PourinDiesel

Damon,
Good post.

I will say however I understand LEO's have things going on that the general public is not aware of, so I understand if they break a traffic law or two as long as it is official business and not just "because I can".

mopardamo

Hello,

I agree completely.

Damon

RLee2500

As a LEO I will give my .02 cents on this. As already stated, take a few hours out of your day to come ride with your local PD or Sheriff's Office just to get an idea of what we do, and why we do it. I'm the first to admit that I am not perfect in every way, nor was I turned into a robot at the police academy. I have bad days, and I make mistakes just like any other human. I make split second decisions, often times based on little information, that the general public and the justice system will scrutinize for years.

Do I get frustrated with badge heavy cops? You bet I do. They give those of us who give our all to the public a bad name, which in turn causes the public to dis-trust law enforcement. The badge I wear on my uniform is a symbol of the public's trust in me, with out that trust, it is just a shiny piece of metal.

Sometimes when responding to calls, it is easier to drive over the speed limit on 2-4 lane roads with no lights and sirens. This all depends of several variables though. Traffic conditions, road conditions, time of day, call type etc. No officer wants to be involved in an accident while on duty, especially when it's our fault. Lot's of paperwork, IA interviews, letters of reprimand, loss of rank etc.

PistolWhipt

Personally, I could care less what speed the LEO is driving even if it is faster than I am going .... I just assume he is doing his job and I move out of his way PERIOD.

I totally get why they don't always fire up the lights and sirens ... Lord knows the danger they put themselves in sometimes by doing that ... all to keep US safe.
I'm one of those people who might add to the confusion for the LEO on the freeway. I tend to get a little nervous when I see a lit up cruiser flying up behind me .... mainly cuz I'm usually playing air guitar and singing "BANG YOUR HEAD" at the top of my lungs while I am driving and not always paying the most attention to my speed .

As for seeing one toss out their trash .... I'd be calling them on that one, that is just plain nasty.

PISTOL

BC847

"Due Regard" . . . .. Ding!
Getting back to the topic, Driving with due regard most likely wouldn't have set off DieselCarpenter.



Take a breath Jack. I've no doubt steam rolls from under your collar with a lot of this. Just be safe and sure Tunnel-Vision doesn't get you or a bystander killed in doing the thankless job.

Redleg

Top, maby you aughta take a cup, put a couple rounds through it, and have it framed for his office?

Totallyrad

Mind sharing what it is that you do at your JOB.



Allot departments have citizen ride along programs. I would strongly encourage any of you who have an opinion based on no personal experience as a LEO to try it. One other thing, cops are people FIRST, we put our pants on the same as everybody else. We have good days, bad days, sick days, mad at the wife or husband days and some days we don't even want to go to work because we're just sick and tired of the crap or our supervisors, but we go anyway, just like you. Maybe it's because we have a family to support, just like you, or maybe it's because we feel it's our job. And just like our fine military brothers and sisters, we're the ones willing to do a little more than most of the rest of the population, to stick our necks out and make a mistake or two and stand between the bad guys and you so you can sleep warm in your bed at night. So please, by all means, do a ride along and find out the other side. Learn what the words "Protect and Serve" actually mean and how to apply them in todays society.

TreeFarm

But the average citizen does not have the powers you do, so saying you had a bad day doesn't cut it. Your bad judgment due to being off your feed can impact one or more individuals for life. The bottom line is this: as sworn officers, you have to be better than the rest of us. Your temperament must be even, and you must have the ability to put your personal issues aside as you do your job. That's not easy, but it is required, and your department should have vetted you for those qualities.

Hvytrkmech

Most volly f/d and private ambulance companies such as AMR, Pathways, Medstar, are not allowed legally to proceed through a red light in my state, it is tolerated and is a courtesy rendered to them barring an accident (due regard). The motoring public does not have to yeild the right of way to them either, legally.

So driving and ambulance, an HVAC van, a Coroner's van, a pizza delivery vehicle, does not give us any insight as to why or where or when LEO may be driving in a fashion that we may deem inappropriate, we are not in the uniform or the cruiser or monitoring his mdt AND radio, so forming an uniformed opinion is just that, uninformed.

Funny thing I noticed on this web site, I have NEVER seen a LEO comment, or complain, or tell someone else how to do their job, BUT every time a post like this comes up every crap house lawyer or person that thinks that they know something about nothing chimes in with all kinds of reasons of how and why an LEO is supposed to perform, ironic isn't it.




Tim

BC847

LOL!!

That's cute. I guess because the government said it's OK, then it's OK. >Blindly following<

Hvytrkmech

I never blindly go anywhere while driving. As far as following goes , let me know what it's all about.

Tim

Totallyrad

Y'all keep getting this confused. I am not excusing bad behavior or bad judgments, I'm merely stating that they happen because we are as human as everyone else, that's all. We all should do better, everyone of us, but we make mistakes some times. No amount of training will make us perfect, it will only make us act in a predictable manner when presented with a given set of circumstances. Law enforcement is anything but predictable. No two calls are exactly the same, ever. I suppose no one ever lost their temper and had a squabble with their mother or father or sibling or wife or child. We all have bad days and make poor judgments. People get tickets every day. Why??? Most made a bad decision or used poor judgment and tried to beat a red light knowing they shouldn't or drove a little faster than the speed limit knowing they shouldn't. It happens.

Totallyrad

Interesting observation Tim, thanks.

jthorpe

Cute? I'd say not. Call it dead on accurate, but not cute. You've gotten an offer to inform yourself and not have to blindly follow. You've been told that there are ride along programs all over the place, including in North Carolina. You've been told that if you go on a ride along with an officer, you might be able to better understand why we sometimes do the things we do but instead of taking up that offer, you come make snide comments about the police with a poor attempt to hide them as humorous or even educated.

Your years of DOT experience give you ZERO credibility in terms of your comments about this subject, and you're exactly right, this does strike a chord with me. It strikes a chord because I see all of the negative comments about police from people who have no idea what we do or how we're really supposed to do our job. These are comments from the same people who may have no clue about the law. For instance, I have been told before by people that I'm not allowed to write them a ticket unless I have my hat on. I have been told that I'm not allowed to stop them for speeding unless I'm running stationary radar only. I have been told that I should find something better to do other than write a seat belt ticket by a person who didn't realize that just a few hours before, I was on a double fatality. Want to know how they died? I bet you can figure it out.

...and like I said before; you state that the "coming to your house" argument is a bunch of cow pies. Again I ask what would you want us to do if you have a bonified emergency and we don't get there quick enough? What are you going to do? I know exactly; you'll complain to our supervisors because we didn't get there in time that you as an LE expert deemed appropriate. On top of that, if I go too fast, then someone else is going to complain on me. So you see, no matter what, we lose by trying to help you out. Guess what? We do it anyway. If you don't think this happens, you're wrong.

Make up your mind. Do you want us to get there as quick as we can or not? If someone is breaking into your house, and they're armed, would you rather have me go the speed limit and stop for all red lights or bust my butt to get to you? You say these aren't valid questions but what you don't realize is that this is a DAILY occurance.

Am I a little upset? No. I'm bothered though that the public views law enforcement this way. It's also ironic that the public complains about a "thin blue line". What they don't understand is that in many cases, they are the ones that created it.

jthorpe

So in other words, we should all be Jesus.