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Mikel wrote:OK-WITHOUT reading the pages of responses:

After my academy education (I graduate tomorrow) I assume that: the LEO was not able to do checks and wanted to be able to contact you if he needed to when the system came back online.

That's right you guys graduate today huh. I got the e-mail saying our new batch was getting sworn in today.

handog wrote:I won’t point out the obvious hypocrisy in enforcing the law while breaking it at the same time.

Maybe I'm new to reading but this looks like you pointed it out. I already said I don't write seat belt violations.

If you guys want to make a big deal about something - driving around without headlights on at 3 am is illegal too. As is driving on the left side of a two way street. These are also things that regularly done when patrolling residential and industrial areas in the middle of the night looking for burglars.

A traffic accident at less than 5mph is more likely yet less dangerous at the speeds driven during things like that.

And honestly I couldn't care less if think me or any other cop is hypocritical. I can't speak for others but many of us didn't choose this career to be liked...I would've been a firefighter if I wanted fanfare.

Purplehood wrote:I don't want to be adversarial, but wouldn't a judge say that you were indeed violating the law?

Probably...I'd pay it and keep on doing what I'm doing. It's the way I feel safest. It's $25-$50. The $200+ ones are in reference to child safety seat violations.

KD5NRH wrote:

gigag04 wrote:The seatbelt one - I RARELY wear a seatbelt in a patrol car. The thing is one big rolling target and I can't feel it across my chest as a reminder that it is on (vest) - which can be REAL BAD if you all of a sudden decide you need to bail out of your rolling target and cant feel that your seatbelt is still on.

Please post your full name, department and badge number with this statement to make it easier for the victims to find on Google when you lose control of the car due to not being able to stay in your seat.

Put the belt on every time and you won't need a reminder that it's on anymore than you need to look down the barrel of your gun to see if a round is chambered when you need it.

I won't be posting any of that.

As you didn't post it, I assume you missed the bottom half of my post where I said I will put it on if I'm rolling to something hot. Most of my time on night shift is spent sneaking around blacked out through subdivisions, or parked watching stop signs/lights. I am fully aware of the risks of collision while driving a patrol car.

handog wrote:hasizing the power of public perception could also make a difference. How can officers write tickets for seat belt violations if they're not buckled up themselves?

You also missed my statement where I said I don't write for it I guess? On days, I and most other day shift officers wear our seatbelts...you are driving in traffic more, and more visible. At night...it's a different ball game..you're not driving as much. Like I said earlier in the post...my driving consists of rolling blacked out through a neighborhoods and apartment complexes at 5 mph with the windows down. Or I'm stationary - in which case I definitely don't stay fastened to the car.

Feel free to form your own opinions (and even share them) but until you've been there and done that...they are opinions from outsiders. There are a wide array of opinions within the LE community and preferences vary at the officer level - it is their choice to decide which tactics they chose to employ.


Maybe a mod can split this off into a seperate thread.

When I was on day shift we are more intentional about our driving so as to set an example to the public and be above reproach. At 4am it is still a concern, but there is nobody on the roads - many of our calls that my team gets between 6pm and 6am are "hotter" in nature as well. That said, if I'm not going to back someone up or going to a disturbance of some sort, I don't see a reason to press the issue.


The seatbelt one - I RARELY wear a seatbelt in a patrol car. The thing is one big rolling target and I can't feel it across my chest as a reminder that it is on (vest) - which can be REAL BAD if you all of a sudden decide you need to bail out of your rolling target and cant feel that your seatbelt is still on. If I'm at highway speeds or running code across the city to something hot I'll throw it on because of all the collisions occurring during emergency vehicle operations.

I also won't write it unless it's a child in no car seat or something stupid like that.

The offenders are always someone else that is breaking the law right?

handog wrote:

gigag04 wrote:

SQLGeek wrote:

ericlw wrote:whats funny is when im riding my motorcycle at night and they stop really far behind me to run my plate to see if its stolen.obviously they think motorcyclists are stupid and dont watch where the traffic is and that i dont notice someone stopping really far behind me.lol

That's pretty normal from what I've gathered. It gives them space to move the car quickly if needed.

Never know when you need to bust a you turn and save someone's life in the opposite direction.

Or ticket an expired parking meter.

You claim to not be anti-leo yet I haven't seen you post anything to the contrary. Whatever.


To the other quote - I don't think all cops think motorcyclists are stupid. We have however worked a fair share of motorcycle fatality accidents. I don't think anyone could disagree they are dangerous. Someone stopping behind and leaving room could be a number of things. I like to leave room for the above reasons, AND it allows me to run multiple plates at the light.

SQLGeek wrote:

ericlw wrote:whats funny is when im riding my motorcycle at night and they stop really far behind me to run my plate to see if its stolen.obviously they think motorcyclists are stupid and dont watch where the traffic is and that i dont notice someone stopping really far behind me.lol

That's pretty normal from what I've gathered. It gives them space to move the car quickly if needed.

Never know when you need to bust a you turn and save someone's life in the opposite direction.

He was completing a field interview card is my guess.