I don’t know about everywhere else in the world, but where I am from the Sheriff’s are the worst drivers around. They speed (without the sirens going to indicate emergency), pass multiple cars and cut people off. I was just wondering if the Highway Patrol ever pull over Police Cars for this kind of stuff like they would with a normal driver, or is there some understanding between Highway Patrol and Police.
Sometimes police departments have policies of the use of lights and siren. A lot of departments will only let the lights and siren be used on a shots fired, or a officer down, or a bad traffic accident and such. So the police will sometimes run over the speed limit to get to an important call quicker, even though their department doesnt allow the use of lights and siren.
However, like you said, some cops do just go over the speed limit because they can. While it is perfectly legal for any cop to pull over another cop and give them a citation, it is my understanding that all police sort of have a mutual agreement between each other not to do this. I’ve always wondered if there were any cops who accidently pulled over another cop car at night when they couldnt tell…hahaha. They must be like “woops, sorry”. I’ve also wondered if law officers in unmarked vehicles get off easy too. Like if an FBI agent is pulled over, does he just show them his badge or what?
Conti
Cruising up I-65 north of Indianapolis on my way from Cincinnati to Chicago to see Gluecifer at the Empty Bottle this spring, sunny Thursday afternoon, girlfriend asleep next to me, I’m doing about ninety, not another car for miles, cornfields, listening to Otis Redding, gotta ice-cold can of Wiedemann in one hand, feeling fine.
BAM, outta nowhere, there’s an Indiana State Trooper not six fucking inches from my back bumper, pacing me. At ninety mph. I promptly spill the aforementioned ice-cold beer all over myself and my girlfriend, pull over into the right lane, and gently ease off the accelerator.
The cop proceeds to blow by me doing at least 120. No sirens or lights. Nothing.
What’s weird is that Indiana gives all the sweet souped up rides they take in drug busts to the state troopers for use in speed traps. I have a friend who was pulled over by a Firebird Formula once. But this guy was blithley tripping along at close to twice the posted speed limit, nary a care in the world.
Yeah, will the traffic cop use the same “Well, I’d like to let you off, but I’ve already started writing the citation out” line of bull that they use to ingratiate themselves with the pretty lady drivers?
I can’t believe I’m taking the side of the cops, but this is one thing that I like them doing. If they have the lights and siren going, then you have to pull over to the side of the road and stop to let them pass. Its kind of an unwritten agreement on one lane roads around here, that if a cop car comes up on you quickly, you pull over on the shoulder to let them by as soon as you have a chance, but you don’t have to stop. If someone doesn’t give them a chance to pass, the they flash the L&S until the person pulls over to the side and stops so they can go by.
Although I’m not a cop, in my earlier career I had enough dealings with them, as well as several family friends in law enforcement, that I feel confident about posting the following:
In general, cops are reluctant to “paper” (ticket) other cops; this includes federal as well as state and county personnel. If a cop pulls over another cop, it’s generally enough to “tin” the offiver - that is, to show him your shield - and he’ll typically let you off with a warning.
Obviously, however, this latitude is strained the more egregious the violation. A cop will let a brother officer slide on 70-in-a-55 with ease; the same cop will be highly pissed at any driver who hits triple digits on the radar gun, no matter what.
Relations between departments can get pretty dicey, too. I recall that several years ago in Virginia, a newly-elected county sheriff started having his deputies do traffic enforcement, something that had thus far been the province of the county police. As a result of this toe-stepping, I understand that a number of deputies were not given the customary courtesy pass, but were papered by county police – which naturally lead to retaliation by the deputies if they happened to pull over a county cop.
These are exceptions – the rule is, though, that a brother officer is generally safe from tickets.
- Rick
I have read in ‘The FBI’ by Ronald Kessler, that an agent will get into extreme trouble if he/she were to pull out his/her badge or mention that they are in the FBI to get out of a traffic citation, or for that matter use it to get special privileges they normally would not get. I am not sure about other agencies, but I assume that it goes more or less the same for most of them.
One of the drawbacks of those automated speed traps*: cops getting tickets was a major embarrassment to the dept…
Around Seattle it’s not uncommon to see an officer use lights and siren to merge, then turn them off. I can only assume s/he has somewhere important to go, but not that important.
*the automated speed trap takes the picture of license plates and the police send a warning (or ticket?) to the owner of the car.
Yeah, there is more than a little “courtesy” between cops, and they tend to let other officers off the hook for speeding offenses, etc. There was a small scandal about this in LA a while ago. Some officers had special license plate holders made with the legend “KMA-367” on the border. Those numbers are familiar to any cop, it is the call numbers of the LA police radio. The plate holders were a signal that the driver of the car was a police officer, and you should let them go. There were other plate holders made for other groups, like firemen. Then the plateholders got a little out of control. Cops’ wives started using them, then family, then friends, etc. The plateholders finally came to the attention of the local newspapers, who did a story about it, and then the shit hit the fan. It made the cops look like a bunch of buffoons, out to protect their OWN, rather than the public. And that’s just what cops DO.
I had a very brief stint in law enforcement.Also, my minor in college was criminal justice, and I have many friends in the field. I know of several actual incidences of a cop getting a ticket from another cop: most of them were after a traffic accident where the officer was obviously at fault. The citation was a department policy action. But I know of 2 true stories that might piss alot of other cops off:
*Eight years ago a deputy friend of mine was in an unmarked squad, wearing his full uniform. There were 3 other fully uniformed, on duty officers with him. They were on their way From Milwaukee to Green Bay, Wisconsin for a special training seminar. My friend was pulled over for speeding by the Wisconsin State Patrol & issued a citation. The Troopers words were “We don’t recognize professional courtesy.” All 4 officers told me they were in absolute shock that the state boy gave that ticket.
*About 3 years ago another sheriffs deputy I know was in a FULLY MARKED patrol car and in full uniform. He had just made a prisoner transport to another county. He was pulled over by A Wisconsin State Trooper and issued a ticket for going 9 miles over. The trooper insisted that a squad speeding without lights & siren and without due cause for not using them, was a citable violation.
Civilians may thing those stories are funny, and justice served. But who do you think those troopers are going to be screaming for to back them up when their being shot at on a desolate highway at 3a.m.? Smokey Bear shouldn’t shit in his own back yard, if you ask me!
…I have known a few cops and Security Forces personnell (Air Cops to the rest of you). I once saw a police vehicle travelling at a very high rate of speed (about twice the limit) and remembered to ask one of my cop friends what that could be.
Apparently, when responding to certain types of call, the police do not use sirens and lights unless absolutely necessary. This is to avoid tipping off a(n alleged) perpetrator that the cops are on the way. From what I understand, this tactic is used in some hostage situations and some types of domestic violence calls.
Are there any real cops who can clarify this? Were my buddies spot-on or were they having me on?
~~Baloo
When I was a U.S. Army MP in Germany ('88-'90), I blew through (~90km/h in a 50km/h zone) a manned German Polizei photo radar setup while on duty in a marked vehicle (I was just in a hurry to get to dinner before the mess hall closed). One of the GP’s raised his fist at me and shook it as I went by but the pursuit car never moved. I sweated bullets for a few days around the MP station, but I guess the Germans never sent the citation to the Provost Marshall (Chief to you civilians).
My partner was of the opinion they were just too impressed that I managed to get a worn-out VW van to acheive 90km/h while going uphill.