Why Do Cops Bother?
- Thread starter Bay_Kat
- Start date
Larry Gude
Strung Out
The problem...
...is disparity of speed plus we all drive too close together anyway. One person over or under reacts; chain reaction.
With all our cameras and citizens with cell phones, there has GOT to be a better way. It seems reasonable that cameras and citizens calling in could be enough, more than enough to start some sort of policing program where general descriptions from enough people can start a file on someone where it's known that this bike/car owned by this person has been flagged 2,3 or more times as a reckless driver.
At some point there would be enough feathers to say this duck has reached a threshold to take action.
rack'm said:Christ forbid that the cops actually learn how to drive.
...is disparity of speed plus we all drive too close together anyway. One person over or under reacts; chain reaction.
With all our cameras and citizens with cell phones, there has GOT to be a better way. It seems reasonable that cameras and citizens calling in could be enough, more than enough to start some sort of policing program where general descriptions from enough people can start a file on someone where it's known that this bike/car owned by this person has been flagged 2,3 or more times as a reckless driver.
At some point there would be enough feathers to say this duck has reached a threshold to take action.
rack'm
Jaded
Larry Gude said:
Agreed....
I'd say the cop was at fault this time, following too close where he couldn't avoid the collision with the truck.
With all of the cruisers on the road, you would think that there would of been more than one cruiser to follow this guy without having to be up his butt...and if the cop was that close, get the tag # and fall back until he loses it. :shrug:
Larry Gude
Strung Out
I totally understand a cop...
...fired up to get his man; I want a 'hunting dog' as an officer. We need to recognize and remember they're OUR cops and we need OUR judicial system to back them up. If they KNOW a judge is going to consider the 50 cell phone calls generally describing the guy and several camera shots supporting that the cop was trying to get a bad guy, it would be easier for them to back off and help take the carnage out of this.
I've changed my mind Bay Kat. This has got to be addressed. I don't want cops turning the beltway into any more of a bowling alley than it already is any more than I want a menace to society to get off free just by hitting the throttle. We gotta help.
rack'm said:
...fired up to get his man; I want a 'hunting dog' as an officer. We need to recognize and remember they're OUR cops and we need OUR judicial system to back them up. If they KNOW a judge is going to consider the 50 cell phone calls generally describing the guy and several camera shots supporting that the cop was trying to get a bad guy, it would be easier for them to back off and help take the carnage out of this.
I've changed my mind Bay Kat. This has got to be addressed. I don't want cops turning the beltway into any more of a bowling alley than it already is any more than I want a menace to society to get off free just by hitting the throttle. We gotta help.
kom526
They call me ... Sarcasmo
Most people are too apathetic to make this work. There are some out there who do try (just listen to the scanner) but to what extent does it help? I called in a (suspected) drunk driver once and luckily as I was giving the vehicle description to dispatch we passed a SMDS. If this fortunate coincidence had not have happened who knows what the outcome would have been.Larry Gude said:
Trying to chase a sport bike is just foolhardy at best. I'm in the try "to get a tag number and let it go" camp, eventually the rider is going to F up much to his physical displeasure.
itsbob
I bowl overhand
I agree with the collision avoidance, and I already stated my thoughts of a cop car being no safer than anyone else's at speed, but the fault of this accident lies squarely on the shoulders of the squid.rack'm said:
That being said, do we have a speed the cop was travelling at? As I mentioned before, if a cop is chasing a felon in traffic, there is a speed where they will call off the chase.. and it's below 100 MPH, but if I pass a cop sitting on the side of the road and I'm doing 85, and he catches me from a standstill within 2 miles, how fast did he have to go to catch me? WELL over 100.. So it's not safe, prudent or allowed to chase a felon at or above 100MPH but's routine to go faster than that to catch a speeder. Doesn't make much sense does it?
Intent follows the bullet, or in this case, the motorcycle. He cut off the truck.. what happened after that is anyone's guess.. My guess is the bike scared the crap out of the driver of the truck, he/she swerves right into the path of the cop.
Now we are back to, what's the stopping distance of a car travelling 80 MPH? A police car travelling the same speed? the police car with lights and sirens going? A police car has no business going +100MPH anymore than one of my cars or my bike does, especially in traffic.
I'm actually surprised that every square inch of the beltway isn't covered by camera's with high enough resolution to capture someone's plate.
aps45819
24/7 Single Dad
That's a good example of various agencies not working together. The cop should have been able to call into where the beltway cameras are monitored and they could have "chased" the biker electronically and covered the exits ahead of him to nab him on a ramp.itsbob said:
... but a cowboy cop that wants to run down a bike at over 100 mph in rush hour traffic is as big a menace as the bike.
flomaster
J.F. A sus ordenes!
I would expect that the pursuing officer has some obligation to access the situation and see if a chase is prudent at the time. I can' imagine that they just drop a cinder block on the gas pedal without looking to see what the traffice situation is like. On the flip side you have an idiot flying down the road which is what usually starts the chase and the cop can't just sit there and say, "well its a motorcycle and I won't catch it".
bohman
Well-Known Member
itsbob said:
That's an extremely pertinent question. We all know that major accidents can happen on the interstate even when everyone is going approximately the same speed. One idiot swerves for a squirrel (sorry DoWhat) and suddenly cars are piled high.
This accident is being discussed as though biker and cop were both doing 160, but what if the biker decided he could shake that cop off by ducking through heavy 65mph traffic at, say, 80mph? It would be difficult to fault a cop for initiating a pursuit at those speeds, but the resulting accident could happen all the same.
It would still be far better to "pursue" with the use of cameras, radios, and maybe a helicopter. I'm just pointing out that maybe we are rushing conclusions about this cop's decision.
huntr1
.
The camera you are all talking about would be nice and all, but how about the idiots who mount their plates and then fold them up so they are under the rear fender, facing down at the tire and you can't see any of it unless you lay on the ground and look up? Those are the idiots who are doing the crazy azz driving on their crotch rockets. They obviously don't care about the law. Mounting your tag like that is blatantly illegal and the only logical reason to do it is to make it harder to identify the bike to the police. If I was a cop, I'd pull over each and every one that I saw with their tag like that.
flomaster
J.F. A sus ordenes!
Pushrod said:
I wouldn't want that kind of legislation either but how else do you think we can control the idiots riding like a-holes. If you don't ride like an a-hole then legislation wouldnt hurt ya. As far as I am concerned the 3 strikes and you are done riding motorcycles forever should apply for reckless drivers. Of course you can have 100 DUI's and keep going too.
Bay_Kat
Tropical
