Whew! What a bunch of rhetoric and cop bashing out here today.
Lug, if you want to file a complaint, it needs to be in writing. This is a requirement that most police agencies have because so many groundless complaints are received. Everybody that gets a ticket or has an involvement with the police, seems to want to complain about it. Putting it in writing simply makes it a verifiable, legitimate complaint. An investigation is done, the officer is required to write a detailed report about it and the proper punishment is handed out if the complaint is upheld. The Sheriff's office and the Maryland State Police both have divisions that handle these complaints.
Those of you who think a police officer is "off duty" out enjoying your "tax dollars" need to re-think your position. "Off-duty" police officers respond to many incidents when they occur near them, be it an accident, a robbery, a murder, whatever. That is one of the reasosn they are allowed the privledge of driving their cars off-duty. 6 out of the last 10 times I was riding with my iwfe whie she was "off-duty", she responded to and or handled the following incidents: 1) responded to and helped investigate another police officers "on-duty" departmental accident. We were there for 2.5 hours, "off-duty." 2) Responded to a disorderly subject call, found and arrested the disorderly subject which lead to an "officer needs assistance" call because the man resisted arrest violently. 3) Stopped in the middle of the highway to remove large debris blocking the highway. 4) Stopped and arrested a drunk driver who was so drunk they were driving in the median strip of Route 235. 5) Arrived on the scene of an accident and assisted in the investigation of the accident before 9-1-1 had even been called. 6) Assisted another officer who was attempting to arrest a disorderly, drunk driver who was resisting arrest. These incidents occurred over about a 4 month period of time and all while she was "off-duty."
In addition, in the last 6 months, she has been called at home while she was "off-duty" and had to respond to several fatal / seriously injured accidents at least 4 times that I can remember.
To those who think stepping out in front of cars to stop them is dangerous / contrbutes to a public safety problem, what would you have them do? Yes, it is dangerous, they risk their lives doing it. Plain and simple if YOU weren't speeding, they wouldn't have to do it. I am not telling you I don't speed, I do, and I take my chances of getting a ticket just like everyone else. Traffic stops lead to arrests, they find felons, people with drugs, people with suspended / revoked, licenses, etc. Criminals SPEED and commit other traffic offenses which leads to their arrests because a cop running radar stepped out in front of them and stopped them.
If the police don't enforce the speed / traffic laws, what other laws shoud they overlook? Shop lifting? Drunks? "Minor" drug offenses? You pick the laws they should enforce and the ones they should ignore. What you don't see as a problem, someone else might.
Cops drink???? and drive??? I am shocked!!!! AND they take the same chance you and I do everytime they do it. I know 2 St. Mary's Deputies who drank and drove and both were disciplined with a loss of pay, reduction in rank, and re-assigned from their positions. I know a Maryland State Trooper who was FIRED for the offense 10 years ago. Would you be fired if you got a DWI, I doubt it.
Police Officers are ALWAYS held to a higher standard in their professional and personal lives. Happyappygirl is right, an innocent home accident CAN lead to an investigation of an officer. Police Officers are ALWAYS being watched, and when someone sees them doing something "wrong" even when they are off duty, people call in and complain. And that complaint can lead to disciplinary action. Is that fair? If they are not in uniform, not in a police car, just out like "ordinary citizens", should someone be allowed to call their supervisor and get them in trouble because they commit some petty offense? It shouldn't be allowed, but it is. Any other employer would LAUGH if you called to say, "I saw a guy I know who works for you and he was lighting off fireworks last night and I want you to do something about it." Make that same complaint against a police ofier, and they could get in trouble.
So, they are truly NEVER off duty, because anyone who knows what they do for a living also knows they can call the Sheriff or the Barrack Commander and make a complaint about them. It doesn't have to do anything with their work performance or their job, but they can still be in trouble over it.
Grow up. Take your lumps! If you speed, take the ticket. If you drink and drive, go to jail. And get off the cops a$$ who is only enforcing the laws made by CIVILIANS. Want different laws, elect different politicians. Police officers simply enforce the laws they took an oath to uphold. They receive no money from any tickets they write and they do not have quotas to meet.
##### - Moan - Gripe!!! If we didn't break laws, we wouldn't need police officers in the 1st place. Unfortunately, most of us do, on a regular basis, break the law and when we get caught, we have to pay the price. And when you speed, you ARE breaking the law, whether you like the law or not!
