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Old 06-19-2009, 10:41 AM
Bo Bo started this thread Bo won $500 in our forum's Most Engaging Poster Contest - Tenth Edition (Apr-May 2014). 

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Location: Ohio
17,107 posts, read 37,978,338 times
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Computer to alert speeding officers (http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/Computer_to_alert_speeding_officers.html - broken link)

Quote:
In the wake of two major crashes caused by speeding officers, the time has come to take “corrective action” and “change the culture” of speeding in the San Antonio Police Department, Chief William McManus said Thursday.

To that end, McManus said software soon will instantaneously clock the speed of patrol cars — triggering first a warning to the officers and then an alert to their supervisors should certain speeds be surpassed, an unusual measure not taken by many police departments nationwide.
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Old 06-19-2009, 11:00 AM
 
18,049 posts, read 25,100,414 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bowie View Post
Computer to alert speeding officers (http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/Computer_to_alert_speeding_officers.html - broken link)
I'm not surprise,
they drive their cars about twice a year (never see one on the highway)

If they drove their cars some more (patrolling) they might improve their driving skills.
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Old 06-19-2009, 11:33 AM
 
Location: TN
69 posts, read 202,311 times
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sounds good, but will they do anything when reports come in of officers going 100 in a 45?
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Old 06-19-2009, 11:38 AM
Bo Bo started this thread Bo won $500 in our forum's Most Engaging Poster Contest - Tenth Edition (Apr-May 2014). 

Over $104,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum and additional contests are planned
 
Location: Ohio
17,107 posts, read 37,978,338 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by urbanski View Post
sounds good, but will they do anything when reports come in of officers going 100 in a 45?
One of the stories I heard about this said that those reports of excessive speed will be sent electronically to the officer's supervisor, who is then supposed to discuss them with the officer.
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Old 06-19-2009, 01:57 PM
 
Location: San Antonio
323 posts, read 827,065 times
Reputation: 210
This is a good idea. If enforced, even better.
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Old 06-19-2009, 02:11 PM
 
Location: San Antonio, TX
3,542 posts, read 8,223,489 times
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^^ second.
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Old 06-19-2009, 02:48 PM
 
Location: TN
69 posts, read 202,311 times
Reputation: 62
yeah, that's the key word "discuss".
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Old 06-19-2009, 03:34 PM
 
Location: Kansas to Rochester, NY
612 posts, read 1,838,548 times
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Hope that it doesn't affect high speed chases, emergency calls, or something of a sort....
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Old 06-19-2009, 03:53 PM
 
Location: NW San Antonio
214 posts, read 499,590 times
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I may be wrong, but this is my second-hand understanding of the rules: Even at with lights and sirens the police are only supposed to go 10 over, and if they need to go faster they are supposed to call in for permission. When this occurs they may call in and ask for permission to persue. More often than not, they make this 'call' some time during a high speed chase, after they are speeding to great excess.

There are obvious reasons as to why the particulars of when the call for permission is made (if it is diligently made) vary and aren't seriously enforced. If someone just shot your kid, do you want the cops to follow the guy at 55mph as he speeds away until they get permission to pursue?

Although I don't condone cops doing 95 on the highway or using their lights to skip traffic stops, I don't see an easy way to monitor this fairly that won't be thrown out the window as soon as they have a reason to make chase.
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Old 06-19-2009, 11:46 PM
 
Location: San Antonio
490 posts, read 1,091,143 times
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This whole issue gets to me. Clearly there are some reckless cops that have killed and put lives in danger. Clearly there are a lot of cops who drive faster then they should to meet their buddy at Valero for a chit-chat.

However, resolving this situation in absolute terms does not seem possible. There are very few of these "emergency" calls that would allow the officer to use discretion when it comes to speed. Your wife home alone at 2AM seeing a strange man in the back yard does not qualify, so at most that officer is to exceed the speed limit by 10 miles per hour. Is that what you want?

Conversely, the media likes to report that these officers were speeding and then the call was "cancelled" as if it never should have happened and was all a misunderstanding. In my hypothetical example, this call is "cancelled" when it turns out to be your neighbor looking for his dog that ran away when he let him out to go to bathroom at 2AM. The guy could have easily not been your neighbor and smashed the back window while the cop was taking his time. It only becomes an "emergency" or the code 3 call after he stabs your wife.

This whole thing reminds me of the cell phone in school zones issue. We can't make life 100% safe, so we pick something to make ourselves feel better. I know plenty of people who have had accidents caused by the radio, CDs, stress at work or a dropped milkshake....we regulate cell phones because we haven't figured out how to outlaw idiocy.
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