Something about cops I never see discussed...

[Archae]

On ABC news tonight, they showed a number of cops in Washington state ignoring speed laws while off-duty, all the while speeders that are not cops are being pulled over.

This shows the arrogance in some policemen.

[Lurks Often]

1. It happens everywhere, not just Washington state

It's been one of those perks of being a police officer, that unless (and sometimes even if) the cop is DUI or driving a good 30 mph above the speed limit, they don't get arrested or ticketed.

It's been that way for as long as I can remember, most of us just acknowledge it as a given and don't think about it much.

[Ikonoklast]

7. And that is just one symptom of the underlying disease.

If a certain class of people are allowed the 'perk' of being minor lawbreakers, you will destroy any faith in the system.

You create a two-tier system; those who are held to those laws no matter what, and those who are charged with enforcing the very laws they themselves are allowed to break.

"Do as I say, not as I do." ...creates nothing but contempt for the person saying it, or the system that allows it.

[Lurks Often]

8. Shrug, it's not just the police

firefighters and EMT's probably get the same treatment more often then not. And don't forget Congress or the rich, many of them get away with minor offenses that the average person wouldn't. It's been that way for a very long time and isn't likely to change.

[Adsos Letter]

2. I have something of a refreshing story about this phenom

My BIL is a cop for a state hospital. He gets stopped for speeding while driving home from a trip to Oregon...
CHP officer asks for his ID, and my BIL let it be known that he, too, was a cop.

CHP's response?

"That doesn't put you above the law, sir."

I busted up when my mother-in-law, who was with him at the time, told me about it.

[starroute]

3. When I was a kid my uncle was a small town police commissioner

He gave my father some kind of deputy badge and told him to pin it insider his wallet and casually let the cop see it if he was ever stopped for speeding.

My father showed it to me once. He seemed a bit embarrassed about it, and though he did have it in his wallet I don't think he ever used it. But then he was the most careful driver I've ever known and I don't recall him even once getting a ticket.

All this was in the 1950s. It's been going on for a long time.

[safeinOhio]

4. In the cop business it's called

Professional courtesy. It is actually corruption and it is wide spread. The problem is it starts with minor stuff like speeding, but then it tends to grow to drunk driving, theft and ends with murder, as we are now seeing. If you want to get a fun reaction, any time you get to speak with a higher up in a department, just ask if "professional courtesies" are ever allowed in his or her department.

[dickthegrouch]

5. But it can make giving out speeding tickets a major problem

If you can demonstrate a pattern of breaking the law by an officer, it makes it really hard for that officer to enforce the law. It's called hypocrisy on one hand and grounds for impeachment in court on the other.

[Lee-Lee]

6. It varies region to region on how widespread it is

Here in NC the NCSHP does the vast majority of traffic enforcement and they don't care one bit about your badge or anything else.

You can usually tell how bad it is in an area by the practice of having things like PBA cards, LE family ID's, etc. It seems common in the northeast.

I dated a NC trooper for a while who worked I-95. He would write someone with a badge even in situations where he may have otherwise given a warning. He had a big collection of those stupid PBA cards cops in NY and NJ get to hand out to friends and family- he confiscated them on lieu of citing the person for attempting to interfere with the officers duties by showing it.

When I was a cop and now the practice disgusts me- I always was harder on other cops, because they know better and have to set the example. I don't want someone with no integrity answering my call for help, or being a witness for me.

[Shankapotomus]

9. The boldness of the reporter was the best part

Sticking a mic and camera in the officer's face. Immediate tail between legs.