radar and laser detector and jammers

[TAG UR IT]

Originally Posted by AirGoya

so when cops are just driving down the road they're not using their radar? But they can still get you for speeding right? I rarely see cops just sitting there with the gun, they're allways driving cause i live by a jail and courthouse and stuff so...

Radar can be run both stationary and moving. The radar unit has functions for both, stationary and moving as well as front and back. Our traffic guys will do both. But, we also have sleeper Crown Vics in all colors. The SAPD logo is on the side of the car in hologram. It's actually kinda cool. You would never know it if you werent' looking for it. I actually passed a maroon SAPD traffic officer who pulled me over. Never even saw him.

Radar is extrememly reliable if you know how to use it. If there is a new officer using the unit, they need to sit down, try it out, and test it for a while. I've sat on the access and picked up speeders on the hwy thinking it was the guy on the access. If I wasn't sure, I didn't mess with it. I'm not going to stop someone for something I THOUGHT they could have been doing. I'm going to stop someone for something THEY ARE doing. That's what concerns me w/ new officers just learning on the radar.

It really only takes a couple hours to get a good feel about who is speeding. If you have ever sat on the side of the road for hours on end, you can actually start guessing peoples speeds. I'll sit there w/ the radar gun in a school zone. I won't put it out the window. I'll wait for someone who looks like they are speeding and then radar them. I can usually guess their speed. I'll radar them and usually it's almost on the nose. It just comes natural after sitting there w/ the gun hitting 100's of cars w/ the radar gun. But, I don't stop that many people anyway. I might write 3 tickets a month. Haven't had a one yet this month.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Your the kind of officer I like... There should be more of you.

[MerF]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

Your the kind of officer I like... There should be more of you.

Ditto.

I've considered (and still am) becoming an officer for just that reason. I like helping people and just can't stand BAD drivers, which doesn't mean speeders...just people who can't obey the rules of the road that are common sense.

I mainly just like the idea of being in a position to do some good. It's just that it would be a considerable pay cut for me. :(

[theonlyoneleft]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

Your the kind of officer I like... There should be more of you.

Haha, yeah. I wish most of the officers around here were like you, Tag. One of my family members was pulled over for doing 33 in a 25... going downhill where you naturally pick up a little speed. I hate this town.

And for that reason I have a nice radar detector. I always drive with it on just to make sure I'm not doing 6 mph over when it goes off around here

[theonlyoneleft]

Oh and jammers cost way too much and don't really work. They can go bad over time and I don't beleive they block lasers and any of the newer radar signals (like Ka). They're not worth it. Just invest in a good radar detector and don't drive like a douche.

And some old jammers actually set off radar detectors. I was driving on a highway once and the only other car in sight was a 70's van going 55. The closer I got to it, the more my radar detector went off! So I slowly pulled up next to the car in case it somehow actually was a cop and there was some old guy with long hair and a tie-dye bandanna on. Our eyes met, I started laughing my ass off, and sped away. Now, imagine how surprised I would have been after that if that scooby-doo van actually was an undercover cop and pulled me over! Haha.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Yeah! Oh, that's good. I wish i was there....."Hey, man...check out my jammer, man...cops won't catch me, man"

Btw, what's generally a good brand of detector? and what's the average range?

[TAG UR IT]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

Your the kind of officer I like... There should be more of you.

The only reason I haven't written any tickets this month is because there is no school and it's been too busy .................................................. . I'm kidding. I stop people for stupid stuff when they could have caused a major accident. Or those who seriously need a good talking to. I write way more warnings than tickets. I will write tickets every single time when I have to take an accident report and I've got certain blocks I need to fill in (such as is the registration current and if not, I will write it. Is the license expired, suspended, revoked, denied, etc=ticket or booked into jail, insurance? No? Car is towed and you get a ticket, etc.)

Originally Posted by MerF

Ditto.

I've considered (and still am) becoming an officer for just that reason. I like helping people and just can't stand BAD drivers, which doesn't mean speeders...just people who can't obey the rules of the road that are common sense.

I mainly just like the idea of being in a position to do some good. It's just that it would be a considerable pay cut for me. :(

There's no "job" like being a police officer. It is very satisfying to be able to call a complainant back that was just robbed and tell her/him that we caught the guy.... and can you come down to the station to try to pick them out of a lineup.

I had a lady crying over the phone two weeks ago that had her purse snatched from her (he pushed her down which was borderline robbery, but we still ran it theft from a person which is a state jail felony) and I caught the guy. He got a rental car, ran around town stealing ladies purses, probably broke into other cars, stole my ladies purse, was trying to use stolen credit cards to get quick cash, and was pretty much on a crime spree. My complainant got the LP of the rental car. I found out the rental car company was in my district. I ran by, they gave me the renters info. I found out, DUH...this guy is wanted on a parole violation (for three felonies), and the car is overdue (yeah...we have a winner, winner, winner).

The renters description matched that of our suspects perfectly. It was towards the end of the shift. I hung around and hid my patrol car. He showed up w/ a 2nd getaway vehicle and another driver. I waited until he drove the rental over the metal spikes on the ground and into the parking lot. I took him down and hooked him up. Sure as sh!t, it was him...matched the desc to a "T"...parole violation and all (we booked him on theft). The other driver was booked for warrants and drivers license violations. We found our original complainants purse, wallet, all her stuff. She was crying on the phone she was so happy and thankful. Oh, and we found wallets and purses belonging to other people as well. All in all, it was a pretty good bust.

Things like this are so gratifying. I wouldn't give up this job for the world. I love everyday and ...well...just about every minute of it... And, as far as pay goes, my salary is going up and will be around $75K with overtime included in two years. It's not bad $ for me right now.

[theonlyoneleft]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

Btw, what's generally a good brand of detector? and what's the average range?

Like everything, it depends what you want to spend. I have an Escort Passport 8500. I LOVE it. I'd recommend it to anyone. It costs around 300 dollars or so. And I know the Valentine One radar detector is supposed to be REALLY good, too (thought equally as pricey). If you want to go all out, get the Escort Passport 9500i. Read about it. It's wicked. It even tells you the direction it's detecting from! I want one!

Ranges vary depending on the detector and environment. In an open area like a highway or something, you can get a couple miles out of it. Where I live (Chicago suburbs), they had one of those things set up on the side of the road that tells you your speed. I counted 9/10ths of a mile away when i started detecting it with mine.

[Mr. Wyndham]

I only meant that you're a GOOD cop, not a sleezy, I'm-in-control cop...there are too many out there. It doesn't matter how many tickets you write to me.
To be a police officer would be fun, I think. I know a few of the "good" ones down at our town's station, and one of my friends is becoming an officer. Good crowd.

Ahh...money. no that's not bad at all. I'm becoming a technology teacher. starting around 34,000...not bad for starting. and I get my summers off . I think that too much money is a bad thing. It corrupts easily, like a disease...the more you have the worse off you are. I want a decent salary that allows me not to worry about bills or 'surprises'. I don't want to be rich.

Whoa!! Off topic, sorry...
So, about those jammers and detectors

[Eisenhower]

I don't know if I'm going with the Valentine One or get an Escort. Hmm...

But you know what really irritates me? Seeing police officers who are supposed to be, "law enforcers", breaking the law they’re supposed to enforce. I always see cops speeding for no good reason. Now, I know they're not going to any emergency, and here's the reason I know that…

-You're doing the posted speed limit which we'll say is 45. Just then, you notice in your rear view mirror that an officer is approaching in the next lane at about 50-55mph. Now, this person is clearly breaking a law they gave an oath to protect, but that's not the first thing you think. The first thing you might think is, "man, I sure hope they catch whoever they're after", or “I hope they get to that crime scene in enough time.”

But just then, you see them stop at a traffic signal. Okay, now you're confused. Why don’t they have their lights on and blow through? They’re just… sitting there, waiting for the light to turn green… Is this what they do in an emergency? Not hardly. So the light changes and everyone’s off again. You reach the posted speed limit but the cop continues to pull away.

I followed one, one day and they ended up in a drive-thru.

So why do good cops go bad? Hmm, maybe it’s because they’re not worried about anyone writing them a citation. A sort of, “perceived immunity” to the law is my guess. But what happens if the average citizen does that? Well, down here in Florida you pay a hefty $180+ ticket.

[TAG UR IT]

To answer your question lawfully, the law specifically states that traffic law does NOT apply to emergency vehicles. It does not say anything about, "when in an emergency, the emergency vehicle can speed in excess amount over the limit." It states emergency vehicles are exempt.

NOW...I would say that most, if not all, jurisdictions have their own rules and regulations. This means that even though the law allows it, the dept says you can only run code under these circumstances....code 1 = normal driving. code 2= lights, siren, and only 10mph over the limit. code 3 = lights, siren, and 20mph over the limit. In the real world it is different. I'd love to tell you how it is, but wouldn't want to get in any situation by posting it up here.


Officer in trouble means you go balls to the wall. You still be careful because what good are you to the officer in trouble if you don't get there at all. Shooting, cuttings, robberies, etc. you go code3 to try to get the bad guy, preserve crime scene, protect individuals, get witnesses, etc, etc, etc.

There's so much that comes into play when running code. Someone could be running quite fast on the hwy today going to a shooting. They might not run lights or siren because traffic is light and it is easy to get around the few cars on the road. BUT, you have no idea just how many people out there don't know what the hell to do when red and blues are in their mirror. They want to hit the brakes first.....uh.....no. They want to pull over to the left shoulder.......uh.......no. They go crazy. There's a lot of times we should run code, but it isn't safe due to the high volume of traffic on the roads. It's very much a judgement call. You want to get home safe. We want you to get home safe. We don't want you to hit us and we sure as hell don't want to hit you. One thing I remember all the time is that when I'm in my police car, pretty much all eyes are on me.....which is the way it goes.

Now, speeding to get to a drive through? Hmmmmm....

[Eisenhower]

Originally Posted by TAG UR IT

To answer your question lawfully, the law specifically states that traffic law does NOT apply to emergency vehicles. It does not say anything about, "when in an emergency, the emergency vehicle can speed in excess amount over the limit." It states emergency vehicles are exempt.

Ok, emergency vehicles are exempt? or the officer is exempt? Because the vehicles' aren't going to drive themselves...
It stands to reason that this exemption is only in effect during an "actual" emergency. A code 2 or 3, which would validate the officer traveling 10+ mph over the limit, (dep. on jurisdiction) even though I didn't see any lights flashing or hear any sirens.
But I think I'm starting to understand now. If I see a police officer use his/her signal, it's more of a courtesy. And basically, while just patrolling, cops don't have to use their turn signals to alert other drivers of their intentions, stay in the center of their lanes or observe the speed limit... because they're exempt. or at least their vehicles are...

[Mr. Wyndham]

Well, I can understand that. They need to keep a low profile. Kind of the same deal with requiring no more than 70% tinted windows. Besides, stop complaining about the tiny little things like blinkers on a cop car You can't tell me that you ALWAYS use your blinker. Because as musclecar fans and people who love fast cars - I'm sure we're all excellent drivers who obey Every law.......

[TAG UR IT]

Originally Posted by Eisenhower

[B]Ok, emergency vehicles are exempt? or the officer is exempt? Because the vehicles' aren't going to drive themselves... It stands to reason that this exemption is only in effect during an "actual" emergency. A code 2 or 3, which would validate the officer traveling 10+ mph over the limit, (dep. on jurisdiction) even though I didn't see any lights flashing or hear any sirens.
But I think I'm starting to understand now. If I see a police officer use his/her signal, it's more of a courtesy. And basically, while just patrolling, cops don't have to use their turn signals to alert other drivers of their intentions, stay in the center of their lanes or observe the speed limit... because they're exempt. or at least their vehicles are...

Traffic law states emergency vehicles are exempt...................with the intention that the driver is exempt from law when operating the emergency vehicle. I'll find it later and post it for you. For example, I can drive the wrong way on a one way road if I wanted to according to TRC. But, according to my General Manual Rules and Regs, I can be disciplined for driving the wrong way.

And again, as it reads, emergency vehicles are exempt....not saying exempt when on an emergency call. I always use my signals, drive safe, have courtesy for others, and try to obey all traffic laws at all times. Everyone else should too. Yes, there are a lot of folks who don't care. But, that catches up to them (I saw it last week w/ someone speeding in a neighborhood - he was on an emergency call, but the speed was well over the limit).

For example, there are suspicios people in the woods back off a dirt road. Traffic law says that vehicles are not allowed to leave the roadway unless going into private drives, etc. If I take my patrol car back in the woods, leaving the roadway and breaking the law, while not on an emergency, am I wrong? If you say yes, why should I be wrong? I need my car. What if they are a mile back in the woods? What if they run, and I catch them. Now, I have two guys I have to walk back in cuffs for a mile back to my car while I'm already tired as heck?

There are thousands of reasons why traffic law does not apply to emergency vehicles. I don't abuse this because, again, I don't want to get complained on. Plus, I don't want to get into any accidents.