Yeah, well, here I am....
anyway... How do you know that that officer wasn't looking for a vehicle that matched your description? Perhaps he was tailgating you to get your plate correctly. Some states are very hard to read, depending on what vehicle they are on, and I have excellent eyesight.
Do some officers break the law without cause? Sure, and they should be reprimanded for it. I, too, think that officers should be held to a higher standard than the general public. But consider this:
If an officer merely goes with the flow of traffic, his opportunity to spot violators of traffic or other laws is diminished, since he will remain with virtually the same group of vehicles for a period of time (highway patrol). If he moves through traffic, his opportunity to observe a greater number of cars, have them observe him (which is a great deterrant), is increased. He could drive slower than traffic, but as we all know that usually results in a large traffic jam of motorists afraid to pass the squad. So he is left, as a matter of practicality, to drive faster than the rest of traffic. Most officers have also received EVOC training, and so they know how to handle their vehicle properly at those elevated speeds. Now, before you waive your SCCA racing license in the air, think of this: How does an officer know that you have received this special training over and above other motorists? He has no way to tell, and thus you are relegated to obeying the same laws as the rest of the public.
Officers are not required to use lights/siren when responding to calls. Officers are also not bound by traffic laws when responding, so long as they exercise due care and do not behave in a willful/wanton reckless manner, disregarding the safety of other motorists.
I don't know that any officer would tailgate someone in order to cause them to speed and then pull them over and ticket for same. That is just paranoid, but I think someone already told you that.... :rolleyes:
