Something to ponder……

[Chipster]

I continually here calls going out to the officers in the field such as:
“South bound XX road, (vehicle description) excessive speed/reckless driving/etc. Any car in the area….”

Chances are, there are no cars in the area. What are the chances of those violators actually being caught? I say little to none. So why report it? If they get in an accident or something, can that previous call go against them as evidence they were doing something wrong?

People say it is “Big Brother” interfering with your rights to have a black box in your vehicle. I am thinking, if you are a law abiding citizen, what do you have to worry about?

 

[KT4HX]

I hear those types of calls all the time to the Virginia SP on I-95. Usually they are call ins to VSP by other drivers using cellphones to report someone cutting in and out of lanes, driving recklessly. I myself have made calls to the VSP about people almost causing accidents. The BOL goes out, but how many actually get stopped I've no idea. I do believe it's a good idea for the dispatcher to post those calls. Someone is putting the lives of those around them in jeopardy - not to mention their own. So whatever tool can be used to try and stop them is ok with me. Driving on I-95 in particular is hairy enough on a good day without the idiots who weave in and out of lanes working their way forward, cutting cars off, and almost ramming others in the tail. All in the name of saving themselves a few seconds or minutes. Even a personal emergency is no excuse to put yourself and others at risk, and possibly compound your personal emergency by causing another one. Just my few cents worth.

 

[nmfire10]

Well, you can't ignore the call no matter how futile because on the off-chance something does happen, a lawyer will have a field day with it. All it really does is alert officers in the area to be on the lookout for this vehicle that might be operating recklessly. Nothing more unless someone actually wants to file a formal complaint.

I'm sure if he did get in an accident, the report of a similar vehicle operating recklessly will be included in the report.

What big brother has to do with any of this, I don't know. That last part of your post makes no sense.

 

[Admin0140434]

What big brother has to do with any of this, I don't know. That last part of your post makes no sense.

he's talking about the car manufacuturers wanting to put black boxes in cars. people are going around saying "Big Brother" is interfering with a person's right.

 

[BoxAlarm187]

And although it's not widely known, Black Boxes have been in certain makes of vehicles for many years.

As for what KT4HZ and nmfire said, they're exactly right. I was a VSP dispatcher for 5 years, and we put out reckless drivers all day and all night. We knew good and well that the chance of a trooper being in the area was slim, but we were obligated to put the call out when we recieved the complaint from a citizen.

Just another wonderful side effect of the popularity of cell phones! :?

 

[BJ_NORTON]

I actuall heard and then witnessed a similar call.

I heard Nevada Highway Patrol get a careless/wreckless call while I was driving a Pepsi Semi in the middle of no were. I was on a different highway, so I didn't really pay any attention to the call. The officer that got the call has a pretty thick Eastern accent (Hey, how you doin?) that sticks out like a sore thumb. As I was turning onto highway 6 I saw a car that matched the description of the careless/wreckless. A few minutes later I get passed by NHP and we are both following the car now. Officer reports that he is following the car. A few minutes later he says that they're driving OK and no cause to stop them; 10-8 back in service.

I suppose 99% are never caught, but for the 1% it sure sucks to be him. Also I have been told that some officers keep personal notes and if they run into a guy that has previous verbal warnings, or complaints that they don't cut 'em a brake.

I suppose the best thing if you decide to call and complain is to follow the car and give periodic updates to the dispatcher on location. Most of the time though the guy is driving so crazy a law abiding person could never keep up!

 

[djeplett]

It's really tough on the cop when the reporting person doesn't want to file a complaint. Then they have to find the driver first, then witness them doing something wrong.

I heard a call like this the other day. The reporting person said the bad driver was entering my city. The city cops ended up finding the person, but the reporting party didn't want to file a complaint. Luckily, when they ran the person's records their license was revoked so they didn't have to worry about making a case for anything. I never heard how the stop ended, but I have to assume it wasn't good for the bad driver.

 

[K5MAR]

I guess the question here is, do you want the public to be willing to report problems to the police even if they can't or won't sign a complaint? I think I would prefer that the citizen witnessing a possible problem at least take the time to report it. Even if the officer doen't find the suspect or vehicle in a majority of the incidents, it's a sure thing that nothing will be done if it isn't reported.

Mark S.

 

[djeplett]

Oh, I can totally see the reporting person's reason for not signing a complaint. I was simply stating a fact that it is hard on the cop. That's all.

 

[K5MAR]

Oh, I can totally see the reporting person's reason for not signing a complaint. I was simply stating a fact that it is hard on the cop. That's all.

Part of the job, my man! Been there myself. Face it, nobody stays in law enforcement for the money, if you don't love the job, you go elsewhere.

Add: As far as BS on the job goes, this really ranks pretty low on the scale.

Mark S.

 

[VegasCorbin]

Just my thought, maybe somebody that knows can confirm/deny. A PD gets a number of call from Highway XX at mile marker YY. At some point, the PD is going to say, We have a problem and concentrate some enforcement there.

Just my thought.

 

[djeplett]

Add: As far as BS on the job goes, this really ranks pretty low on the scale.

I can only imagine from the agravation I hear cops going through every day on my scanner.

I think the cops in my area have a higher success rate at locating drunk and/or reckless drivers and I bet it has something to do with the rural nature of my area. Out of every 10 such calls I hear I know I hear at least one that actually ends in a stop. (But who knows how many end in an arrest or citation. Even if it doesn't I would hope the driver might learn.)

If the area I was in was a large metropolitan area I would guess it would be easier for the subject to disappear.

 

[SAR923]

This type of broadcast is common here in the Bay Area from the CHP. California law requires a peace officer to witness an infraction before a citation can be written so a citizen signing a complaint is not an issue unless the violation is a misdemeanor or felony. What the dispatcher does want to know is if the citizen is following so the location can be updated. Even if there's no follower, it's always possible that another agency may have a unit in the area or even a citizen with a scanner will see the vehicle in question and call in an update. Most of the time, the driver doesn't get caught but they do get caught often enough to make the broadcast worthwhile.

 

[RolnCode3]

. . . it's always possible that another agency may have a unit in the area . . .

You stole the words right out of my mouth. Up here we try to listen to each other where possible, and CHP might broadcast something that I'm near, and I'll go take a look. It's always possible an outside agency officer will be listening and be able to help.

 

[Chipster]

We have a lot of construction going on in the area. It was funny to listen to the Highway Patrol over the weekend. Apparently, they were concentrating on the construction area. They were writing tons of tickets for speeding and not pulling over and giving room to the construction workers.

Couple of the officers were chatting about some of the excuses and responses they are getting from the caught offender. People just could not understand how why that guy speeding by right now didn’t get the ticket, while the officer is currently writing them a ticket. The old be in two places at one time type thing.

There have been a couple fatality accidents, among other accidents lately that have been well publicized on all the television stations of people slamming in the back of a construction truck. They still don’t slow down……