Police perception amongst the general public.

[ForcedTorque]

So, if you were to stop me (not knowing me from Adam) for speeding, and I politely asked you "Please sir, may I have a warning", how would you handle this situation?

I have done personal research on this one.

 

[Dunckel]

Good thread man, thanks for the insight. Question though: what's up with Utah Highway Patrol?

I've never been pulled over by the UHP, so, I'm not sure what to tell you. Lol. Maybe they're bored and looking for any reason to stop someone. I doubt they are stopping you without reason. I don't doubt, however, that the reason my be pretty lame. "You pulled me over because my license plate light is out? Seriously?" Though a valid reason to detain, it's pretty thin. I've been on a few highways in Utah. Not much going on.

So, if you were to stop me (not knowing me from Adam) for speeding, and I politely asked you "Please sir, may I have a warning", how would you handle this situation?

I have done personal research on this one.

I'm curious to know what your research yielded. At any rate, I take into account your speed, attitude, time of day, area of town and driving history. Shitty attitude = ticket. I give people a 10mph buffer. 10-13 or 14 over, and as long as you are patient and polite with a clean driving record - or nearly - gets a warning. Usually, anything 14-20mph or over gets a ticket. But, if you are polite, I'll drop it to 5 or 10 over to save you some cash. Over 20mph will get you a ticket, but again, your attitude reflects your penalty.

I haven't written many speeding tickets as I don't like to do traffic stuff. I like to stay moving. I would rather cruise neighborhoods looking for burglers, or hang out in problem areas to curb gang violence. I try to drive down as many side streets in residential neighborhoods as I can. It's a way to get out there and interact with the public. They know you are there, and it gives them an opportunity to say hello, express any concerns, or ask any questions.

 

[Bleakvoid]

Got some easy ones for ya:
Fastest speeding ticket you've ever written or seen?
What's the most lame excuse for breaking the law you've been given?
Would you pull a supra over if it had a SM decal on it? Would you still write Mike a ticket?
What's the real rule about having a front plate? One cop has told me if I don't have mounts for one, it doesn't need to be there, while another has said it absolutely has to be, and a third has even said I can have DMV register it as a one-plate vehicle. I know it depends on state, but CA is bogus with their information.

I don't really have a serious question, I guess, but I do have a good anecdote about CHP. See, when I bought my mk3, it had no door handles, and no way to open it from the outside. I pulled into the gas station by my buddy's shop, and there were three cruisers and a pair of bikes parked (CHP always hangs out there...close to both onramps, I guess). Totally forgot to leave my window down, shut myself out of the car, and left my wallet on the seat. Hadn't even registered it in my name yet, either...so I went inside, got a coat hanger from the attendant and went to work. I don't think it took more than a minute or two for three officers to come out, talk to me, and get the car opened for me. Afterwards, a couple even asked me about the car, what it was, and if I thought it could beat a police cruiser. One even invited me to 'top the cop' at Infineon for a drag race, lol. Best police experience ever.

I guess what I'm saying is that there's good LEOs, and the ones that are there only to either get a paycheck, or fulfill some power/controll trip they have.

 

[te72]

What's the real rule about having a front plate? One cop has told me if I don't have mounts for one, it doesn't need to be there, while another has said it absolutely has to be, and a third has even said I can have DMV register it as a one-plate vehicle. I know it depends on state, but CA is bogus with their information.

I would like to hear this as well. Seems to be entirely up to the officer of the moment.

Also, how does residency affect interstate travel? I live in Wyoming, bought my car in Arizona (where it was tinted, legally for AZ). Now, I have been harassed in UTAH about my tint. A place where I neither live, nor had the tint done. Never been ticketed about it, but why bother bringing it up if the car has out of state registration?

 

[Cz.]

Front plate is decided by state. Read your state laws to find out what the actual law is. Just because cops are supposed to enforce the law doesn't mean they actually know the law or will follow it. In the end, what's written in down is what you can be charged for.

 

[ForcedTorque]

I'm curious to know what your research yielded.

At any rate, I take into account your speed, attitude, time of day, area of town and driving history. Shitty attitude = ticket. I give people a 10mph buffer. 10-13 or 14 over, and as long as you are patient and polite with a clean driving record - or nearly - gets a warning. Usually, anything 14-20mph or over gets a ticket. But, if you are polite, I'll drop it to 5 or 10 over to save you some cash. Over 20mph will get you a ticket, but again, your attitude reflects your penalty.

I'd say I have used this approach 6-7 times with very good success. All but one of them were interstate stops, as I used to log 100,000+ miles a year at work alone for several years. One of the stops was in town, and I was only doing 8 MPH over. I was successful with that one. I also got away with a warning on all of the interstate ones, except for one. That one, was Mississippi State trooper (neighboring state), who answered my request with "We don't do those around HERE, Boy". I was doing a whopping 5 over for that one. My other stops were all in the 10-15 over range. One was 20+! I had several troopers tell me that as long as I was no more than 10, I would likely never be stopped. I formed my driving habits from this. Now, 9 over is where I set my cruise. Cruise is not only for keeping your speed up, you can also keep yourself from creeping too high with it! I haven't been stopped in 8-10 years now.

BTW.......Most of these warnings were given while I had more than 1 ticket on the record.

 

[Dunckel]

Got some easy ones for ya:
Fastest speeding ticket you've ever written or seen?
What's the most lame excuse for breaking the law you've been given?
Would you pull a supra over if it had a SM decal on it? Would you still write Mike a ticket?
What's the real rule about having a front plate?

...Afterwards, a couple even asked me about the car, what it was, and if I thought it could beat a police cruiser.

Fastest I've ever written: 11 over. They guy's attitude bought the ticket. Remember, I don't deal with traffic much. We have a traffic unit, and I find better things to do. I personally have been cited for 20 over. That Officer was really cool. He could have arrested me and towed the car, and written me for 60 over, but lucky me, due to the type of radar he was using and the semi I was passing, he couldn't get a lock. He did lock onto me at 104 though. As soon as I saw him coming from the other direction I just slowed down and pulled over. It took him a good 30-45 seconds to turn around and get behind me. He asked how fast I was going and why. I told him anywhere from 120-130, and because it was a nice day and the car would do it. Lol. I told him it was stupid and I deserved whatever he wrote me for. He said that because of my driving record, and that he appreciated my attitude and honesty, he only wrote the ticket for 80 in a 60. That was the last speeding ticket I've gotten. I've only had 3.

The lamest excuse: I asked a lady once why she thought it was necessary to get behind the wheel while she was drunk. Now, she wasn't just buzzed, or just had one or two...She had a BAC of .275. (over 3 times the legal limit in WA) She told me she had to get home to change her baby's diaper.??? (Yes folks, she left her baby home alone.) I had to hold back emotions of rage, and sorrow as I told her the mother in the car she just hit, will never get to hold her baby again. It was the worst thing I have ever seen, or have ever had to deal with.

Would I pull over a supra with a SM decal?: Yes
Would I give Mike a ticket?: (Assuming I didn't know it was him at first) Depends on why I stopped him. If it was something outright stupid and reckless, probably. Something like unsafe lane change, or not stopping completely at a stop sign, (california stop) the stop would go something like this...
Me: "Good afternoon. I'm Officer Dunckel with the Yakima Police Dept. Just letting you know our conversation is being recorded. The reason I'm stopping you is....Wait, Mike?"
Mike: "Hi."
Me: "Hey. How's it going?" The reason I'm stopping you is because you didn't stop at the stop sign. Do you have your license with you?"
Mike: "Here ya go."
Me: (While still at Mike's window) "B9 check driver's status"
Dispatch: "B9"
Me: "Last of (last name, first name, middle initial...DOB)
Dispatch: "Checking......."
Dispatch: "B9"
Me: "B9"
Dispatch: "B9, Last of (last name, first name) , clear, expires mm/yy"
Me: "B9 received." I would then hand him his license back, and tell him to drive safe. The entire stop would take about 2 minutes.

Front plate: Really depends first on your state law. Second, it depends on whether or not the Officer cares. Me, I don't care too much. I've stopped people for it, but it's rare. And I've never given a ticket for it. I've even been stopped for it, but never cited for it.

Also, how does residency affect interstate travel? I live in Wyoming, bought my car in Arizona (where it was tinted, legally for AZ). Now, I have been harassed in UTAH about my tint. A place where I neither live, nor had the tint done. Never been ticketed about it, but why bother bringing it up if the car has out of state registration?

No matter what state you are in, you (everyone) needs to abide by that state's laws, even if they are not the same as the state you are residing in. I've stopped people from AZ in an AZ registered vehicle for not having a front plate. Most often, they are just driving though, in which case I check their license and tell them to have a safe trip. But before I contact them, I don't know they are just passing through. Several times, I've stopped someone with out of state plates and had them tell me they moved to my state/city a couple months ago. In that case, I'll check their license, and educate them on our state law. "You have 10 days from the time you move to change your address with the DOL. You have 30 days after becoming a resident to register your vehicle with the WA DMV. Get it done. I'm going to add notes into the computer, and if you are stopped again after next week and you don't have this stuff fixed, you are going to get a ticket. Have a good day." Same with window tint. Just because it's legal in one state, doesn't mean it's legal in all of them, no matter where the vehicle is registered. An analogy would be if I were to live in Idaho, and own a full auto glock. As soon as I entered WA with it...illegal.

 

[FullNelson]

I would like to hear this as well. Seems to be entirely up to the officer of the moment.

Its state-by-state thing. I know I was caught without one twice with warnings given. Officer asked me how long ive owned the car and not displayed the front plate, Grinning I told him 3 years. Still I fixed it and closed that loop hole for any ol' cop to pull me over randomly.

AFAIK going into other states, when you cross the borders, you obey their their laws. Friend of mine who's diesel is legal here, was busted for pollution down in colorado.


Along the line of tint laws, Locally I noticed and heard of a scion getting pulled over for front windshield tint (horrid metallic blue) which seems right. But because its supposedly a manufacturer applied tint, it was legal?

 

[Bleakvoid]

Along the line of tint laws, Locally I noticed and heard of a scion getting pulled over for front windshield tint (horrid metallic blue) which seems right. But because its supposedly a manufacturer applied tint, it was legal?

I've also heard tell of manufacturer tint being legal although darker than is allowed. Not entirely sure if it's true, however.

Back on topic, with a much broader question: How do you, as an officer, tell that the peace has been kept; that the job is done, and there's no longer a threat to those around on a larger scale? Is it a marked difference in the way people act in an area when crime drops, or something less quantifiable? How are we supposed to tell that the city we live in is gradually becoming safer?

Thanks for your replies, and for your service.

 

[GrimJack]

Front plate: Really depends first on your state law. Second, it depends on whether or not the Officer cares. Me, I don't care too much. I've stopped people for it, but it's rare. And I've never given a ticket for it. I've even been stopped for it, but never cited for it.


No matter what state you are in, you (everyone) needs to abide by that state's laws, even if they are not the same as the state you are residing in. I've stopped people from AZ in an AZ registered vehicle for not having a front plate. Most often, they are just driving though, in which case I check their license and tell them to have a safe trip. But before I contact them, I don't know they are just passing through. Several times, I've stopped someone with out of state plates and had them tell me they moved to my state/city a couple months ago. In that case, I'll check their license, and educate them on our state law. "You have 10 days from the time you move to change your address with the DOL. You have 30 days after becoming a resident to register your vehicle with the WA DMV. Get it done. I'm going to add notes into the computer, and if you are stopped again after next week and you don't have this stuff fixed, you are going to get a ticket. Have a good day." Same with window tint. Just because it's legal in one state, doesn't mean it's legal in all of them, no matter where the vehicle is registered. An analogy would be if I were to live in Idaho, and own a full auto glock. As soon as I entered WA with it...illegal.

That raises some interesting questions. In Canada, there are provinces that only issue a rear plate - you can't get one for the front, they simply don't exist.

About the 10 days to register your address change, etc - what about folks with two addresses? Someone living in WA in the summers and in their vacation property in CA in the winters? Do they have to register address changes twice a year?

 

[te72]

That raises some interesting questions. In Canada, there are provinces that only issue a rear plate - you can't get one for the front, they simply don't exist.

This is how Arizona is actually... I never saw the point of a front plate honestly. Hinders airflow to the radiator, looks pretty stupid, and as far as I can tell, serves no real purpose to identifying a car. Are you really going to be able to even read a plate that's traveling in the opposite direction?

As far as dealing with Utah goes, I think next time I'm gonna plan for an additional couple hours to get to Vegas and just skip down from Elko, bypass Utah entirely.

 

[Poodles]

It's where they aim the laser Front license plate or headlights, and headlights doesn't work on cars with popups as they're usually down.

 

[Quin]

I got pulled over in Utah for illegal tint (CA registration, just passing through). It seems like Utah is really against window tint. lol

 

[GrimJack]

Tint is one of those oddball things. In locations that don't get roasting hot, it's regarded as a way to hide what's going on inside the car from anyone outside, and the law tends to frown on that.

However, in places where it gets damn hot, like California or Nevada, it's damn near a requirement. I've seen interior bits literally melt when cars are parked in full sun. Of course, I've also seen ladies in pointy heels sink into the road surface.

 

[te72]

It's where they aim the laser Front license plate or headlights, and headlights doesn't work on cars with popups as they're usually down.

Kinda what I've always figured. Nobody around here has anything along those lines that I am aware of, radar tech is a bit old school around here.

Tint is one of those oddball things. In locations that don't get roasting hot, it's regarded as a way to hide what's going on inside the car from anyone outside, and the law tends to frown on that.

However, in places where it gets damn hot, like California or Nevada, it's damn near a requirement. I've seen interior bits literally melt when cars are parked in full sun. Of course, I've also seen ladies in pointy heels sink into the road surface.

Weird as this sounds, tint is a requirement when you're at 6500' elevation too. Not only is direct sunlight on the skin warmer (while ambient temps are generally lower than down south), it will also sunburn you in 10 minutes exposure time. Hate to think of what it does to interiors...

 

[fixitman04]

up in snow country tint is also a near requirement as well due to the reflectivity of the snow. the uv index is higher due to ambient reflections on a bright day. and on a cloudy or blowing snow day it provides better contrast. i have very light tint on my windshield even.

 

[Dunckel]

Back on topic, with a much broader question: How do you, as an officer, tell that the peace has been kept; that the job is done, and there's no longer a threat to those around on a larger scale? Is it a marked difference in the way people act in an area when crime drops, or something less quantifiable? How are we supposed to tell that the city we live in is gradually becoming safer?

Thanks for your replies, and for your service.

Our city has 9 districts, and typically, we try to have 2 Officers in each district 24 hours per day. There are a couple hours a day between shifts where there is only 1 Officer per district, and in some cases 0. When I get into my car, and look at the call screen on my computer and see that there are no calls pending in my district, I know my district partners and myself are doing our part.
I'm sure you've heard the analogy about sheep, wolves, and sheep dogs. It holds true. The vast majority of people go about their day to day lives as if the world is perfect. If the average person knew how many calls per day the police took, and what kind of calls they responded to, it would shock them. Lol, my girlfriend, since meeting me, doesn't feel safe anywhere in town. Even in the "good" parts of town, I can tell her about certain calls I've been to, where burglars live, etc. To answer your question, peoples' attitudes don't change. I wish I could answer you question about the city becoming safer, but I just don't know. In the last 10 years, our crime rate has stayed about the same overall. Some types of crimes have gone down, and some have risen. Here is a crime map of my city. It shows all of the actual crimes in the last week. I think you can choose your city as well. It's sort of interesting.

About the 10 days to register your address change, etc - what about folks with two addresses? Someone living in WA in the summers and in their vacation property in CA in the winters? Do they have to register address changes twice a year?

This was a question I went to my Sgt. about. And he didn't know either. Lol. He said you register a primary and a secondary address with the Dept. of Licensing. But I've never heard of anyone doing that. And he also said shitbags don't have vacation properties in different states. I have never written a ticket for not registering a new address with the DOL. I'm not the kind of Officer that bothers the good, hard working, family type people. I don't know any other types that have vacation spots in different states, other than good, hard working people.

TAre you really going to be able to even read a plate that's traveling in the opposite direction?

Yes.

It's where they aim the laser Front license plate or headlights.

No. Lol.

 

[DreamerTheresa]

Why public perception of cops ain't that great:

[video]http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/54162036[/video]

And until these cops start getting punished for this stuff like they need to be, and it stops getting swept under the rug, I will continue to hold grudges. I KNOW all cops aren't like this, but there is way too much of this shit going down with no end in sight.

 

[te72]

up in snow country tint is also a near requirement as well due to the reflectivity of the snow. the uv index is higher due to ambient reflections on a bright day. and on a cloudy or blowing snow day it provides better contrast. i have very light tint on my windshield even.

This is true, I know 'snowblinded' has couple different meanings, but talking about *actual* snow and the glare it produces on a sunny day, I am VERY grateful to have tinted windows. Unfortunately, like many things, tint is a double edged sword, because at night, it is kinda hard to see out of my peripheral, where the deer like to hide. During the summer, no big deal, windows are nearly always down anyway, but winter sucks at night in that respect.

Also nice to keep prying eyes out of my car. Not that there's anything in it worth taking, but if it's not there to see, it's not there to take, correct (at least generally speaking)?

And Dunckel, if you can read a plate going the other direction at any sort of speed, you have much better eyes than I. I can usually ID states, but rarely the entire sequence of numbers/letters on a plate.

 

[SupraMario]

Why public perception of cops ain't that great:

[video]http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/54162036[/video]

And until these cops start getting punished for this stuff like they need to be, and it stops getting swept under the rug, I will continue to hold grudges. I KNOW all cops aren't like this, but there is way too much of this shit going down with no end in sight.

And that whole video is why I ask how come LEO's don't have to get a psych evaluation before being given a gun and a badge...and not a yes or no psych evaluation either, one with a trained professional.