What a bunch of whiny *%&#s

[EdFred]

I know I'm breaking the law, but I'm a cop, you need to let me go.

http://www.copswritingcops.com/home.html

Get a life losers. Or better yet turn in your damn badge. (stream of cuss words)

And you wonder why people don't like cops? Gee...

 

[gibbons]

That's amazing. I guess you just don't cross the blue line.

 

[ausrere]

I don't know any self-respecting cop who'd post on such a site... and being as there's no way to verify that any of the posters are cops, I'll take assume otherwise. (and I mean come on, what LEO would allow "Love Meter" advertisements on their site?? sheeesh)

That being said, in 15+ years of working patrol, I can promise you I've given far more average citizens a break on traffic violations than I ever thought about giving cops or fireman. I can only recall a very small number of instances where I even stopped a cop, and only once for a serious violation. (Well, except one particular undercover officer I stopped three times in one week, and wrote him a ticket twice and took him to jail once. He made some major buys from the guys in the car with him after that )

The one I did stop for a serious violation, I found it far more effective to have a talk with his Lt. than give him a ticket. Days off cost a heck of a lot more than a speeding ticket.

It USED to be assumed you never wrote another cop a ticket. Those days are long gone for the most part, and some agencies will take disciplinary action if you are caught badging your way out of a ticket. Gone too are the days when one cop would take another one home when they found them driving intoxicated. I've had the displeasure of being a supervisor on duty when one those arrests were made, good officer who made a bad decision that cost him his career.

 

[KennyFlys]

I don't have a problem with cops giving cops a break, to an extent. DUIs should never, ever, ever, ever be one of them! That has happen and it sickens me.

However, I have seen cop cars from another county come flying up the interstate at high speed (over 100 MPH) and tailgating other vehicles. Once, I saw the same car over the course of a few weeks. I finally started contacting that county's supervision. At first I was blown off. But, each call crept up the line. I did not see that vehicle again.

Another time, I was headed back to Jawjuh from a holiday trip to Missouri. In north Georgia, coming down I-75 I was passed by a Crown Vic Police Interceptor with plain tags. I was on cruise at 75 and it flew past me at least 20+ over. Later, I come upon it behind a couple lines of semi's and slow traffic in the inside line of three-lane traffic.

It was dark but I got a look at the guy. I figured it had to be a state car, unmarked. The next day on Monday, I called the state patrol offices in Atlanta. Most tags, they had immediate access to and some they didn't. This one, they didn't.

A few days later, a supervisor in the state patrol got back to me. He said the vehicle was assigned to the DPS but he wasn't allowed to disclose any identity. This seemed odd as he said nothing would likely come of the driving. I was puzzled but what could I do?

About that same time, a certain contender for governor was shot down for having had an affair with his secretary. His picture was in the paper along with the article. Given how he went after gays on the sodomy laws, he had little defense on his own moral issues. It was Mike Bowers, the state attorney general... and the same guy driving the Crown Vic that night.

 

[Andy Greever]

I can't stand Cops who think the're above the law.

That said, I've been given many breaks over the years. I think mainly because I was taught by my Father not to try and Bull$hit the Cop.

"Do you know how fast you were going young man"?

"Yes Sir. I was doing around 120mph"!

"I had you clocked at 97, why the rush"? (this was in a 50mph zone)

"I just bought a bunch of speed mods for my bike and I thought this would be the safest place to open her up"! (Thank God it was a motorcycle Cop)

"I see..."

True story. I should have spent the night in jail for criminal speeding, but he was nice enough to write me a few tickets and let me go home.


Disclaimer: This was a long time ago when I was in my roaring 20s'.

 

[wbarnhill]

Meh, if I get pulled and it's legit, then I've no problem getting a ticket. Yeah it sucks, but in SC, most of the time (at least with the highway patrol), just taking the time to show up for court, or even paying early can get the fine and points knocked in half.

We're told as a society that LEOs write speeding tickets because of safety, not revenue. Then we see things like this. If it's truly about safety, then we need to hold off-duty officers to higher standards since they've seen the effects of speeding. Professional courtesy my posterior.

That said, I doubt any of the LEOs or former LEOs we have on this board would ever do something as inane as give a cop a break just because they're a cop. Same reason I don't plaster my car with those "I support the SC Highway Patrol" stickers I see on cars around town, positioned strategically on the rear windshield where a trooper is most likely to look at when approaching the window. No one should get a pass just because of who they are or who they associate with.

But that's just my .02

 

[wbarnhill]

To the LEOs in the bunch... how would you have handled this in either the position of the trooper and in the position of the father?

Miami police Lt. Armando Bello was in the Florida Keys when he got word that his son, a 27-year-old Miami-Dade police officer, was critically injured in an off-duty, one-car crash at 5:45 a.m. Saturday. Bello jumped into his car and was racing north on U.S. 1, headed to Jackson Memorial Hospital, when he got stopped for speeding by the Florida Highway Patrol. Bello, 49, told Trooper Jose Burgos the circumstances. Burgos didn't believe him. So he wrote Bello a ticket -- for doing 91 mph in a 55-mph zone. That was at 7:11 a.m.

What Bello didn't know was that doctors at JMH's Ryder Trauma Center had just pronounced his son dead at 7:08 a.m. Officer Armando Bello Jr. was on his way home from a party for a fellow police officer when his silver Lexus hit a tree at Northwest 27th Avenue and 110th Street.

FHP Lt. Col. Rick Gregory said the brass are reviewing the traffic ticket situation. ''Our concern is the sensitivity and discretion issue,'' Gregory said.

Burgos, 26, a trooper for three years, lives in Homestead and patrols upper Monroe County on the day shift. He was driving to work in his marked black-and-yellow cruiser when a motorist flagged him down to report a ''reckless driver,'' Capt. Jaime Picanol said Tuesday.

Burgos saw Bello ''passing, changing lanes, at a very high rate of speed,'' Picanol said. The trooper clocked Bello's Mercedes with radar and pulled him over at mile marker 118. Bello said he was a policeman and that he had a gun in the car. ''`My son has been involved in a serious crash,'' he told Burgos, according to Picanol. ``He's been airlifted.''

Burgos, who had watched the TV morning news, ''didn't hear anything about it,'' Picanol said. ``He didn't give it much credibility, so he wrote him a ticket.''

Burgos felt terrible when he later learned that Bello was telling the truth and that his son had died.

Bello, a 26-year Miami Police Department veteran now assigned to the communications section, once worked motorcycle patrol, doing traffic and DUI enforcement.

Burgos is a solid, ''high activity'' trooper, Picanol said. And troopers ''get so many excuses, you have to determine which is real,'' Picanol added.

Said Lt. Col Gregory: ``It is hard to put a policy in place to describe common sense, but we want to make sure every trooper understands that they have discretion and there is a need for sensitivity.''

Burgos will likely void the ticket, Picanol said. ``He's going to take care of the citation to make sure Lt. Bello won't have to go to court.''

The junior Bello was a finalist for the Dade County Police Benevolent Association's Officer of the Year award in 2005 for rescuing a driver and four children from a burning car.

 

[ausrere]

To the LEOs in the bunch... how would you have handled this in either the position of the trooper and in the position of the father?

In years past, he would have probably been given an escort. That's s no no these days too. But most likely, I'd have probably tried my best to get him to let me take him to the hospital. And I've done that for non-LEO's before too. It wouldn't have taken much effort to verify the fathers story if the stopping officer wanted too, and when he did he'd have found out the son had died.

I had a similar thing happen once when I stopped a non-LEO claiming to have a family in the ER several cities over in critical condition. I asked dispatch to call the hospital to verify the story because I wasn't real sure I believed it. She couldn't get through to the ER to verify it. I took down his info, gave him a stern talking to about slowing down so he didn't end up in the ER himself, and let him go with the warning that if I was unable to verify it, a ticket would be mailed to him. Later I was able to get through to the ER to confirm he did indeed have a brother in the ER. I have 2 years to file on a traffic violation, so there is no absolute need to write the ticket at that moment except to get the promise to appear note signed. And I don't have to have that signed, even if I give them the citation on the spot.


*Edit: Although, this day an age, with HIPAA rules as they are, it's harder and harder to verify something like that, so I'd probably have to alter my course of action if I were still working the streets.

 

[ScottM]

I don't know any self-respecting cop who'd post on such a site... and being as there's no way to verify that any of the posters are cops,

Could that be Cowboypilot posting again???

 

[wbarnhill]

In years past, he would have probably been given an escort. That's s no no these days too. But most likely, I'd have probably tried my best to get him to let me take him to the hospital. And I've done that for non-LEO's before too. It wouldn't have taken much effort to verify the fathers story if the stopping officer wanted too, and when he did he'd have found out the son had died.

The main reason I asked is because a few years ago my grandmother had a stroke and was rushed to the hospital and I tore across town going about 20 over the entire way with my emergency flashers on, stopping only at red lights (As much as I was in a hurry, I really didn't feel like arriving at the hospital in an ambulance or worse...) and I know I passed a cop or two going the other direction and wasn't pulled over. In my mind I told myself I'd keep going to the hospital and maybe try to get 911 to forward a message to the officer, but I really don't know what I would've done if I had seen blue lights.

 

[EdFred]

My brother was about 1 or so, and ended up going to the burn unit. My dad was about 40 miles away or so, called 911 from his car phone (back when they only worked in the car) and told them of the situation. I forget the exact specifics, but something along the lines of, "be safe, do what you gotta do, and if we end up seeing you, don't worry about it." Can't remember if they said they would give him an escort or not, but basically it was carte blanche, but be safe.

 

[AdamZ]

A bit off subject but it seems the pay cops a heck of a lot better in Florida than in PA Lexus and a Mercedes! Ya don't see police driving those cars up here.

 

[tonycondon]

jeez what a cry fest

 

[flyersfan31]

What a laugh!!!!! These folks are crying like babies over the stuff us civilians face all the time. Professional courtesy?? They should be fined double -- they are law ENFORCEMENT officers. They should know better than anyone the laws, and the reasons for enforcing the laws.

 

[ausrere]

The main reason I asked is because a few years ago my grandmother had a stroke and was rushed to the hospital and I tore across town going about 20 over the entire way with my emergency flashers on, stopping only at red lights (As much as I was in a hurry, I really didn't feel like arriving at the hospital in an ambulance or worse...) and I know I passed a cop or two going the other direction and wasn't pulled over. In my mind I told myself I'd keep going to the hospital and maybe try to get 911 to forward a message to the officer, but I really don't know what I would've done if I had seen blue lights.

It would have been most prudent to stop and explain to the officer if you had been stopped. It would take less time than the potential felony stop later if they thought you were failing to stop when they tried.

 

[alaskaflyer]

To the LEOs in the bunch... how would you have handled this in either the position of the trooper and in the position of the father?

91 MPH? I don't know if I would have wrote him but I would have chewed his ass, unless he was also qualified as a trauma surgeon I'm sure his family would have loved to have two people in the hospital instead of one.

 

[GaryO]

A bit off subject but it seems the pay cops a heck of a lot better in Florida than in PA Lexus and a Mercedes! Ya don't see police driving those cars up here.

Some FL counties allow the Police to confiscate and keep property which is connected to a crime.

Since the level of proof required for this confiscation is lower than the level of proof needed to file charges these laws have been abused.
In the next county over, undercover officers were allowed to use confiscated cars basically as their own private vehicles. Until the local news did an extensive expose, when one of those officers saw a car he liked it would soon get confiscated for a questionable "crime" but no charges would ever get filed.

I'm not trying to imply that that is what was happening in this case. Those laws are actually a good way to put criminal's assets to use fighting crime. It just takes a few bad apples . . .

 

[jesse]

Those days are long gone for the most part, and some agencies will take disciplinary action if you are caught badging your way out of a ticket.

The method by which I've seen "badging out of a ticket" without appearing that you are trying to badge out was:

1. Place proof of insurance in glove box with hand gun.
2. When pulled over and asked for proof of insurance say: "It is in the glovebox and let me warn you that I am a police officer and there is a hand gun inside the glove box."
3. Show badge to cop to prove it.

Although the tension is high for a little while after the "hang gun" word is spoken.

Speaking of cops getting away with crap.. A guy my mom dated when I was younger had a bit of a drinking problem. He went on a trip to Vegas and got a bit too drunk in a casino. Security tried to escort him out but he proceeded to make a scene saying how they couldn't since he was a cop. Vegas police showed up and arrested him. Once he was placed inside the cop car--he proceeded to kick out the passenger window.

This was all discovered by the local paper and resulted in his suspension with pay. Shortly there after all charges were dropped and he was reinstated back to his Sargent position.

A bit off subject but it seems the pay cops a heck of a lot better in Florida than in PA Lexus and a Mercedes! Ya don't see police driving those cars up here.

My current step dad (not the one mentioned above) drives a pretty nice Mercedes. He confiscated it during a drug deal. He now uses it as his department car since it works quite well for tricking the stupid.

 

[alaskaflyer]

The method by which I've seen "badging out of a ticket" without appearing that you are trying to badge out was:

1. Place proof of insurance in glove box with hand gun.
2. When pulled over and asked for proof of insurance say: "It is in the glovebox and let me warn you that I am a police officer and there is a hand gun inside the glove box."
3. Show badge to cop to prove it.

"Seen" that much have you?

 

[jesse]

"Seen" that much have you?

Unfortunately, on more then one occasion.

 

[wbarnhill]

My current step dad (not the one mentioned above) drives a pretty nice Mercedes. He confiscated it during a drug deal. He now uses it as his department car since it works quite well for tricking the stupid.

Florence PD confiscated this bright purple Camaro that had who knows how many mods done to it and now use it as an unmarked. Works well for kids who like to street race.

 

[Lawreston]

I can't stand Cops who think the're above the law.

Same here, but I have great respect for those who judge with courtesy.

In 1993 I learned that my father was hospitalized and in need of immediate surgery. I was the only one who could sign the authorization. Now my Dad had been well-known by the constabulary for over 50 years for his highway safety, particularly re motorcycles. Shall we say that I was far and above the speed limits during the 60 mile trip to the hospital, though with guarded caution.

About 12 miles from destination the Maine State Police signaled me over. Asked what my hurry I said that I was on my way to Pen Bay Hospital. Without batting an eyelash, "I heard Ken was in the hospital. When I ran your plate I figured that's where you're headed. Proceed, with caution."

Just recently I was coming from a Saturday night performance in "Oklahoma." Having had a flat tire I was wearing a donut on left front, and traveling cruise control 45mph on Interstate 295. Traffic zipped by me at estimated 65mph to 90mph, save for a few who followed me, briefly. There was one, however, who tailed me for about 4 or 5 miles. And then, blue lights.

Maine State Police at my window, I said, "I don't suppose you see too many people doing 45mph on the Interstate, eh? There's a donut on left front." I had reason to be cautious.

"Do you mind explaining what's on your back seat?"
"Oh, you mean that shotgun?" (I don't think he'd seen the 65 yr. old Colt .38 revolver) "I'm in the 'Oklahoma' cast at Portland Lyric Theater and it's a stage prop."
"You really should be carrying that in the trunk." I popped the trunk lid, exited the vehicle while wearing my Lyric Theater 'Oklahoma' T-shirt and explained that with the flat tire/wheel in the trunk I'd moved everything into the back seat and didn't want to chance chafing the antique shotgun against the wheel.

"Get out of here." He didn't even ask for my license and registration.

HR

 

[KennyFlys]

My current step dad (not the one mentioned above) drives a pretty nice Mercedes. He confiscated it during a drug deal. He now uses it as his department car since it works quite well for tricking the stupid.

I see that more and more often, now. It throws ya at first to see a Lexus set up as a state trooper's car or for a county sheriff.

And to think, Vail, Colorado PD had to go buy luxury cars back in the `90s. What's worse, they bought those ugly Saab 900's.

 

[gkainz]

I see that more and more often, now. It throws ya at first to see a Lexus set up as a state trooper's car or for a county sheriff.

And to think, Vail, Colorado PD had to go buy luxury cars back in the `90s. What's worse, they bought those ugly Saab 900's.

Like this?


They switched to Explorers in 2003. I saw some Range Rovers in police costume last time I went thru there ...