Re: Are police bound by the laws they enforce ?

Posted by Hal/WA on October 01, 2003 at 16:13:11 from (216.64.132.67):

In Reply to: Are police bound by the laws they enforce ? posted by will marcum on October 01, 2003 at 06:52:07:

Sounds kind of arrogant and nonprofessional, doesn't it? And is this man the elected County Sheriff, or a deputy? And what was the context when he made this statement (I assume that you personally heard him say it)?

While it may be different in different areas, in general cops are required to follow all the laws citizens are subject to and a bunch of rules a citizen does not have. And cops can arrest other cops and can issue traffic citations to other cops. But in practice, this seldom occurs in traffic matters, unless something really serious happens. It is called "professional curtosy" and generally extends to on duty and off duty times. But God help a cop that has an accident in which someone dies or is seriously injured and the officer is found to be at fault and disobeying traffic laws. They will be crucified, and it will probably mean the end of their career. Officers are expected to be in control of their equipment at all times and receive special training in operation of emergency vehicles which includes accident avoidance.

Cops often drive fast, and for many reasons. Cops are also involved in vehicle pursuits, which may be some of the most dangerous time in their lives. Many departments have adopted policies that require officers to discontinue a pursuit after a short time, depending on what caused the pursuit to begin, the area of the pursuit and the potential danger to citizens from the pursuit. Everything a cop does must be justified.....you don't chase the 16 year old that has rolled through a stop sign very long or hard, but you might very well consider chasing an armed, identified bank robber until he wrecks, stops or you have to.

For most cops, traffic enforcement is a minor part of police work and is actually mostly a pain in the rear. As long as people are not placing others in imminent danger, the cops have many other things to do, like fighting REAL crimes and putting the REAL bad guys in jail. Unfortunately most citizens only contact with police is during traffic stops. Naturally some tickets have to be issued for some offenses, but officers using their discretion and just explaining the reason for the stop is usually better public relations and is just as effective.

If this guy is the elected official and drives and acts like an arrogant fool, maybe he needs to find another profession. Probably others have been shocked by his attitude and the next time he comes up for election, he may get voted out of office. If he is not an elected official, then his superiors need to know of his poor judgment, both driving and saying what he said. On the other hand, if what he said could have been an attempt at a joke and he generally does a good competant job as a law enforcement leader, I would just let it ride.

It isn't easy being a cop.

Follow Ups:

• Re: Re: Are police bound by the laws they enforce will marcum 06:37:16 10/02/03 (1)
  • Re: Re: Re: Are police bound by the laws they enfo Hal/WA 21:13:18 10/02/03 (0)

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