Traffic cops ARE doing what they are supposed to be doing, not all cops are assigned to criminal cases, they all have their areas of work. If there were no traffic cops, who would stop the d-bag 16 year old who just got his liscense doing 120 in a school zone?

 

If I remember correctly, the tree did that.

 

That makes no sense. What would be the "easier" dollar?

1) Pulling over some dude in a Z with his mom not apparently breaking any law. Then having to show up in court to defend it. On top of that, would probably lose. Net "easy" dollar = court fees. whoop dee doo.

2) Pulling over a Vette that most certainly violated the "no racing zone" specifically desiginated for that area. Almost undeniable in court. Net "easy" dollar = mucho $.

 

agreed - only reason I could think of (assuming the story is accurate) is that some police departments have a 'no chasing' policy. (I lived in Oakland Ca. where they had that policy...seemed like once a week you'd hear about a motorcycle that ran from the cops and got away)

 

yes, i checked it, there is some new statute - "141 -vehicle pursuits ".it too long but i will type it for you guys. i printed it out when i went to Olympia to WA state patrol academy (as an intern) it was a month ago. but it simply says here is a small chunk " For the purpose of this section, a persuit exists when an officer initiates a vehicle stop and the driver resists the order to stop, icreases speed and/or takes evasive action, and/or refuses to stop. Once the driver refuses to obey the officer's orders, this policy and procedures takes effect. -- It is the policy of the department that persuits are permissible only when the need for immediate capture outweighs the danger created by the persuit itself. Immediate capture shall apply to only the most serious incidents. the circumstances justifying the decision to pursue must exist at the time of initiation. The suspected crime of eluding will not, without additional circumstances, justify a pursuit. AND THE MOST IMPORTANT "Pursuits for traffic violations, misdeamenors, gross mideamenors and most property crimes , alone, are to be avoided; the infraction or criminal act will not , by itself , constitute justification for a pursuit, barring extraordinary circumstances". and here comes the trick , if the cop clocks you going down on i5 with 120+, it is a felony, therefore they will initiate a pursuit. so in my case i was an easy target for the cop, and if i were alone he would have nailed me for no license plate - $110. and yes the story is correct, not imbellished , and IT is credible.
***disclaimer: many police departments have implemented it, but not all. i dont know which one has, and has not.

 

main point - stay below 120 MPH, but don't stop!















j/k...I'm still too scared to ever run from the police

 

Oh man... cops LOVE a good chase. All you need to do is give them an excuse to flip on the lights and go WOT and they'll obligate you each and everytime. They love it more than donuts.....more than DONUTS!!! But I think in the case of the street racing areas, a cop might feel that he was being baited to go after someone when it's pretty obvious. That might have been that cop's particular thinking.

 

That's the case with pretty much everything, I think. My dad is in law enforcement (and my little brother just got accepted to the academy), so I can check with them to be sure, but I'm pretty confident that most areas are not to chase unless there's suspicion of a pretty bad offense (you're not getting chased down for a tail light out), and even at that, they have to radio for permission to enter/maintain the pursuit.