Of course I exceed the limit... just like everyone else... 10 over doesn't get you pulled over though. I can get my need for speed taken care of at work... I do 100+ several times a day chasing down violators... Besides... my Ranger has never seen anything over 70.

Quote:

Originally posted by Altoid@March 23, 2005, 9:30 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-Trooper4985

Well, then stay in your car. The reason most people don't admit to guilt is because most cops won't do a thing.

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Most cops don't do anything? What does that mean? I wish more people would plea not guilty to my tickets... they get a reduction and I get OT... everyone wins. Stay in my car huh? How do you propose I conduct a traffic stop from inside my car? Cops have no control over their tickets once they are issued. The DA is the one who prosecutes and the judge is the one who decides the outcome. I let a Ferrari @ 107/45 go because he was the only car I had seen on that road in 4 hours and he stopped next to my car and immediately apologized. I of couse let him show me his car and sent him on his way. Last night I stopped a car for 65/55 and no plate lamp. I'm just out looking for a drunk... I was gonna let the kid go but he copped and attitude so I wrote him the speed.

 

10 over may not get me pulled over if you’re the officer but a lot will.

As for the letting a 107/45 go, once again no cop around here would do such a thing.

You seem like the kind of cop that we need more of. I don’t think there should be catch all speed limits. It should vary based on conditions, traffic, etc.


Real question for you:
What I don't get is how I say I'm sorry for dragging you out of you car without admitting guilt. I don't want to come off as mouthing off either by saying “Sorry you had to leave your car for me.� What do I say? I guess it also matters HOW I say it, but some guidelines would be awesome.

 

You know, I have the ultimate respect for law enforcement officers, but let's admit it...the whole 'speeding" thing is a game. It produces revemue for municipalities and has little or no relationship to the death rate (stupid people doing stupid stuff with their cars, do).

You want to catch me speeding to make your record look good and I want to keep you from catching me so I don't have to pay. OK, I'll play the game. I'll also use everything legally within my legal rights to keep you from doing so.

What does irritate me a little is the fact that some officers say the motorist doesn't respect them. I say, respect is earned, not demanded. A little respect for the motorist goes a long way in having the motorist showing respect back at you.

For the record, the line of "Mr/Ms motorist is making me get out of my cruiser to give them a ticket" rings rather hollow as an excuse for the liklihood of giving them a ticket.

You want to slow motorist's down? Stay in plain sight with your lights on. Don't hide under bridge abutments and behind a clump of trees in the dark. If we see you, with your lights on on the side of the road. we'll slow down. To me, being visible is the single best way of slowing someone down (and also the safest way of enforcing traffic laws).

 

No need to say anything other than "I'm sorry Sir, I know I was going a little faster than I should have been" and be honest if asked how fast you were going. Unless you are brand new to driving... you have a pretty good 'feel' for how fast you are going without even looking at the speedo. Also, produce what he asks for when he asks for it. I hate people who are moving around in the car before I get up to them to see what they are doing. Sure... you know you're just grabbing your reg and insurance card from the glove box but in my eyes you are hiding something or possibly grabbing a gun from under the seat. Sit still with your hand on the wheel... don't be a robot with a white knuckle grasp on the wheel... just sit there naturally until the officer makes contact with you. And don't cop an attitude if he writes you... He's doing his job. Mail the ticket in Not Guilty. Show up in court and find the officer and DA. Explain to them you know you were in the wrong and you would like to know if a plea to a lesser charge is possible as long as you have a good driving record. I don't entertain breaks to people who have extensive speeding history. Oh yeah... and don't waste money on a traffic lawyer... you can ask for the same things a lawyer can... for free.

 

RRROAMER.....My V1 was bought as a refurb from Valentine. They neglected to include a user's guide. How exactly do you set the V1 for "advanced logic mode"?

There's so much "garbage" floating around between Escort and Valentine that most of what I read IS taken with a grain of salt. It's just that living where both units are made gives me a little more insight to the claims each makes about the other.

I actually met Mike Valentine once. He is, as has been said, a meglo-maniac who seems more intent on discrediting Escort than really showing how his products are superior to justify their higher price.

 

If I say "I'm sorry Sir, I know I was going a little faster than I should have been." I've just admitted guilt.

Yeah I mail in "not guilty." Then in court can the cop not say, he admitted guilt to me? Cops word against mine, the cops has more weight to a judge, correct?

To be honest I've never been ticketed but I can only assume it's a matter of time, so I want to get what to do/say if I get the wrong cop.

 

Quickly... I do not benefit one bit from writing you a speeding ticket. I get paid every two weeks no matter how many tickets I write and no one is telling me I have to write X tickets per month.

Your parents failed to teach you something that keeps most people on my good side. Respect for Law Enforcement is not something that I have to earn. Did your parents earn your respect or did you just understand that they were the ones in charge and you did what you were supposed to?

I'm not ticketing someone simply for the fact that they violated the traffic law... there are plenty of motorists with poor attitudes that I can let the nice people go and write the people with poor attitudes.... My meaning about pulling a cop out into traffic is that how would you feel if you were flying and a cop turned on you and ended up dieing in an accident or is struck and killed while talking to you at your window? I've been to funerals for both situations.

Your thinking about sitting in plain view is flawed. If there were enough cops to sit every mile or so on every road then that would be the best way to slow people down. There not enough cops to do that so we hide and sneak around so you never know where we might be and might be a little more prone to keeping it to a reasonable speed for fear that "we" might have found a new hiding spot and you don't want your insurance rates to go up.

 

Now that I've hijacked the thread... Sorry.

Anyway. Admitting that you've done wrong is what you are supposed to do. You are not mailing the ticket in not guilty in the idea of "fighting" it... you are mailing it in not guilty so you have a chance to talk to the DA and request a reduction. Like I said.. I don't write decent people unless I have to (accident) and I don't deal with people with poor attitudes... if the DA wants to reduce my ticket that's fine but I'm not making any reccomendations for a reduction if you MF'ed me on the side of the road.

 

I know this is getting off topic, but I have to clarify an earlier post I made. Most of the law enforcement guys I know are good, hard working people who really do care about the safety of the motorists. When I posted earlier about having a "get out of ticket free card" does not mean I go around driving drunk or flaunting societies conventions (Seinfeld quote).

I do have a tendency to drive fast, I know it, my husband knows it, and so do many other people. But I'm also a very safe driver, I've never had a ticket or accident (that was my fault), I've never driven after drinking. In all the years I've been driving I've been pulled over three times. I've deserved to be pulled over a lot more for speeding. While I am happy that I didn't get ticketed when pulled over, I wouldn't have complained if he had written me a ticket. I know I was speeding, he knows I was speeding. He told me to be safe and keep the speed down. I wouldn't try to make excuses nor would I apologize for getting him out of his car either, just hand over the required documents and see what happens. I did the crime and am prepared to face the consequences, whether that is a ticket, lecture or slap on the wrist. And I agree with you graphicguy, the best deterent for speeding is a visible presence on the road, not a cruiser hiding under a bridge. Yes, I am a little complacent about speeding. I am pretty sure when I get pulled over I am not going to get a ticket, but like I said, if I do I'm prepared to deal with the consequences. Sorry for the long rant.

 

Quickly... I do not benefit one bit from writing you a speeding ticket. I get paid every two weeks no matter how many tickets I write and no one is telling me I have to write X tickets per month.

Your parents failed to teach you something that keeps most people on my good side. Respect for Law Enforcement is not something that I have to earn. Did your parents earn your respect or did you just understand that they were the ones in charge and you did what you were supposed to?

I'm not ticketing someone simply for the fact that they violated the traffic law... there are plenty of motorists with poor attitudes that I can let the nice people go and write the people with poor attitudes.... My meaning about pulling a cop out into traffic is that how would you feel if you were flying and a cop turned on you and ended up dieing in an accident or is struck and killed while talking to you at your window? I've been to funerals for both situations.

Your thinking about sitting in plain view is flawed. If there were enough cops to sit every mile or so on every road then that would be the best way to slow people down. There not enough cops to do that so we hide and sneak around so you never know where we might be and might be a little more prone to keeping it to a reasonable speed for fear that "we" might have found a new hiding spot and you don't want your insurance rates to go up.
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You may not have a quota, but if you don't write enough tickets, THAT WILL reflect on you come review time.

Well, my parents always taught me the respect is earned. Truthfully, if you have the attitude that respect is "expected" and not earned, then you and I would have a problem. I'd be logging a complaint to your captain (and city council) if that's the attitude you took with me, as the citizen you are sworn to protect AND SERVE.

I would hope that as a safety concious public servant that you would not try to put yourself in danger by pulling someone over and then blocking traffic....where you may be in the way of oncoming cars.

While I have the utmost sympathy AND RESPECT to those peace officers that have given their lives in the line of duty, it makes absolutely no sense to me to lose your life by standing in the way of traffic to write a speeing ticket.

 

No need to say anything other than "I'm sorry Sir, I know I was going a little faster than I should have been" and be honest if asked how fast you were going. Unless you are brand new to driving... you have a pretty good 'feel' for how fast you are going without even looking at the speedo. Also, produce what he asks for when he asks for it. I hate people who are moving around in the car before I get up to them to see what they are doing. Sure... you know you're just grabbing your reg and insurance card from the glove box but in my eyes you are hiding something or possibly grabbing a gun from under the seat. Sit still with your hand on the wheel... don't be a robot with a white knuckle grasp on the wheel... just sit there naturally until the officer makes contact with you. And don't cop an attitude if he writes you... He's doing his job. Mail the ticket in Not Guilty. Show up in court and find the officer and DA. Explain to them you know you were in the wrong and you would like to know if a plea to a lesser charge is possible as long as you have a good driving record. I don't entertain breaks to people who have extensive speeding history. Oh yeah... and don't waste money on a traffic lawyer... you can ask for the same things a lawyer can... for free.
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Well that is excellent advice Trooper. I always thought I was doing the police a favor by getting my papers ready before they approached me, but now I see how it looks from your point of view. I haven't been pulled over since 1998, but I've had very slow cars since then. I don't plan on speeding in my GT, but I do feel it will be easy to do so if not paying attention, that's all I"m afraid of, and I'd like to keep my record clean. I suppose your advice, trying to stay under 10 over and attitude probably would work better than any radar detector, thanks for the perspective and advice.

 

Trooper4985, and any police office automatically have my respect, Graphicguy your logic is suspect, what your parents tried and fail to teach you about respect being earned. Is backwards everyone automatically should have a level of respected; especially police and fire, 911 is proof of that. Sure there might be someone in a receptive field that un-respectable but it’s the lack of respect that should be earned. Think about it.

Thank you, Trooper 4985



You may not have a quota, but if you don't write enough tickets, THAT WILL reflect on you come review time.

Well, my parents always taught me the respect is earned. Truthfully, if you have the attitude that respect is "expected" and not earned, then you and I would have a problem. I'd be logging a complaint to your captain (and city council) if that's the attitude you took with me, as the citizen you are sworn to protect AND SERVE.

I would hope that as a safety concious public servant that you would not try to put yourself in danger by pulling someone over and then blocking traffic....where you may be in the way of oncoming cars.

While I have the utmost sympathy AND RESPECT to those peace officers that have given their lives in the line of duty, it makes absolutely no sense to me to lose your life by standing in the way of traffic to write a speeing ticket.
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lol its just a radar detector... lol not THAT big of a deal... lol

simple fact there are good cops and bad cops...

good cops join because they want to uphold the law and protect people and save lives

bad cops join because they were picked on in high school and want to get those people back (only example)

but it is just a radar detector, it is not preventing a police officer from getting a clean reading or anything, it is just giving the civilian heads up as to where a law enforcement officer is with a speed reading device... a radar/laser jammer I think is wrong, but just a detector isnt... and I dont think its that big of a deal... most the time when I drive and my radar detector goes off, its just like seeing those cop's lights, it makes me realize I'm speeding and causes me to slow down... =-p

and anyone that can make people get a bad feeling in there stomach at the sight of them (from fear) is automatically given respect due to the fear factor :worship:

 

MustangDan....I don't expect anyone to give me respect unless I've earned it. That's the key....I have to earn respect. Conversely, I respect others (like my late Father and Mother) because they taught me to not pass juedgement on others and to respect those that earn their respect. To automatically expect respect upon an initial (and probably only) meeting) isn't something I can relate to. You show me respect, I'll show you respect. It's a two way street.

I've met way too many people who have positions you expect would command respect, only to find out the person behind the title, the degree, the uniform, etc is really a "jerk".

I've met an awful lot of very respectful and very good police officers. Unfortunately, I've met some that are "jerks", too.

Way off track here, though.

Back to the radar detector discussion........

 

Escort 8500 X50 seems to be the way to go

 

RRROAMER.....My V1 was bought as a refurb from Valentine. They neglected to include a user's guide. How exactly do you set the V1 for "advanced logic mode"?

There's so much "garbage" floating around between Escort and Valentine that most of what I read IS taken with a grain of salt. It's just that living where both units are made gives me a little more insight to the claims each makes about the other.

I actually met Mike Valentine once. He is, as has been said, a meglo-maniac who seems more intent on discrediting Escort than really showing how his products are superior to justify their higher price.
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All the info you need on setup and reading can be found here
http://valentine1.com/moreinfo/

I also vote V1. I have never had any issues with it and it picks up signals way before other detectors used by my buddys (sorry, don't know specific models).

Also, for those complaining about cost keep in mind that it is upgradeable. When new technology comes out (like POP) you send it in and they upgrade for a small fee.

 

[quote=graphicguy,March 23, 2005, 10:38 AM]
graphicsguy,

Push in the volume button and hold it for around 2 seconds. The V1 should beep and the display should change from displaying "A" (for all) to almost an "L" only it is missing the top bar (think of it as a short "L"). This is the logic mode. Push and hold again, and it will beep and change to a full capital "L". This is the advanced logic mode. If you were in "A" mode, you were getting a LOT of "false" signals! It reports EVERYTHING it sees with NO processing at all (other than to find the signals in the first place).

When I first got my V1, I played with the "A" mode just to see what was out there. I drove into a Lowes parking lot once and it picked up SIXTEEN signals from the doors and hard reflections it was seeing. I thought the poor thing was going to explode!

 

Trooper4953,

The respect thing goes BOTH ways. I've know some excellent police officers and I've known some scum. I generally give all offices (actually, people) a moderate amount of respect to begin with. Their attitude (and I don't just mean did they give me a ticket or not) determines if that respect goes up or down during the "transaction". Hopefully, the police are doing the same thing.

One of your comments caught my eye: "Did your parents earn your respect or did you just understand that they were the ones in charge and you did what you were supposed to?" That statement shows a SERIOUS problem on your part! One of the problems we have with public officials of ALL stripes these days is that many of them have forgotten that they are employeed by US and they serve US. My parents parents earned my respect before I even know what the difference was. Police officers (and every other person on the planet) get ot earn it. They all start out at a reasonable baseline, but it can go up quickly or down quickly from there based on how they do their job. And a statement that I should just "know my place" (see above...) just tells me that you need to sit down and think about what your job is all about.

Personally, I think things started going down hill when they tool "To Protect and to Serve" off the side of every marked police car. That was a nice reminder of what they were about every single time they stepped into the car.

 

Ya know... it truly is a double edged sword. What you say is quite appropriate and correct! Unfortunately its only one element of the truth. Here is my neck of the desert we have PD who have no qualms about sitting behind billboards, behind tree-lines, and on the downward sides of hills waiting for unsuspecting motorists to help replenish the local counties general fund (aka ticket quota). In the local area cities have been spending untold thousands of dollars to place red light camera's all over the place. The paradox in this is that the same cities cry that they don't have nearly enough money to put sufficient numbers of officers on the streets. So instead of having enough officers to take down some of the scum drug dealers they ticket a few more people for running a yellow light. Sounds like a fair trade to me... NOT!

In my opinion, Radar detectors are just as appropriate for use as radar guns. I have great respect for PD but don't think its appropriate to see a highway patrolman sitting on the side of a lonely highway with radar gun in hand. I'd much rather see the officer assisting stranded motorists, clearing up accidents, and keeping the highways safe for motorists like me.

 

Tickets are not the be-all, end-all of my job. For some reason some people see Trooper and think all we do every day is run radar. Like I said before... there are plenty of people out there with poor attitudes so I come in with plenty of tickets each month, but even if everyone I talked to that month was respectful so I didn't write any tickets... I'd still get a 'good guy' letter from the Zone Commander each month becuase I grab drunks and drugs all the time (what I'm really out on the road for... I don't care about people who speed... I just want to talk to as many people each shift as I can becuase it's a game of numbers... stop enough people... I'm gonna find something) plus I will never not answer up for a criminal complaint on my post.

How exactly did your parents earn your respect? Did they just let you do what you wanted when you were a kid? Or did they impose a set of rules and when you broke those rules they imposed some type of punishment... doing so in a fair and impartial manner? I know I lived by a fair set of rules and when I broke them I got lumped up a little because I deserved it. If you really want to believe I have to earn your respect... I earned it the day I raised my hand and swore an oath to protect peoples rights and dignity. I don't remember anywhere saying that I had to serve you. People who think that LE is there to serve them in the way you are speaking... are sorely mistaken. I am "serving" the law obiding citizens by enforcing the laws of society. I'm not here to say please don't speed... you might wrech your car. I'm here to stop you from speeding so you don't T-bone a minivan full of kids when you try to make it through the "yellow" light. Society has rules that we as a whole have adopted... I am here to try to ensure people obide by those rules and if they don't... I make every human effort to ensure they are penalized for it.

BTW... I don't stand in traffic to write.. I sit in my car... which is protecting your car... because when I have you stopped, your safety is my responsibility. Trooper Ambrose was 'cleaning up' an accident and a speeding moron lost control of his vehicle and slammed into the back of the troop car trapping, a still very alive and conscious Trooper, in his car while he burned to death. Thankfully the POS that was suspended and drunk, aslo died.