I've a question for our police officers..

[MontyCarlo]

Originally Posted by Seminole

...
I asked you a question to answer yours. How many fatalities do you think we'd have if speeds were limited to 5mph? Answering that honestly will answer your initial question of whether or not slower is inherently safer.
...

Ooh, I'll answer that one! We'd have a couple hundred million fatalities in the US as the semis full of food bound for the supermarkets would lose most of their inventory during the weeks it takes them to get to town, due to spoilage and to raiding by the hordes of unemployed people who can no longer get to work to earn a paycheck. Civilization would crumble!

Or, more realistic answer, fatalities would increase 50-100% as the speed limit has lost all meaning & become completely unenforcable, and everybody drives whatever speed they want to without any guidance whatsoever. People go 60 on a highway that's limited to 50, but they'll go 90 on one that's limited to 5.

[Big Brunsy]

I usually just take the speed limit and add 10mph. I have never been stopped for anything less than this. It all depends on what mood the officer is in, or if hez sitting there just waiting for someone to come along and give a ticket to, ur probably not going to get out of it. I was doin 85 in a 55 down some back county roads on my way to the fair one year and met a Sheriff. He just stuck his hand up and pointed down, saying SLOW DOWN! I figured me must have been on his way home to get laid or something, but then again I never get anything other than a warning from Sheriffs around here.....except for the ones in Sioux County....they suck

[ELDuran]

Originally Posted by RogueSS

Well, you're asking a very open ended question of officers, like me, who weren't there.

That being said, I likely wouldn't try and arrest you, as I don't think I could articulate that you were fleeing, HOWEVER, I certainly would have found you and stopped you.

You start trying to avoid me, it goes from me wanting to make a traffic stop to me thinking you have warrants, or drugs, or guns or something along those lines in your car.

I work in a metro area, I deal with a lot of less than honest folks. To me, people trying to lose me for a traffic violation makes no sense. I know all my fellow officers here would tell you the same thing.

I probably write 1 ticket for every 10 traffic stops I make...doing what you're describing would make you that 1. Unless it's blatantly dangerous, or blatantly stupid I usually give warnings, but trying to ditch me...you're going to get some paper handed to you. Next time, just drive normal, if he pulls you over he pulls you over. I know one thing, if that were me, your car is burned into my mind, you'd get stopped the next time I saw you, because I think you're trying to hide something.

Hmmm didn't look at it that way. However in my defense, that quick left turn was legal and done correctly. In other words, I didn't put anyone in danger. I didn't speed, or peel out. Just simply made my turn and left the scene. But really 1 out of 10? That seems like you never hand out any tickets at all. Every time I get stopped, I get a ticket. No warnings ever.

Actually I lied, I got one warning for playing my stereo too loud. But that's it in my 14 years of driving.

[ELDuran]

Originally Posted by MontyCarlo

Wow, I didn't know Gabriel Iglesias was on our forum!

Plagiarism's bad, mmkay?

Also its my bad and I apoligize, instead of j/k I should have wrote this, "-Gabriel I.-"

[Big Brunsy]

Originally Posted by ELDuran

One time I went to Krisppie cream donuts and bought a full box of donuts. As I was leaving the place I made an illegal left turn and a black and white pulled me over. I grabbed the box of donuts and put it on my lap. When the officer came to my window he asked, "Do you know why I pulled you over"? I then grabbed the box of donuts and replied, "cus you can smell 'em?"

j/k

Gabriel is one funny man....

[superdave99]

Originally Posted by iBK3000

slow down.

[JProberts]

Originally Posted by RogueSS

Well, you're asking a very open ended question of officers, like me, who weren't there.

That being said, I likely wouldn't try and arrest you, as I don't think I could articulate that you were fleeing, HOWEVER, I certainly would have found you and stopped you.

You start trying to avoid me, it goes from me wanting to make a traffic stop to me thinking you have warrants, or drugs, or guns or something along those lines in your car.

I work in a metro area, I deal with a lot of less than honest folks. To me, people trying to lose me for a traffic violation makes no sense. I know all my fellow officers here would tell you the same thing.

I probably write 1 ticket for every 10 traffic stops I make...doing what you're describing would make you that 1. Unless it's blatantly dangerous, or blatantly stupid I usually give warnings, but trying to ditch me...you're going to get some paper handed to you. Next time, just drive normal, if he pulls you over he pulls you over. I know one thing, if that were me, your car is burned into my mind, you'd get stopped the next time I saw you, because I think you're trying to hide something.

And then you would be breaking the law for stopping someone for no real reason. Your thinking someone is hiding some thing becuase you think they ditched you 2 weeks ago is not probable cause to stop someone. You have to have reasonable knowledge that the person has done something illegal. The person you stopped may have guns and drugs, even stolen goods but becasue of what you did he would win in court and you may be in trouble with your superiors.

[BRKLYN]

lOL !@#$%^%$#^& RADAR DETECTOR

[RogueSS]

Originally Posted by JProberts

And then you would be breaking the law for stopping someone for no real reason. Your thinking someone is hiding some thing becuase you think they ditched you 2 weeks ago is not probable cause to stop someone. You have to have reasonable knowledge that the person has done something illegal. The person you stopped may have guns and drugs, even stolen goods but becasue of what you did he would win in court and you may be in trouble with your superiors.

No, not at all. Follow any driver for a few blocks and they do something illegal, or they have something on the car that's illegal. My jurisdiction, you can't have anything hanging from your rear view mirror. You can't modify your muffler at all. Window tint on the front windows that doesn't allow 43% light transmission is illegal. Put your registration stickers on backwards (Month where year should be, year where month should be) it's grounds for a stop. The list goes on and on.

It's not hard to find a reason to stop someone, it really isn't. You shouldn't assume I don't know how to do my job.

[RogueSS]

Originally Posted by ELDuran

Hmmm didn't look at it that way. However in my defense, that quick left turn was legal and done correctly. In other words, I didn't put anyone in danger. I didn't speed, or peel out. Just simply made my turn and left the scene. But really 1 out of 10? That seems like you never hand out any tickets at all. Every time I get stopped, I get a ticket. No warnings ever.

Actually I lied, I got one warning for playing my stereo too loud. But that's it in my 14 years of driving.

A lot of it depends on where you live. Other than our motor officers, who's job it is to write traffic tickets, most of our patrol officers don't write many tickets. My personal opinion, and most of my fellow officers share it, is a contact with someone that ends without a ticket can go further than a ticket in many situations. We also are a busy department, and we don't get a lot of time to make traffic stops, so we try and find more serious violations to stop people for in our limited time.

Now, a State Trooper, or someone who's primary mission is to write traffic tickets...they're far less likely to give warnings. And a small department with a low volume of calls for service are more likely to give out tickets too. Just depends.

[JProberts]

Originally Posted by RogueSS

No, not at all. Follow any driver for a few blocks and they do something illegal, or they have something on the car that's illegal. My jurisdiction, you can't have anything hanging from your rear view mirror. You can't modify your muffler at all. Window tint on the front windows that doesn't allow 43% light transmission is illegal. Put your registration stickers on backwards (Month where year should be, year where month should be) it's grounds for a stop. The list goes on and on.

It's not hard to find a reason to stop someone, it really isn't. You shouldn't assume I don't know how to do my job.

Yeahand you should not abuse the system either. And I guess your gonna be able to see window stickers and the such you mentioned from seeing him drive by you. It's not good to know that cops could/would go to extremes like tailing someone hoping they do something illigal or have a baby shoe hanging from their mirror so they can pull them over to write a meaningless traffic ticket.

So yeah your right you could do these things but it would be wrong and waistful to do so while there are real crimes being committed. The type of activity you just described are some of the practices that give cops a bad reputation and most don't deserve it.

Think about this if your ever in this situation. Don't let your personal feelings of getting the one that got away cloud your judgement. I mean its not like Bin Laden got away! Really!

[brtaus]

Originally Posted by RogueSS

No, not at all. Follow any driver for a few blocks and they do something illegal, or they have something on the car that's illegal. My jurisdiction, you can't have anything hanging from your rear view mirror. You can't modify your muffler at all. Window tint on the front windows that doesn't allow 43% light transmission is illegal. Put your registration stickers on backwards (Month where year should be, year where month should be) it's grounds for a stop. The list goes on and on.

It's not hard to find a reason to stop someone, it really isn't. You shouldn't assume I don't know how to do my job.

You are correct on every point. It's not hard to find a reason. Just like the ElDuran said, he doesn't have a front plate yet. Well, if required, that would give every police officer in his entire state to pull him over at any time.

In AZ, the big thing for police officers to pull over someone is for an illegal turn, i.e. not turning into the correct lane.

Really, its that easy and easily explainable for the officer to his supierors and the court but next to impossible for you to defend against.

[RogueSS]

Originally Posted by JProberts

Yeahand you should not abuse the system either. And I guess your gonna be able to see window stickers and the such you mentioned from seeing him drive by you. It's not good to know that cops could/would go to extremes like tailing someone hoping they do something illigal or have a baby shoe hanging from their mirror so they can pull them over to write a meaningless traffic ticket.

So yeah your right you could do these things but it would be wrong and waistful to do so while there are real crimes being committed. The type of activity you just described are some of the practices that give cops a bad reputation and most don't deserve it.

Think about this if your ever in this situation. Don't let your personal feelings of getting the one that got away cloud your judgement. I mean its not like Bin Laden got away! Really!

You're missing the point apparently. If someone actively tries to evade a police officer, it's very suspicious. Most people become more cautious, slowing down, making sure they signal etc, but few actually take the steps to avoid us.

If someone does evade me, you can bet I'll be more apt to stop them if I find them in the future, simply because that activity is suspicious. If I do stop that person and everything checks out, they're going to leave with a warning most times, not a ticket. It's worth checking, maybe Bin Laden is driving that car...how do you know if you don't stop it?

[Rayner]

Originally Posted by sykb47l

100% WRONG!!!!

Your confusing RADAR detectors with laser. Ever since i've had my valentine i've not been pulled over at all. Radar detectors are a very good early warning device as long as you use it correctly.

Sure...sure. I'm wrong. I'm just getting information from a a guy who used the equipment for his entire law enforcement career.....but yes....I'm confused.

Whatever dude. Go ahead and put your trust into that detector because you haven't gotten a ticket.....YET.