call ins!

[lightshow2]

What are your feelings on citizens calling in Bad Drivers? So many people I have talked to are so intimitated to call 911 to call in bad drivers. I asked them why and most responded that they had called in the past and were not treated well on the line. Do officers appreciate drivers being turned in, or is it ignored?

[irishlad2nv]

We are too busy at times to go looking for a driver who may be breaking a traffic law. And even if I do get to see a vehicle that was called in, 90% of them time, they arent breaking any laws when I am behind them. Sometiems its good for a citizen to call in, but other times, I see it as a waste of time. IMHO....

[Bodie]

Just call it in. Report tag number and direction of travel. Maybe someday officers will get lucky and witness and charge one or two idiot drivers because of calls to 911 system.

[NyQuil]

what do you think abuot reporting aggressive drivers who are cutting people off and slamming on their brakes (brake checking), etc... because people are going too slow for them? Maybe use #77 or whatever number your state police or highway patrol uses, if you have one?

[badger]

If you feel they are a serious threat to safety, call. If they ****ed you off because they flipped you the bird as they passed because they thought you were driving too slow (or maybe you didn't realize you did something wrong like no signal or not enough room for a lane change)...don't call.

[USAcop]

Police officers can find enough traffic stops on their own without help from citizens.

Why is it that almost all traffic complaints we get involve the caller involved? why doesnt an independent third party not involved call it in?

Alot of traffic complaints we get the caller commits a violation as well.

Call in a traffic complaint if the person is driving 20+ over the speed limit, passing on the right or left shoulder, or making numerous unsafe lane changes, or following one car length. If a driver is constantly driving out of his lane thats good too.

Most of the bad drivers I see are due to a person driving excessively in the left lane and people make all kinds of crazy maneuvers to pass that person on the right.

[purdinpopo]

Look call the Highway patrol, here if they do not have a Unit in position they will call other agencies to see if someone else can stop the offending vehicle. I have made a number of good arrests (DWI,Drugs,Warrants) from citizen complaints, handed down.
I have also spent fruitless time sitting on the side of the highway because people do not give a good time and location and the vehicle has already passed my location.
Do not call for a single headlight out, or an expired plate, only serious dangerous activities.

[NyQuil]

Would you consider trying to turn around on the highway in those "Authorized vehicle use only" cut throughs dangerous? I saw a guy in a window installation van with a yellow light in his dash trying to turn around and I thought about calling it in, but I figured it wasn't that big of a deal...

[irishlad2nv]

Would you consider trying to turn around on the highway in those "Authorized vehicle use only" cut throughs dangerous? I saw a guy in a window installation van with a yellow light in his dash trying to turn around and I thought about calling it in, but I figured it wasn't that big of a deal...

Wel even still the officer would have to witness the offense...or since you are in Maryland, go down and file charges at the commissioners office at a District court to see if the guy shows up for court...but you would have to go as well..just let things like that slide...

[WTPD3534]

My problem with citizens calling in aggressive drivers is that it never fails when I ask dispatch if they are willing to sign a complaint they always say "no they just wanted you to be aware". If it's that bad that you are calling the police than get some guts and sign the ticket. I can't do anything if I don't see it so it's pointless most of the time. I can't think of ONE time when I got a call of a suspected "drunk driver" that actually turned out to be drunk.

[tbear853]

It cuts both ways, sometimes we find the vehicle, but no violations ... sometimes we can't find the vehicle because it slips through before we get in position, but we know it's a ggod one to get because of the number of complaints or maybe because some are off duty LEOs calling in.

Just last week, Buddy of mine stopped a tractor trailer that swerved a few times, we got one call on him, he blew a 0.18 after sliding from his seat all the way to the pavement when my buddy opened the door and asked him out.

That was a "good hit" ... one less "killer" off the road for that night and likely out of trucking for good ..... we hope. We wouldn't have gotten him without the one call in unless he hurt someone in a wreck that was bad enough to stop his tractor trailer.

Many times,due to other calls, it may seem that no one cares but it's because of limited resorces. Always call them in, and please don't take it wrong if we don't get them all. I'm talking the serious stuff here, not 4 over the limit type stuff.

Later ................

[gringoloco]

I tell my family and friends to mind their own business unless its a lunatic thats guaranteed to hurt or kill someone. Too many people with cell phones are tying up the 911 system with stupid calls (traffic violations, animal locked in vehicle, "suspicious" package on side of road,etc..) Most cops don't have enough time to go after the traffic violations they see for themselves, nevermind a "concerned" citizen's reports. This is just my humble opinion though, and I must divulge I'm old school bordering on dinosaur.

[Operator13]

What are your feelings on citizens calling in Bad Drivers? . Do officers appreciate drivers being turned in, or is it ignored?

{Sub-Forum for LEO only, Ignore Post.}

[RBrodowski]

Call on suspected DUIs only....AND FOLLOW THEM! I hear this atleast 2-3 times a shift:

"Copy 78s (description) on a possible signal 30 (impaired driver). White Ford F-150, tag: DSKA13 (made up tag) travelling eastbound on Main Street, failing to maintain lane, struck the curb and center median several times, driving 10mph....not being followed."

If you're not willing to follow it, why bother calling it in? There's probably a 3-5 minute lag time from when the call was received to when we get the description over the radio. When citizens follow, I'd say easily over 50% of the time its a legit DUI.

The worst one is when they wait until they get home to call it in.

[canuck21]

Go right ahead but if you don't have PLATES and the time delay is 20 MINUTES... why are you wasting our time!?