FalconDude

All in all, you seem like a reasonable guy, in spite of your comments. But you have to admit that your comments show bias, deciding which laws to enforce and who gets tickets. I guess it's the whole arbitrary nature that bugs me. That won't garner you much respect, especially from someone like myself, who has never had an accident (25 years), and never done drugs. So, I'm not sure your use of presumptive evidence works very well. If you have an unsubstantiated opinion of me which is negative, it appears I would get a citation from you... as I don't look like a business man. Maybe the color of my skin would be "presumptive evidence" in your mind.

Stang281

POP Mode Detection: New Radar guns use this type of technology that allows the gun to pick up vehicles' speeds with a brief burst of energy that is only 1/15 of a second.

Stang281

So it is okay for cops to break the law?

Your opinion is holding less and less value with me.

official_style

hardwired to the lights, valentine 1, i will not speed without using a valentine 1!!!!! has saved me sooo many times! as far as jammers, they work, but they will impound your car in ny if you use them, its interfering with police equipment!

official_style

if you give me a ticket just cuz i have a radar detec, and you didnt catch me speeding, i will win in court. i will have to pay a lawyer, but i will win.

Hollywood_North GT

I think most people here forget that cops are human beings, too, and must use powers of discretion on the job to determine when someone is merely bending the law (and why), vs full-on breaking the law (and why). Strict interpretation of the law, meaning ticketing EVERYONE going one MPH over the posted limited, is neither practical nor desireable for either party.

That being said, you must also concede that there are individuals who become police officers because they enjoy the power rush, and when one of them is on patrol...and has perhaps had a fight with his wife that morning...and spots a red sports car being driven by a young man going 10 MPH over the limit, may very well bring an immediate bias to the situation.

As I said, cops are as fallible, honorable or corruptible as anyone else.

I think the point here is that just as cops must use discretion in handing out speeding tickets, motorists must use discretion (read: common sense) when exceeding the speed limit; that is to say not doing it excessively, and only doing it when conditions are appropriate: good visibility, straight piece of road, no rain, little or no traffic around, etc, etc.

nonsensez9

I have POP on all the time. The situation is that I came around a curve at about 75 in a 60 zone. The cop was going the opposite direction. It wasn't until he actually saw me before he turned the radar on. The Escort did it's job, I hit the brakes, but too late.

Trooper4985

If you aren't speeding (visual estimate), I'm not activating my radar. If I don't activate my radar, I will not be tipped off to you possessing a radar detector.If I stop you for some other violation and I see a detector or the tell tale signs of a detector I might be a little less willing to give you a break. I am purchasing a Stalker Spectre III out of pocket for CMV enforcement and I'd be curious to know if there is any documented proof that any current detector can hide itself from the Spectre.

Exactly... by the time your $300 piece of plastic chirps... it's all over except the crying.

Umm... yes it is... would you like me responding to your 3am burglar alarm at 30 mph and stopping for every yellow light on my way there or would you like me driving with a purpose to get to your house and make sure you are ok? BTW... I care not what my opinion means to you... as long as you are a law obiding citizen you will never have to worry about my opinion correct?

My patrol tactics show no bias... they are based on experience and shared police information. I have been top (by a great margin) in my zone (3 counties covering 1116 sq miles and 135k people) for DWI's and drug interdictions for the past 2 years. I just got a loaded, stolen Ruger mini 14 (Semi auto assault rifle for those who aren't gun people) Friday night from stopping a POS vehicle (in a section of town it didn't fit at 3am) for having no front plate. If you read the section of law I quoted you would see that presumptive evidence is written in black and white hence it's the law... not me deciding what to enforce and how to enforce it. BTW... I highly suggest you get any idea of racial bias out of your head right now. The people who try playing the race card with me get dealt with no discretion. Accuse me of doing things because I'm white and you're black or asian or latino or a martian and I'm sticking you with everything I can because I surely wouldn't want you to feel that I was doing my job any other way than by the book.

official_style

why would i care if you detect my rader detector? we are allowed to have them.

Trooper4985

Because truckers have access to the same silly things you do... have you any common sense? I said I was purchasing it for CMV enforcement... it is illegal according to federal law for someone operating a MV over 18K lbs to even possess a detector. I do a lot of truck enforcement on top of looking for drunks/guns/drugs/warrants hence the reason I've stopped drunk truckers and stoned truckers with weed.

Stang281

Well, I have a ton of guns, so I protect myself, besides, usually by the time police get there, the suspect is gone anyway.

However, you and I both know that was not what you implied. That would be an emergency situation.

Even if i'm not a law-abiding citizen, I never have to worry about your opinion.

FireFighterHill

I believe he means Off duty police or police not in there juristriction. And of course when you have your lights and sirens on responding to a call you can go over the posted speed limit. And some departments have SOP's that state if you driving with lights on you are to have sirens on too. Sometimes late at night responding to a call we turn our sirens off depending on traffic especially going into residential neighbor hoods, so as not to wake people up. But you still have to maintain some self control I know for a fact that alot of departments have operating guidlines that spell out how much you are allowed to go over the speed limit. I believe our limit here for our trucks is 15mph over. If a police or ANY fire or EMS vehicle causes an accident by speeding or disregarding traffic control devices and traffic itself they will deffinetly be getting written up and some kind of disipline. And NO agency is allowed to speed through school zones doesnt matter if they are in persuit or responding to a call.

Trooper4985

I specificly stated marked cars being pulled over... it's an urban legend. I've never gone to an EID with lights and sirens.... why would I tell any potential bad guys that I'm close? I certainly don't turn on my lights when I'm chasing down a violator... lord knows lights confuse too many people and make them forget everything they had to know to pass their drivers test.

official_style

i didnt know that trucks couldnt use radar detectors, i was always wondering why they advertise as undetectible since they are legal

FireFighterHill

Whats common practice and whats written procedure in SOP/SOG are two totally different things. Im not suppossed to stand up in the back of the engine and put on my airpack on while we are enroute, but I do anyway.

silverado

The best fuzz buster is

smart driving
knowing when to go fast
my gut feeling

even though I do have an Escort Passport cordless (matches my Satin Silver )

loserpunk603

I use a Beltonics Vector 965 it works better than my friends detector... for cops that leave there detectors on, N.O. causeway copsdo it all the time, i cna pick em up from half a mile or more away, for when a cop just flicks it on and hasnt flicked it on b4, then theres nothing i can do about it. Radar detector are a level of safety... i may speed sometimes but im not going to if my detector is going off... but if someone pulls me over b/c they can tell im going to fast, which has happened, well its my own fault.

official_style

ya but u can get out of those tickets in court, cuz they have no proof u were speeding, i have done it plenty of times, just sucks to have to pay a lawyer, but i would rather do that then get points.

Bullitt995

You're supposed to know something to pass your drivers test? News to me...

Mtang78

3-4 yrs ago I was traveling alone southbound on I-55 in Springfield, IL during evening rush hour traffic in RH lane with radar detector on, at 65 mph in a 65 zone. Signaled, pulled into LH lane behind 4 other vehicles. Increased speed for LH lane to 70 mph to pass the vehicles in RH lane. Left lane vehicles continue pulling away from me. Approaching my exit I signaled and returned to the RH lane. Look in rearview mirror and ISP behind me. They ran my plates and then on came the lights. I pulled way over off the shoulder and stopped. Officer approaches me on passenger side and I have to crawl across the center console and shifter in my ’78 Mustang and open the door. Officer leans all the way into the center console area. I give him my license and proof of insurance. He says (a) I was traveling 72 in a 65 (not – and besides, everyone else was pulling away from me!); (b) I didn’t signal when changing lanes (I ALWAYS signal – even yell at hubby for not signaling!); and (c) accused me of not wearing my seatbelt, to which I pull my lap belt out away from me, which was still fastened around me, to show him it was still fastened and that I did have on a seatbelt.

He gave me a written warning for speeding and not signaling. Now funny thing is he checked the box on the written warning identifying radar as the means for determining speed – which is incorrect. My radar detector never even chirped, and even after stopping, if he was indeed running radar, the detector would be going off. He never even commented on the plainly visible radar detector. I’ve gone by people on the interstate when they are pulled over and the radar detector is still going off. I assume they have to leave it on to be able to show you what speed you were doing on the gun if you request it, plus they would need to write down the info off of it onto your ticket – which they don’t write up until after they come talk to you and get your license and insurance. If he had written me an actual ticket I would have fought it. I don’t know what his problem was, but I swore after that I would turn on my emergency flashers and go to the nearest exit if I was traveling alone again. No more climbing into the car with me!! I’ve never seen an officer approach on the passenger side.

I’ve had 2 tickets in over 25 years. One I deserved the other was total BS. Here is the BS:

Over 10 yrs ago, I was traveling late at night to my parents’ house on a Friday night on RT. 133 approaching Oakland, Illinois. Kids were sleeping in back seat. Hubby was home studying for CPA exam. I had cruise control on in my ’86 Crown Vic and was doing around 57 mph in a 55 zone. Approached the old Ford dealership building and knew I was about 2 miles outside of Oakland, and hit the cruise off to slow down. As I approached town, I saw a 35 mph sign and the local PD sitting on the other side of it, hiding behind a small hill and some pine trees. I looked down, assuming I had sufficiently slowed down enough from the 55 zone, and saw that I was doing around 37. I tap the brakes to slow down to the required 35. Cop pulls out behind me, pulls me over, throws the spot on me as well as the regular lights. Kids wake up scared. He writes me a ticket for 39 in a 35 – no way! He says, “I saw you were slowing down out by the old Ford garage but you just didn’t slow down enough.” I told him I needed my license for a new job I was starting Monday, and he told me how much cash I would need. I had to surrender my license, drive on to my parents’ house and then at 12:30 am, drive back to Oakland, meet the officer, and exchange my license for cash. I went to court, got supervision, and when I paid my ticket, apparently everyone in the clerk’s office knows Officer Apple. He has quite a reputation for all of the tickets he writes according to them. They just shook their heads. I should have fought the ticket, but didn’t. There was no Reduced Speed Ahead sign between that 55 mph zone and 35 mph zone which is required when there is a reduction in speed greater than 15 mph.

If I am truly speeding (going over 5 mph over the limit), then fine, I deserve the ticket. But I would much rather have the “Sheriff Andy Taylor” that is more lenient and understanding and would rather “teach” you about the supposed law you just broke, than the “Barney Fife” that is full of himself and has to flex his muscles. I’m not disrespectful of the officer, but it sure is hard to bite your tongue when you are getting something you truly don’t deserve.

That being said, not all cops are bad cops. But unfortunately as with everything else, it only takes 1 bad apple to spoil the barrel.