Thank You Mr. Police Officer

[RALFFERS 0]

While some cops can be pricks it's more the fact that people in general can be pricks while others are not. Anyway, today I didn't "get lucky" by talking my way out of a ticket, rather I came across a very courteous cop...

I was driving West on I-80 back home from Indiana, when I noticed a cop on the right shoulder with his lights flashing; my first inclination was to think he had pulled someone over - naturally I slowed down. However, as I passed him (or her) I realized no one was being pulled over; it just looked as if this cop wanted to be nice and warn everybody of his/her presence.

The thing that is puzzling to me though is that it is a cop's duty (or rather 1 of many duties) to write tickets... Obviously, this person was being very nice, but in doing so rendered themselves incapable of issuing citations.

I'm curious if any of you who are cops have done something like this...? Come to think of, I also now remember driving down the expressway another time and seeing a marked car driving on flashing lights (but not in pursuit of anyone) - it appeared to be a casual cruse -seemingly for the same reason as above.

Dialogue/commentary between Divot, Twardo & myself -

"from your first Oshkosh when the three of us were riding to or from one of

[BillyVance 34]

Be careful there. Some states now have laws that if a trooper has his lights on while he/she is parked on the emergency shoulder/lane, regardless of whether somebody has been pulled over or not, and you drive by in the lane next to the trooper without moving one lane away from him/her, you could get a ticket for failure to maintain safe distance or however the law is worded... The law says you must move over for any emergency vehicle with lights flashing. If on a two lane highway, you move to the lane opposite the shoulder of the emergency vehicle. If on a three lane or more highway, you move to the middle or next lane from the shoulder.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[LongWayToFall 0]

I doubt they would have lights on just to "warn you of their presence." If anything, flashing lights on the side of the road creates rubberneckers who congest traffic and are not paying as much attention to the road. If they are wasting gas just cruising up and down, they had better have a reason. If they are interested in being available for a radio call but not interested in giving citations, they should hang out in a rest stop or something. This way, they can observe traffic for very reckless drivers still.

[rwieder 0]

Quote

The law says you must move over for any emergency vehicle with lights flashing. If on a two lane highway, you move to the lane opposite the shoulder of the emergency vehicle. If on a three lane or more highway, you move to the middle or next lane from the shoulder.

In Texas you must slow down 10 MPH below the posted speed limit as well.

-Richard-
"You're Holding The Rope And I'm Taking The Fall"

[RALFFERS 0]

Quote

Be careful there. Some states now have laws that if a trooper has his lights on while he/she is parked on the emergency shoulder/lane, regardless of whether somebody has been pulled over or not, and you drive by in the lane next to the trooper without moving one lane away from him/her, you could get a ticket for failure to maintain safe distance or however the law is worded... The law says you must move over for any emergency vehicle with lights flashing. If on a two lane highway, you move to the lane opposite the shoulder of the emergency vehicle. If on a three lane or more highway, you move to the middle or next lane from the shoulder.

CRAP!! I myself posted about this very law not so long ago - I can't believe I forgot about it... Luckily, in the case of this particular law, if you're going to get a ticket you're going to get it right away (I think. ) Hopefully I wont have any surprises in my mailbox.

Dialogue/commentary between Divot, Twardo & myself -

"from your first Oshkosh when the three of us were riding to or from one of

[c10edges 0]

he could have just been baked out of his mind

[RALFFERS 0]

Anybody remember the name of said law? - I need to look up the consequences pertaining to it.

Dialogue/commentary between Divot, Twardo & myself -

"from your first Oshkosh when the three of us were riding to or from one of

[JerryBaumchen 1,050]

Hi Billy,

Oregon has this law. My ex-wife got a ticket last year for not moving over.

JerryBaumchen

[ltdiver 3]

Was there really someone in the cop car?

Last year there was a cop car parked in the center median between east and west lanes of a highway I would drive to work (very wide dirt median in this section...No fence).

Everyone would slow down and obey the speed limit there. Every time I looked it appeared that the car was empty. My thought was that they just parked one of their extra cruisers there as a deterrent. And it worked.

Every so often the car would return to that spot. Then it would be gone. Seemed to do the job it was intended to do, each time.

ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

[LuckyMcSwervy 0]

The police officer/trooper may have just finished up a traffic stop (the person who was pulled over may have already driven away) and was completing a report of the stop while the details were fresh in their mind.

BTW - I always chuckle when people hit their brakes when a police officer/trooper has someone pulled over on the opposite side of a divided highway. And the cop is standing at the car with their back to traffic. Yeah stupid, the cop has eyes int he back of their head and a partol car like the Mach 5 that can jump over the highway divider and come directly after YOU.

Always be kinder than you feel.

[wrightskyguy 1]

Quote

Was there really someone in the cop car?

Last year there was a cop car parked in the center median between east and west lanes of a highway I would drive to work (very wide dirt median in this section...No fence).

Everyone would slow down and obey the speed limit there. Every time I looked it appeared that the car was empty. My thought was that they just parked one of their extra cruisers there as a deterrent. And it worked.

*** Have you ever seen the fake silohuettes of cop cars they put out sometimes? That works too.

John Wright

World's most beloved skydiver

• Quote

[Squeak 17]

Quote

BTW - I always chuckle when people hit their brakes when a police officer/trooper has someone pulled over on the opposite side of a divided highway. And the cop is standing at the car with their back to traffic. Yeah stupid, the cop has eyes int he back of their head and a partol car like the Mach 5 that can jump over the highway divider and come directly after YOU.

Never heard of 2 way radios? most countys and states have more than just one officer

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[normiss 622]

Ralff,

The way YOU drive, they should have arrested and searched you!



Glad it worked out for you bro.

[jakee 1,257]

Quote

Every so often the car would return to that spot. Then it would be gone. Seemed to do the job it was intended to do, each time.

That job being, to create a dangerous artificial bottleneck/ concertina effect as half the drivers on the road jump on the brakes to go 10mph below the speed limit as soon as they see it?

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[LuckyMcSwervy 0]

Quote

Quote

BTW - I always chuckle when people hit their brakes when a police officer/trooper has someone pulled over on the opposite side of a divided highway. And the cop is standing at the car with their back to traffic. Yeah stupid, the cop has eyes int he back of their head and a partol car like the Mach 5 that can jump over the highway divider and come directly after YOU.

Never heard of 2 way radios? most countys and states have more than just one officer

Of course. But what I was getting at, in the interest of officer safety, is their attention in on the driver they already have stopped.
That's is all.

Always be kinder than you feel.

[ltdiver 3]

Quote

Quote

Every so often the car would return to that spot. Then it would be gone. Seemed to do the job it was intended to do, each time.

That job being, to create a dangerous artificial bottleneck/ concertina effect as half the drivers on the road jump on the brakes to go 10mph below the speed limit as soon as they see it?

Actually on this highway there were drivers who insisted on driving 90-100mph on their way to somewhere. I know because I would be in the center lane, going 80 and they'd literally FLY by on -either- side. The traffic was light in this area, so no...no bottle neck. Just slowing down those drivers who felt it was their right to play racer in the morning.

ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

[RALFFERS 0]

Mark,

Bite me, would ya!

At that point and time I didn't like driving at night (but didn't want to say anything - after all, you guys were the guests) and to add to that I hadn't been on Lakeshore Drive for a while... Hence why I appeared so nervous.

Dialogue/commentary between Divot, Twardo & myself -

"from your first Oshkosh when the three of us were riding to or from one of

[Scoop 0]

He probably just didn't want some blind idiot not paying attention straddling lane 1 and the shoulder rear ending him. We like to go home at the end of the days work

[turtlespeed 212]

Quote

While some cops can be pricks it's more the fact that people in general can be pricks while others are not. Anyway, today I didn't "get lucky" by talking my way out of a ticket, rather I came across a very courteous cop...

I was driving West on I-80 back home from Indiana, when I noticed a cop on the right shoulder with his lights flashing; my first inclination was to think he had pulled someone over - naturally I slowed down. However, as I passed him (or her) I realized no one was being pulled over; it just looked as if this cop wanted to be nice and warn everybody of his/her presence.

The thing that is puzzling to me though is that it is a cop's duty (or rather 1 of many duties) to write tickets... Obviously, this person was being very nice, but in doing so rendered themselves incapable of issuing citations.

I'm curious if any of you who are cops have done something like this...? Come to think of, I also now remember driving down the expressway another time and seeing a marked car driving on flashing lights (but not in pursuit of anyone) - it appeared to be a casual cruse -seemingly for the same reason as above.

I thought it was the main duty of any peace officer to serve and protect, maybe he thought that a friendly reminder might save more lives than a ticket.

Then again, it's not even quote crunch time yet . . . My guess is that he will be writing tickets tomorrow. This WAS your warning.

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[Tuna-Salad 0]

BTW - I always chuckle when people hit their brakes when a police officer/trooper has someone pulled over on the opposite side of a divided highway. And the cop is standing at the car with their back to traffic. Yeah stupid, the cop has eyes int he back of their head and a partol car like the Mach 5 that can jump over the highway divider and come directly after YOU. -

Agreed I laugh when everybody slows down.

By then the cop already has a reading of your speed so it's too late but I esp like it when people slow down while he is writing someone else a ticket. Like he is going to drop what he is doing and go after you.

In South Carolina when I worked @ the FD I was told that people didn't have to get out of our way. We were just driving a billboard disguised as a christmas tree with all the lights and all it says is "please move" not that you have to. I drove the engine on numerous occasions where people did not move or get over. - IMO .. it doesn't really matter what the law says on that.. pull to the right all that garb.. just clear a path.. it doesn't matter how you do it. (Yea a little off subj)

Millions of my potential children died on your daughters' face last night.

[RALFFERS 0]

I agree with you that by the time you see the cop & start slowing down, he/she already has your speed on their radar gun - BUT more often than not, attempting to slow down can go a long way; it could be difference between a ticket & a verbal warning.

Dialogue/commentary between Divot, Twardo & myself -

"from your first Oshkosh when the three of us were riding to or from one of

[futuredivot 0]

Quote

In South Carolina when I worked @ the FD I was told that people didn't have to get out of our way

That's what I was told-Of course, the police chief at the time told me that he didn't think that the Emergency Vehicle endorsement on my license (Issued by the SC Highway Dept.) was valid and he was going to pull me over when he saw me driving the truck. I told him that the big chrome bumpers were valid and he wouldn't pull me over 'til I wanted him too------jackass

You are only as strong as the prey you devour

[Scoop 0]

Alledgedly the fixed GATSO type speed cameras can't handle more than a 3% change in speed so it could be worth standing on the brakes if you get caught out by one of these hidden beauties

[Tuna-Salad 0]

A few years ago my dad took a trip to ohio and was home about 2 and a half weeks when he got a letter from the ohio highway patrol. Inside was a picture of his white dodge ram and a shot of the license plate (Taken from a helicopter) and a citation. I do not remember how fast he was going.

Millions of my potential children died on your daughters' face last night.

[normiss 622]

You know I was just pulling your chain...I didn't notice your being nervous either. I damn sure would be nervous driving on Lakeshore in that traffic though!