the U.S. PBA cards will be useful if you immediately need to rush to the hospital and want to avoid random stops.
Over 1 million police officers worldwide have been registered under the Police Benevolent Association. They help their friends or family members with the PBA cards when they break the law. However, a PBA card won’t be useful if you’re caught in reckless or dangerous driving behaviour like drunk driving.
What is Included in a Police Benevolent Association Card?
Like other government-issued cards, Police Benevolent Association cards are also laminated. It contains the cardholder’s signature, contact number and full name. Police officers require these details to confirm the PBA card bearer’s relation with the person giving it.
They check if you have the same surname as the police officer who has issued the PBA card. Political persons, journalists and even religious leaders also have these cards with the officer’s family members, friends or co-workers.
Does a PBA Card Work in Getting Out of Speeding Violation in the United States?
It is worth mentioning that Police Benevolent Association cards don’t hold any special power or rights. Sometimes, you can use it to avoid red lights or speeding violations, but it usually won’t work.
The truth is that these cards don’t always help people to escape from speeding tickets or other violations. You might find the police officer’s name on some PBA cards.
What happens if the officer recognises that you’re a friend, family member or co-worker of that officer? Consider behaving politely and respectfully to the officer to avoid getting a speeding ticket. It is the only way to avoid receiving a traffic violation ticket for driving too fast on New York streets.
Does the United States Police Department Treat All Police Benevolent Association Cards Equally?
The U.S. Department doesn’t treat all the PBA cards equally. Do you have a generic PBA card without the police officer’s badge number or name who issued it? Getting out of a speeding ticket might be tough with this card.
However, some police officers ask the cardholders who have issued the card. You should also tell him in which jurisdiction the policeman is from. Answer these questions correctly to get out of a ticket, even with a generic PBA card.
When a Police Officer Takes Away the Police Benevolent Association Cards?
Don’t try to influence or force the police officer not to take any legal action after breaking the laws or causing a traffic violation only because you have a PBA card. These types of actions are unethical and illegal.
The officer will take away the card, and even worse, he might also arrest you instead of giving you a speeding ticket. Thus, knowing when to use the PBA cards is essential to avoid legal problems.
Police officers don’t take strict actions or issue speeding tickets if you don’t signal the other drivers before changing lanes. Many U.S. police officers tend to think using a PBA card should be banned in the country,
Asking an officer to let them go without a ticket or penalty fee after violating the traffic rules is considered a punishable crime. Handing the PBA card to the police officer in such instances is illegal instead of paying for your action.
Remember that PBA cards are not legal documents, though an officer issues them. So, use these get-out-of-a-ticket cards wisely and only when it is required. Consider paying the penalty charges in major traffic violation cases.
What are the Different Types of Police Benevolent Association Cards?
Different tiers of PBA cards are available for the police officer’s friends, family and colleagues. Silver cards are the top-tier cards and provide the highest honour to U.S. citizens. Every officer in the police department values this PBA card. It also helps cardholders to save costly insurance money.
Then comes the gold Police Benevolent Association cards. It is mostly issued for the officer’s family members. This card indicates that you are a family member or relative of a U.S. police union. Police officers also honour the gold PBA cards like the silver ones.
What is the lowest-tier PBA card? You will find a generic PBA card made out of plastic online. These are the lowest tier cards; you can use them in the same or neighbouring town to avoid speeding tickets.
Now, the real question is whether police officers value these plastic cards. Yes! Cops sometimes honour these low-tier PBA cards if you have a good relationship with the issuer. Let us tell you that these plastic cards are not worth carrying when driving on high-traffic roads in the United States.
How to Get a Police Benevolent Association Card?
You might not have a connection with a high-ranking police officer in the department or political connections. However, you can still get a PBA card from the New York Police Department. These police get-out-of-bail-free cards are available on eCommerce platforms like eBay.
You must access these sites from your mobile devices, like computers. Write “NYPD PBA card” in the navigation panel and click the search icon. Tap the “Buy” button to order a PBA card for you.
Most people need clarification on the authenticity of the PBA cards they purchased online. They are authentic cards and look genuine. Police officers won’t even find out whether they are issued from someone in the department or bought from eBay or Amazon. Selling PBA cards online isn’t also considered to be illegal.
