> As a member of the Law Enforcement community I take exception to
> this.
> I've written a lot more tickets to "$30K plus Bimmers" than "$3K
> Hondas". But I get a lot more lip from the teenager in the $3K
> Honda.
Jon you are a Deputy Sheriff that is a far cry from the
average cop who measures how far you are from the
curb with a ruler. FWIW all the Sheriffs that I have met in
NH have been decent guys with a pretty good attitude and
I had a run in with one who thought my old Falcon years ago
was stolen and involved with some crimes.
The car fit the description somewhat, he checked it out found
that it wasn't me or my car and was decent about it.
On the other hand I had a $300 mountain bike stolen from
inside my former apt in the middle of the day. My kids even saw
the guy who took it. Well the local cops were quite annoyed
that they had to deal with this and gave me a real hard time about it
when they came over. The cop didn't even get out of the car.
So sure there are different kinds of cops they are people after all
and I can see that if someone mouths off they'll get a ticket
or worse. My big thing about the TIRE RACK sticker is if it's
illegal in the area that the offense is in why not just have the person
remove it. A while back here we had orange slips that the cops
could give you if your car was illegal from a registration point
of view. You had 10 days to fix it or you got the fine. I know
I used to drive a LOT of beaters back then. Some cars I had to
sell because the cost was too much to fix.
I personally think this works better than giving someone a fine
right off the bat.
> Please don't put us all in one group. It's also 10% of the auto
> crossers that leave the site at mach 1 and lose the site for
> everyone.
I'll agree with that, al lit takes is one person to tear it up
through town and that's that. Of course I tear it up on
course, so I'm wiped out and driving like Grandma
after the event. :)
But as a Sheriff you know that some towns have quotas
and speed traps, not all but many do.
I was nailed doing 25mph in a 20mph school zone on a
Sunday in July at about 3am. I lived in that town and this
was about a mile from where I lived. I had to pay the fine too.
The entire city is a 25mph zone except for the extreme outskirts.
I won't get into the time where I was hassled for getting my pregnant
(at the time wife) to the hospital when she went into early (6 weeks
early)
labor due to toximia yes I went over 25mph on a road that
is so straight it could be used for a drag strip with NO cars on
it late at night 2am or so. The cop would NOT let me go into
the hospital and she had to get herself in or he was going
to arrest me on the spot. I had to do the whole license registration
thing at the hospital emergency entrance and was faced with being
dragged off to jail.
So like the 10% of autocrossers who ruin it for everyone.
10% of the cops who do things like these give the rest a bad name.
I have personally know some cops who were very tough but fair.
You'd get a warning the first time the second time that medicine
would taste real bad going down.
Steve Bernard
Red '99 Miata (B-Stock)
NER Region (Novice Class)
mailto:Solo-2@juno.com
________________________________________________________________
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
|