Just a little rant

[deermagnet]

The state and local cops in my area are very cool. The first time I was pulled over in my VX, I was doing 83 in a 65. I didn't get a ticket because after talking a bit he found out we have a common hobby, flyfishing for trout. A couple months ago I got caught in NY doing 77 in a 55. The cop was a nice guy, the fine was not large, and no points on my PA record, so I didn't mind at all. He even explained why it wasn't a 65 zone there after I asked about it. About seven years ago I was doing 67 in a 45 construction zone where the fines are doubled. The fine would have been many hundreds of dollars. He knocked my speed down to 55 and didn't double the fine. That was pretty cool of him.

I've been using red horn lights for over four years now. I'm sure they're illegal, but I'm positive I'll never be pulled over for that. It's just unheard of. No cop in this area would ever do that.


Mark Griffin

[jimbo]

Yeah our safety inspection is kind of warped cause the mechanics doing the inspecting end up doing the work most times. Seems like a conflict of interest.

In tampa area where my mom lives all the convenience stores seem to be a Circle K. They have no snapples, no arizona teas etc. (we have gotten used to dozens and dozens of flavors up here). They have about the same amount of cooler space on average as up here but usually like two or three doors have soft drinks, the rest is beer.

I only notice cause I'm on vacation when I'm down there and end up in Circle Ks a lot.

I'm not sure if having beer so readily available increases the chance of people driving intoxicated. It just seems to me like it might.

I guess the thread's about tickets so I guess I kind of hijacked it.

Sorry. ( I think I was ranting about the what I saw as irony in Fla regarding highway safety)

[Heraclid]

Hey jimbo, no prob. It's still a free country. Besides, ya made me think about some things I never had before. :-)

Does anyone else like to wait until it's dark and turn on their lights the way they are in deermagnet's photo and just stare for a while and think how friggin' cool that is? Or am I some sort of freak? :-)

[geshaw30]

You know- I simply shake my head in amazement sometimes. I've been a Houston street officer for 21 yrs. It's never been a "control"thing for me or a need to break it off in you because I have the power. I have a job to do-plain and simple. I assure you I know the laws inside out and backwards. I have scraped dead babies off the pavement and saved your neighbors from whippings from spouse beatings. I don't seek anything out of the ordinary regarding public recognition. Let me do my job to the best of my abilities and everyone wins in the long run. Trust me when I tell you I've seen things your nightmares cannot begin to fathom and yet you feel you understand what I do enough to slam my profession. You're the first to call me when your life has an immediate problem and the first find fault in what I do if it doesn't meet with your approval.

Give it a rest here people-try on my shoes then perhaps you'll see things a little different. Make no mistake about it-there are some crummy cops and I've known many. But for the most part I've been proud of who I am and those I work with.
________
HARLEY-DAVIDSON EASY RIDER

[Tone]

Well said George! Laws keep this country what it is and as much as I disagree with many of the speed limits, if I get caught, I pay the fine or fight it but is never the officer's fault! It seems that so many people today refuse to take responsibility for their very actions that bring the man to them.

[Heraclid]

While I've had my experiences with the bad apples out there, I will not let it color my feelings about the police in general, and I hope I made it plain that I respect the profession wholeheartedly. I know that I have had experiences that reflect the exception rather than the rule. I fully recognize that there have been other incidents in which, no matter how trivial I felt the matter was, I know I ultimately brought the matter upon myself. I just wish they'd catch the real menaces on the road and leave the small stuff alone, because I see them miss a lot.

There have been times I did not do anything to bring it on too, though. I know most officers are just out there giving their all and doing the best job they can. All I'm saying is that some aren't, too. If I set aside the times I could have averted the situation, still...

when one zooms by me without his lights on, I think about what he'd do if I tried what he's doing. When one says he'd shoot your pet too if he wouldn't lose his job, that really pisses you off. When one doesn't give a rip about your car getting smacked and won't give you a police report, you wonder why you waited all that time for him to show up. When you get pulled over for running a light you didn't run because of his negligence and get told he thought you were trying to taunt him, you just want to throw your hands up in the air and scream. Then all the time you see one watch a person run a red light (and not just barely), and nothing happens. You have a guy speeding and going head-on with other motorists in a turn lane to pass people and the officer three cars back is oblivious to it. It's just real frustrating.

I don't blame the police for things some people would. My wife's mother was killed by a drunk driver who was being pursued by police. Did the pursuit lead to the accident? Quite possibly, but who can really say for sure? Do she or I blame the police? Hell, no. We still blame the drunk bastard that got to walk away from it.

I still have great respect for the police. To serve as a police officer or soldier is to be in one of the most honorable professions I can think of. Those ranks are comprised of some of the most courageous, selfless people there are. I do know that and I do appreciate the guys like George out there putting it all on the line every day.

[Simon Templar]

Originally posted by transio
.......Because they are, after all, shepherds. If the sheep all stay in line, then they can perform their real job of warding off the wolves a lot more effectively. Imagine how hard it would be to deal with the wolves if the sheep didn't obey them, or behaved chaotically and eratically!

So, let me get this straight...

By this train of logic, the Police are some sort of omnipotent Order of all-powerful protectors which are your only possible hope of shelter from random attack, death, and dismemberment. Therefore, if one of these Holy sentient beings were to unfairly push you about (for whatever reason...personal entertainment, corruption, general dimness of reason and intellect, or whatever) then you should be quiet and thankfully accept such treatment as some sort of kharmic payment for the outside chance he might actually save you from harm at an unnamed future date????

That is one incredibly Orwellian view of reality you have there.



....sT

[Bantan]

Too many stories to tell, I could write a book.
I get pulled over mostly cause they want to see what the VX looks like inside. Just be polite and smile, and if that don't work I let them know the extent of my knowledge (Ex NYPD Officer), and if that don't work "Please excuse me while I call my lawyer". Never had to use the last one, yet.

QUESTION....
Are Green lights (Horn, Windshield washer nozels) legal in Florida?

[Maugan_VX]

QUESTION....
Are Green lights (Horn, Windshield washer nozels) legal in Florida?

If they are, they shouldn't be.

[geshaw30]

Thanks Heraclid- well said & class response. I wasn't calling anyone out on this deal. It just gets kinda frustrating sometimes.
Your respect means a great deal to me and I hope I earn it nightly.

I will tell you a story. A few weeks ago I was 3 cars back of someone who got tired of waiting on a red light light and decided to bust on through. I too ignored it. Problem was my partner & I had been dispatched to a "CIT" (Crisis Intervention Team) call. The people next to me at the light sat in wonderment as I refused to take any sort of action on the driver & trust me they were as pissed as most of us would be. To make a long story short- had we decided to stop to deal with the traffic violation the 17 yr old with the meat cleaver and ammonia bottle (I have no idea about the latter!) might have had the time to carve up his parents before we could have arrived.

Sometimes it's just not as it seems
________
Pornstars lacey duvalle

[transio]

Originally posted by geshaw30
You know- I simply shake my head in amazement sometimes... It's never been a "control"thing for me or a need to break it off in you because I have the power. I have a job to do-plain and simple... Give it a rest here people-try on my shoes then perhaps you'll see things a little different.

I'm sure this is mostly in response to my post, so I'll try to respond... I didn't intend to say that cops as individuals necessarily are out to control you, but that "the police" as an institution implements control procedures over the general public to create order and respect for authority.

[Heraclid]

Same with me, George. Sometimes I just get frustrated, but that's life and we all get a generous helping of frustration.

I try to keep things like that in mind (regarding what you said about prioritizing while on duty). I can see it if their lights are flashing and they're quite obviously on the way to deal with something bigger. I can even sorta see it if they're sitting there behind some other cars stopped at a light, see someone run it, but it would be a real pain to get out of where you're sitting, boxed in by everybody else. And maybe trying to make those people move to chase that guy would create new hazards that aren't just worth the risk. But when the officer is the first car at the light, sitting there and not racing along to an important call, and it happens right in front of him, that to me is a bit different.

That said, your point is well-taken. The very least someone in your position deserves is a little benefit of the doubt. You've earned it.

At times I've considered pursuing a career in a few fields of law enforcement myself, and who knows what the future may hold. Maybe I still will try that. I am someone who does not want to always be doing what I do now. I don't want fame at all, but what I do want is to somehow live a life that will make a difference and make a positive impact. I want to do something that directly affects those things I consider most important. I want to be part of something I have admired and look up to. And that is why a career like that interests me, despite the gripes you've seen from me here. Because I believe you folks do all of that. I just thought you should know. If it is sometimes a thankless job, please consider this a big thank you.

[transio]

Originally posted by Simon Templar
By this train of logic, the Police are some sort of omnipotent Order of all-powerful protectors which are your only possible hope of shelter from random attack, death, and dismemberment. Therefore, if one of these Holy sentient beings were to unfairly push you about... you should be quiet and thankfully accept such treatment as some sort of kharmic payment ... That is one incredibly Orwellian view of reality you have there.

That's not my view of reality, rather your incorrect interpretation of my post, and subsequent extension thereof into absurdity.

What I ACTUALLY SAID (if you correctly interpreted it) is that law enforcement exists to create order in society as a way of minimizing chaos and crime. In order for such an institution to work successfully, the general law-abiding public must be socialized to be subservient to law enforcement officers, respect them, and do as they're told. (EDIT: The following is an aside in reference to your post.) It is my observation that TO A DEGREE, the average citizen WILL submit to unjust treatment from officers.

It is also my belief that traffic violation enforcement is one way of reinforcing the authority figure image in society. Just observe the procedures used to ticket people. Officers obstruct traffic, flash lights, and increase visibility to an absolute maximum. These things are not necessary to enforce traffic laws. Just limit cars to 65 mph and you're way ahead of the game as it is now. If the government REALLY wanted to enforce traffic laws, speed limits in particular, they could much more easily and cheaply create a requirement for computer-controlled speed limiters that feed off of radio-wave speed limit signs, transmitting local speed limits on radar frequencies.

Instead, they give you the ability to break "the law" so you can get caught and "punished". Why do YOU think that is? Think about it.

[Heraclid]

Sorry Bantan, meant to reply earlier...

Green is fine in FL. My neighbor has tons of green neon on a lime green Eclipse. The statutes only pertain to solid blues, reds, and amber lights, which are restricted to use with only certain vehicles.

[Simon Templar]

Originally posted by transio
What I ACTUALLY SAID (if you correctly interpreted it) is that law enforcement exists to create order in society as a way of minimizing chaos and crime.

In either event, you're still way off the mark.

In actuality, it is laws and the legal system in general which exist to create order in society. Law Enforcement exists only to deal with those who violate those laws. Hence the name "Law Enforcement". The Police (contrary to what a great number have been led to believe) DO NOT exist to create order, control the public, or any other such activity.

I shudder to think what 'society' WOULD look like were the Police actually tasked with 'creating order as a way to minimize chaos.' Again, we seem to be wandering back into Orwellian territory.


....sT