Ask A Cop!!! Post Your Questions Here!

[Tamas]

Speaking of speeding....it is always funny to see folks from MI, NY or other neighbouring states come up here and drive like mad - I guess they like the speed we have, sort of forbidden candy for a kid.

(Legally we have a 100km/h speed limit on highways, but 99% of the people are doing close to 120-130km/h in unison, since the whole highway is moving at that rate cops only stop you if you are being really stupid, weaving, tailgating ... just being an a-hole. To top it all off, sometimes I am looked at funny when I travel at a slow 115 on the highway, like I am the odd one)

Back on track...since we are used to such speed, I always have a hard time when going to the states to realize that the troopers are a lot more harsh there and I have to slow down unless I want to spend a night in jail. I usually set the "auto pilot" to 115-117 and go. The only other place where I was able to go fast and so was everyone else, was on the FL turnpike, I had the cruise at 125km/h and people were passing me - cool!

The other thing I was always curios to ask and figure out, is why do other motorists flash you when you pass them in the US? I approach, signal, change lanes, pass with ample distance, signal again to get back in the lane and WHAM up come the high beams!? What gives?

 

[OE2X]

What's the funniest line you have ever heard from a guilty person?

One of my favorite cop experiences:
I had pulled over to side of the interstate with three whitewater kayaker friends and a videographer to photograph these guys running a roadside 30' waterfall.

Everything was going according to plan, with the kayakers getting ready in the pool above. All of the sudden I noticed a Washington state police cruiser pulled up behind my vehicle with the lights flashing. I start waving to my friends to run the waterfall before the cop prevents us from "harming" ourselves. My friends can't see the cruiser with the lights flashing or the cop approaching me.
I'm thinking - great! Now I'll get a ticket or something.

A young humorless trooper comes up to me and asks "Are those guys going to go over that waterfall?" I respond "Well that was the intention officer." At this point, I'm thinking a ticket will be easy, but it's looking more like jail time.

The officer looks at one of the kayaks and asks "Is that guy going to run that in an Inazone?" This is a particular brand of kayak and only a whitewater paddler would be familiar with it. I manage stammer out something, "Well yes officer he is." At this point the cop has assessed my confusion and mentions that it's o.k. he happens to be a paddler and an "Inazone" owner. At this point I'm dumbfounded. I figure he has run my plates and knows who I am, so I introduce myself. At the time I happened to be that brand of kayaks rep, so I mention that and hope he likes his boat. He then proceedes to tell me that we had met a few months before at a local kayak shop where I had helped sell him his boat. Now I'm truly astonished and appologize that I didn't recognize him in his uniform.

He stood there and watched my friends run the waterfall, while we filmed them. He has become a friend and we get together to paddle every now and again.

 

[Bo Danker]

Where are all the good looking law enforcement officers? :angel: They obviously are NOT around here anywhere...

Ouch Heather Mae thats kinda rough

 

[TheRedHead]

How do you feel about lawyers and do you often get beaten in court?

 

[dlndavid]

You David, should be in jail.. I'm thinking you're a walking felony! *laughing*

Who says I'm not.

 

[mike_s]

1. Is there a quota? - No

The state I live in doesn't have quotas either... on tickets.

Apparantly they did but that caused some "political stink".
now the rule is that a State Trooper must have either 6 or 8 (not sure)
"interactions" with the public per shift. Of course what is the
most common "interaction" that a highway patrol man has with
the public? writting them a ticket.

Yes, it's from the bulletproof cup scene of Super Troopers. A movie that is scarily close to the way it is out there!

Have you ever done the "meow" thing to someone when pulling them over? (from Super Troopers 'meow' for those who haven't 'meow' seen the movie 'meow')



As for "irrataging/idiot cop" stories... in my state the cops usually ask where
you work when they write you a ticket. They write this on the ticket and I guess
it's in case you don't pay or failure to appear so they know where to come arrest
you during the work day. At the time I was working for a well known company
and the cop writing me the ticket had the 'nerve' to ask me about getting a job
there.... while he was writing me the ticket. At first I played along with him
and told him I'd do what I could to help him and he seemed real nice about it.
He even game me his name to look out for his resume. Now that this was over
I asked him if I was still getting the ticket.... his reply was "oh yeah... you
were speeding" and tears off the ticket and hands it to me. I asked him if
that was all, and he said yes. I told him good, because now that I had his name
I was going to make d*mn sure we didn't hire his sorry *ss. Yeah I had to
still pay the ticket, but I got some satifaction from telling him that.

 

[Knight1989]

We actually did the first part of the movie where an undercover officer jumps in the car and screams "we're going to mexico" Funniest thing I ever saw.

 

[Diver0001]

I belong to many different forums (not just scuba ones), and I have several of these threads.
It's easy, simple and fun! So...

Go ahead, ask me any police/law enforcement related questions!

My background:
I'm a 31 year old police officer with 9+ years of experience. I also teach part-time (police acadamy, police science, advanced training, etc...). I work in SE Wisconsin, in a department that has about 100 sworn officers. Just finished 2005 with about 37,000 calls for service.
My disclaimer:
I'm not an attorney and this is for fun and informational purposes only. If you are in a situation that may require council, please seek an attorney.

OK, ASK AWAY!!!

Great idea for a thread. Here's my question (brace yourself, they're good ones....):

1) What goes on in a cops mind that makes him/her keep beating someone like Rodney King even after he has clearly given up?

2) And on a related question. Do cops brag about this kind of thing in the locker room?

3) It seems to me that if the police have a constitutional monopoly on the use of violence against members of the public that people who enter the force should be screened for their ability to handle this power responsibly. Does this happen? If so, how is the screening done?

R..

 

[mike_s]

Have you guys seen Reno 911 ?

Most of the show is really stupid and you won't want to watch it. but every
now and then there are some really funny scenes in it making fun of cops.

 

[crpntr133]

Who says I'm not.

David, you need to come visit me. We have one of the few Federal death chambers just a few miles from my house. I bet that I could get you in.

OK, cop question!! Why does a cop follow right up on your tail gate for several miles before pulling you over? I have always wanted to slam on the brakes. This isn't just a Indiana thing either.