Why do cops tailgate?

[LEO-CO516]

About, lets say, 35-40% of the cops that are behind me, tailgate me.

Pretty bad you keep track of the % of cops that are behind you!

[CGIS1]

I did that tonight three times. I was going to a domestic in progress and the other unit going was closer than me so I had to get to him quick but we can't go code unless weapons are involved. The other one was a domestic and the other one that I ended up going code anyway was a discovered open window on an alarm call at a residence and the unit was standing by for me to make entry to clear the home. Each time I was behind some slow grandmom driving a###### slowing down cause they were probably suspended or had weed in the car and I could care less my priority was to get to the other officer. Next time get out of his or her way...

You can't run code unless weapons are involved!? I use to work in VA and never heard of that!

edit: Some examples, medical calls, accidents, request for emergency assistance, and any other number of calls where weapons are not involved, yet it is called for to run code 2/3.

[GGG]

I had a genius put black marker over white out on his NM plate to change the 05 to an 06...

Did you charge him with forgery? Maybe destruction of State Property since most plates do not belong to the vehicle owner, but to the state.

[GGG]

I did that tonight three times. I was going to a domestic in progress and the other unit going was closer than me so I had to get to him quick but we can't go code unless weapons are involved.

There are always weapons involved in a domestic. Kitchen full of knives, living rooms with lamps, etc. and if nothing else everyone was issued a pair of hands and feet. Didn't you ever see Billy Jack?

[redbird07]

I never have tailgated. I get close sometimes to run a tag though.

[Kycop28]

About, lets say, 35-40% of the cops that are behind me, tailgate me. Today was the worst I encountered. I was driving in a 55 zone two lane and had my cruise control set at exactly 55. She was tailgating me so close that I could tell what color eye liner she had! NO NOT REALLY, BUT, She was dangerously close and if I had to slam on my brakes, she would have....no doubt...rear ended me.
My #1 pet peeve is tailgaters and #2 is LEFT LANE HOGS!!

I agree with the Left land Hogs and while we are on that note, all you OHIO drivers, LEFT LANE IS FOR PASSING, not 55mph in a 65mph zone. As far as tailgating, everyone flips out when a LEO is behind them and of course, perfect drivers all of a sudden. Don't be afraid to crank it up 5mph faster, I highly doubt a LEO will stop you because believe me, we never do the EXACTLY the limit

[Doublen]

Cuz we can.

[dinanm3atl]

35-40% tailgate you? Well, I guess almost half of us are just bad drivers (enter sarcastic face here).

Seriously, how many officers get behind you on a daily, or even monthly basis? Where are you when this occurs? What time of night? What do you drive?

All of these questions could be factors as to why we get up and read your tag or observe your driving for a brief period of time.

It could be that you simply stare us down so hard that we figure you have something to hide since you make it a point to try and remember how many are behind you and how close we get.

Funny you say that... so profiling then is what you are saying?

Also if the officer needs to get someone fast couldn't they pop the lights real quick. Vehicle moves over and they move on?

[GoldBadge]

Wow, this is why respect for Law Enforcement is at an all time low. You realize when you tailgate you are in fact operating your vehicle in a dangerous manner right? You also come across as a bully thug with a badge. I sincerely mean this, I want the public to be able to respect Law Enforcement as an Agency who value honor and integrity.

When you are in a hurry, you can easily move traffic out of your way safely without tailgating. It is very simple, get to the proper safe distance and flash your Head lights when you can see that the car in front of you can safely move over. If they don't briefly flash your light bar. Virtually everyone will move when they see Law Enforcement behind them. When you tailgate, they will slow down, no one speeds up when a cop is behind them because no one trusts Law Enforcement because you do often engage in baiting people into breaking the law. when you tailgate the cars in the other lanes also slow down making it very hard for the car in your way to get over inducing your own rolling roadblock in your way. The quickest way to move cars out of your way is the safest as I described.

As far as reading tags, if you can't read them from a safe distance, then your corrected eyesight is not good enough for highway speeds. If the plate is dirty or obscured, by all means safely pull them over and cite them if so choose or at least make them clean them. Cite drivers illegally in the passing lane too, most drivers will think better of you doing that.

Tell me, are you authorized by regulations to being withing a car length of someone at highway speeds? Do the regulations allow you to operate dangerously? I know if I drove like that and Law Enforcement witnessed it, I would get pulled over and cited because it is one of the most dangerous things to do on a highway which accident statistics will back up.

I did 30 years in the Military, and I think this is why this upsets me so much. We value Duty, Honor, Country, something that appears to be in complete opposition to Law Enforcement these days, and that is a real shame.

tell me, because I would really like

Resurrecting a seven and a half year old thread (for your first post) and applying it to today's anti-police sentiment among a relatively small portion of the population is disingenuous.

[wutzcrack3n]

Its a clue..... means get the "f" out of the way!

[1911user]

About, lets say, 35-40% of the cops that are behind me, tailgate me. Today was the worst I encountered. I was driving in a 55 zone two lane and had my cruise control set at exactly 55. She was tailgating me so close that I could tell what color eye liner she had! NO NOT REALLY, BUT, She was dangerously close and if I had to slam on my brakes, she would have....no doubt...rear ended me.
My #1 pet peeve is tailgaters and #2 is LEFT LANE HOGS!!

In most states the LEFT lane is for PASSING. I believe this is true in VA. Don't blame the police officer or fellow motorist, it's you being discourteous to your fellow motorists. Keep right on multiple lane roadways and let others pass on the left. If traffic is lite use both lanes, but keeping right is the right thing to do. Also, if the car was marked as you say you recognized it as a police vehicle, OUT OF RESPECT YOU SHOULD HAVE GAVE WAY. if it was another motorist YOU SHOULD HAVE LET THEM PASS. You appear to be an intelligent person, WISE UP!

[Iowa #1603]

I did 30 years in the Military,

that and $2.95 will get you a cup of coffee at the cafe................................it has apples to oranges to do with law enforcement

[GoldBadge]

Nice Misdirection and discredit. I agree driving in wrong lane is discourteous. You completely ignore the dangers of tailgating and if you are authorized by regulation to drive unsafely to move someone over.

You are not a cop, so you should not be posting on this thread.

How's that for direction?

[GoldBadge]

umm, this is the public forums "ask a Cop"

I know I am getting under your skin, but why is that? I sincerely want to see an era where Law Enforcement is respected because they earn it. Currently, for us motorists sharing the road with you it is very hard to respect you. I come here, find a thead on topic, and get pushed around by you for asking a few simple questions. Why don't you answer direct simple questions? let me bullet them for you.

1. Do you consider high speed tailgating dangerous?
2. Do regulations allow you to engage in high speed tailgating to move traffic over?

I would be happy with answers to those questions.

Umm - read:

"THE RULES: Only Law Enforcement Personnel Reply To Questions Here

To ensure this forum stays on topic as much as possible, ONLY members classified as "sworn police officers" should 'reply' to topics in this thread. The original poster can be ANYONE, but those who reply should be the ORIGINAL POSTER and LAW ENFORCEMENT personnel ONLY.

If you want to discuss the topic, are NOT in LE, and are NOT the original poster, post it in an appropriate public forum, but the 'Ask a Cop' should no longer be used as a breeding ground for civilian vs. cop discussions.

Users are encouraged to report posts that are clearly not LE.

HOWEVER, is you are a civilian and have a NEW Question or need clarification of an answer, you can reply in the original post. But we will not permit the 'Ask A Cop' discussion to turn into a battleground between civilians and cops...or for that matter cops and cops, or all in between.

IF YOU POST HERE AND DO NOT QUALIFY AS THE ABOVE, YOU WILL BE BANNED IMMEDIATELY AND FOREVER. CANNOT STATE IT ANY CLEARER. NO EXCEPTIONS. NO WARNINGS. NO ANTI-LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONSES OR POSTS."

http://forums.officer.com/t33463/

[Zeitgeist]

umm, this is the public forums "ask a Cop"

I know I am getting under your skin, but why is that? I sincerely want to see an era where Law Enforcement is respected because they earn it. Currently, for us motorists sharing the road with you it is very hard to respect you. I come here, find a thead on topic, and get pushed around by you for asking a few simple questions. Why don't you answer direct simple questions? let me bullet them for you.

1. Do you consider high speed tailgating dangerous?
2. Do regulations allow you to engage in high speed tailgating to move traffic over?

I would be happy with answers to those questions.

HUGE generalizations have been made here. I do not tailgate. In 15 yrs of law enforcement, I've never had an accident. I sincerely doubt the current climate of hatred toward law enforcement is due to responses on a forum.
1. yep, I do.
2. never seen an SOP address tailgating.
3. I feel defensive as my job is getting more difficult by the day (yep considering early retirement) and
feel the sting of criticism from a fellow vet. I'm not guilty of any of the listed offenses that seem so
'rampant' in today's policing, on duty or in my POV.

I police in a large City with a high crime rate.

I feel I have a duty. I do perform that duty with honor and in a way that is above reproach. And frankly I get tired of being criticized for the actions of a few, by those whose only experience with policing in this country is what they see on TV. And, yep, I do get angry when anyone questions my integrity.

When is the last time you pulled a man out of a burning vehicle only to have it explode and burn both you and the man you were trying to help(and you received nothing in way of recognition. Dept didn't even replace my uniform that was burned)? Delivered a baby? Given your lunch to a homeless person? Or your socks on a cold night? Driven (slowly) into a mob of people in order to save two men that were being beaten? (They promptly got into my patrol vehicle) Broken both thumbs, several fingers, 2 concussions, sprained knee/broken tibia, through the years fighting while waiting for back up? Performed CPR on a baby only to have him die in your arms? I'm sure you have your stories too, having served 30 yrs, but I would never criticize how you do/did your job or tell you how to do it.

You're not the only veteran here by far. Army here.