Traffic cops

[xrezrunner]

I know this has prolly been debated a million times, but I couldn't find it using the search function.

What is your opinion of traffic cops/state troopers? Is there any animosity between traffic cops and patrol officers on your department?

What do you think about traffic cops writing officers from their OWN departments?

I know this is like 20 questions, but what is your personal limit for stopping/writing speeders if the car appears to be an "average Joe mobile" and the driver is courteous/clean driving record? In other words, excluding dirtballs/people with attitudes.

My personal standards were 11 over the limit to stop, 17 over to write IF they were normal citizens with a decent attitude.

Watcha all think?

[ 04-16-2003, 05:51 PM: Message edited by: xrezrunner ]

[Evnings]

I'm a city traffic cop. There is only 2 of us that are assigned to traffic in my department. The patrol guys don't have any problem with us. When we're working, they don't have to work wrecks.

I write starting at 10 and over. My write rate is about 95%. A majority of the speeding tickets that I write are for 15+ over.

Average Joe Mobile is who has most of the Average Joe Mobile wrecks I have to work. If Average Joe Mobile would slow down and not run Red Lights, I wouldn't have so many wrecks to work. So, Average Joe Mobile is going to be written an overwhelming majority of the time. Scumbags always get written if not taken to jail.

I have written a cop from my department a ticket before. He really should have gone to jail, but all I needed were tickets to clear up his little Hit and Run. He ended up getting fired.

That being said, I will not write a cop from my own town a ticket, unless his messing up and me not taking some kind of action will get me an IA. I have the added luxury of knowing everyone who is an officer in my department and what they drive. Unless I don't recognize them when they go by me, I won't even stop them.

As for Highway Patrol. I don't have a problem with them, nor do any of the patrol officers. The onl;y time we get upset is when they find something for us to do inside the city. The last time I looked, their badge says State of Texas on it just like mine. Unless there is a reason for them not being able to take action, I believe in clean what you catch.

[ 04-16-2003, 06:18 PM: Message edited by: Evnings ]

[CinaC]

I would LOVE to be a Baltimore City traffic cop ... they get Mustangs! I haven't seen one yet, but (if you don't mind me saying so), BPD has an asthetically pleasing car design, and I drool at the combination of the paint job, the car, and the light bar ...

I couldn't find a picture of the real thing on Google, but I did find a picture of a model..



[ 04-16-2003, 07:52 PM: Message edited by: ciaj ]

[p01ic3m4n]

i like being the traffic officer. i get to drive the cool car, i don't transport prisoners, and i get to go to lunch when i want to.

[FLLawdog]

I have no problem with out motors guys. I've spent time with most of them at one time or another between assignments, schools and other things.

FHP. It's all case by case. I've met some flaming a**holes in tan, but in the same breath I've met some great guys who have had to do unpopular things thanks to higher up's. Our old Sheriff used to be a Trooper and there were some pretty serious animosities between he and some brass. Needless to say, the problems trickled down through the ranks.

My criteria is pretty much like Evening's. I'll normally allow 15 except in residential areas or where there are repeated problems (and not necessarily traffic related).

Joe Mobile. Exactly like Evenings said. As cold as it may seem, if Joe Mobile is the predominant law breaker, it should only be logical that Joe Mobile get a ticket. I'm glad Joe Mobile has a job, a house, a wife, two and a half kids and a clean (until now) driving record. In most instances, he will still have those things after the ticket.

[Deputy Joe]

The departments that I have worked for have not had a traffic unit. If you ask my coworkers at the last job, they might tell you that I WAS the traffic unit. Don't let them fool you, I took calls just like everyone else.

I have no problem with State Troopers. My father-in-law is a Sgt. with the state patrol. They have just as important job as the rest of us. I have asked a trooper a question and gotten a great answer more than once.

My standards, depending on several variables are. 11 for a stop, 15 for a ticket.

[Glockarmorer]

In my little county of 100,000 people we have murders, rapes, robberies, and all of the other crimes that people do. Time and time again you know what the number one complaint of the general public seems to be? TRAFFIC! They gripe about speeders, tailgaters, light runners, and aggressive drivers.

We have 2 separate traffic enforcement units dedicated to two separate geographical areas of the county. They use marked and unmarked Crown Vics, marked and unmarked Camaros, and BMW motorcycles.

When I was a newer officer, I worked for a couple of different supervisors who had the attitude of "You want to work traffic? Go be a state trooper!" I thought then and I know now that these guys were short sighted, narrow minded, and ineffective in that regard. Murderers speed. Armed robbers run red lights. Fugitives drive drunk. In 12 years I can't begin to recall how many otherwise "routine" stops (no such thing) turned into something much, much bigger.

Here's some food for thought...do you know what Tim McVeigh, Ted Bundy, and David "Son Of Sam" Berkowitz all had in common? I mean aside from being mass murderers? They were ALL caught because of TRAFFIC COPS!

I don't work much traffic anymore but my usual threshold for a stop was 11 over and for a ticket was 15 over, barring any exigent circumstances.

[FLLawdog]

I did some research on the deaths in Florida. In 2001, there 800 (almost 900) homicides. There were over 3,000 traffic fatalities. Tell me what "better things" I have to do besides work traffic.

[xrezrunner]

Glad to see some actual traffic guys on here!

I do see your guys point on "Joe" speeds the most, so "Joe" causes the most accidents etc.

It's also good to see that the standards are fairly close (10-11 for a stop, 15+ write).

Personally, I almost always cut regular joe's a break.

Out here, I would say that 50-75% of the troopers are ********S. Out here, they are never the primary on anything other then highway traffic accidents. They will pull your *** over for 5 over, and write you too.

Someone mentioned the thing about heavy criminals caught for traffic offenses....Buddy of mine is a Topeka swat cop. He's caught two murderers and an escapee... when he's tossing their car, he finds a traffic ticket from the past week. Apparently the traffic guys back there are so engrossed over stats that they don't run names for wants....So my buddy always mails a copy of his report to the officer who wrote the ticket when that happens.

As for city or county traffic cops....the areas that I have worked/lived all had some animosity between patrol and traffic deputies, usually because the traffic guys wrote everything under the sun, including other officers. Then there's that whole thing about not having to shag calls, and motors wanted others to transport and book what most other people usually catch and cite and release.

I got no problem with people working traffic-it's a great tool to get dirtballs. I just have a problem with guys who stop and write people for like under 10 over when it's just a regular joe.

Anyone else want to chime in? I appreciate all the responses.

[ 04-16-2003, 11:13 PM: Message edited by: xrezrunner ]

[n567]

Wow, Crazy, if more police agencies had models like that, they certainly would be alot more popular...

[Glockarmorer]

Yep, you've GOT to teach these officers, especially the hard chargin' rooks, to "LOOK BEYOND THE STOP"!

When I first started working dope back in early '94 my mentor had a theory. If you stop and search 10 cars in any given evening, you will make at least one drug case. Sometimes they were little cases, occasionally they were pretty big cases. But I watched (and helped) him prove that theory again, and again, and again!

If you're out there to write tickets and that's all you're trying to do then that's all you'll ever do. Got to look BEYOND the stop!!

[Deputy Joe]

quote:

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Originally posted by xrezrunner:

I do see your guys point on "Joe" speeds the most, so "Joe" causes the most accidents etc.

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Why is everyone picking on me??

quote:

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Originally posted by Glockarmorer:
Yep, you've GOT to teach these officers, especially the hard chargin' rooks, to "LOOK BEYOND THE STOP"!

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Amen to that!!!

[MESO 15]

Deputy Joe, you were definitly the Traffic unit for the county, and yes you have taken calls too.... but definitly a traffic nazi.

[Dave T]

quote:

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Originally posted by ciaj:
I would LOVE to be a Baltimore City traffic cop ... they get Mustangs! I haven't seen one yet, but (if you don't mind me saying so), BPD has an asthetically pleasing car design, and I drool at the combination of the paint job, the car, and the light bar ...

I couldn't find a picture of the real thing on Google, but I did find a picture of a model..

---

Ciaj,

The mustang is nice but it can compare with our HP "hot rods"

NCHP

dt-

[Mike Tx]

I like to see people getting tickets for traffic. Traffic is dangerous and people are foolish, the way they drive sometimes. As far as searching for dope, unless you see some or smell some, don't you need a warrant to search?

I never get asked by the cop if he can search me. I guess I look to old to be a scumbag. Even on this last river trip, where we were stopped by a game warden, he didn't search us, even though we couldn't find the wifes fishing license. I did show him my gun though, he liked it.