when you see someone driving like an idiot...

[lsxowner]

while you are off-duty, do you do anything about it. i get these kids driving stupid around town, racing, speeding, etc., and i was wondering if you guys, as off-duty leo's, take any action or just get out of the way?

[SgtScott31]

May take action by calling it in to the jurisdictional agency depending on how dangerous the driver's actions are...

[Queens Cowboy]

For things like you are describing, I would get some good descriptions and plates, then call someone who is on duty, and let them deal with it as they are much better equipped to do so while on duty.

If someone is about to get into their car and its obvious they're smashed, then I'll call someone who is on duty, let them know where its happening, then go identify myself and prevent them from driving while intoxicated.

[MaineSqueeze]

I was at a Red Light, in my POV, at 2 am. Deserted Area. So Im waiting for the light to turn, and this car comes up behind me, and I could tell it was occupied by one obese woman, who just kept honking and honking, and flipping me off for not going through the light. I was in full uniform keep in mind. So now she is tapping my bumper withher POS car. Enough is enough, I get out of the car, hand on my weapon, ask her if she has a (insert bad word here) problem. That shut her right up. Then I held her there until on duty officers came and did field sobriety tests. She blew a .20

I possibily could have handled it differently, but everything worked out and my LT didnt give me any crap for it.

And that was only my 3rd week on the job.

[MrJustice]

Let me phrase this another way, guys. If you are off duty and see an idiot driving his/her car in a manner which is clearly dangerous to the public peace, you do nothing and someone gets injured, what then? I don't know about the U.S., but, in Canada, an officer is an officer 24/7. If you don't act and the injured party or their family find out, kiss your career good buy, not to mention a major law suit against you and your department. And, by the way, MainSqueeze, you handled it beautifully. I would love love love to have seen the woman's face when you stepped out of the vehicle. Damn but I'm laughing my *** off here. Nice story buddy.

[355339]

I called one in last night on my way home, though its not often that I do. I work a small town and can always have an on duty officer stop them within a minute or two. I can stop cars in my POV, but I choose not to for safety and insurance reasons. I am usually the one getting the call from an off duty officer, so I love to explain to them that they never know who they are passing when they drive like an idiot.

[L-1]

Let me phrase this another way, guys. If you are off duty and see an idiot driving his/her car in a manner which is clearly dangerous to the public peace, you do nothing and someone gets injured, what then? I don't know about the U.S., but, in Canada, an officer is an officer 24/7. If you don't act and the injured party or their family find out, kiss your career good buy, not to mention a major law suit against you and your department.

Sometimes taking action is reasonably beyond your resources or not tactically sound. In addition, requiring an officer to act 24 hours a day, without prior notice places unreasonable burdons on the officer, his family and department, and may create financial costs that are well beyond a department's budget. To this end, California law specifically states that there is no civil liability for failure to act. The only exception is when a specific promise of protection is made, such as, "Just call the police any time you need us and we'll be there in five minutes."

I have worked for three law enforcement agencies during my career and none of them mandated that their officers take action when off duty.

[Yankee_1]

Not unless they did something that endangered me. When I leave work I leave my job there. I hate doing traffic when I'm working sure aint gonna do it when I'm off.

[SgtScott31]

It is the opposite according to most agency policies in the US. Technically, we are not officers 24/7 and we are definitely not expected to enforce the law 24/7. There are things that happen, and morally, we will act because we are better trained/prepared to handle the situation if no other LEO's are around. If I see something that is an immediate threat to public safety (robbery, DUI, etc), other circumstances will dictate as to whether I will act on it.

Perfect example, I was on the interstate in my POV when a vehicle passed me at 100+ mph. I just happened to get off at the same exit, and the car was still going 90+ mph in a posted 45-50 mph zone. I had obtained a plate number (at a red light) and was relaying information to the local PD. During this time, I watched the guy wreck in a ditch, come out of it, and then pull immediately into a driveway (after driving like a maniac). Now my first instinct was to block him in the driveway and yank him out the window with my Glock in his temple, but I had my 12 month old son in the car. What could have been this guy's actions? Weapon? Ram my vehicle? Either way, my son's safety is a higher priority. I stayed a safe distance from the vehicle and eventually lost him because the metro PD was so busy that they did not even have a car available to respond. I advised dispatch that I hope the guy just kills himself tonight. Being a DUI officer, that whole scenario sucked something awful.

The point is...I will never jeopardize my family's well-being to enforce the law, even if it means leaving others at an unnecessary risk. I will take a lawsuit any day. If I intervene in something and someone close to me is injured because of it, I doubt I would ever get over it...bad people are going to get away, and that's something we have to realize.

[ACO88]

I called one in last night on my way home, though its not often that I do. I work a small town and can always have an on duty officer stop them within a minute or two. I can stop cars in my POV, but I choose not to for safety and insurance reasons. I am usually the one getting the call from an off duty officer, so I love to explain to them that they never know who they are passing when they drive like an idiot.

How can you stop cars in your pov? Do you have lights and siren on it?

[355339]

How can you stop cars in your pov? Do you have lights and siren on it?

I can install them, but I don't. I have one small light hidden to the rear, but have never used it. It's only there in case theres an emergency and I can't park well off the road. We only have 2 officers on at a time and sometimes we get called in if necessary. Two people share one car and if that guy is on duty, we have to respond in our own vehicle. If it was 20 yrs ago, it would not be a big deal. but we all know that lawyers run the country, so I don't put the liability on myself.

[Frank Booth]

I don't know about the U.S., but, in Canada, an officer is an officer 24/7. If you don't act and the injured party or their family find out, kiss your career good buy, not to mention a major law suit against you and your department.

Can you post the statute on that one? I find it hard to believe. Not saying I WON'T beleive it......I just don't yet....

I'm on-duty when the meter is running. If they want to pay me to conduct routine patrol while I'm off duty driving to grandma's house, they're going to have to show me the money.

[just joe]

If I think it is necessary, I call the police.

[Queens Cowboy]

Mr Justice,
Yeah, we are police 24/7 here but that doesn't mean we have to take matters into our own hands whenever we see someone driving like an idiot in traffic. We are not equipped most times while off duty to deal with a traffic stop should it go south (no portable radio to radio for help, no gun, OC spray, cuffs) so in 99% of the cases, I will just be a good witness for the on duty guys...

I don't know where you got the idea that we could kiss our careers goodbye by not getting involved with your hypothetical traffic scenario, but here it is from the horse's mouth...we would not.

[TX Heat]

Short of calling it in I do nothing. Dept. policy states officers shall not concern themselves with midemeanor traffic violations when off duty.