I live in a community with country roads that have low speed limits. Typically everyone drives 25-30 mph above the posted limit and everyone gets away with it but whenever there is an officer behind me on that road, I don't take my chances.
The other day there was a cop car behind me on a section of the road where it was unsafe to pass another car and it had no shoulder. I could see the frustration on his face where he looked like he wanted to tell me it was OK to speed for that moment so that he could get to where he was going.
So I thought about incorporating an "OFF DUTY" light where the citizens do not have to fear being penalized in areas where it is acceptable to bend certain traffic laws. Of course the officer is still available to address "real" crimes such as robberies, assaults, thefts, etc.-- Jscotty, Sep 29 2009 Marked unPolice cars Marked_20unPolice_20carsSort of the opposite .... [8th of 7, Sep 29 2009] I don't believe that being "off duty"alters a police officer's duty to uphold the law, in any civilised country I can think of at the moment.-- UnaBubba, Sep 29 2009 True, he can STILL enforce the law but the light indicates that he not going to. Like if he is on the side of the road making a phone call, he might not want to create a traffic jam making everyone think that it's a speed trap.-- Jscotty, Sep 29 2009 In that case the offcer would be derelict in his duty, or potentially guilty of perversion of the course of justice, or of corruption.-- UnaBubba, Sep 29 2009 They would have the light on all the time and then get you anyway, just to keep you on your toes, as they should.--- zeno, Sep 29 2009 This sort of begs the question, "Why do the police use marked cars ?"
Surely it's just giving the game away ?
If all police cars were unmarked with concealed strobes, surely that would be more effective ?-- 8th of 7, Sep 29 2009 Better yet, they could use disruptive camouflage patterned cars, so no-one could see them until they pounced and shot the shit out of you... or maybe not, as that sort of thing has been proven to be a little heavy-handed for policing civilians, time and again.-- UnaBubba, Sep 29 2009 I dunno about other countries, but in the US of A they drive unmarked cars frequently. I've seen green Mustangs, silver Chargers, black Explorers, and even white F-150s. Giving the game away my foot!-- 21 Quest, Sep 29 2009 "I don't believe that being "off duty"alters a police officer's duty to uphold the law"
Well said. I don't know that they really are all that much...I mean, isn't it their job to keep the streets safe (and make money for the city with traffic tickets)?-- BouncyPaw, Sep 29 2009 The definition of morality is something like, "Fear of the guilt I'm going to have to endure if I'm actually caught doing something wrong". Right, [Jscotty]?-- UnaBubba, Sep 29 2009 Many times they're on a call that requires them to keep their lights and sirens turned off... happens all the time around here -- or, the call they're on isn't high enough priority to warrant sirens/lights, but they still need to get there. Either way, they're not off duty, they just don't have time to pull you over, and don't have authority to switch on the lights.-- CaptainClapper, Sep 30 2009 Off topic, terribly. I just can not stop looking at the user name [BouncyPaw], and thinking that they need to report to the "how'd you get that moniker" idea.
Okay, carry on, sorry.-- blissmiss, Sep 30 2009 BouncyPaw is an excellent name.
On the subject of a police car off duty sign in particular //isn't it their job to keep the streets safe //
It would seem it is their duty to react to the aftermath of tragic events and endanger as many motorists as possible by disrupting traffic in an effort to raise as much money as possible in the form of traffic tickets of all kinds.
I would prefer to just pay a monthly mandatory ticket than be apprehended when I am late to work and delayed further.
You know how they sell pollution points in big industry, I want crime points so that I can break the law at will within a certain time frame without repercussions as I paid up front.-- vfrackis, Sep 30 2009 Try becoming a cop for a while. Then, I suspect, you'll begin to understand why they're so misunderstood.-- UnaBubba, Sep 30 2009 god what a tired old bit.-- WcW, Sep 30 2009 //The definition of morality is something like, "Fear of the guilt I'm going to have to endure if I'm actually caught doing something wrong". Right, [Jscotty]?//
LOL! You got me!-- Jscotty, Sep 30 2009 If you and the policeman both agree that the section is marked at a speed somewhat less than that which would be equally safe, then one or both of you should write a joint letter requesting a review of the speed limit. That is how things work... evidence will then be reviewed and changes made if there appears to be no justification for the posted limit. If no review is conducted, I guess it is time to vote for someone else in the next local election.-- vincevincevince, Sep 30 2009 // That is how things work//
Where do you live - Idealville?-- wagster, Oct 01 2009 //// That is how things work//
Where do you live - Idealville?//
The statement 'things work if done right' while being slightly circular, says nothing about the current situation working or not.-- loonquawl, Oct 01 2009 the low speed limits are there so, should it be decided to do so, the officer may punish whom soever they please, to whatever degree they please. Selective enforcement doesn't even begin to describe the caprice of who, where, why and for what aspects of traffic enforcement. I have been pulled over for going 3+, i have been pulled over for a visual, I have been pulled over for going 75 in a 50 (25+) and received no ticket. I've been buggered and harassed and searched because I was driving a borrowed ghetto mobile and I've been treated with equanimity when driving a BMW. Nothing other than the biased personal attitudes of the officer can be reflected by this method of enforcing traffic law compliance.-- WcW, Oct 01 2009 A few years ago, I got pulled over in a nearby town called Airway Heights for blowing through a stopsign. It was an unlit road, and it was dark out, and I didn't see the sign, and drove through it at full speed. I was also uninsured at the time. The ticket for each of those two offenses was a little over 500 bucks. Each. The police officer was an elderly gentleman, and when I explained that my insurance policy had been recently cancelled because I had no money to pay the bill after my wife left me high and dry (it wasn't a lie: this was 4 months after she left and I was 3 months behind on my rent), he gave a stern warning to get some insurance by any means I could find, and he let me drive away without any kind of citation. This is where an officer's judgement comes into play, and I would never support any legislation to take that away from them. The number of times I've been pulled over for something far outweighs the number of fines I've received. Sure, I've gotten some bullshit fines from some dickhead cops before, but the majority of officers I've encountered in my life have been honest, helpful folks just trying to do their job. There are bad apples in every organization, everywhere you go.
Now, as far as this idea goes, it's a bad one. Officers may choose to let speeders off with a warning, and may even let some go without stopping them. But to encourage people to ignore their presence simply begs for disaster to strike.-- 21 Quest, Oct 01 2009 OR you could have a PROGRESSIVE (red scare) system of penalties that takes in to account the actual financial means of the individual and punishes them to a painful, but not sadistic level. If you like the fact that your hard luck story got you off, consider how it feels to be the minority who is just as hard up as you were and gets the book. The ability to totally fun a person over, or let them off with a warning INVITES abuse of power. It sure feels great when it goes in your favor, just hope that it never goes the other way. (oh and, god bless America)-- WcW, Oct 01 2009 I admit I got lucky. I didn't volunteer the story to get out of the ticket, though. The officer asked me why I didn't have insurance, so I told him. I usually have a pretty good and plausible reason for breaking the law, which is why most cops believe me when they ask why I did it. I really am a terrible liar, which is another reason I firmly believe that honesty is the best policy, unless you're damn certain you can pull off a lie. Perhaps I am advantaged as being a young white male, but I'm also honest (sometimes to a fault) and project humility and a humble demeanor, and I think that counts for a lot more than race or gender. A lot of people of minority get themselves in trouble by responding to every slight accusation with indignation and rage, like that Harvard professor in Cambridge, Massachusetts (sp?) Who got arrested for getting beligerent when police officers did their job and questioned him after getting called by a neighbor. A law professor should have known better. Especially a black law professor. Why he was so shocked is a mystery to me.-- 21 Quest, Oct 01 2009 isn't privilege sweet. keep telling yourself that it's because you are so honest and nice, and those other people are just incorrigible. I say take the whole thing and put it in front of a judge. Officers should report every violation as they saw it with the consequences to be decided by somebody else, somebody who doesn't need to stand in the rain while they make the judgment. It's quite simple really.-- WcW, Oct 02 2009 Do you want to have to go before a judge every time you get stopped for a minor traffic infraction? Do you want to be the one who's job it is to find room in the city's budget to pay the extra judges and court officers, not to mention construction of extra courthouses, to handle all the cases that would suddenly require a judge's active participation? There's a reason they leave it to the officer's judgement to reduce the number of people who make it to a judge.-- 21 Quest, Oct 02 2009 no, I want the cop to decide. its really really nice.-- WcW, Oct 02 2009 As far as being priveleged, that's a crock of shit. I just (as in, this week) moved out of the absolute shittiest part of town, where I've lived for the last 3 years (to the month). While living there, my wife left me, my car was vandalized 4 times, one of my bicycles was stolen out of my yard, and I went through 3 garden hoses, which kept getting cut up by vandals looking for siphon hoses. Read my profile to see how many jobs I've gone through. Priveleged? I've been fucking cursed.-- 21 Quest, Oct 02 2009 //and project humility and a humble demeanor, and I think that counts for a lot more than race or gender//
Please read that passage slowly, three times, [21Q], and see if you can imagine why some would find a few things in there hard to believe.-- UnaBubba, Oct 02 2009 One of the problems with petitioning for higher speed limits is that they are one size fits all. An otherwise safe driver (doesn't tailgate or weave in traffic) is a lot safer going 10-20 miles over the speed limit than someone who does. Likewise, a car with a low center of gravity can take a curve a lot faster than a truck or SUV with a high CG.-- MechE, Oct 02 2009 The cop was behind, you were in front. The cop 'apparently' wanted you to speed but couldn't tell you do to so. He was not authorised to use the light and siren. Yet, even if you did speed, the cop would still have to follow the speed limit... as he is not (in most countries) permitted to speed without his light and siren on. Or do you now advocate police officers breaking the law?-- vincevincevince, Oct 02 2009 I was going to fishbone this, but I'm off-duty.-- pertinax, Oct 02 2009 21 listen no matter what ticket you do get, you should take the time to go to court make sure that you get there early and make buddies with the cop that gave you the ticket because he will reduce the fine 9 times out of ten. It's worth it you could have sidestepped some points on your license man.-- vfrackis, Oct 02 2009 Cops are corrupt; they get away with breaking traffic laws in their own cars all the time. The courts see the cop cars as a deterrent and will never want to remove that effect during certain times. I have to give you a bun for trying, though. This whole issue pisses me off.-- kevinthenerd, Oct 04 2009 I'm wondering... about the scenario in the post... how do you know he wasn't frustrated by the fact that you didn't give in to the pressure and speed so he could pull you over?-- 21 Quest, Oct 04 2009 How do you know he wasn't in a desperate rush to get to a toilet?-- UnaBubba, Oct 04 2009 //BouncyPaw is an excellent name//
Why, thank you. :)-- BouncyPaw, Oct 06 2009 halfbakery