Yeah, boneheaded move on the part of Temecula cops, but what makes you think this wouldn’t happen outside of CA? Just bored Jerkwater, USA cops having their idea of fun and booking overtime.
I’ve encountered the same nonsense in other states as well — piss-ante little town in Virginia about 30 mi west of Dulles Airport doing their thing at 4:30 pm on a weekday.
Oddly, I’ve never had my license run other than in California (by Border Patrol no less) — they usually ask whether you’ve been drinking and let you go once it’s obvious that the car doesn’t reek like a brewery. (Driving a well-maintained, very conservative older car might help with that.)
