The union encourages the stickers, I guess one could refuse, but why would one intentionally piss off their union? Also, firefighters are proud of what they do. They are also a brotherhood like the opportunity to acknowledge one another on the road.
Did you miss the part about required accident avoidance classes? Did you miss the part where the speed limit had changed? Ok, he would have still been speeding, but 5-7 miles over the limit. I never implied that he speeds all the time, most of the time, or even more than occasionally. He doesn’t. He happened to be speeding that time. He is a safe driver, as are most firefighters/EMTs, at least the ones in my aquaintance.
Oh, just say it. It’s a nice little perk that comes with the job. We all know it. It’s just that for the most part, people aren’t exactly given the warm and fuzzies when hearing someone “not gloat” about it.
I didn’t miss it. Taking classes (especially classes given as ass-covering on the part of employers) does NOT make anyone a safer driver.
I am increasingly disturbed by your assertion that it is OK for your husband to speed, and break the law, because he is a better driver than mere civilians.
My “legalize it” bumper sticker has always gotten me lots of special treatment from law enforcement agents. It’s not only firefighters that get the extra attention.
It also helps when you wear your “Jah Rules” hemp T-Shirt and blare “Smoke two joints” on the stereo.
Woh!? Since when did we start getting off on tickets? I’ve never gotten off a ticket for being in the Army. I’ve even received tickets in uniform on official business. No respect I tell ya!
Gabe, Firefighters don’t EXPECT special treatment! It happens, and it’s accepted.
You’ve been very civilized in this thread, and I appreciate that, but you’ve missed the point.
Speeding is and was a mistake, deserving punishment. The officer made the choice not to give us a ticket, for which I was grateful. That’s the only reason I started the thread, to express that gratitude.
No, you shouldn’t. But your discretion should be exercised based on the road conditions and the infringement, not based on whether the person you pull over is a firefighter or a supermarket clerk.
Sure you are gloating, and then when the tone of the thread get a bit heated, you ask the person calling you on it to “just stop!” Regular folks who are just as good at driving as your husband is, possibly with as much training, might feel some resentment at getting tickets that you avoid out of professional nepotism. You bragging about how you slip the cop your FD ID and get out of a deserved punishment and rather large fine? Kinda rankles. So you have to expect people to respond a bit negatively when you specifically post about the special (and some would say undeserved) privileges you receive. No?
It’s not that we’re envious of the “perk,” it’s that I feel that your behaviour out of uniform should be judged the same as everyone else’s. I can’t really think of a good reason for cops not ticketing firefighters or EMTs who are breaking the law in a situation where they would ticket Joe Public; can anyone supply one?
(My bolding) Please read the OP again. I did not “brag” about slipping the cop ANYTHING. He asked for the union card. He asked where hubby worked. Should he have refused to hand over his union card? Should he have lied about where he worked? I was NOT gloating. I said I wasn’t gloating, because it IS bad karma.
I’d rather NOT read the OP again. Once was enough. I have to ask, though, then why post about it to the Dope? Why mention it if you are specifically not gloating (nudge nudge, wink wink)? It’s bad karma to speed chronically and then delight in dodging the bullet “yet again,” as you say.
And no, not everyone can become a firefighter, Red Barchetta. I’m not going to become one just because I’d like to avoid traffic tickets. We should all get the same treatment under the law, regardless. You think I’m blaming the OP for not getting the ticket, but I’m not. I don’t appreciate the gloating, which I think it also what other posters took issue with.
I was going to stay out of this at the request of the OP, but this has made jumping back in too appealing.
By your logic, if I don’t like the President pardoning his criminal friends, I should just become President so I can do it myself? Perks of the office, right?
But, as someone upthread has already pointed out, this type of “perk” is something quite different than employee discounts at Starbucks or even reduced prices for firefighters at private business establishments. Hell, i went to a baseball game at RFK Stadium last night where our tickets were discounted because they were purchased by a D.C. Metro police officer. That’s a perk i really don’t have any problem with.
But unequal enforcement of the law, based on the delinquent party’s occupation, is much more problematic, especially in a society where equal treatment under the law is, at least in theory, the ideal. As i said to Loach earlier, i recognize that police use discretion when handing out tickets and warnings, and i think this is a good thing. But such discretion should not favor someone merely because of the job they do.
We’ve discussed the issue of such “professional courtesy” before, in threads like this, and i continue to maintain that there is an important difference between regular employee perks and unequal enforcement of the law.
