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Car Guy
Speeding Praetorians
A blatant double-standard in speed enforcement.
(Page 2 of 2)
And the Officer Saunders Incident is not an isolated aberration. In Florida, recently, the Sun Sentinel newspaper exposed the fact of “oral reprimands” given to 31 state troopers for driving at “excessive speeds.” How excessive? In excess of 90 MPH. There were 5,100 incidents of excessive speed documented by the paper, including at least one incident involving speeds over 130 MPH. Mind, these were not “emergency calls.”
In addition to being “orally reprimanded,” the offending officers also sometimes lost the privilege of their take-home squad cars. None lost their jobs — much less their driving “privileges.” Not a ticket was issued. Not a single “point” assigned. No insurance consequences. In fact, no real consequences at all. (See here for the original Orlando Sentinel story.)
But of course, we all know the story. Is there anyone out there who hasn’t witnessed police “speeding”? Who has not personally seen a cop do — with impunity — that which he’d ticket you or me for doing? Followed up with a lecture about the “dangers” of so doing?
It does not require further elaboration. The double standard is jarringly obvious. Cops are allowed to get away with speeding — and not “buckling up for safety” and carrying their guns wherever, whenever. Because they are cops. Our modern-era praetorians.
Just don’t dare give them the appropriate Roman salute — or you’ll find yourself even farther over on the wrong side of that double standard.
About the Author
Eric Peters is an automotive columnist and author of Automotive Atrocities: The Cars You Love to Hate (Motor Books International) and a new book, Road Hogs.
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numbatdog| 6.14.12 @ 7:59AM
Cops countrywide are badly out of control.
They have long stopped serving the community and instead make serving themselves their primary goal.
High pay, union protection, immunity from many rules, a short working life followed by a lifetime pension have made them feel special and privileged relative to the struggling general public. As a result they regard regular people with which they interact with suspicion and rudeness and quickly resort to violence if the person dares to question them.
Countless videos show this police tendency to flash to violence with little cause, often with deadly results.
The day of the cop on the beat as your friend are over. Instead marked and unmarked cruisers keep cops separate and personally safe but unknown to the general public.
The result of feeling separate from the community was seen in New Orleans where during Katrina, cops simply went home.
Petronius| 6.14.12 @ 12:59PM
Remember all the firearms New Orleans cops took after they were confiscated? The citizens are still waiting to get them back. Not in this life.
numbatdog| 6.14.12 @ 1:26PM
When last did a policeman you interacted with treat you with respect? The sort of respect one should show to someone who is paying your salary?
Forgetaboutit.
Jade12| 6.15.12 @ 12:02PM
Your are exactly right!
Virtue| 6.14.12 @ 8:22AM
They speed - as do most people - because the road conditions and traffic situation permit safe passage under the circumstances.
Remember when "traffic cop" used to be a term of derision? Now most are engaged in regulatory control rather that criminal law enforcement.
Cobalt| 6.14.12 @ 8:49AM
You can find a bad apple in any basket, but most people in law enforcement are nothing like the speeders described in this article.
People in law enforcement work in a potentially dangerous and violent environment. Would most of us want to do what they do, or put our lives at risk, for what they are paid?
What do you think of when you hear a siren? To paraphrase what has been said many times, "we run away from trouble, while they run toward it."
John Navratil| 6.14.12 @ 9:19AM
Rubbish! This does not entitle them to be above the law they enforce. Do you deny the rampant violations of the speed laws that Peters describes? I've seen it daily for the last forty years in Houston. This isn't new or isolated. What rankles me the most is that when I have been stopped - almost always on the interstate and always for "10 over" - isn't the $300 and the 1/2 day to get a "deferred adjudication", but the sanctimony.
Doctor Right| 6.14.12 @ 10:13AM
If they're NOT in pursuit of a criminal or enroute to the scene of a crime/accident/whatever, then they DON'T need to be speeding.
PERIOD.
And please...let's stop going out of our way to glorify cops all the time.
Too many of them are authoritarian thugs that like pushing people around, and like having a gun and a badge to do it with impunity.
And don't complain that it's dangerous, either. If that's a complaint, then DON'T do it.
rjh| 6.14.12 @ 10:18AM
Police officers choose to be in their profession...many, for the wrong reasons. They are not special, they are not gods, and they are not above the law. There are many professions that are equally or more dangerous than being a police officer. Police officers deserve our respect and courtesy, as do all our fellow citizens.
Cloudbuster | 6.14.12 @ 9:17AM
"You can find a bad apple in any basket, but most people in law enforcement are nothing like the speeders described in this article."
You just keep telling yourself that.
Doctor Right| 6.14.12 @ 10:20AM
Exactly.
Birds of a feather. The kind of people that REALLY want to become cops share a lot of similar personality traits, especially small-town cops and state troopers.
In New Jersey each town has it's own Police Force; it's nuts. In most cases they have nothing to do but sit around and ticket people for going above 25 MPH. A few weeks ago one pulled my wife over and accused her of talking on her cell phone when she scratched her ear. When she protested that her cell phone "Recent Calls" indicator would prove she hadn't been on her phone for over an hour, he said he didn't care, and didn't want to hear it. He only backed-off when she said "Fine, then maybe the Judge will be interested."
Then they call constantly and send letters asking for bulletproof vests...in rural New Jersey! There hasn't ben a murder in my town since 1968, and even that guy was from Pennsylvania (no offense).
Needless to say, I give them nothing.
Derek Leaberry| 6.14.12 @ 11:01AM
The Bay Bridge police have especially little to do so they have been allowed to expand their outreach. This includes speed traps seven miles from the bridge and on the other side of the Kent Narrows Bridge.
Doctor Right| 6.14.12 @ 12:06PM
I avoid the Bay Bridge like the plague.
Occam's Tool| 6.14.12 @ 6:55PM
One of the only good lines from Mel Gibson, from "Payback:"
"Crooked Cops. Are there any other kind?" I do not donate, nor do I give a shit for the local cops in my county or city. They are a bit of a blight here.
TW in SC| 6.14.12 @ 11:34PM
Barney Fife.
The problem has existed as long as there have been cops.
However, it now seems that when a 21 year old shavetail with a badge gets his "motor" he is off to the races. Arrogant, condescending and rude.
Why?
Again, our education system that honors nothing of value but the wet-behind-the-ears neophytes who HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING YET.
"I'm special"
"I'm important"
And like my senior year shop teacher used to say, "Oh, so then, Mr 'special', I'm sure you'll do an extra good job sweeping the floor today."
Our education "system" has arrested the development of millions of young men and women and we will feel that pain for a long, long time.
Derek Leaberry| 6.14.12 @ 9:28AM
The coppers also tailgate as they wish. I think they get a little kick riding on some fellow's bumper in the left lane as the poor sap tries to move right one lane. It's a power trip. In fact, most cops seem to get a power trip wearing the badge and ordering people around.
As for drunk driving, cops are the only Americans who can legally get away with it. A drunk cop just flashes his badge to his blue brother and he gets a free pass. No questions asked.
And for a little anecdotal story regarding the cops' mentality. My dear wife was given a warning ticket Monday for not abiding Maryland's new law regarding moving over a lane when a cop is stopped at the side of the road. When stopped herself, my wife explained to the cop that she did move over as soon as she saw him which was at least 100 yards away. The copper shot back that she should have seen him a mile away- we live on the very flat Eastern Shore of Maryland- and should have moved over a lane at that point.
Doctor Right| 6.14.12 @ 10:15AM
Aaaaah, Maryland...my home state. It's fast becoming North Korea...
LarryK| 6.14.12 @ 10:10AM
Several years ago I was driving 57 on a state road with a 55 MPH posted limit. A state trooper blew by me at about 80 MPH. I decided to "follow" him and his destination was the Rigas Restaurant in Bellaire, Ohio. I decided to go in and ask him where the fire was, and he was embarrassed by my question. He did not have an answer.
Doctor Right| 6.14.12 @ 10:14AM
You're lucky he didn't try and find a way to arrest you for some made-up infraction to cover his ass.
sharkey| 6.14.12 @ 10:38AM
This person should never have been rehired. It gives the Police Department a black eye plus a bad name among reputable departments.
There is NO excuse for a drunk off duty police officer going 143 mph in a 55 mph zone. He should be banned from being an officer anywhere in Colorado or any of the other 49 states for that matter.
This is my own opinion but I believe the reason this person was rehired was the fact he's a black man in a state which voted for Barack Obama in 2008. Colorado has shown its liberal leaning side and out of a gesture of racial conciliation, convinced the Police Department to rehire this sad excuse for a law enforcement officer. In other words, it is of my opinion that if the officer was white he would have been fired and never rehired and banned from ever being a police officer again in the state of Colorado.
I could be mistaken, but under the highly politicized and racially partisan Obama administration, blacks are getting away with murder (figuratively speaking) and other travesties and Eric Holder doesn't even bat an eye and is actually on record saying it's not a priority of the Justice Department to prosecute offenses committed by minorities. Maybe that type of abhorrent mentality is carrying over to law enforcement agencies in certain states, like Colorado?
JimH| 6.14.12 @ 10:53AM
Tampa has red light cameras at some intersections. The local popo are given a pass regarding fines when they a photographed running red lights. The dept claims that they are subject to departmental discipline though.
fmm| 6.14.12 @ 11:15AM
This type double standard is everywhere when states, counties, or municipalities are involved. An example recently in Illinois was when I observed a fisherman being ticketed for a slightly oversized motor in a conservation area while state workers ran around on the small lake with a huge outboard. When I asked them about motor size limits they responded yes they exist but not for us! The annointed elite should only exist in totalitarian governments.
The Big E| 6.14.12 @ 11:33AM
The enforcement of traffic laws has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with either (a) revenue generation (speeding and similar offenses), or (b) politics (DWI). Cops, in my opinion, should be held to a higher standard than average citizens when it comes to technical violations of law. They should know the law better than the average citizen, and as they are the most visible representatives of the law and the governments which enact the laws, they should be expected to obey them scrupulously. Many cops I know (and I know a lot of cops - I'm a criminal defense lawyer with 16 years experience) feel the same way I do. Unfortunately, many, many others do not.
OP4| 6.14.12 @ 10:55PM
I see traffic enforcement as nothing more than a revenue tool. Cops in NJ will go out of their way to write you an expensive ticket with no points - so you will pay it instead of appearing in court. Safety has nothing to do with it.
Jade12| 6.15.12 @ 12:09PM
Oh so true!
Rick Z| 2.19.13 @ 2:05PM
In many NJ jurisdictions, at your traffic court hearing, you first speak with the prosecutor. You are told the ticket is, eg. $95 plus $15 court costs and 2 points on your license. .... OR -- special today ! NO points, no record sent to your insurance co., and ONLY a $250 fine for a nonsense infraction. .....
Since the insurance co will surcharge you $1,500 over 3 yrs, Door No. 2 is always the choice.
Sean| 6.14.12 @ 12:12PM
I have never been in an accident, but most of my close calls have been due to police driving recklessly in order to pull someone else over. I have had them turn left in front of my requiring me to slam my breaks multiple times. One once came over the sidewalk and nearly collided with me just to pull over the car in front of me. These were all on duty officers.
Off duty I know some police that aren't afrid to speed because if they do get pulled over they will not receive a ticket LA County Sheriffs were always mad at CHIP because they sometimes didn't let them off.
Slacker| 6.14.12 @ 12:44PM
This is what happens when laws get out of control. In the whole scheme of things, speeding is one of the least offensive things cops get away with. What can one expect in an authoritarian police state?
I agree with the sentiment that cops are assholes. I also love the concept of cops ignoring stupid laws. By doing so they tacitly acknowledge some laws are total bullshit.
A 0.089 BAC is a perfect example. That isn’t drunk by a long shot. Not long ago it 0.089 would have been legal. The vile women at MADD couldn’t have that in thier quest for collective punishment of society. Even cops don’t accept the ridiculous criteria insisted on by safety and abstinence crusaders. Soon you will need to get offended when you see a cop on his cell phone.
Celebrate cop hypocrisy. It is wonderful. Shameful cops draw attention to the inherent corruption of the police states. It is splendid for citizens to see the hands of the state behaving badly. Please drive drunk officer.
Who I really loathe are the conformist sheep among us.
J Baustian| 6.14.12 @ 1:08PM
If police can drive safely at high speeds because they have received special training, then why is it inherently unsafe for civilians to do the same?
It is also true that, in many states at least, the goal of patrolmen is to right as many tickets as possible, so that the courts system can collect more revenue. If everyone was observing the traffic laws 100% of the time, it would be necessary for the states and municipalities to create new laws.
Derek Leaberry| 6.14.12 @ 1:20PM
Exactly. In the Peoples' Republic of Maryland, the coffers of King Martin constantly need to be filled so he can pay off the socio-political criminal gangs of Baltimore City, Montgomery County and Prince George's County. So the State Police organize themselves like Medieval French tax collectors and shake down drivers. Their favorite victims are truck drivers, especially in the morning. It is easier and safer to stop trucks before rush hours and the fines can be rewarding.
Petronius| 6.14.12 @ 1:37PM
What the badge is for and what those who carry one think it's for are miles apart to those using it as a license to do as they please when we cannot. The attitude that "I AM the Law" is a genuine danger to us all when a police officer believes that, because it's the reason he, or even worse, She became one. Just like the County Prosecutor, they use their positions to attack the people and activities they don't like, legal or not, for selfish reasons rooted in distaste for certain behaviors or blind egotism. The perfect little shave tail Stepford hall monitors who's mentality have not changed since they admired the crossing guards are the worst. A colleague got pulled over late one evening in St. Peters, Mo. by a rookie female patrolling Hwy K. She approached his car and after the pro forma check of license and insurance asked him if he knew why he was stopped. He knew she wanted a bust so bad she could taste it but replied in the negative. She made him blow the tube: (negative result). She made him walk the line and arbitrarily told him he'd been drinking and arrested him. The only reason he didn't get railroaded in court was because his wife is an attorney who played bridge with the judge who threw the charge out, but he still cannot get the arrest off of his record. He lives in Florida now. But he can't get back the money she cost him or his record expunged without an act of the state General Assembly.
Kingofthenet| 6.14.12 @ 9:10PM
Judge Dread? I'll be the Judge of that.
Louis Jenkins| 6.14.12 @ 1:45PM
Another LEO caught with his hand in the jar. Go to any civil rights blog and you will find the multiple incidents of police gone bad. It's almost pandemic. Going through a divorce 23 years ago, the police would tailgate my car if I happened to leave town after working late. They were hoping I'd speed up. Instead I slowed down even more until they turned off or I was safely outside the city limits. (Yes, she was dalleying around with a officer.) LEOs are suposed to be fine upstanding citizens, however, a great deal of them are not, and never will be.
JD| 6.14.12 @ 2:19PM
Just as we shouldn't file ordinary murder charges against a soldier in Afghanistan who happens to shoot a civilian in the mix of a group of terrorists, we can't expect to hold police to the same standards as everyone else in every situation. Others here have acknowledged that police headed to emergencies should be allowed to speed.
At the same time, such leniency is ripe for abuse, and far too much of that abuse is happening. Either there are daily mass shootings in my area that I don't know about, or police misuse their sirens and speeding privileges around here. Anecdotal evidence suggests plenty of the latter.
The simple job of enforcing law and order is not easy to do well. Maybe our government should give it more attention, instead of trying to do so manner other things in addition to it.
PolishKnight| 6.14.12 @ 3:17PM
It's interesting that there's a bit of conflict between the conservative ideals of an orderly, personal responsible populace and government based upon minimum government and supporting the military and police whom often are the definition of big government. Ultimately, the police and military serve the left which is the reason the left is pushing for single women and gays into the ranks. Think about it.
Speed limits and roadway regulations are the devil's delight for self-serving law enforcement officers and bureaucrats looking for low hanging fruit targets. Catching a burglar, car thief, or even rapist is a lot of work for them often with little incentive but "catching" an otherwise law abiding citizen AND getting money for the state and their department? That's a no brainer, isn't it? It's the best example of libertarianism I can think of.
On the other hand... the problem is that the roadways require government regulation combined with maximum personal responsibility. Sure, speed is usually not a big deal until someone is going 20 mph over the speed limit and has an accident. What then? If the police aren't enforcing the limit, then they have helped contribute to the accident. If the speed limit is arbitrary, why not just get it removed altogether?
JD| 6.14.12 @ 3:39PM
Speed limits are often poorly set, it's true. But let's not go too far in saying that law enforcement runs contrary to conservative ideals.
Conservative ideals are not anarchy, in the sense that government, like the corporation (governments are in MANY ways identical to corporations) is established by the will of the people in order to carry out some business of the people. In this case, that business is protection from violent aggressors and other "competitive" tactics that we deem inappropriate, such as theft and vandalism.
Indulge the analogy for a moment: Murdering and stealing is just another competitive practice, just like filing lawsuits, but just as we hire legal firms to protect us from being destroyed by lawsuits, we have hired a government to protect us from murderers and thieves. The government is not "special" - just another service we employ to protect ourselves from certain forms of attack by our competitors.
Of course, like other corporations, government can act beyond its authority, to our detriment. That is why, as shareholders in the government corporation, we must rein them in.
I realize many liberals will abhor the analogy (strange, given that they're the moral relativists among us), but absent any absolute higher authority (which no man has, and they don't believe in gods), can things really be any different than my analogy?
Funeral Guy| 6.14.12 @ 4:49PM
When it comes to the arrogance of cops no one has even mentioned middle of the night, no-knock SWAT raids with automatic weapons , flash bang grenades and ninja suits. God help you if these geniuses somehow got the wrong address (yours) on the warrant.
ChuckL| 6.14.12 @ 6:17PM
Eric, You completely ignored all of the evidence that absolutely all that is accomplished by "speed" limits it that the population is reduced by those killed because of the congestion created, and the additional funding of the local coffers from the enhanced revenue.
JD| 6.14.12 @ 6:45PM
Looks like Saunders has a history of abusing his position:
http://www.thedenverchannel.co.....etail.html
Occam's Tool| 6.14.12 @ 6:59PM
Again, I have no love for most police. A colleague of mine put it best: "The difference between criminals and those chasing them in terms of mentality is often very slight."
Kingofthenet| 6.14.12 @ 9:09PM
Usually (if you aren't a jerk) you can get a Reckless downgraded to a Careless.
Jade12| 6.15.12 @ 12:16PM
This is what you get when you lower the standards for becoming a policeman-corrupt thugs instead of honest servants.
Miles500| 6.15.12 @ 4:43PM
I try to maintain a good respect for cops in general. As in any profession, there are bad apples, but they are not the norm. However. Traffic enforcement is a scam. Every retired or ex- cop I've ever encountered agrees. The poor sap patrolmen are programmed to believe it's about safety, not revenue.
Miles500| 6.15.12 @ 4:47PM
I got an over-80 "reckless" speed in VA once, by the way (I live in Ohio). What a joke. I had to pay an attorney $600 to talk the judge into just a speed. I made a technical mistake and ended up with the "reckless" anyway. I feel like a fugitive because I went 82. Woooo! I'm a scary guy.
Ruckweiler| 6.16.12 @ 9:11PM
That the PBA lawyer is trying to get him his job back shows that all they care about is the union member and not public safety. Sounds like the attitude the UAW and other trade unions have. Sad that this is the case.