caramelalb
New Member
Personal info......smcop said:
A question for the Police Officers....
- Thread starter daisykps
- Start date
Nope, I didn't say that at all. What I was saying is that at first it is the little crimes that are ignored or allowed to be given a free ride and then how long before more serious crimes get the same treatment for the "chosen ones" that flash a badge or claim relation to an LEO.smcop said:
It's the mentality of giving or getting preferential treatment that leads to greater abuses.
Richard Cranium
New Member
Ken, he'll never be able to comprehend what you're saying.
I write or don't write tickets based on the following: First the violation. If the violation is so bad, doesn't matter who you are. Second, the driving record of the person, if your driving record is so bad... third, if I feel that giving you a break makes the streets safer. If you are polite and realized what you did was wrong, and your speed wasn't so unsafe, you are most likely leaving with a warning. My job is public safety, not being a jerk, so I try to give everyone a break. Sometimes we just need a reminder, that's why I pull you over.daisykps said:
BS Gal
Voted Nicest in 08
Thanks! I got three warnings over the past 22 years. I suspect they just gave me a warning because I didn't have any points and I was nice when I got stopped (once I didn't even think what I did was illegal, but I didn't argue the point). The only one they should have given me a ticket for they didn't cause I was late to jury duty and I asked the cop if he could write a note to the judge, telling him why I was later than late.smcop said:
Nope, this has nothing to do with warnings and discretion. I'll type this real slow just for you, what I am suggesting is that when a person seeks and receives preferential treatment for minor infractions because they are a member of a select group that it is possible that those same persons will solicit and receive similar treatment for more severe infractions because of that association. It's the entitled mentality that giving preference can foster.smcop said:
It’s kind of like rolling a snowball off of a mountain peak and then being surprised when the result is an avalanche. Are you getting a clue yet? Do you use your head for anything other than a placeholder for your hat?
somdwhiner
New Member
Ken King said:
I'm going to reply very slow in case you get confused about this.
A person gets stopped for a minor traffic violation. He's an officer, a family member of one, a g/f or b/f, long lost relative, the newspaper guy that he knows. The officer can give them a written or verbal warning.
A person gets stops for a minor traffic violation. He has no affiliation with law enforcement and has been locked up in the past with a murder charge. The officer can give them a written or verbal warning. This is true whether he/she is white,black,Hispanic, oriental, Ethiopian, missing a limb, or has body odor.
If you are following this scenario, good for you.
If a person gets stopped for DUI, has weapons of mass destruction, and pot sitting visible in the passenger side seat. He's an officer, a family member of one, a g/f or b/f, long lost relative, the newspaper guy that he knows. That person will be placed under arrest.
If a person gets stopped for DUI, has weapons of mass destruction, and pot sitting visible in the passenger side seat. He has no affiliation with law enforcement and has been locked up in the past. That person will be placed under arrest.
If you are still following this, I even copied and pasted it so it would be as clear as possible. You come on here expressing your concern that officer's do not have any type of discretion and were proved wrong and still trying to put up a mere argument on a piece of information you "read about".
To make this as clearly as possible, a person can have a thin blue line sticker, a pot smoker sticker, a "if you can't feed them, don't breed them" sticker, a simple smiley face on the rear bumper, or a smib redneck sticker, they all can receive a written or verbal warning based on the officer. You're trying to insinuate that people that are LEO or family members gets special treatment and that is not the case. Those warnings are given to EVERYONE. It's not a special monopoly ticket stating get out of jail free card that they have in case they stop a LEO, or family member. There is no law that states if he/she is LEO, that they are to be left alone no matter what they are doing.
On the same token in case you want to babble about the other side. I'm sure there have been times a officer, a family member of one, a g/f or b/f, long lost relative, the newspaper guy, was stopped for DUI and they got off without being arrested.
There have been times when a person with no affiliation with law enforcement and has been locked up in the past with a murder charge, was stopped for DUI and they got off without being arrested.
If they get off with DUI, that's on the officer's shoulders alone.
If you are still confused about this, then you need to seek more help than doing research on the internet trying to face your case. You're probably some nerdy computer guy with nothing else better to do than prove your point without having any first hand knowledge of the laws, or never been in law enforcement. If I need some computer help, I'll give you a call because even though I can search on the internet for solutions, it would probably be a lot easier to call you since you have first hand experience.
Cliff note reading:
Everyone can get a warning. If there was preferential treatment those warnings would apply only to LEO or family members which is not the case so refrain from using that term since it doesn't even apply here. Everyone can go to jail no matter the affiliation. You can use the snowball effect all day long saying what if's trying to argue a point.
Last edited:
donbarzini
Well-Known Member
Whiner, you're missing Ken's point. How do I know this? Your statement that LEO's(I HATE THAT TERM) and their families do not receive special treatment because of who they are. You are either lying or blind. It happens. Why else would you put the blue line sticker/FOP plates/FOP star in circle on your vehicle?
somdwhiner
New Member
and how many times have people with blue line stickers and fop tags have been stopped for violations? It's not a free pass just because of the sticker. Those same people with FOP tags and thin blue line stickers HAVE been arrested for DUI or received a citation. Yes, I do know this. I'm saying if I see a FOP tag, a sticker, whatever, I'll still stop them if they are caught in a violation. I ask them what agency they are in and if it's a minor infraction, I won't call in their license number and let them go. The only difference is if they don't have the sticker, I would call in the license to make sure it's valid and does not have any open warrants. If they don't, they get a warning, a speech about slowing down next time, simple as that.
I'm sure it has happened in the past, but that's on that one officer's shoulders. I'm not mentioning officer courtesy because it's not in the handbook of if they have this, don't stop them.
I'm sure it has happened in the past, but that's on that one officer's shoulders. I'm not mentioning officer courtesy because it's not in the handbook of if they have this, don't stop them.
Last edited:
donbarzini
Well-Known Member
But you see, your reply to me is replete with the word "I". Neither Ken nor I were talking about YOU as an individual. Ken is saying that it happens; and once it does happen, it makes it easier to "forgive" the next infraction. And the one after that, etc... until it snowballs.
somdwhiner
New Member
I'm sure anything COULD happen but that rests on that individual officers shoulders alone. If an officer let's a fellow officer off with a DUI, it's wrong and should not be tolerated but sure it has happened in the past. I have a thin blue line sticker on my car and have never gotten pulled-because I don't speed. My mom has one and she has gotten a citation. Did I help her out? Yes I did. I also told her the next one is on her and it hasn't happened again. She got one in the past and ended up doing community service to clear it off without my help. It's not a free pass to do whatever you want, but again I'm sure it has been done, but not tolerated within the agency itself.
I'm implying that this is not a standard practice for a law enforcement agency.
I'm implying that this is not a standard practice for a law enforcement agency.
Last edited:
The only one confused is you. Again I’ll ask you to cite specifically where within the laws of Maryland it says that a law enforcement officer does not have to enforce the laws of Maryland, that they can pick and choose which ones they will enforce or which one’s they will let slide. You won’t be able to do it. You know this, so do I and everyone else here.somdwhiner said:
Now as to officer discretion I can chalk that up to many things like an officer looking at a possible violation of the law and saying that for some unknown reason they don’t think that they can provide evidence to support the charge or if evidence does exist then they are willfully disregarding the law thus becoming judge and jury placing themselves above the law and their position. I see getting a warning as an admonition given by the officer and while those receiving them should appreciate it these warnings are in my mind an abuse of power as it isn’t the officer’s job to determine guilt or innocence.
But none of this is the issue that I thought we were discussing. What I have been talking about are those that by their association seek and expect special consideration when confronted with possible citation for an infraction and the many receiving such consideration that fosters further usurpation of the duties persons like you have sworn to perform.
I am also willing to bet that when you are sworn in as an officer you take an oath as to your truthfulness and to your dedication towards enforcing the laws as written, how does that mix with cutting friends, brother officer’s and their families slack or for that matter anyone?