Tailgater gets brake checked... and loses control of his car in the process

[Max Rockatansky]

If fascism has a religion, it is worship of the police.

"leniency" ????  How is randomly taxing ANYONE for something you do yourself (and do yourself because you know it is a safe thing to do) lenient?  Ever?  It is not.  It is hypocracy.   

"cops obey every law".  Name another job (other than POTUS) where you don't expet people to obey the law?
  Of course cops should drive at the SL 100% of the time when not responding to an emergency.  Period.

And, yes we need cops.  And it increasingly evident that traffic cops and actual productive cops are two different things.

So basically you are expecting cops to be the paragon of perfect driving skill and masters of the state traffic manual?  So does that apply to a cop going 66 MPH in 65 MPH zone?...does that a hypocrite make?  Have you ever read a traffic manual?...if you had you would know it's basically impossible for any driver to go more than a couple miles without at least some sort of minor infraction.  If you are expecting perfection in policing much less anything in life you are going be sorely disappointed and frustrated.  True, there are some cops that are better than others...but that's someone being crappy at their job just like any other profession.  That's hardly the definition of fascism or unfair taxation.

[vdeane]

There's minor imperfections necessary to get where one's going in real world traffic conditions, and then there's brazenly violating the law while using the cop car as a shield against getting a ticket.

[kkt]

The cop, like all traffic cops, is scum.  Out random taxing motorists for something he does himself every day.  The lowest form of hypocrite on the earth.  And, probably the first to take cover when actualy police work needs done.

Adults really speak in these terms?

I'm guessing SP Cook is young enough or sheltered enough never to have needed a cop.

[MikeTheActuary]

I'm guessing SP Cook is young enough or sheltered enough never to have needed a cop.

More likely, most of his interactions have been with cops who do take advantage of their position, rather than the good (or at least pragmatic) cops who make up the quiet majority.

[jakeroot]

I'm guessing SP Cook is young enough or sheltered enough never to have needed a cop.

More likely, most of his interactions have been with cops who do take advantage of their position, rather than the good (or at least pragmatic) cops who make up the quiet majority.

Friendly police/public interaction generally doesn't make its way online, so most of the videos online show police at their worst, with the suspect (IMO) almost always exacerbating things. I've been pulled over for speeding three times. Each time, I did exactly as he asked, admitted to the misdemeanor (a mistake, depending on who you ask, but both him and I know I was speeding), and was let off without a ticket. It's all about how you interact with the police. They are trained to inspect suspicious behavior. When they do, don't act surprised -- people who take their "rights" too seriously are usually suspicious.

[corco]

More likely, most of his interactions have been with cops who do take advantage of their position, rather than the good (or at least pragmatic) cops who make up the quiet majority.

That's a huge statement you're making there, Mike. You seem to imply that the majority of cops are crooked. Is that your final answer?

What

[jakeroot]

More likely, most of his interactions have been with cops who do take advantage of their position, rather than the good (or at least pragmatic) cops who make up the quiet majority.

That's a huge statement you're making there, Mike. You seem to imply that the majority of cops are crooked. Is that your final answer?

What

Fixed. Misread post. Though, I stand by the rest of what I wrote.

[hbelkins]

I'm guessing SP Cook is young enough or sheltered enough never to have needed a cop.

More likely, most of his interactions have been with cops who do take advantage of their position, rather than the good (or at least pragmatic) cops who make up the quiet majority.

No. I've met him and I'm guessing he's close to my age. What he is, is a West Virginian who is familiar with the WV State Police troop that patrols the WV Turnpike, which from what I've heard is enough to give anyone a bad impression.

I'm one of those who is generally supportive of police, having had a few close friends in law enforcement, but I'm also one of those who thinks they should be out solving real crimes instead of patrolling roads looking for speeders. I'd rather have a cop parked across the street from a known drug dealer's home than zipping up and down the four-lane at 90 miles an hour, running radar and recklessly cutting through the median to pull over oncoming drivers who are breaking the arbitrarily-chosen speed limit.

[PurdueBill]

I'm one of those who is generally supportive of police, having had a few close friends in law enforcement, but I'm also one of those who thinks they should be out solving real crimes instead of patrolling roads looking for speeders. I'd rather have a cop parked across the street from a known drug dealer's home than zipping up and down the four-lane at 90 miles an hour, running radar and recklessly cutting through the median to pull over oncoming drivers who are breaking the arbitrarily-chosen speed limit.

This, this, this!!!!!  Hear, hear!!!!

Fwiw, just this afternoon I had someone step on it to cut in front of me, then do the brake check for no reason other than to screw around.  Too bad a cop wasn't around to see the whole thing.  They tried to do it again but I wasn't close enough to them (knew they would probably do it again and I was right).  They slowed down to try to incite something, then stepped on it to go through a light 1.5 seconds after it turned red.  Someday he's either going to kill someone or incite some road rage incident where someone will have a weapon in their car and pull it on them.  They are unlikely to last forever pulling that stuff on people out of nowhere.

[corco]

No. I've met him and I'm guessing he's close to my age. What he is, is a West Virginian who is familiar with the WV State Police troop that patrols the WV Turnpike, which from what I've heard is enough to give anyone a bad impression.

I'm one of those who is generally supportive of police, having had a few close friends in law enforcement, but I'm also one of those who thinks they should be out solving real crimes instead of patrolling roads looking for speeders. I'd rather have a cop parked across the street from a known drug dealer's home than zipping up and down the four-lane at 90 miles an hour, running radar and recklessly cutting through the median to pull over oncoming drivers who are breaking the arbitrarily-chosen speed limit.

When HB and I agree on something, it's pretty much definitively the correct opinion.

[Ned Weasel]

They are trained to inspect suspicious behavior. When they do, don't act surprised -- people who take their "rights" too seriously are usually suspicious.

I guess we shouldn't take our rights very seriously, then.  To hell with that whole Constitution thing--it's just a crumbly, old piece of paper!

[jakeroot]

They are trained to inspect suspicious behavior. When they do, don't act surprised -- people who take their "rights" too seriously are usually suspicious.

I guess we shouldn't take our rights very seriously, then.  To hell with that whole Constitution thing--it's just a crumbly, old piece of paper!

When you do something that most people don't do, you look suspicious. Lots of these videos online show people very openly recording their conversations with the police*, barely cracking the window, often just enough to tell them that they are remaining silent. Most people don't do that, so, rather often, it strikes an officer as strange when someone, who really hasn't done that much wrong, acts so defensive.

* I am pro-video recording, but it's still suspicious behavior, given how few people actually do it.

[MikeTheActuary]

I'm one of those who is generally supportive of police, having had a few close friends in law enforcement, but I'm also one of those who thinks they should be out solving real crimes instead of patrolling roads looking for speeders. I'd rather have a cop parked across the street from a known drug dealer's home than zipping up and down the four-lane at 90 miles an hour, running radar and recklessly cutting through the median to pull over oncoming drivers who are breaking the arbitrarily-chosen speed limit.

I don't disagree with this...but I do note that I don't mind the concept of traffic cops patrolling highways to discourage or intervene in reckless behavior by idiots on the road.  And, while entrapping someone for driving one mile over a ridiculously low speed limit is well over that line, I'm not too upset when someone driving at excessive speeds (given conditions, including prevailing traffic flow) is pulled over for a stern talking-to.

If we're going to have laws and limits, I'd like to see them enforced.  But I'd also like to see the laws/limits that aren't worth enforcing consistently amended or removed from the books.

(Of course, I might have a slightly different viewpoint than most because of my job. Among other things, I get to price insurance for police departments...so I happen to have a little more than an inkling as to how the behavior of a few reckless cops impacts their sponsoring government agencies.)

[SD Mapman]

So, for all you law abiding people out there, there's a law call Keep Right Except to Pass.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that technically illegal in only 10 states? (scroll through)

[jeffandnicole]

So, for all you law abiding people out there, there's a law call Keep Right Except to Pass.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that technically illegal in only 10 states? (scroll through)

While it's not the law in every state, that list has been noted for not being very accurate.

[Ned Weasel]

So, for all you law abiding people out there, there's a law call Keep Right Except to Pass.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that technically illegal in only 10 states? (scroll through)

While it's not the law in every state, that list has been noted for not being very accurate.

This list might be better: http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html

[jeffandnicole]

So, for all you law abiding people out there, there's a law call Keep Right Except to Pass.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that technically illegal in only 10 states? (scroll through)

While it's not the law in every state, that list has been noted for not being very accurate.

This list might be better: http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html

Yes, it is. (although the note for NJ passing on right means going around a left turning car on the shoulder, and doesn't have anything to do with passing on a highway!)

[SD Mapman]

So, for all you law abiding people out there, there's a law call Keep Right Except to Pass.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that technically illegal in only 10 states? (scroll through)

While it's not the law in every state, that list has been noted for not being very accurate.

This list might be better: http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html

Yes, it is. (although the note for NJ passing on right means going around a left turning car on the shoulder, and doesn't have anything to do with passing on a highway!)

Thanks for that! That'll be useful for interstate travel.

[SP Cook]

So basically you are expecting cops to be the paragon of perfect driving skill and masters of the state traffic manual? 

Umm, yes.  You mean obey the law?  Yes. 

Every cop has a choice to make everytime he gets behind the wheel.  Obey the SL, or violate it.  Most, of course, violate it.  As do I, and I suspect, as do you.  We do this because the SL makes no sense and we know that we can drive safe and fast at science based speeds.

I have an honest job.  I don't lurk around highways randomly (or worse yet not randomly) taking money away from people for something I do. 

Remember, every traffic cop knows one person who violated the SL today.  Himself.  How many turned themsleves in? 

Hypocrites. 

And, BTW, most often a totally different set of people than serious cops who do serious work.  Most traffic cops "work" traffic, nothing else.  All day, every day.  Garbage.

[jeffandnicole]

So basically you are expecting cops to be the paragon of perfect driving skill and masters of the state traffic manual? 

Umm, yes.  You mean obey the law?  Yes. 

Every cop has a choice to make everytime he gets behind the wheel.  Obey the SL, or violate it.  Most, of course, violate it.  As do I, and I suspect, as do you.  We do this because the SL makes no sense and we know that we can drive safe and fast at science based speeds.

I have an honest job.  I don't lurk around highways randomly (or worse yet not randomly) taking money away from people for something I do. 

Remember, every traffic cop knows one person who violated the SL today.  Himself.  How many turned themsleves in? 

Hypocrites. 

And, BTW, most often a totally different set of people than serious cops who do serious work.  Most traffic cops "work" traffic, nothing else.  All day, every day.  Garbage.

If every cop started obeying the speed limit and turned themselves in if they exceed it, would you do the same?

Most cops apply for and accept a position on a police force.  It's up to their superiors to tell them what to do.  I doubt many cops enjoy sitting on the side of the road looking for someone doing something wrong, then having to hear their sob stories or frustrations. 

BTW, please don't be one of those "where's a cop when you need one" type people either...because if they weren't patrolling the roads and people knew that, you would encounter mayhem on the roads.

[SP Cook]

Actually, no.  Science teaches us that freeway speeds are self-regulating.    If there was no "enforcement", speeds would be the same as they are now.  Just more police doing actual work, and thus less crime. 

You do remember the NMSL.  We were right, and they were wrong.

Really that simple.

[hbelkins]

In Kentucky, it's routine for cops to camp out in the left lane and exceed the speed limit, even if they are out of their jurisdiction. There's a state juvenile detention facility in the county where I work. It's common to see local law enforcement officers from halfway across the state driving 90 in the left lane of the Mountain Parkway while transporting juvenile prisoners to and from the lockup. It's also common to see cops from halfway across the state driving well in excess of the speed limit in the left lane when they're traveling to and from the state's criminal justice training facility in Richmond. They are in no danger of being pulled over, and even if they are, they're in no danger of getting a ticket because of what they call "professional courtesy."

I don't think it's too much to ask for cops to drive at a reasonable speed in the correct lane unless they are responding to a call and have their emergency equipment (at least their lights) operational.

[jeffandnicole]

Actually, no.  Science teaches us that freeway speeds are self-regulating.    If there was no "enforcement", speeds would be the same as they are now.  Just more police doing actual work, and thus less crime. 

You do remember the NMSL.  We were right, and they were wrong.

Really that simple.

Since when is every street in America a freeway?  The vast majority of streets are local, residential streets.   

[jakeroot]

Washington State Patrol was using their aircraft for speed enforcement in Eastern Washington a couple years ago, and caught multiple police vehicles speeding to a drug-enforcement conference. In the end, no on was ticketed, but it goes to show that even the police aren't too keen on each other speeding. Just listen to their comments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5Es1RiupA0

[hbelkins]

Aircraft speed enforcement -- what a waste of taxpayer dollars.