Soooo..... who hates traffic cops?
#46
stolen from another board...
POLICE HARASSMENT
Recently, a NJ website ran an e-mail forum (a question and answer exchange) where the topic was "Policing the Community."
One of the civilian email participants posed the following question:
"I would like to know how it is possible for police officers to continually harass people and get away with it?"
From the "other side" (the law enforcement side) a cool cop with a sense of humor replied:
It is not easy. In New Jersey we average one cop for every 2,000 people. About 60% of those cops are on patrol, where we do most of the harassing. One-fifth of that 60% are on duty at any given moment and are available for harassing people. So, one cop is responsible for harassing about 10,000 residents. When you toss in the commercial, business and tourist locations that attract people from other areas, sometimes you have a situation where a single cop is responsible for harassing 20,000 or more people each day.A ten-hour shift runs 36,000 seconds. This gives a cop one second to harass a person, and three-fourths of a second to eat a donut AND then find a new person to harass. This is not an easy task. Most cops are not up to it, day in and day out. It is just too tiring. What we do is utilize some tools to help us narrow down those people which we harass.
They are as follows:
PHONE: People will call us up and point out things that cause us to focus on a person for special harassment. "My neighbor is beating his wife" is a code phrase we often hear. Then we come out and give special harassment. Another popular one on a weeknight is, "The kids next door are having a loud party."
CARS: We have cops specially assigned to harass people who drive. They like to harass the drivers of fast cars, cars blasting music, cars with expired registration stickers and the like. It is lots of fun when you pick them out of traffic for nothing more obvious than running a red light. Sometimes you get to really heap the harassment on when you find they have drugs in the car, are driving drunk, or they have an outstanding warrant.
RUNNERS: Some people take off running just at the sight of a police officer. Nothing is quite as satisfying as running after them like a beagle on the scent of a bunny. When you catch them you can harass them for hours.
CODES: When you can think of nothing else to do, there are books that give ideas for reasons to harass folks. They are called "Codes". Criminal, Vehicle, Health and Safety, Business and Professional Codes, to name a few. They spell out all sorts of things for which you can really mess with people. After you read the Code, you can just drive around for a while until you find someone violating one of these listed offenses and harass them. Just last week I saw a guy smash a car window. Well, the Code says that is not allowed. That meant I got permission to harass this guy. It is a pretty cool system that we have set up, and it works pretty well. We seem to have a never-ending supply of folks to harass.
And we get away with it.
Why?
Because the good citizens who pay the tab actually like the fact that we keep the streets safe for them.
Next time you are in my town, give me a single finger wave. That will be a signal that you wish for me to take a little closer look at you, and then maybe I'll find a reason to harass YOU.
Looking forward to meeting you!
Recently, a NJ website ran an e-mail forum (a question and answer exchange) where the topic was "Policing the Community."
One of the civilian email participants posed the following question:
"I would like to know how it is possible for police officers to continually harass people and get away with it?"
From the "other side" (the law enforcement side) a cool cop with a sense of humor replied:
It is not easy. In New Jersey we average one cop for every 2,000 people. About 60% of those cops are on patrol, where we do most of the harassing. One-fifth of that 60% are on duty at any given moment and are available for harassing people. So, one cop is responsible for harassing about 10,000 residents. When you toss in the commercial, business and tourist locations that attract people from other areas, sometimes you have a situation where a single cop is responsible for harassing 20,000 or more people each day.A ten-hour shift runs 36,000 seconds. This gives a cop one second to harass a person, and three-fourths of a second to eat a donut AND then find a new person to harass. This is not an easy task. Most cops are not up to it, day in and day out. It is just too tiring. What we do is utilize some tools to help us narrow down those people which we harass.
They are as follows:
PHONE: People will call us up and point out things that cause us to focus on a person for special harassment. "My neighbor is beating his wife" is a code phrase we often hear. Then we come out and give special harassment. Another popular one on a weeknight is, "The kids next door are having a loud party."
CARS: We have cops specially assigned to harass people who drive. They like to harass the drivers of fast cars, cars blasting music, cars with expired registration stickers and the like. It is lots of fun when you pick them out of traffic for nothing more obvious than running a red light. Sometimes you get to really heap the harassment on when you find they have drugs in the car, are driving drunk, or they have an outstanding warrant.
RUNNERS: Some people take off running just at the sight of a police officer. Nothing is quite as satisfying as running after them like a beagle on the scent of a bunny. When you catch them you can harass them for hours.
CODES: When you can think of nothing else to do, there are books that give ideas for reasons to harass folks. They are called "Codes". Criminal, Vehicle, Health and Safety, Business and Professional Codes, to name a few. They spell out all sorts of things for which you can really mess with people. After you read the Code, you can just drive around for a while until you find someone violating one of these listed offenses and harass them. Just last week I saw a guy smash a car window. Well, the Code says that is not allowed. That meant I got permission to harass this guy. It is a pretty cool system that we have set up, and it works pretty well. We seem to have a never-ending supply of folks to harass.
And we get away with it.
Why?
Because the good citizens who pay the tab actually like the fact that we keep the streets safe for them.
Next time you are in my town, give me a single finger wave. That will be a signal that you wish for me to take a little closer look at you, and then maybe I'll find a reason to harass YOU.
Looking forward to meeting you!
#48
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"I don't hate cops, I just feel a lot better when they're not around"
Seriously, slowing to the speed limit as soon as you see a cop is very good form. It demonstrates to the officer that you are aware enough of your surroundings to react to them, and it is a sign of respect. It's worked for me on a few ocassions.
Seriously, slowing to the speed limit as soon as you see a cop is very good form. It demonstrates to the officer that you are aware enough of your surroundings to react to them, and it is a sign of respect. It's worked for me on a few ocassions.
#49
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Originally Posted by WRXakaBooSTi
not to be an ***, but im like positve u have been speeding (going even just a mile above speed limit) in front of a cop's eyes before. think about it, do you drive 25 whenever it says 25? no... from wat i see most people drive at least 30-35 in a 25 zone... the point im trying to make is simply that very often, cops let go of minor speeding violations. im just upset because this time they didnt let it go, sure its their right to enforce the law, but who the hell would be glad that a cop pulled them over for going 10mph over a speed limit at 1am??
It is not a matter of a cop seeing you, it is a matter of a cop knowing that you are speeding. If a cop is sitting on the side of the road without radar, he cannot tell difference between 65mph and 75mph. I have done that many times because I know that he can't verify how fast I was going. I have never driven by a cop while he was going the speed limit because it is obvious to him that you are speeding. That is also why I have a V1.
Just because most people do something in no way makes it right or ok to do. You know why people get away with it, because cops don't sit there and write tickets all the time for that. You should be thankful that you have only gotten a ticket this once since apparently you do this type of stuff all the time with the mentality of, well everyone else does it so it must be ok.
I have never been pissed off at a cop for giving me a ticket for the couple times in my life that I have been pulled over. I was breaking the law and got caught. If anything I am more upset at myself.
#50
Hope you can get out of it, or atleast be able to take traffic school...it's going to cost a LOT more than $200 if you can't do the school to keep it off your record. I had 1 ticket on my record for speeding (didn't mail in the traffic school paperwork fast enough). For 3 years I paid an extra $40 a month for my 1 ticket... That's almost $1500!
#51
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Originally Posted by ish
You should be thankful that you have only gotten a ticket this once since apparently you do this type of stuff all the time with the mentality of, well everyone else does it so it must be ok.
#52
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Originally Posted by jonp
Hope you can get out of it, or atleast be able to take traffic school...it's going to cost a LOT more than $200 if you can't do the school to keep it off your record. I had 1 ticket on my record for speeding (didn't mail in the traffic school paperwork fast enough). For 3 years I paid an extra $40 a month for my 1 ticket... That's almost $1500!
#53
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Originally Posted by WRXakaBooSTi
its 1am, the average speed on the freeway at this time of night on a weekday is up there around 75mph. the cop was not a chp so i didnt think they were out to be an *** and write up tickets.
#55
Originally Posted by WRXakaBooSTi
crap are you serious?
also, if you curently have a good driver discount you can kiss that goodby as well.
#56
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Originally Posted by WRXakaBooSTi
HEY "*******," dont be a hypocrite! can you honesty say you havent broken a law in your life? no need to start calling me an *******...
You are directing your anger towards the wrong person.
#57
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Originally Posted by WRXakaBooSTi
HEY "*******," dont be a hypocrite! can you honesty say you havent broken a law in your life? no need to start calling me an *******...
you should sack up and do the same.. you passed a cop.. doing 75.. and whining you got a ticket
what else did you expect was going to happen ??
#60
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Originally Posted by Nose Nuggets
speeding is a moving violation, which is a point on your record, which the insurance companies dont like.
also, if you curently have a good driver discount you can kiss that goodby as well.
also, if you curently have a good driver discount you can kiss that goodby as well.
Is your car fixed up? Something must have caught the cops attention. They probably stereotyped you. Do you have a loud exhaust, tinted windows?