quote:

Originally posted by Mr. Excitement:
Since my first reply to this article, I ventured onto Rangeline by traveling through Webb City via Madison street. Then onto 7th street to Schiffercecker, then back to Webb City tracing my origanal path. No less than three times, young drivers cut across the left turn lanes I was entering with stop lights in operation. Not one old woman or man did so.
These young drivers all aparenltly in age younger than thirty or no more than, nearly hit me making opposing left turns across my path.
If any law enforcement officer, especially one with 16 years experience was truly interested in preventing accidents, he/she would be on the street patrolling, and stopping these law breakers and counciling them on safe driving. Perhaps instead of writing them tickets, which they pay and after leaving court continue their sins of the road. These offenders should have to enroll in a safe driving school.

Before you rage at me with all the excusses of case load, paperwork, and the myriad of excuses I hear, think about whether you as an officer of the law could and should be doing a better job. If you can honestly say you are, then I will by your donuts and coffee at the convienience store You prefer while apologising..

Dude, you should not go down this road, until you have been an officer and have seen it for yourself. First thing you should know is that most trraffic offences do not require an arrest. Writing a ticket is the only thing you can do. Yes you could arrest on a traffic ticket, but then it would take approxiamately one and a half to two hours to process the person into jail, write out the ticket report, write out the arresst report, have the vehicle towed, book the person into jail... and so on. So in an eight hour shift, you arrest every person you write a traffic ticket on, you could only arrest maybe four before you went off duty. Then in that situation, how many other traffic offenders would get away? When would you have time to patrol the nieghborhoods for the real criminals? When would you have time to investigate any other crimes that occur??? You might want to also think about the laws that the state legislator write? Law enforcement officers can only do WHAT THE LAW SAYS and nothing more. If you want to complain about anything complain to your senators Who have the ability to change the laws to make them better, not your local law enforcement officer, who has no control over what laws are written. Then ask yourself, when law enforcement officers go out stop someone doing an illegal traffic offence such as DWI, they charge them, go to court , and the person is found guilty. But then that same person go's out and drives again drunk, with out a valid drivers license? I have arrestted more than several persons whom have done this, but it does not stop them from diving. One person I arrested could not even stand up he was so drunk. I charged him with DWI, went to court, he was found guilty. One month later he was driving again , was involved in a accident because he was drunk and speeding, and killed three people. In my opinion the man should have been in jail, IT was the judge that let him off with just a fine. So who is to blame for three people dieing, me or the judge? So what are you going to do about that??? Officers do what they can , legally, but people will do what they want. Stop complianing about the officers and start complaining to your state senators to make better laws for officers to enforce.

quote:

Originally posted by For Fair Play:
Statistically speed and/or impaired driving causes most fatal accidents, irrespective of age.

Another cause is small town police officers seemingly the only ones in town that do not know a multiple DWI and revoked is driving on a regular basis. At least not until somebody gets killed or seriously injured.

Pete; this is just my way of agreeing with you on the enforcement issue and adding something to it.

Any good officer of a small town as you say will know who has a suspended or revoked license, or had multipal DWI's. In a small town it is not that hard to keep track of them, but the thing is , you can not catch everyone , everytime they are driving, thats just not possible. If you can, then get out there and do the job of a officer. The thing is, is that people will disobey the laws whenever they like and it is impossible to catch every single one. The only real way to stop people from violating the traffic laws would to cut thier hands and feet off, and I do not see that happening.

Well, I have to say that I agree with several things that Andrew has brought up about catching every person who violates the law. And what he says about the time it takes to arrest and book one or two people for traffic offenses that may not be life threatening. Now, I know he didn't state "life threatening", but the way I see it is, I think cops should prioritize the arrests to people who are engaging in offenses that are life threatening such as DWI's. I'm not a cop but I think that even in a small town where the cop is aware that someone has a DWI against their record...don't they still have to have a current violation of the law in order to stop that person? People are going to drive no matter what if that is what they are bent on doing. If a person is racking up multiple DWI's it's a good chance that person is an alcoholic and they are going to continue to drive until they kill themselves or someone else and they end up in prison...or decide to get sober. There are not enough law enforcement officers to handle all the people who are violating the law...well, in my opinion. Well, I guess I'm just rattling on and not really adding anything new to the conversation. I just wanted to say that what Andrew said makes sense to me...not that others don't have valid points as well. I think this is a good conversation going here. I hope it continues.

quote:

Originally posted by Andrew M:

quote:

Originally posted by For Fair Play:
Statistically speed and/or impaired driving causes most fatal accidents, irrespective of age.

Another cause is small town police officers seemingly the only ones in town that do not know a multiple DWI and revoked is driving on a regular basis. At least not until somebody gets killed or seriously injured.

Pete; this is just my way of agreeing with you on the enforcement issue and adding something to it.

Any good officer of a small town as you say will know who has a suspended or revoked license, or had multipal DWI's. In a small town it is not that hard to keep track of them, but the thing is , you can not catch everyone , everytime they are driving, thats just not possible. If you can, then get out there and do the job of a officer. The thing is, is that people will disobey the laws whenever they like and it is impossible to catch every single one. The only real way to stop people from violating the traffic laws would to cut thier hands and feet off, and I do not see that happening.

That revoked person lived in Webb City, it was few years ago and he did openly drive. He had been caught several times for DWI; the case was very much in the news because of a serious accident he caused that finally sent him to jail. This individual was well known to the Webb City PD.

The point is Chaseit, this is not the only time a individual has continued driving after being revoked for multiple DWIs and hurt or killed somebody seriously. It has happen more than once in the Webb City and Joplin area.

I have heard each item recited over and over and knew what was coming.
I have had a cousin retire from the Misssouri hiway patrol, have a cousin currently working in local law enforcement for a small town.I have friends working in a local county sherrif's office.
So, I have an insiders view point, having done ride arounds.
I view the casual lawbreaking of vehichle ordinances as officers not wanting to do the necessary paperwork, so they let slide some obvious infractions. That leads to more, "If he aint going to stop them, he wont stop me"
And about patrolling neighborhoods looking for criminals, Why do I not see any cars in my neighbor hood?
I see more than It should be, two or more cars together at fast food joints, some obviously out of jurisdiction. I see two or more cars traveling the same thoroughfares.
No, tell me that does not occur. And tell me that this time could be spent more productively.
Instead of making all the excuses, catch the traffic offenders. It wont have to be all of them just so many that the word gets around that you are doing a bang up job and we aint going to get away with driving improperly.
Either that or consider not targeting one segment of the population with rhetoric on a forum.
Why not get out on the street where some good Could be done.
Tax money to a good cause.

quote:

Why would it be a bad thing to have elderly tested to make sure they can actually drive a 3 1/2 ton piece of metal down the street?

While we are at it. lets accelerate testing for any officer who feels the need to chase or speed along with lights on.
I see in most yards wrecked cars. In Webb City alone, Two cars were wrecked the same day. Both were being operated carelessly by the officers involved.
I am not picking on any officer. I am just tired of being run over by drivers who are younger than i am and hearing from an self purported officer on a forum that I should have to be tested more frequently because I am a threat to society.
It is just wrong to single me out because I fall into a specific age group.
In any age group, there are those whose ability to operate the vehicle you described as over 3 tons. There are officers who do not have the ability to operate that same car at high speeds just because he wears a badge. Hense my earlier reference to wrecked cars in city yards.
I am not speaking of those rammed by criminals trying to evade an officer's arrest.
What I am trying to say is what any officer knows, there are people on the road today that should be cited for their infractions.
That paperwork spoken of most frequently is largely due to inmproper activity of officers and is necessary for the department to CYA.
So, please do not expect me to swallow that excuse. Be seen in my neighborhood on a regular basis. Look for the items stolen from my yard.
Arrest those people who threaten my life daily on the streets.
THEN, you can get my attention on whether additional testing may be required.
It aint working now, is it?
There was an admission back a ways where it was said all could not be arrested for infractions.
Are all of those elderly?

quote:

It wont have to be all of them just so many that the word gets around that you are doing a bang up job and we aint going to get away with driving improperly.

This reminds me of the cops in Lanagan about twenty years ago. Lanagan used to be a party town where people sat up in the park on a regular basis to drink and party around the campfires. There was only one cop at the time, he was a night watchman more or less. He didn't give people too much trouble. Then they got rid of him and started cleaning up the park so it could be enjoyed by family activities instead of biker gangs and partiers. The cops stopped everyone and at one end of town they sat at the bottom of the hill where they knew it was impossible to do the 35 mph speed limit down that hill unless you rode your brake the whole time. They gave people tickets for going 37 mph...traffic court was always filled to over flowing at the city hall. Even the judge in the county seat called the Lanagan cops "old stop-n-rob". People got the message though and they cleared out and even though they don't have the same cops there and don't stop people like that anymore, people remember and when they see that city limit sign they slow down to 35 mph.

Those cops made a lasting impression on that town. Perhaps if they would do that in other towns it might help people to wake up and try to drive better. There is a road going from Webb City that is the same way...they have reputation of stopping people and enforcing the speed limit there. My dad would allows warn me when we hit that road, "Slow down, that cop really likes to stop people on this road." Making impressions like this on people in more areas would help things a lot I think.

quote:

Originally posted by Mr. Excitement:
And about patrolling neighborhoods looking for criminals, Why do I not see any cars in my neighbor hood?
We mostly just let the lowlifes and drug dealers shoot themselves first in your neighborhood.

I see more than It should be, two or more cars together at fast food joints, some obviously out of jurisdiction. I see two or more cars traveling the same thoroughfares.
.

Now, you know every good cop gets his donut, they gotta feel tuff at some point of their day.