Anywho on the ongoing drama...

Dave, and everyone else should know that 10 over in FL will get you a ticket much more frequently than it used to. I've got a relative in law enforcement in Polk County, according to her the state is having huge budget problems due to the current economic problems including the decline in home values, resulting taxes, etc. My understanding is that from the state level, a direction to LEOs has been put out to make up for the loss of tax revenue through moving violations. My leadfoot was warned ahead of time on a recent trip down there.

As far as radar detectors, I don't have one - the 1st time I did is the 1st speeding ticket I got - besides, cops up here find plenty of other reasons to bother me.

 

Edit: removed

 

if that's true, that's LOVELY

'before it didn't matter as much but now that we need money......'

 

You believe what you want but NO elected official or any appointed official is EVER going order a Law Enforcement Officer to "write more tickets because we need more money". There may be veiled suggestions but there will never be anything in writing that can be traced... There is however a minimum required amount of activity "required" to collect your paycheck (that the public so gracefully provides) in some AOR's.

 

I didn't say it was in writing, I'm sure nobody's that stupid. It most likely was a "suggestion" as you put it, but either way it has the same affect on the public. You go ahead and believe what you want, since you seem to know everything already. The attitude you post with is the stereotypical attitude that gives other cops a bad image.

 

I need to get a life LOL

 

Does anyone else remember when the federal 55 mph speed limit was removed (ok, it wasn't TECHNICALLY a federal speed limit. They just said if a state set a limit higher then 55 mph, then they wouldn't get federal matching funds for highways. The fact the money originally came from the state was sort of irrelevant)? I very clearly remember it because all the politicos always talked about how the speed limit was for the SAFETY of the public, blah, blah, blah...

But was the ONE THING every single state legislature debated when the issue to raise the speed limit came up? "Raising the speed limit from 55 mph to xx mph will COST THE STATE $yy MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR IN LOST REVENUE!" They almost never even talked about safety. It was pretty much all on how much MONEY they would lose due to less speeding tickets!

It is pretty much common knowledge that local law enforcement is used very much for revenue generation. Some very small towns get over 80% of there operational funds from speed traps, err, traffic enforcement.

Two things need to be changed to permanently fix this problem:

1) Pass a law the prevents the federal government (or any entity thereof) from having ANY control on traffic regulations of any kind (including doing the "if you want money, then you have to pass this law" thing).

2) Pass a federal law that requires ALL revenue from traffic fines (of any kind) to go directly to the federal treasury. This would include things like "court fees" and other crap they tack onto tickets these days. ALL OF IT!

You can NOT have a fair system when the people that get to decide what the laws are and how they are enforced are the VERY SAME PEOPLE that will profit from the enforcement! It will never happen. By splitting the law making and enforcement decisions from the profiting, you will force the local politicos to actually make policy based on public desire and public safety.

If you recall, it was always supposed to be Of the People, By the People, For the People"... I personally wouldn't put today's traffic enforcement into that category.

 

Christ, a cop can write you a ticket just because he sees your front end dive or brake lights come on!!!??? That is pretty f'ed up. I think that one can be fought and won in court.

I do use a detector, an Escort 9500i but not because I speed. I just like to be more aware of my surroundings so to speak. And the GPS speed indicator on my windshield is like a "heads-up-display" that allows me to more easily/accurately track my speed. Although because I never really drive that much over the limit I'm sure it has saved my butt more than once. I've had it almost a year now and zero tickets so far.

Let me tell you the story that prompted me to go out and spend $500 on a detector...

I purchased my nice new Mustang GT in July 2007. The first week I had the car I was driving along a six lane divided highway where the speed limit had slowed from ~65 to 45mph (speed trap). There were several cars around me driving the same speed or FASTER than me. Who gets pulled over???? The guy in the new Mustang, that's who. Not the Toyota or Honda's, much less the minivans and such driving around me at a faster rate of speed. I was ticketed for going 50 in a 45. I drove directly to Best Buy and purchased the most expensive detector they carried. ZERO tickets since. Sports cars get picked on, don't tell me they don't. I've actually had police officers STALK me in my mustang, driving up and down the off-ramps trying to bust me. That never happens to me in the wife's toyota camry....

 

I want one of those Zappergun thingys they use on Stargate and give some of the over zellous ticket writers something to wine about , heck they have created a whole new Dept. here just on the revenue alone and they changed the way they even set up court dates for ticket disdutes m they can take up to a year ? why they corilate all the said officers tickets issued so that they book what ever day in court just for tickets alone cash cow oh yah I'd think so/ Without Due process

 

And oh yeah, the part about "I seldom write a ticket if someone is nice to me"... I've had maybe 2 or 3 warnings in my lifetime and had a pretty good number of tickets through my early years. I actually had a clean driving record for several years prior to the first one in the stang. Maybe it's where I live (TX) or maybe I'm just not pretty enough. Hell, maybe cops just hate Mustangs. lol!

My wife has a pretty good record of ticket warnings, much better than mine .

 

I have all the respect in the world for a police officer that spends his (or her) day serving and protecting the public, taking violent criminals off the street and that sort of thing. But a cop sitting behind a tree or just over a hill with a radar or laser gun is just a road side tax collector. If it pisses them off that I have a radar detector (Passport 8500 x50) then so be it. I've never gotten a warning anyway.

 

Agreed. I totally respect our officers that protect and serve. However, here in Austin, TX I'm constantly seeing people race around and act in other sociopathic ways on the street.

Go get some of THEM, not the guys who are driving 5mph over the speed limit.
I guess we're the "easy" targets. You won't get shot by a guy doing 5mph over will ya!

Like I said, it probably depends on your geographic location. I've heard stories of guys that got pulled and the police officer asked about their car and stuff. Just never happened to me...

 

i cannot count the number of time cops on long island almost hit me because they did not feel that they needed to wait at red lights ...police are all the same...arrogant colons ;p

remember Mister piggy, you enforce the law...your not above it

you deserve a ticket yourself if your driving a car that cannot pass inspection..is that not the law that you so lovingly enforce.. way to set the example lol

cops are all hypocrites ..imagine paying people to harass you??..crazy

 

That..... was just not required...

 

Find the section of the V&T that says that having readiness sensors turned off in your tune is a violation of the V&T.... My car is not uninspected so there is no violation.

I guess I should expect this from some downstate cry baby... I usually get the worst attitudes on the side of the road from people who live in lower Troop F, lower Troop K, and Troop L... most can't understand why they are getting a ticket for 85/55 and I'm not out catching rapists and murderers. Most people understand the concept of waiting till the nice police officer has left your window to curse him out but some can't quite figure that one out so I ensure they remember meeting me

 

That was the F'ng dumbest thing I have ever read on here. So many quotes saying that were all the same, etc, etc. You probably work at 7-11, cleaning the slurpy machine and have no clue about law enforcement.

Next, read the law about harassment, so you can mention it, without sounding like a fool.

I've tried to stay out of this convo as much as possible, but I wont sit back and ignore, ignorant people like you..

 

Folks - please

let's keep this on-topic?
I think all the 'dirty laundry' about how people feel about tickets and such has been aired - if you have something specific to contribute about a specific model of detector, post it.

Otherwise, lets keep anything further to PMs or another thread

Dave

 

I have always used whistlers...thats what are popular up here in the North East...I have one in my Mustang, but not in my truck.

To conclude all of this cop talk- I am almost twenty two years old. I have owned Mustangs since I was seventeen, and NEVER have had any moving violation, no accidents or tickets. Last month, the CompUSA I worked at closed, and I got laid off and am now on unemployment. Last Thursday, I was pulled over by a town cop for going 11MPH over the speed limit. I was actually on my way to an orientation session for RI unemployment, in my truck. I explained that to the officer, I was extremely polite, while he acted like I was going double the speed limit...he wouldn't even listen to me. Needless to say, I got my first ticket and he had no sympathy for me and just put the clipboard in my face. Keep in mind, my driving record was perfect prior to this incident...one hundred dollars for 36 in a 25? BS...they need to find something better to do with their time. Conversely, the state troopers in our state are highly regarded, and don't pull over people unless they are in excess of 15 mph of the limit, which is reasonable.

My respect for town and city law enforcement = nil

 

And here it was in post #2 of this thread.....

Well Dustin I don't always agree with all of your posts but I'd say you hit the nail right on the head this time

 

I have a Passport 8500 X50, great radar detector. For sale since I now live in the Communist Welfare of VA.