Police abuse of power trifecta in play?


But yeah, I think this is a good idea. I see more cops speeding and rolling through stop signs. Now they just have to make sure they follow the rules.

dem troopahs got wikkid radah

m0llusk: dem troopahs got wikkid radah

Go back to Maine!

The speed limit is only 65 on the interstate, what do you expect.

Hibno:


Now they just have to make sure they follow the rules.

Yeah, good luck with that.

Illinois cops suck.

damn scofflaws

I hate Illinois Nazis.

So much for being in before the cop bashing...

You can make a citizens arrest if you want. You can say they were obstructing intelligence and being an oxygen thief.

You never gonna believe this.

Mary. J. Blige.

thatguyfred: You can make a citizens arrest if you want. You can say they were obstructing intelligence and being an oxygen thief.

Facetiousness aside, I've always pondered how exactly such a situation would play out.

Say a cop in uniform just completely snaps and just starts blasting people on the steet. You somehow manage to get the drop on him, disarm and hold him at bay with his own gun.

Now, what could you possibly say to 911 when reporting this that won't end up with the cavalry pulling up, seeing you with a gun trained on a fellow officer, and immediately demanding you "drop it". Trying to explain would only be seen as refusing an order and complying would result in your immediate beat-down and arrest.

m0llusk: dem troopahs got wikkid radah

No, they have SCMODS.

/Blues Brothers trifecta in play

vgss: thatguyfred: You can make a citizens arrest if you want. You can say they were obstructing intelligence and being an oxygen thief.

Facetiousness aside, I've always pondered how exactly such a situation would play out.

Say a cop in uniform just completely snaps and just starts blasting people on the steet. You somehow manage to get the drop on him, disarm and hold him at bay with his own gun.

Now, what could you possibly say to 911 when reporting this that won't end up with the cavalry pulling up, seeing you with a gun trained on a fellow officer, and immediately demanding you "drop it". Trying to explain would only be seen as refusing an order and complying would result in your immediate beat-down and arrest.

Simple. Plug Porky right between the eyes, put the gun down, and go call the cops.

FTFA: Officers operating under codes two and three can drive faster than the speed limit, but must call a supervisor before exceeding 20 miles over the speed limit.

Great, I'll make sure to drive 86 mph everywhere in Illinois.

...except in apprehending the Blues Brothers, of course.

/took this long?

Robopuppy Mistreatment: Great, I'll make sure to drive 86 mph everywhere in Illinois.

It'll work well until they get your plate. Then you get charges for escape, operating at an unsafe speed, reckless endangerment, and all that kind of fun.

I'd love it if police have to follow at least some reasonable rules. 90+ mph on the shoulder of a freeway with stopped traffic is a bad idea, even if you're RoboCop.

Wrong_Intentions: ...except in apprehending the Blues Brothers, of course.

/took this long?

Wrong_Intentions: ...except in apprehending the Blues Brothers, of course.

/took this long?

I hate Illinois speed Nazis

If they wanted to obey the law, they wouldn't have become cops.

/Duh...

I understand that sometimes cops have to drive fast to get to the scene or catch the bad guy. But can somebody explain to me why they can speed by me on the Interstate without their lights on? Seriously, if there is something urgent you need to get to, I'm OK with the excessive speed. Just put your damn lights on so the rest of us can get the fark out of your way and not be scared shiatless when you come barreling down on us out of nowhere.

jso2897: Simple. Plug Porky right between the eyes, put the gun down, and go call the copshome.

FTFY

A lotta municipalities found around here (Northwestern Chicagoland) found themselves with a budget shortfall with the economic downturn, and there was a brief pulse of hyper-enforcement because of it, it seemed. Now, this response seems to have tapered off. Perhaps they found that this was limiting shoppers, or was just pishing.

Chris P. Bacon [TotalFark]

If they follow the rules they just might spend less time racing around shopping malls or spinning around upside down.

I live right in front of the police station in my town, the cops are constantly speeding, running stop signs without lights or sirens, and other crap. One nearly turned me into spam blasting out of a park driveway without stopping, checking for traffic turning on his light bar. I narrowly avoided a collision and he gave me a dirty look for it.

Normally I'm not one to bash cops, but I'm getting really farking sick of the abuse of power. One cop was going so fast on a residential street that he spun his car over a curb and wrapped it sideways around a light pole. He was killed in the crash - and the officers continue to speed down that road with no lights or sirens.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Can we start with them just not being corrupt? How about that?

/tired of seeing the cops in the news and just shaking my head in disbelief.

The Latin phrase to describe this isn't "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?", but "Oderint Dum Metuant"...

I love how everyone comes out bashing cops whenever they make a mistake, yet none of you every say thank you when a cop does a great job helping people and is a kind decent person. You just focus on that 5% of cops that are asses and ignore the rest. Do you feel big now?

Pathetic.

I mean, if you're the police, who's going to police the police?

I dunno, Coast Guard?

QifutuWahuta

Pick a general group of people you dislike (I'm guessing minorities based on your post), realistically estimate the % of that group that is actually responsible for invoking your ire, then estimate how much potential that % has to interfere with your life. Contrast with actual authority figures accordingly.

StreetlightInTheGhetto: I mean, if you're the police, who's going to police the police?

I dunno, Coast Guard?

Lawyers, of course!

QifutuWahuta: I love how everyone comes out bashing cops whenever they make a mistake, yet none of you every say thank you when a cop does a great job helping people and is a kind decent person. You just focus on that 5% of cops that are asses and ignore the rest. Do you feel big now?

Pathetic.

Have you seen the cops in Illinois, especially in Chicago. They are by far the most reckless drivers -- heck, they make cabbies look polite and perfect.

As a visitor to Chicago every few weeks, I discovered the key to driving in Chicago.

Don't use your turn signals.

This only signifies your intentions to the other drivers and allows them time to block.

I firmly believe this is taught in Chicago drivers ed classes.

PA- the zero enforcement state. Minor violations are routinely ignored. The "business, friends and family" program is in full operation. Citizens do not know the laws and if a cop arrives who doesn't feel like helping you, you get "We have to be available for serious complaints".

Any public employee who is unable, unwilling or uninterested in doing their jobs should also be UNemployed".

Gov. Rendell has already announced a tough time ahead for the taxpayers and he doesn't want to hear any whining. Since the election is over, it's time for a politician pay raise.

QifutuWahuta: love how everyone comes out bashing cops whenever they make a mistake, yet none of you every say thank you when a cop does a great job helping people and is a kind decent person.

Not true. It's just very rare that that happens.

You just focus on that 5% of cops that are asses and ignore the rest. Do you feel big now?

Pathetic.

I focus on the cops who are bad (I'm not going to argue the exact percentage), AND on the (supposedly 'good') cops who cover for them. These two groups, taken together, make up virtually all cops.

/oh, and I 'feel' my normal size. How do you feel?

Well there goes the biggest perk of the job for them all.

I know it's been talked about putting GPS in private cars and tracking them, billing them for speeding, etc. I'm completely against it, but I think they should do it for police. After all, they are the ones who are supposed to uphold the law, perhaps they should follow it first and risk losing their job when they break laws. But then that would probably live 5 troopers to cover the entire state, and revenue would fall.

Chaucer put it pretty well, saying: "If gold shall rust, what then shall iron do?" He was talking about religious authority, but it certainly applies.

Oh, also... *looks for link*...The Clash had something to say about this as well. (new window)

I was almost hit by two cops speeding the wrong way down a one-way residential street just outside of downtown Chicago yesterday, so I'm really getting a kick out of these replies. Driving in Chicago is bad enough without the police trying to kill you all of the time.

In VA they often speed through residential areas and on the interstate. The one time I called (car accident - I was a witness) they took their good old time showing up. It was 6:30am - it wasn't like the roads were busy.

And I've often wondered about cops on their cell phones - shouldn't they be setting a good example? Almost all of the cops I see are on their cell phones.

I have several friends who are cops, and am not a cop-hater by any means. I do think they ought to obey the law, though, or (as stated above) turn on their sirens when they speed to get somewhere). And, just like everyone else, they should get off the phone.

State troopers shouldn't even be lumped in the same group with police officers. The highway cops are security guards for the road and have an equivalent amount of training.

126mph, caused a fatality...bet the trooper didn't so much as get a speeding ticket.

Trying to find a way in which these are NOT needed and I can't com up with any.

Speeding over 20, if you get a chopper overhead at that point then you can slow down, drop back and hope they do the same as well as transferring pursuit to someone else further up.
Plus over that 20+ you are FAR more likely to wrap it around a tree/pole other car.

Cellphone.. what took so long??? talk about safety, no one is going to LISTEN to your phone sex call, just keep your hands on the wheel

Keeping your camera on, now THAT is a BAD thing, you cant let the lawyers see how the suspect "grabbed for your gun and fell into traffic" it might be gruesome

FYI this happened right down the road from me. (Resident of Belleville) The interstate was under construction at the time and it was Black Friday. This happened right outside the town that has the mall and every other store known to man (Fairview Heights).

All cops aren't like this, but watch out for those that are! It doesn't help that people get stupid when they see a cop on the road. They think that hitting the breaks suddenly will save them a ticket. It doesn't matter if the cop is cruising down the interstate in an unmarked car from the local town. (My stepdad is a chief of police and this happens when he is driving outside on the interstate where he has no legal right to pull people over.) FYI, if you have seen the cop, they have already seen you!

//I will sing our refrain of "I hate Fairview Heights"
///Too much traffic and the roads weren't built to hold the traffic!

thatguyfred: You can make a citizens arrest if you want. You can say they were obstructing intelligence and being an oxygen thief.

Oh, please, please, if you ever decide to do this, give us here on Fark a little warning, and tell us where & when you plan to do it. I want to bring a cooler of beer and some lawn furniture, and my video camera. I can't wait!

I saw no fewer than FOUR state cops today on a one hour drive from Chicago...all speeding, all on cell phones.

/ nice timing subby

queenstacela: (My stepdad is a chief of police and this happens when he is driving outside on the interstate where he has no legal right to pull people over.)

In California, any California officer can pull you over anywhere in the state. Blame inconsistency from state-to-state. It causes a lot of traffic problems.

goodgirl4badboy: I understand that sometimes cops have to drive fast to get to the scene or catch the bad guy. But can somebody explain to me why they can speed by me on the Interstate without their lights on? Seriously, if there is something urgent you need to get to, I'm OK with the excessive speed. Just put your damn lights on so the rest of us can get the fark out of your way and not be scared shiatless when you come barreling down on us out of nowhere.

Here in Indiana there are only THREE call types where an officer is permitted to run Signal 10 (emergency mode)

1) Going to, but not returning from, a fire/medic call
2) Crimes in progress (some case law exists of cops running hot to misdemeanors and being held liable for crashing into other motorists...so this is held to mean major crimes)
3) Any incident where there is, or there is threat of serios bodily injury or significant loss of property.

Now, that doesn't encompass by any stretch, all the emergency calls that are dispatched. So, by law, if it's not one of these calls...i'm not permitted to use my lights and siren. These situations are a catch-22, because I want to get there as soon as humanly possible, but can't use my emergency equipment. Ergo, I drive faster than everyone else and use due regard at the same time.

Oftentimes i'll turn on my rear deck lights (so just the rear red and blues are flashing) to at least let people know that i'm on a call and not just driving fast.

Popular_Demand: Can we start with them just not being corrupt? How about that?

/tired of seeing the cops in the news and just shaking my head in disbelief.

Could also be said of every other profession and career on the planet. Cops are arrested no more or no less on average than anyone else.

HideAndGoFarkYourself: Cops are arrested no more or no less on average than anyone else.

[Citation needed]

/Kind of hard to get arrested when you have a department full of largely unaccountable buddies to cover your ass.

I know a couple of kids that were killed when they got hit by a fire truck. No sirens and blew the stop light. The kids were coming home from the bar. The had a DD but he had 1 beer (seriously). Since the driver had that small amount (way way under the legal limit) in his system, he got the blame for the crash.

I just don't have much respect for any of these guys.