| MyGTR |
I am curious to know how you guys (cops) feel about this.
But first, I will preface this with the fact that I have a clean license so this is not a backlash to a recent ticket or anything like that. I often see Edmonton's finest doing things that reflect a double standard and, frankly, piss me off.
Apparently, cops are actually above the law.
Here are a few:
2:30 AM; I am at a red light. No one around in any direction besides the approaching police car. Cop pulls up next to me (clearly not in a hurry). Stops, looks over at me to make sure I am not drunk I guess, hits his lights, rolls through the intersection, turns off lights, cruises happily away as I abide by the law and wait for the light to turn green.
Cop drives by in other direction talking on cell phone just as the news about the proposed cell phone ban plays on the radio. Is it dangerous or not? If it is, why are cops doing it. If it isn't why is the chief of police in favour of a ban?
I am driving exactly at the speed limit on 149street heading north. Cop rolls past me easily 10kms over speed limit. No lights. No Sirens. What gives? This type of scenario happens all the time. So when exactly do the police have to follow the rules of the road when not in an emergency situation?
There are also countless examples of unsafe lane changes, no signals, tail gating, speeding with no lights or sirens, etc.
Pisses me off. |
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| Geofux |
Friday night when we were at BP's, most of us witnessed a cop on Jasper ave turn on his lights, and turn left onto 106st... and then immediately turn them off.
I've seen cops doing well over the speed limit before. I have a camera in car and I think I'll be keeping it out more often... |
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| DivineRight |
First of all to the OP, don't use words too big for you because it is spelled "HYPOCRITE". Spell check your posts as it makes you look like a moron when your writing skills are that of an 8 year old.
quote:
I often see Edmonton's finest doing things that reflect a double standard and, frankly, piss me off.
Really, you are pissed off huh? You drive around in a marked law enforcement vehicle and run into dangerous situations while everyone else is running the other direction? I love how a civilian who knows nothing about policing, or common sense for that matter, tries to place himself in the same category.
A uniformed police vehicle on patrol can and will get dispatched priority calls as they come in. That means, some of the police officers who are pulling up nice and slow or just doing a casual cruise around an area could suddenly need to be somewhere else fast. Could it of not been coincidence that at the time he pulled up to you, a domestic assault, a large gang fight, a break & enter in progress or a robbery could have been occurring? The uniformed police vehicle was not like you, the officer was not on his/her way home from a night of fun.
As well, depending on the situation, the type of call they are going to and the time of day, how emergency lights and sirens are used varies. Police are not firefighters who turn on lights and sirens every time and all the time.
Now this comes as common sense to me but if you were a bad guy committing a crime and you heard loud sirens and saw bright red and blue lights coming from the front, what would you do? I’ll tell you because it is obvious that you don’t know, they run in another direction as fast as they can before the lights and sirens arrive. A police officer's job isn't to scare the bad guys away, it is to attempt to catch them. So it is not uncommon for police to turn off emergency equipment when they are several blocks away from a crime scene and try to sneak up on the bad guys. Geofux, you were downtown and the "most of us" you were talking about most likely did not work in any type of emergency response environment. In the downtown core, 80% of the calls for police service exist there so unless you just moved in from the boonies, get used to seeing police action there. So before you get all high and mighty and decide to run around like you are Lois Lane, go on a ride-along or do some reading. I just hope that I find you driving around with that camera on my watch :thumbup:
Also, Mr. MyGTR, you said it yourself, it was 2:30am and there are a lot of residences on 149 St North bound, so why would the cop need to turn on his sirens at that time? To annoy all of the sleeping people who had to work early that morning? Did the police vehicle turn off after you saw him *GASP* run the red light? Did other police vehicles enter the area in the same manner? You saw the lights and you understood the cop's intentions, are you assuming that someone else would be too stupid to also come to the realization and need the sirens to supplement the obvious?
For the same reason police in the city can't arrest the women driving with a cell phone in one hand, a cup of coffee and lipstick in the other hand trying to drive stick shift, the cell phone thing is a joke. If a cop causes an accident and the reason can be proven that it was from talking on a cell phone, you can bet he/she will get more than a simple violation ticket.
Following potential stolen vehicles or high risk suspects, (here is what makes me scratch my head) I mean you have all watched a movie with car chases...what usually happens when the person knows he is being followed? They start driving CRAZY with zero disregard for life or property in an attempt to lose the followers. Now it is hard enough trying to remain incognito in a marked police vehicle, try doing it with lights and sirens. Or better yet, a one-man police vehicle is following a suspect vehicle that an all points bulletin has been broadcasted for, known to have weapons and it is clearly full of bad dudes…why not let them know they are being followed by a single unit police car with lights and sirens on? Oh right, that would probably end up getting the officer killed or force a high speed vehicle pursuit where more innocent lives and property could be lost.
Yes, a police vehicle will drive fast to catch up to the vehicle or suspect we are trying to catch. Yes, when a police vehicle is following a suspect car no signals are made for lane changes and many times we have to read obstructed licence plates, attempt to see how many suspects are inside a vehicle we are following (but the windows are tinted and it is dark) so there might be some following closely. Yes, a police vehicle will drive over the speed limit to get into an area where the bad guys are without lights and sirens. The difference between the common citizen and a police officer is that the police have emergency vehicle operation training and the common citizen doesn’t. To further justify this, section 64(1) of the Use of Highways and Rules of the Road Regulations entitles peace officers, if required to do so to carry out their duties, to:
(1) operate the motor vehicle in excess of the posted speed limit,
(2) proceed past a red traffic light, stop signal, or stop sign without stopping, and
(3) contravene any other rule of the road that is prescribed by this act, the regulations, or a municipal bylaw while not operating a siren where, where considering the circumstances, it is reasonable and safe to do so.
So the next time you feel pissed off because a marked police unit can do things you can't do, try and remember that you are a civilian with no powers of a peace officer in Alberta and not in a marked law enforcement vehicle. Don't assume things that you have zero comprehension of and you should try giving the police the benefit of the doubt for a change. Lets hope you two high and mighty crime fighters trying to weed out "the dirty cop epidemic" don't get caught making a mistake any time soon. |
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| SilverNeonRacer |
Now while I agree with 99.9% of what DivineRight says.. cops are people too and they can make mistakes. I will state it now as DivineRight says: "I love how a civilian who knows nothing about policing, or common sense for that matter, tries to place himself in the same category." While I have never been a Police Officer, I am ex Army and ex security gaurd(ya I know the term "Rent-A-wannbe").
I too have seen Police cruisers do some stupid things, example I saw a swat car decide, "No I don't want to wait in the line to turn left from 97st North to 127ave west bound, I'll pull out and go up the road more" he cut off an ETS bus who had to slam on the brakes toss and all the passengers around, some hit the floor. So I decided the follow said officer to see if he was responding to a call... if a swat guy doing 55 in a 60 zone who is following all the other rules of the road as we civis do is responding to a call... I dunno.. any how he sauntered he way up to 137Ave to make his left turn. I went to the local Police station(Londonderry at the time) I didn't really file a complaint, I just told them what happened, cruiser #, etc and asked them to tell the driver to check his mirrors next time.
Oddly enough I had Police tails every night for the next 2 weeks(I sold my car) from 1 block away from home all the way 1 block from work. heh I tought it was interesting because normally I didn't see any cruisers on my way to work. but I will also admit that was back in 1998/1999.
But as I said police are people too, they make mistakes, even with extra training, people do also have to realized Police Officers have alot more to think about while driving, not just "I need to get to point B safely"
You want a funny one.. once i saw a cruiser going down 144ave between 97st and 66st, he had lights and sirens going... I passed him twice on my mountian bike.. I passed him, had to stop for 82st light, he passed me as he rolled up as it turned green.. then a little bit downt he road I passed him again... no idea what he was doing.. but he was doing about 40km/h |
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| Vive le Quebec |
| EDIT: Seems that others have replied with much the same message as myself. |
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| Invalid Zero |
DivineRight, thanks for saving me the time of typing a bunch of shit out. :thumbup:
Oh and IB4TL. |
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| DivineRight |
SilverNeonRacer, you are absolutely right, cops are human and they make mistakes. If they were grilled about their mistakes, fine then, they screwed up and now they need to face the consequences. What aggrevates me is when they are doing their job and doing it right yet they still get raked over the coals for it.
Could you imagine if construction workers got complaints for wearing orange safety vests because the someone felt that the color orange was offensive?
This isn't a cheap shot at the Fire department but how come nobody complains about a Fire fighter in uniform shopping for food at Costco, knowing that all that high quality food is paid for by the city.
Taxi cab drivers can be the worst drivers on the street and for some odd reason they feel that they can park anywhere and stop wherever they want. You want to talk about cutting people off or following too closely, not signalling turns, ect. Why don't people offer to video tape them or call in complaints about them like they do with the police?
As soon as there is a cop bashing thread watch the trolls come out of the woodwork. |
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| SilverNeonRacer |
quote:
Originally posted by DivineRight
Taxi cab drivers can be the worst drivers on the street and for some odd reason they feel that they can park anywhere and stop wherever they want. You want to talk about cutting people off or following too closely, not signalling turns, ect. Why don't people offer to video tape them or call in complaints about them like they do with the police?
Heh oh believe me, I call them in.. I sit on hold and file complaint.. cabbies who think they own the road piss me off more than anybody... (Disclaimer: Not all cabbies are bad, just a good number of them)
I've only called in that one cop I think.. I have pulled over a couple cops (RCMP) to tell him he had a brake light out heheh... I pulled over another RCMP another time to tell him I had a rifle in the trunk and if he wanted it. Can you imagine the look I got heh.
Generally I have very few complaints in regards to Police officers in general.. occationally you get an officer who thinks he knows the law on certain things, and doesn't and is being a disk about it, but I've had cops let me off on over $700 in fines + towing, the other week when I was being chased they responded pretty quick considering i was moving through zones(started at Rexall, ended by Whyte ave near the A&W, they handed out over $600 in fines to the other guys :P |
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| AudiInProgress |
quote:
Originally posted by DivineRight
First of all to the OP, don't use words too big for you because it is spelled "HYPOCRITE". Spell check your posts as it makes you look like a moron when your writing skills are that of an 8 year old.
Really, you are pissed off huh? You drive around in a marked law enforcement vehicle and run into dangerous situations while everyone else is running the other direction? I love how a civilian who knows nothing about policing, or common sense for that matter, tries to place himself in the same category.
A uniformed police vehicle on patrol can and will get dispatched priority calls as they come in. That means, some of the police officers who are pulling up nice and slow or just doing a casual cruise around an area could suddenly need to be somewhere else fast. Could it of not been coincidence that at the time he pulled up to you, a domestic assault, a large gang fight, a break & enter in progress or a robbery could have been occurring? The uniformed police vehicle was not like you, the officer was not on his/her way home from a night of fun.
As well, depending on the situation, the type of call they are going to and the time of day, how emergency lights and sirens are used varies. Police are not firefighters who turn on lights and sirens every time and all the time.
Now this comes as common sense to me but if you were a bad guy committing a crime and you heard loud sirens and saw bright red and blue lights coming from the front, what would you do? I’ll tell you because it is obvious that you don’t know, they run in another direction as fast as they can before the lights and sirens arrive. A police officer's job isn't to scare the bad guys away, it is to attempt to catch them. So it is not uncommon for police to turn off emergency equipment when they are several blocks away from a crime scene and try to sneak up on the bad guys. Geofux, you were downtown and the "most of us" you were talking about most likely did not work in any type of emergency response environment. In the downtown core, 80% of the calls for police service exist there so unless you just moved in from the boonies, get used to seeing police action there. So before you get all high and mighty and decide to run around like you are Lois Lane, go on a ride-along or do some reading. I just hope that I find you driving around with that camera on my watch :thumbup:
Also, Mr. MyGTR, you said it yourself, it was 2:30am and there are a lot of residences on 149 St North bound, so why would the cop need to turn on his sirens at that time? To annoy all of the sleeping people who had to work early that morning? Did the police vehicle turn off after you saw him *GASP* run the red light? Did other police vehicles enter the area in the same manner? You saw the lights and you understood the cop's intentions, are you assuming that someone else would be too stupid to also come to the realization and need the sirens to supplement the obvious?
For the same reason police in the city can't arrest the women driving with a cell phone in one hand, a cup of coffee and lipstick in the other hand trying to drive stick shift, the cell phone thing is a joke. If a cop causes an accident and the reason can be proven that it was from talking on a cell phone, you can bet he/she will get more than a simple violation ticket.
Following potential stolen vehicles or high risk suspects, (here is what makes me scratch my head) I mean you have all watched a movie with car chases...what usually happens when the person knows he is being followed? They start driving CRAZY with zero disregard for life or property in an attempt to lose the followers. Now it is hard enough trying to remain incognito in a marked police vehicle, try doing it with lights and sirens. Or better yet, a one-man police vehicle is following a suspect vehicle that an all points bulletin has been broadcasted for, known to have weapons and it is clearly full of bad dudes…why not let them know they are being followed by a single unit police car with lights and sirens on? Oh right, that would probably end up getting the officer killed or force a high speed vehicle pursuit where more innocent lives and property could be lost.
Yes, a police vehicle will drive fast to catch up to the vehicle or suspect we are trying to catch. Yes, when a police vehicle is following a suspect car no signals are made for lane changes and many times we have to read obstructed licence plates, attempt to see how many suspects are inside a vehicle we are following (but the windows are tinted and it is dark) so there might be some following closely. Yes, a police vehicle will drive over the speed limit to get into an area where the bad guys are without lights and sirens. The difference between the common citizen and a police officer is that the police have emergency vehicle operation training and the common citizen doesn’t. To further justify this, section 64(1) of the Use of Highways and Rules of the Road Regulations entitles peace officers, if required to do so to carry out their duties, to:
(1) operate the motor vehicle in excess of the posted speed limit,
(2) proceed past a red traffic light, stop signal, or stop sign without stopping, and
(3) contravene any other rule of the road that is prescribed by this act, the regulations, or a municipal bylaw while not operating a siren where, where considering the circumstances, it is reasonable and safe to do so.
So the next time you feel pissed off because a marked police unit can do things you can't do, try and remember that you are a civilian with no powers of a peace officer in Alberta and not in a marked law enforcement vehicle. Don't assume things that you have zero comprehension of and you should try giving the police the benefit of the doubt for a change. Lets hope you two high and mighty crime fighters trying to weed out "the dirty cop epidemic" don't get caught making a mistake any time soon.
"Could it of not been..." <--- That's some pretty fancy book learnings you got there, boy.
"zero disregard" <--- Would mean driving perfectly.
The next time you want to open up an argument by criticizing someone else's grammar and/or spelling... Perhaps *YOU* should learn to write at a level above 8th grade yourself. |
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| BLOCKER |
quote:
Originally posted by MyGTR
I am curious to know how you guys (cops) feel about this.
I will tell you...
quote:
[i]But first, I will preface this with the fact that I have a clean license so this is not a backlash to a recent ticket or anything like that. I often see Edmonton's finest doing things that reflect a double standard and, frankly, piss me off.[/B]
Starting to sound like a bit of a rant
quote:
[i]Apparently, cops are actually above the law.[/B]
Little bit more of a rant, however, see section 64 UHR... Not above the law, in lawful exicution of duty...
quote:
[i]Here are a few:
2:30 AM; I am at a red light. No one around in any direction besides the approaching police car. Cop pulls up next to me (clearly not in a hurry). Stops, looks over at me to make sure I am not drunk I guess, hits his lights, rolls through the intersection, turns off lights, cruises happily away as I abide by the law and wait for the light to turn green.[/B]
Conducting patrol, ensures your not intoxicated, and continues on. How do you know he cruised happily away? Its 2:30 in the morning, It is busy, he is probably on his way to one of probably 20 outstanding calls. he would much rather be at home with his family. Don't think he would be cruising happily.
quote:
[i]Cop drives by in other direction talking on cell phone just as the news about the proposed cell phone ban plays on the radio. Is it dangerous or not? If it is, why are cops doing it. If it isn't why is the chief of police in favour of a ban?[/B]
1. he is probably using his personal cell phone to call complainants as the service refuses to provide cell phones to all patrol officers
2. There is no law forbiding the use of cell phones while driving. above the law? does not apply in this instance.
quote:
[i]I am driving exactly at the speed limit on 149street heading north. Cop rolls past me easily 10kms over speed limit. No lights. No Sirens. What gives? This type of scenario happens all the time. So when exactly do the police have to follow the rules of the road when not in an emergency situation?
There are also countless examples of unsafe lane changes, no signals, tail gating, speeding with no lights or sirens, etc.[/B]
you obvously don't know the situations these officers are in do you? all you see is a police officer speeding.
quote:
[i]Pisses me off. [/B]
Again, sounds like a rant....
Instead of attempting to police the police by carrying your video cameras around and constantly "questioning" authority, Obey the law, call in suspicious activity, accept the consequences of your actions. The majority of complaints made against police officers come from other police officers.
Lets stop bitching about something you are obviously uneducated about... |
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| T2_05 |
quote:
Originally posted by AudiInProgress
The next time you want to open up an argument by criticizing someone elses grammer and/or spelling... Perhaps *YOU* should learn to write at a level above 8th grade yourself.
someone else's grammar :lol: |
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| BLOCKER |
| We all know AudiInProgress is the only Grammar cop on the board! |
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| AudiInProgress |
quote:
Originally posted by DivineRight
SilverNeonRacer, you are absolutely right, cops are human and they make mistakes. If they were grilled about their mistakes, fine then, they screwed up and now they need to face the consequences. What aggrevates me is when they are doing their job and doing it right yet they still get raked over the coals for it.
Could you imagine if construction workers got complaints for wearing orange safety vests because the someone felt that the color orange was offensive?
This isn't a cheap shot at the Fire department but how come nobody complains about a Fire fighter in uniform shopping for food at Costco, knowing that all that high quality food is paid for by the city.
Taxi cab drivers can be the worst drivers on the street and for some odd reason they feel that they can park anywhere and stop wherever they want. You want to talk about cutting people off or following too closely, not signalling turns, ect. Why don't people offer to video tape them or call in complaints about them like they do with the police?
As soon as there is a cop bashing thread watch the trolls come out of the woodwork.
aggravates |
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| AudiInProgress |
quote:
Originally posted by BLOCKER
We all know AudiInProgress is the only Grammar cop on the board!
Thanks man! |
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| Dan_Gyoba |
Cops are people too.
I've seen police officers in marked cars do some unreasonable things. I think everyone has a story about a police cruiser turning on the lights to go through a red light and into the Tim Hortons drive-thru. I also don't believe for a moment that it happens as often as is claimed.
I'll admit to maybe deciding that it's ridiculous to wait for a red light at 2:30 AM when there are no cars around for literally miles. No big deal.
I've said before that I'm more than happy to have officers take potentially dangerous people off of the streets. If an officer on patrol can check more cars at 2:30 AM by not waiting at a light, that's him doing his job more effectively for his paycheque. Good on 'im. He looked at you, you're okay, time to go find someone who is perhaps not okay. The point is that unless you're in the car, you've no way to know why. There are many possible valid reasons for these actions. |
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| DivineRight |
AudiInProgress, how is this for perfect grammar and spelling:
Kiss my yellow ass.
;) |
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| joker |
MyGTR
Be thankful you have Blocker as a cop and not me as he seems to have alot more patience than myself.
While you are free to ask those types of questions nobody in our little corner of 780tuners gives a shit about what pisses you off. Next time just ask clear straight forward questions and they will be answered accordingly, putting in comments about cops being above the law accomplish nothing and end up getting you flamed or banned depending on who sees them first. |
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| Geofux |
DivineRight & Blocker
Thank you, you have cleared up some things that I have not thought of before, or even knew. |
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