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That seems to fit in with the "SERVE" part of "To Protect and to Serve", neither of which too many police officers do these days, it sometimes seems.
They're probably sick and tired of people like Ms. "Oh, don't hurt me, I'm pregnant (NOT!) and therefore I don't have to do what you say!" I know I would be.
If anyone's perused the comments on that news story, a lot of people are saying that LVPD (as well as many other police departments) have behind-the-counter deals with towing companies to call in case of emergency. The towing companies get business and the cops push those towing companies when there is a need for one. It's pretty grotesque.
That's a pretty serious charge....care to substantiate it? Oh...did you mention that the City of SA has a "exclusive" contract with towing companies, in which they're paid a fee PLUS a "cut" of the tow charges? I don't think they're a "cut rate" force, are they?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soviet
I think I would have asked the lady to put it in neutral and pushed the truck a little ways, so it did not endanger any other drivers. That seems to fit in with the "SERVE" part of "To Protect and to Serve", neither of which too many police officers do these days, it sometimes seems.
20 years ago, that would have been the solution. Today, it gets you sued. Departments that have used push bars to get cars out of harms' way have been sued because they caused damage to the pushed vehicle, officers have been injured while manually pushing the cars, departments sued because while hand-pushing, there was damage done, etc. THAT is the reality faced by officers and departments today - you "SERVE" at your own peril.
Last edited by Bo; 09-08-2010 at 10:34 AM..
Reason: orphaned - the post you quoted was edited
HA! Money again! Why couldn't it just be jail time, why does it have to be about money? Why are these police departments so hard up for taking money? Sheeesh.
They're supposed to run independently without incentive for stealing money from people. If she lied, she has to pay. But if she ran out of gas, that is not a reason to automatically call the tow truck when there are other options.
If LVPD didn't have a back room deal with some towing company, don't you think that he would have helped her instead of instigating this situation the way it came out?
It's all about incentive.
Moderator cut: off topic/personal
The police department does not set the fines imposed for breaking the laws, that is done by the state. And the argument that police operations are simply for revenue generation is one of the most ridiculous and immature responses around. Do you honestly believe the officer was trying to fleece the woman out of her money? I guess you can ignore the fact that she was creating a dangerous situation on a very busy road, and that the officer’s intent was to make the situation safer by removing the vehicle that ran out of gas. It’s not the officer’s job to move the car for numerous reasons, which is why a towing company was called.
I suspect you’d give the same response if you were caught speeding, that it’s all some big conspiracy for your hard-earned money.
Honestly, given the stupidity of the situation (running out of gas on a busy road), I would love to see the maximum fine and jail time imposed on the driver of the car, as I would against the woman for interfering with the duties of a police officer. Until such idiots realize that their stupidity comes with consequences, incidents such as this one will continue to occur and blaming it on the police is the most ignorant, immature response imaginable!
20 years ago, that would have been the solution. Today, it gets you sued. Departments that have used push bars to get cars out of harms' way have been sued because they caused damage to the pushed vehicle, officers have been injured while manually pushing the cars, departments sued because while hand-pushing, there was damage done, etc. THAT is the reality faced by officers and departments today - you "SERVE" at your own peril.
Yes, I am very much biased, I dislike police officers because so many of them should not be in the positions that they are in, by virtue of their behavior. But that's another matter.
So instead of taking the risk of getting sued for inevitable damage to a car (wouldn't it be highly preventable if the cop pushed the car ever so gently as I once saw SAPD do at Jones-Maltsberger & Thousand Oaks?), they take the risk to injure someone and create bad publicity, as well as make someone pay money to a towing company that they did not need to.
As for the charge of a back room deal with a towing company, what else could it be, if the cop is so excited to call a towing company first rather than actually help the individual by either directing traffic and waiting for gas (which WOULD take a while if the husband is running or walking from a gas station a half mile away) or pushing them out of the way?
This entire situation had a very clear beginning and ending in the way it should have worked out, and it did not. This did not have to be a news story in any way, it could have been just an instance of a cop doing his job and SERVING his community. But there's no money in that, is there? tsk tsk
The police department does not set the fines imposed for breaking the laws, that is done by the state. And the argument that police operations are simply for revenue generation is one of the most ridiculous and immature responses around. Do you honestly believe the officer was trying to fleece the woman out of her money? I guess you can ignore the fact that she was creating a dangerous situation on a very busy road, and that the officer’s intent was to make the situation safer by removing the vehicle that ran out of gas. It’s not the officer’s job to move the car for numerous reasons, which is why a towing company was called.
I suspect you’d give the same response if you were caught speeding, that it’s all some big conspiracy for your hard-earned money.
Honestly, given the stupidity of the situation (running out of gas on a busy road), I would love to see the maximum fine and jail time imposed on the driver of the car, as I would against the woman for interfering with the duties of a police officer. Until such idiots realize that their stupidity comes with consequences, incidents such as this one will continue to occur and blaming it on the police is the most ignorant, immature response imaginable!
I may have mentioned this on another forum instead of this one, and I apologize for not mentioning it earlier, but the fact of the matter is that sometimes fuel gauges are unreliable or do not work outright, and this woman may not have known the situation in regards to how much fuel she had. Or she was relying on the odometer and made an error. Is that really a valid reason to break her bank and make her pay towing fees, when there were other options, clearly?
And yes, it is a "conspiracy" for hard-earned money, although not to the degree you're talking about, I'm sure. It's not a cabal orchestrating things behind the scenes, but it is true that many municipalities have speed limits that are too low or run speed traps in places where the speed limit changes suddenly for literally no physical reason. In this case, yes, it is essential thievery from innocent individuals who were not placing themselves nor anyone else in danger.
If a speed limit is 35 mph when it should be 45 mph, there is something very much wrong there. Why is the speed limit 35 when it should be 45? Revenue generation purposes? There is no reason to go any faster than is safe, but there is also no reason to go any SLOWER than is safe. The argument goes both ways.
However, if I am speeding on a road with an appropriate speed limit and I am cited for it, I have no problem with it, and I will not pull out any argument against it, fair's fair.
All I am asking for is FAIRNESS. Is that so much to ask? But this is another matter, only tangentially related to the topic at hand.
I may have mentioned this on another forum instead of this one, and I apologize for not mentioning it earlier, but the fact of the matter is that sometimes fuel gauges are unreliable or do not work outright, and this woman may not have known the situation in regards to how much fuel she had. Or she was relying on the odometer and made an error. Is that really a valid reason to break her bank and make her pay towing fees, when there were other options, clearly?
Yes, it is. Or at least the driver. Faulty equipment is not an excuse for breaking the law (running out of gas and blocking traffic), how many people have claimed their speedometers are "off" when they are caught speeding? It doesn't matter, it is the driver's responsibility for ensuring their car functions so it can be legally operated on public roads; and if they knew there was a problem with the gas gauge, then they should have made more of an effort to ensure they didn't run out of gas and put themselves in the situation that they did!
The bottom line is it wasn't the officer's actions that required their SUV to be towed, it was theirs; so they should be expected to bear the costs. Or, to answer your question: yes, it is a very valid reason.
Oh, and the police don't set speed limits; traffic engineers do and it is based on a specified formula. It doesn't matter whether you agree with it or not, it is law and anyone who breaks it should expect to pay the consequences!
What you are asking for is NOT "fairness," it is what YOU want. Sorry, life in society, and the laws governing it, just don't work that way...
Yes, I am very much biased, I dislike police officers because so many of them should not be in the positions that they are in, by virtue of their behavior. But that's another matter.
No, it's not - the officer here followed procedure until he failed to file a report on the incident taking place. He did no wrong in the way he handled the event itself. Tell me....what do you do for a living?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soviet
So instead of taking the risk of getting sued for inevitable damage to a car (wouldn't it be highly preventable if the cop pushed the car ever so gently as I once saw SAPD do at Jones-Maltsberger & Thousand Oaks?), they take the risk to injure someone and create bad publicity, as well as make someone pay money to a towing company that they did not need to.
Making sure that your vehicle is safe to operate on the roadway includes ensuring it has enough fuel to get you there. Go back and watch the tape - 3 of the 4 wheels up onto the raised shoulder, the 4th on the roadway. Pushing it with ANY kind of push bar would have resulted in damage. The fact that they ran out of gas is their own fault, not anyone elses.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soviet
As for the charge of a back room deal with a towing company, what else could it be, if the cop is so excited to call a towing company first rather than actually help the individual by either directing traffic and waiting for gas (which WOULD take a while if the husband is running or walking from a gas station a half mile away) or pushing them out of the way?
I don't know...you tell ME. YOU are the one that leveled the charge - I asked for proof, and you come back with none. What you suggest is illegal - and for you to accuse someone of such without knowledge or proof goes beyond being irresponsible. And for the record...the gas station nearest to where this happened is LESS than a 3-minute walk away.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soviet
This entire situation had a very clear beginning and ending in the way it should have worked out, and it did not. This did not have to be a news story in any way, it could have been just an instance of a cop doing his job and SERVING his community. But there's no money in that, is there? tsk tsk
Yeah, it did - the lady SHOULD have obeyed the LAWFUL direction of the officer, but instead she decided to not only ignore them, she disobeyed them - and we're supposed to cast her as a victim?
Tell you what....go do some ride-alongs with an LEO for a couple of weeks. As I sit here marvelling at your complete lack of knowledge of the law and how things work, it dawns on me that the root cause is because you have no clue as to just what's involved. Let me tell you something - being an LEO is one of the most stress-filled jobs out there, and I respect and admire those willing to take the job on. You haven't lived until you've got a guy with stolen merchandise in his hands that you've just chased out of a building in the middle of the night and he's standing there telling you you've got the wrong guy...
Really? Take the time to actually get to know the officers some time. We have a really good force here in NB - at least, they are to those that respect the law and those that enforce it.
I have personally dealt with half of the NB police force. If I said what I actually thought of them, the moderators would cut it, so just use your imagination. They're local overweight good-ole-boys with no university education. They're by far the least professional police department I've ever encountered.
I have personally dealt with half of the NB police force. If I said what I actually thought of them, the moderators would cut it, so just use your imagination. They're local overweight good-ole-boys with no university education. They're by far the least professional police department I've ever encountered.
I'm calling you on this, dude....we LIVE here, I know most of them by sight, and many by name - and you are SO full of it it's not even funny. You're wrong in terms of their average physical build, education levels, and overall deportment. Period. What you've just posted is a blatant lie, and simply serves to highlight your lack of accuracy and truthfulness.
But tell me....how is it that you have "personally" dealt with half of the NB Force? Being arrested multiple times doesn't count....
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