Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests Cops and "blue light pass"

Originally posted by svtcarboy:
Since I have been told by police officers that they were trained with the expectation that they were to adhere to a higher standard of conduct than what the ordinary citizen needs to as a part of duty, I consider your opinion to be status quo with that police officers are currently trained to do, if not part of everyday practice. I do agree with you on this point, status quo or not.

However, I do think you give too much benefit of the doubt that the officer has an emergency when they are taking liberties with traffic laws.

And I think that you assume, with no knowledge of the situation, far too often that the officer is not in fact involved in a search, etc....

Citizens may be too quick to state it is unnecessary, but I think (and neither of us have proof) that far more of these incidents are nonemergencies than you are giving responsibility for.

Again, your assumption.

Considering the percentage that I have seen from point of liberty to destination, the majority are clearly non-emergency situations, and the police were not called to the location. Your area may be different, and I applaud your officers and management for a better standard than exists here.

Again, I also never said that breaking traffic laws for convienence was acceptable.

I actually not only read the thread about the IL law regarding secret compartments, but I was an active participant. It was a complete defense of status quo saying that the legislature, police, and courts did exactly what should be done, even though the wording has considerable excess latitude in it. I saw no criticism or plan for improvement stated by you for the law or anyone involved in the process of it in any of your statements.

Because, IMO, none is necessarry. My point about that thread is that my arguements were well thought out, and consisted of my opinions. Apparently, you have a problem with accepting the fact that some people agree with certain laws, especially when you don't. Further, it is apparently your position that if you do not agree with a law, and whoever you are debating with does, that person must not be "thinking for themselves", rather they are simply regurgitating what they have been taught. Rather self-centered of you.

This is a poor example of stating that you have forwarded ideas based on bettering the justice system. It actually proves my point of a wholesale defense of whatever procedure is implemented by the police.

No, it proved mine, as stated above.

I'm not saying I drive to the law all the time, as a good number of traffic laws are ridiculous. However, as you said before, cops should be held to a higher standard than they enforce.

And so the cause for your animosity toward the police is revealed. Wondered when we would get around to that. YOU selectively obey the traffic laws that YOU deem worthy, and as such YOU probably believe that YOU have been unfairly ticketed, convicted, and fined. Well, life is about more than just YOU. Traffic laws are there for your safety and the safety of others around you. YOU have a responsibility to obey all traffic laws, whether or not YOU agree with them.

I agree that the police have the responsibility to protect the public. However, this does not mean that the protection should be at the sole discretion of the police.

Never said it was.

I am not saying that public opinion is the only guiding force. You are polarizing my statements into black and white, which is not how the world or my philosophy works. However, if there is widespread dissatisfaction with a behavior, it is time to create a new one which isn't as offensive to the public while retaining the ability to protect.

Mighty big IF, and I don't see it. In all my years in Law Enforcement, I have yet to have a citizen complain about my driving habits.

Also, if you think these dissatisfactions are only small minorities, you are sadly mistaken. I hear these opinions far and wide across demographics and interests. Maybe they never get to the ears of the police, or they are dismissed at that level as a small minority, but the traffic liberties dissatisfaction isn't limited to small minorities.

I think this depends highly on the company you keep.

"Current procedure works" is about the worst excuse I know of for not seeking improvement. I am not for change for the sake of change, never have been. However, just because a procedure works well does not mean a procedure cannot be made which works better. That is what I expect of myself and others, a vision for making things better than just just defending and explaining the current procedures.

And you and a select few on here are trying to forward a "blanket policy" on when officers may disobey traffic laws. Take it from someone who has experience, blanket policies do not work. What you fail to realize is that the world in which we work is far too dynamic for that. So, stating that every time an officer needs to go through a red light, exceed the speed limit, whatever, that they should have their lights/siren on is ludicrous, especially coming from someone who does not do this job every day.

You may be a citizen just like the next Joe. However, we all see the world through lenses. No matter where you are, on duty or not, you are still seeing through lenses tinted by being a police officer. You are asking us to try looking at the world through the tint of a police officer, I am asking you to try looking at the world through the tint of a non-police officer.