So, I'm sitting at the Western/Gorman light, waiting to make a u-turn so I can get me some Bojangle's. I get the light, and start to make my turn when I see a police car coming up the right turn lane on Gorman, presumably to turn right onto Western. Well, I stop since he has right-of-way, but instead of turning right he goes straight (me still having the green light and he the red). WTF, mate? He didn't have any lights or siren on at all, btw.

2/25/2006 5:25:21 PM

police are people too, ya know

2/25/2006 5:31:01 PM

He's a cop. He can do that.

2/25/2006 5:31:07 PM

don't worry about it...you might end up like this guy from tennessee:

Quote :

"CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (AP) -- A Tennessee judge gave a college student a driving lesson in court this week: don't correct the police. Clay Palmer, a student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, honked his car horn when he saw a policeman turn on blue flashers to pass through a red traffic light. The officer then turned the flashers off after moving through the intersection. Palmer said officer Matthew Puglise then stopped his patrol car and issued him a ticket for honking his horn for no reason -- a violation of the city noise ordinance. The charge was reduced to a warning Wednesday when he went before a judge who told him he acted wrongly. "The horn blowing is not the real problem here, it's that you were trying to correct the police and they didn't need correcting," Judge Russell Bean said."

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/02/24/police.honking.ap/index.html

[Edited on February 25, 2006 at 5:34 PM. Reason : ]

2/25/2006 5:34:34 PM

I mean, I think there could be an argument that they did need correcting, considering they were abusing their position.

And the excuse the cop gave is rubbish. Shouldn't there be some record that they asked for assistance, not just the cop's word?

[Edited on February 25, 2006 at 5:48 PM. Reason : .]

2/25/2006 5:47:12 PM

Quote :

"The horn blowing is not the real problem here, it's that you were trying to correct the police and they didn't need correcting," Judge Russell Bean said"

That's bullshit.

2/25/2006 5:48:40 PM

why? of all people on here, you should understand that sometimes cops might be responding to a domestic dispute or something of that nature and the sound of a cop's siren screaming towards the scene could cause more trouble for the victim.

Quote :

"He didn't have any lights or siren on at all, btw."

see above.

2/25/2006 6:01:08 PM

Good cop, bad cop.

Mostly bad, though.

2/25/2006 6:02:48 PM

^^but running a red light with no siren or lights could have resulted in people getting hurt... what if I hadn't stopped? or if I had been turning left and kept going, thinking the cop was turning right, being in the right-turn lane?

[Edited on February 25, 2006 at 6:12 PM. Reason : .]

2/25/2006 6:11:29 PM

Quote :

"why? of all people on here, you should understand that sometimes cops might be responding to a domestic dispute or something of that nature and the sound of a cop's siren screaming towards the scene could cause more trouble for the victim."

You can't just go running through red lights unannounced.

2/25/2006 6:15:51 PM

2/25/2006 6:30:13 PM

sure you can. hell, if it's not a really busy or congested intersection, it was probably faster for him and safer for everyone else by him not turning on his lights and siren.

think about this:

Lights and Siren -- civilian drivers (who already have a hard enough time trying to drive while they eat, talk on the cellphone, do make-up, read the newspaper, etc.) get confused when an emergency vehicle comes up behind them with lights and siren on causing them to panic and stop in front of the emergency vehicle 90% of the time. if they don't stop when panicked by the emergency vehicle, then they are going to pull out into the intersection trying to get out of the emergency vehicle's way. that is even more dangerous since the civilian driver is not accustomed to doing this and he gets slammed into the side.

No Lights and Siren -- the cop sees the lanes ahead of him clear so he decides to proceed though with caution, which, by the way, he is trained to handle these types of situations. nobody in the opposing traffic lanes will see or hear an emergency vehicle so they won't go into a panic and slam on brakes causing the person behind them who is doing other things while supposed to be driving to slam into him.

2/25/2006 6:40:09 PM

what about lights with no sirens, seems like the safer things to do

and that kid in chatanooga should have gotten a ticket, the cop did nothing wrong

2/25/2006 6:53:09 PM

i have seen rpd run intersections with lights only. don't know if it is policy or anything. i would think that would be the safest thing to do when responding to certain situations.

2/25/2006 6:57:09 PM

I was told by a cop that it is illegal for a cop to break any normal traffic rules UNLESS they have lights and/or siren on. If they don't have either of these, then they need to act like a normal drive.

2/25/2006 6:58:05 PM

yeah everytime i have seen it they always flick the lights and inch in, then when its clear they turn off the lights and proceed through

overall i agree with what you are saying

2/25/2006 6:58:42 PM

that's like fucking hitting your turn signal while you're turning.

goddamn fucking cops

2/25/2006 7:25:01 PM

Why can cops speed? I routinely get passed on my daily drive by cops, sheriff's deputies, etc.. going 15-20+ mph over the limit. No lights, and many times they are just going down the road to their house or a gas station.

Really pisses me off.

They are not above the law, it costs more in fuel, and the idea that they are better drivers is bullshit.

2/25/2006 7:27:27 PM

Quote :

"why? of all people on here, you should understand that sometimes cops might be responding to a domestic dispute or something of that nature and the sound of a cop's siren screaming towards the scene could cause more trouble for the victim."

no, no...my problem with it isn't that the cop ran the intersection without turning his lights on, although in this case, he DID have at least the lights on.

my problems with it are that (1) he gave a kid a ticket for honking the horn at him, (2) the judge's attitude that the guy didn't have the right to call what he perceived as bullshit by the cops, and (3) the fact that the cop was in enough of a hurry to blue light his way through an intersection, but had enough time to stop and give a ticket for something totally petty (which leads me to believe that the kid was right, that the cop was just using the blue lights for convenience).



^haha, them breaking the speed limit isn't a problem...it's just that their thinking that it's a problem when i break the speed limit is a problem...but in the end, i just force myself to look at it as a supplemental roadway usage tax. if you want to drive fast, you just have to pay a little more.

[Edited on February 25, 2006 at 7:32 PM. Reason : asdf]

2/25/2006 7:29:43 PM

I thought about honking at a cop before. If they are about to cause an accident, then it should be ok.

[Edited on February 25, 2006 at 7:31 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on February 25, 2006 at 7:31 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on February 25, 2006 at 7:33 PM. Reason : .]

2/25/2006 7:29:50 PM

Quote :

"the fact that the cop was in enough of a hurry to blue light his way through an intersection, but had enough time to stop and give a ticket for something totally petty (which leads me to believe that the kid was right, that the cop was just using the blue lights for convenience)"

2/25/2006 7:36:06 PM

Quote :

"the fact that the cop was in enough of a hurry to blue light his way through an intersection, but had enough time to stop and give a ticket for something totally petty"

interesting point. but then again, and this mainly directed to idiot LiusClues, we weren't there and don't know all the details. yes, there are crooked cops. yes, there are honest cops who take advantage of their authority. but without knowing all the details, you can't just make accusations.

Quote :

"If they are about to cause an accident, then it should be ok. "

any time an emergency vehicle has it's lights and siren on, it's about to cause an accident. you gonna start blowing your horn at every one you see?

[Edited on February 25, 2006 at 8:39 PM. Reason : -]

2/25/2006 8:38:05 PM

Moral of the story: the poe-lice can do whatever they want, so stfu and hope they leave you alone.

2/25/2006 8:52:59 PM

my girls can't wear that, why?, that's where my stash at

2/25/2006 8:55:46 PM

Quote :

"yes, there are honest cops who take advantage of their authority"

if they take advantage of their authority, then they aren't honest cops.

also, I've witnessed cops turning on their lights to go through a red light and immediately park/go through drive through. It's bullshit.

2/25/2006 9:50:36 PM

The important question is... and I haven't found it it this thread yet... Did you or did you NOT get your
Bojangle's on?

2/25/2006 10:00:59 PM

I smell jealousy or something from some of you. Why would you care that much if they hit the lights to make a u-turn or go through a light? Most of the time it has ever happened that I have witnessed has been late at night or something. Its not like if they smash into a family of four they won't get in trouble.

[Edited on February 25, 2006 at 10:06 PM. Reason : g/s/p fuck it...I'm tired]

2/25/2006 10:02:50 PM

^It's not jealousy. It's holding our public officials to the same standard they want to hold us.

2/25/2006 10:18:54 PM

Quote :

"you should understand that sometimes cops might be responding to a domestic dispute or something of that nature"

He was in such a hurry to respond to a real crime that he stopped to give Clay Palmer a ticket.

2/25/2006 10:32:23 PM

maybe they radioed that they didnt need any additional assistance so he gave the ticket to the punk kid

you have no idea

2/25/2006 10:37:53 PM

Quote :

"also, I've witnessed cops turning on their lights to go through a red light and immediately park/go through drive through. It's bullshit."

I agree with you there.

2/25/2006 11:04:49 PM

lets not kid ourselves ... he was going to lunch

2/25/2006 11:40:55 PM

yeah, the fact that the cop STOPPED is a sign he was abusing the privileges. If he were actually on his way somewhere he wouldn't have had time to stop to write a ticket.

2/25/2006 11:52:14 PM

Yeah good for that UT-C student for honking, if I saw a cop do that I'd have a hard time resisting a little tap on the horn. "Violation of the city noise ordinance" that is some definite BS, clearly the cop was not on some pressing emergency and just wrote the ticket cause he was mad at being called out.

As far as cops speeding, yeah they tend to a bit. Not all, but lots. It is a bit hypocritical I think but what can you do. Remember though every day they put on their uniform they are potentially putting their life on the line, and most are well-intentioned.

Cops will pretty much never write each other a ticket. My step-dad's a cop and he recently got pulled over by an officer from a nearby town, and after seeing his ID the officer was extremely apologetic and let him go immediately. Last year my mom got pulled over for speeding and because she didn't want to name-drop she didn't say who her husband was, but after the cop wrote the ticket she's like "My husband will be so upset" then the officer asked why and she's like "Oh he's [stepdad's name]" and apparently the guy starting freaking out cause he had already issued the ticket and when he saw my stepdad next in court was like "I'm so so sorry I wrote your wife a ticket I didn't know" to which my stepdad said "Good for you, that'll teach her to speed."

I on the other hand am a little more brazen and a couple times I've been like "Oh you must know my stepdad" which has worked well. Unfortunately it always gets back to him and my mom who like to make fun of me for it.

2/26/2006 12:26:46 AM

I had a friend who died when a cop ran a red light (no siren/light) and t-boned his vehicle. The parents of the deceased had the compassion to let the cop off, preventing a further determent by sending him to jail for life.

Yes its an abuse of power, yes they carry a unmitigated degree of acheivement. Just like the variety of humanity, good balances the evil, but human greed and the disire for power remains.

2/26/2006 2:54:11 AM

I bet a Raleigh judge would construe honking at a cop as some violation of the NPO and give out the ticket.

2/26/2006 12:32:37 PM

Quote :

"but then again, and this mainly directed to idiot LiusClues, we weren't there and don't know all the details."

don't start namecalling because you can't put together a good argument.

2/26/2006 12:59:03 PM

I can't believe Smath isn't in here jerking the cops off again.

2/26/2006 1:01:39 PM

A few months ago I came up to an intersection where both lanes in my direction (it was a four lane (2 each way) road) were occupied. One was by a police car and the other was by a regular car. The policeman in the passenger's seat was leaned out the window talking to the guy in the regular car. I think he was giving directions because he was pointing around and such. Well, when I came up to them I waited for about 30 seconds, watched the light cycle go from green to red, then back to green. And saw cars starting to pile up behind me. So I honked my horn at them and the cop gave me this dirty look and his partner in the driver's seat put in the lights. I guess that made it "ok" after that.

2/26/2006 2:12:24 PM

Oh come one now, we all know cops suck ass and are corrupt as hell.

2/26/2006 7:32:37 PM

Quote :

" Why would you care that much if they hit the lights to make a u-turn or go through a light?"

i care a little, because they should be held to the same standard as every other motorist (aside from the extra liberties granted when doing their job requires it). Actually, they should be held to a HIGHER standard. Take a lesson from the military (particularly the USMC)--the officers are held to a higher standard. There are some privileges, but you are always expected to put your subordinates first (sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally--for example, in the field, officers are supposed to make sure that all of their men have been fed before they get anything).

really, though, the thing that bothers me is:

Quote :

"no, no...my problem with it isn't that the cop ran the intersection without turning his lights on, although in this case, he DID have at least the lights on. my problems with it are that (1) he gave a kid a ticket for honking the horn at him, (2) the judge's attitude that the guy didn't have the right to call what he perceived as bullshit by the cops, and (3) the fact that the cop was in enough of a hurry to blue light his way through an intersection, but had enough time to stop and give a ticket for something totally petty (which leads me to believe that the kid was right, that the cop was just using the blue lights for convenience)."

basically, the cop was wrong, and the guy was right, and the judge called it the other way strictly because it was a cop against a college student. I don't tolerate that stuff from cops, although I expect it from time to time, but for all of the dumbass judges out there, I still expect better than that from a judge.

2/26/2006 7:38:44 PM

yesterday some cop rolled through a stop sign. i was like, wtf

2/26/2006 8:25:04 PM

^^ except the cop wasnt wrong, he turned on his lights

2/26/2006 8:42:21 PM

legally, he was not.

ethically, he was.

2/26/2006 8:45:40 PM

A kid here in Durham was hit and killed by a cop a few years ago when a cop ran a stopsign at night and the kid was in his path...

a Crown Vic vs. a Wrangler, you do the math

2/26/2006 9:32:34 PM

Yea. Matt West. thats who i was refering. Very tragic.

2/26/2006 10:24:29 PM

i heard about that.

2/27/2006 1:34:07 AM

Yeah, the police have an annual apology fundraiser at the Carolina Theater.

2/27/2006 2:03:21 AM

Quote :

"legally, he was not. ethically, he was."

which counts in court?

2/27/2006 2:26:41 AM

Quote :

" except the cop wasnt wrong, he turned on his lights"

well, it sounds to me like the cop was bluelighting his way through the intersection out of convenience, but either way, i've said several times that his running the intersection is not what i have the greater problem with.

2/27/2006 2:29:12 AM