Penn DOT workers detain citizens in Ft. Pitt Tunnel - then backed up by state police. (Pittsburgh: crime, how much)

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

Maybe the PennDot worker was in the wrong, but people need to calm down. They should waive the tickets, and people should go on with their lives. There is not always a need to punish people to the fullest extent possible, such as charging the PennDot worker.

Actually, that makes a lot of sense.

I bet Penndot workers were not given written instructions on how to deal with this kind of situation, and the workers were just winging it.

As the state really doesn't hire keen minds to man its tunnels, the possibility of an error of judgment definitely exists. This should give the Penndot bureaucrats in Harrisburg a chance to write procedures on what the workers should do the next time this comes down

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Apparently you're not familiar with the concept of "time is money".

If you're going to hold PennDOT responsible for wasting peoples' time, this isn't even in the top 10,000 list of events.

[PghYinzer]

Originally Posted by Velvet Jones

I strongly disagree. Doing nothing will only embolden these idiots. False imprisonment or unlawful detainment is a serious charge and does not even compare to a red light ticket, not even close. I know someone who was convicted of unlawful detainment for blocking someones path for about two minutes during a argument. So don't give me this "It's no big deal" line.

So the person you know got charged for blocking someones path for 2 minutes? That doesn't seem stupid to you? "It's no big deal" in that case should go to the person who persued the charges. It only became a big deal to your friend because the other person seems to have the "make you pay" attitude.

I am just saying, people who were not put out, should really think about the implications of their desire to make people pay for a mistake. And by mistake I mean in this situation. I don't consider DUI a mistake, or anything that actually has an impact on a life. However being late to pick up your chipped ham on a Thursday afternoon should not lead to criminal charges being pressed against someone.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Velvet Jones

I strongly disagree. Doing nothing will only embolden these idiots. False imprisonment or unlawful detainment is a serious charge and does not even compare to a red light ticket, not even close.

I strongly disagree with your strong disagreement. The workers are in very real danger if traffic flows by them while they are working. Road workers have a right to control traffic while they are working. PennDOT screwed up in how they operated here, but as a general rule, when you are in a car on a public road, you are playing in PennDOT's field.

[Velvet Jones]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

I strongly disagree with your strong disagreement. The workers are in very real danger if traffic flows by them while they are working. Road workers have a right to control traffic while they are working. PennDOT screwed up in how they operated here, but as a general rule, when you are in a car on a public road, you are playing in PennDOT's field.

Well the law would likely disagree with you on that matter. PennDOT workers are not law enforcement and to allow them to makes such calls is far above their pay grade. Being on a state road does not give them enforcement powers over you. If the state police wanted to really pursue the people that entered the tunnel they could have tracked them down via the tunnel cameras after the fact. It was their call, not PennDOTs.

BTW, next time you see someone commit a traffic violation try and detain them for an hour and see how it turns out. Hopefully you'll be able access C-D from jail or the hospital.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Velvet Jones

BTW, next time you see someone commit a traffic violation try and detain them for an hour and see how it turns out. Hopefully you'll be able access C-D from jail or the hospital.

Statistically speaking, the next traffic violation I'm going to see if a car failing to yield to me in a crosswalk. I'll just spit on it.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Velvet Jones

Well the law would likely disagree with you on that matter. PennDOT workers are not law enforcement and to allow them to makes such calls is far above their pay grade. Being on a state road does not give them enforcement powers over you.

I never said they were law enforcement. But by state law, you do have to obey their flaggers in construction zones. This wasn't a flagger, but the idea that you don't have to follow any traffic instructions from PennDOT employees nonsense. They never be able to repair a road* without the legal ability to stop traffic.

* Obvious one-liner: Why would they start now?

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by Velvet Jones

PennDOT workers are not law enforcement and to allow them to makes such calls is far above their pay grade. Being on a state road does not give them enforcement powers over you.

Exactly, I don't know why this is a hard concept for people.

If the article is correct, some dude made the call to hold nearly 2 dozen people in a tunnel against their will just so they could get some sort of gratification in getting them all ticketed. Then the state police decided that it was OK to ticket them based on 1 person's word. How anyone can find this justified is beyond me.

[Velvet Jones]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

I never said they were law enforcement. But by state law, you do have to obey their flaggers in construction zones. This wasn't a flagger, but the idea that you don't have to follow any traffic instructions from PennDOT employees nonsense. They never be able to repair a road* without the legal ability to stop traffic.

* Obvious one-liner: Why would they start now?

You're mixing two different things though. Yes, you're suppose to obey flaggers, but that is not the same thing as detaining someone. I have no problem if PennDOT had called the state police and turned over the security footage later. I just have a problem with them detaining drivers. Even cops get prosecuted and fired for this type of nonsense. Look at the Springdale cop who got fired earlier this year for detaining an off-duty county cop on false charges.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Velvet Jones

Yes, you're suppose to obey flaggers, but that is not the same thing as detaining someone.

I have a problem with that also, at least so far as pulling them off to the maintenance road. (I have no problem with them putting the truck where it physically blocks traffic from passing them while they work. You'd have to do that for safety if you are knocking ice from the roof onto the road.) Still, there's no way this will result in charges of false detention. Nor should it.