Husband got 2 tickets on top of Grapevine in CA- question? Please read!!?!

If they show up for court AFTER duty, I bet they'd rather be catchin' ZZZ's instead.

If they show up for court BEFORE duty, they might be reportin' for duty tired and grumpy.
And, I'd imagine that a tired and/or grumpy Officer wouldn't be too tired and/or grumpy to write
a(nother) citation.
Just because they FEEL like it.

There's that human nature again.
Proving, beyond a doubt, that Officers ARE
human, too.
Ya reckon.

 

Shakey, I know you were asking PSanderson, but after seeing his response, and understanding where HE is coming from, may I respond?

Thanks, I think I will.

I've got over twenty years in law enforcement, the majority of that time as a field officer in either a police department or a sheriff's office. On top of that, I have over fifteen years as a medic on volunteer ambulance services, and four years as a volunteer fire fighter. So does this qualify me to give my view?

Oh well, I'm going to anyhow.

Over those years, I have actually responded to very few accidents involving big rigs. There have been some, and they have not been pretty: The woman who did a head on at what CHP estimated to be 80+ into a cabover bull hauler, loaded. The woman and her husband/SO/whatever had to be cut out of what was left of the car, and the tractor. That is their body pieces had to be. The trucker, who was in no way responsible for the accident had severe injuries that ultimately resulted in him being in a wheel chair for the rest of his life. . .

I'm not going to go into great detail here on other crashes. I've seen eleven illegal aliens sandwiched in like sardenes in a can, after they ran their Chevy SW under a trailer at 100+ during a pursuit by Border Patrol.

OK, enough of the gore. As to how it affects people who respond to these nightmares:

I went for many years just keeping it bottled up inside. Hell, I was a big tough copper, I'd seen it all, done it all and had the scars to prove it. Suck it up! Tough it out! Make jokes about it, to keep from crying!

When you have seen enough of body parts, seperated from the bodies - when you have seen enough dead children, whose only fault was that they were in a car with a drunk parent - when you have had to do death notification to surviving family members and loved ones - you get to the point where you dread the radio call. Or the pager going off. Or the phone call getting you out of bed at four in the morning, after you had been in bed only an hour, after working for maybe 20 hours. . .

You can get to the point where you lose your perspective. You have bad dreams. (I still have nightmares of accidents or other violent scenes.)

So, you have just cleared the scene of a multiple fatal accident, caused by some arsehole who decided to pass on a blind hill or curve, when the road was clearly marked not to do so. Within twenty minutes, you observe the same violation at a different location, by some clueless numbnuts who hasn't a clue. Then said "citizen" cops an attitude with you when you stop him. "JUST WHAT HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM, COP!"

You explain the violation to the guy, and the possible consequences of his actions, only to hear; "Screw you, I'm an EXPERIENCED driver. The only reason you stopped me is to make money for your county, blah, blah, blah."

You deal with this jerk in the most expediant way possible, get his info, give him his ticket and send him down the road. (This of course after checking to see if he has any warrants out on him, and alternately praying that he does, You would really LOVE to hook this guy up, and that he doesn't, because it is fifty miles to the jail, and you REALLY don't want to listen to his schidt all the way there. . .)

Then, if you get a chance to get a meal break, and you are in a coffee shop getting a sandwich, you over hear two people (who were NOT at the scene) talking about how the a-hole cops and medics that went out to that earlier accident scene didn't know what the hell they were doing. If they had, nobody would have died. . .

Some other arsehole comes up to you complaining about a ticket he got 5 years ago in a state clear across the country. . .

Anyway, you get the idea.

Oh come on now, everybody knows that cops don't do anything but ride around in fancy cars all day long. They pull people over for no reason, and write tickets just to keep up their "quota." WHICH I might add, in the jurisdictions I worked in there WAS NO SUCH THING! Of course, my primary function was not traffic. I took action on traffic offenses that I witnessed, if I didn't have anything more pressing going on.

Yep, we are human. But we are expected to be "above all that." We are not supposed to have feeling or emotions. Then when we don't respond with warmth and fuzzy kindness to somebody they complain about "that cold basturd!"

Well, I'm certainly not going to try to defend the actions of somebody who sounds like they didn't know what they were doing. I'm real surprised that a local yokel would take it upon himself to try to become a "home grown DOT officer", but you just never know.

Anyhow, sounds like you handled it just right. No point in getting into a pissing match on the street with the cop. The cards are really stacked against you with that.

I've always encouraged someone to "take it to court" if you don't agree with the ticket. Now I would almost always try to "sell the ticket" to the violator. I really did not enjoy going to court. Yeah, if I was off duty, I got paid over time. But I still had better things to do with my time, than go to traffic court!

It is surprising how far honesty and a good attitude will go. It can mean the difference between getting a ticket, or a warning. OR it can mean the difference between being written up just for the initial violation, and having you vehicle gone over with a fine tooth comb for equipment violations.

Yep. And I'll bet in his mind he was a "victim." Unfortunately, there are some people who are so stupid, and so self delusional, that they just can't seem to admit they screwed up. It is ALWAYS the other guys fault!

Shakey, I really want to thank you for bringing this up. This has given me the chance to get a lot of stuff off my chest.

Yes, there are some cops out there who just should not be cops. Yes, there are some jurisdictions where the traffic laws are set up to be money makers. Is this fair, or right? Nope, but it is the way it is in SOME LOCATIONS.

Unfortunately, every time somebody gets screwed in this manner, it causes them to hate the law, and the guy/gal who is enforcing it. Somebody gets caught up in a "Justice of the Peace" type setting where the JP and Barney both get a cut of the fine, and then has a hard on for all traffic enforcement for the rest of their lives.

Yes. It is a stress reliever. Nothing more. Often in horrible taste, and if a civilian happens to witness it they may become outraged. Because they just don't comprehend what we have to deal with on a daily basis.

The thing is, that showing up for court is not an OPTION. When a ticket you write, or an arrest you make is plead not guilty, and a court date is set, the officer is issued a subpoena. Failure to obey that subpoena is treated as contempt of court, and can ruin a cops whole day. . .

 

WhAT?

Absolutely!

Please do.

In MY opinion?
YeS, it does.

I knew you would.

I, Shakey AfterShock HAVE had run-ins with the Highway Patrol and local wannBee CHP in city police uniforms.
And I'm here to say, I've only had one semi-bad experience, and that was with a Torrance, California (what's new) city kitty, who wrote me up for being over-brdge, on a 48' trailer that looked, to him, like a 53' trailer.

Based on his tape measure, positioned APPROXIMATELY centered on where HE figured the king-pin MIGHT be, he came up with 1 1/2 inches OVER bridge. And wrote the citation.
I signed.
And was on my way.
To court.

OH!
He knew EXACTLY what he was doin'.
And it WAS to generate revenue.
He sat near a warehouse just waiting to bust container haulers with chassis with tandems that were in such poor condition that the tandems COULDN'T be adjusted.

YuP!
I even took the Big truck and trailer to the scale on Cajon Pass, and the Officers there couldn't believe ANYone would write a citation on a 48' trailer for a bridge law. I was told that they NEVER write those for 48' trailers.
NEVER!

Well then, you might appreciate this,
With the registration in hand, the Officer asks me, "What year is this Big truck"?
(It's a 1970's era GMC General, former car hauler with a coffin sleeper that the company uses for local shuttles).

I told him I wasn't sure, but that I KNEW it was a NEW truck.

I should also mention, that within 5 minutes, I slid the trailer tandems ONE hole UP. Now, "legal".

The Officer informed me that in that position, the tires were "easier" on "his" streets during tight turns.
HuH!

There ARE no "tight turns" in the mile and a quarter of streets I ALWAYS use when servicing that steady customer from which I was coming --- to the Interstate I ALWAYS use.
Ahhhhhh --- but I "might".
Imagine that.
He could.
And did.
Vividly.

And wrote ol' AfterShock his FIRST, and only, movin' citation.
It took 'em about a million miles to finally catch me doin' sumthin' wrong though.
#####!
He WAS good, now that I think, (and laugh) about it.

Thank YOU!
Please, sir.

Soooo, it's twue!

I have a cousin who is now retired from the Kentucky Troopers, and I asked him about attitudes --- and you confirm what he told me.
One such thing was, "if I pull a driver over for a blatent error, and the first thing they ask me is *What did I do wrong?
They get a citation"

If, when he asks THEM, "Do you know why I pulled you over? And they don't seem to have a clue, ...... they get a citation".

YeAH!
The "victim" he pulled over.

YuP!
That's what I think, too.

Big Don's Big chest?

Absolutely Correct!
IMO - 2.

Not ME, Big D!
I know that bad apples don't always indicate the condition of the whole load.
But I'm not sure if one bad apple can or will spoil the whole batch.

Sounds a lot like Stringtown, Oklahoma.

How does THAT affect a mood?

THANX Big D!
You're response was appreciated.
As usual.

 

Talk about an 'exhaustive' post! Man, Shakey, you wore me out!

But, anybody who has driven the Grapevine more than once or twice, should have a heads up on the 35 mph speed limit! Reason why, tons & tons of trucking accidents on that stretch of road, esp with the bad weather conditions (which can happen at anytime during the winter)!!!

I drove CA almost every week for 10 yrs and got only 1 tkt---and it was a cheap shot! Passing a heavy-doubles from the mine going north out of Lucerne Valley in the hi-desert, but caught the last 'crossroads' B4 leaving---as in 2 dirt roads with NO traffic!! "Passing in a no-passing crossroads" There is an 8% grade about 10 miles north and wanted to get around him. Was safe (could see everything within 1/2 mile) but CADOT was setup and waiting for me....my only moving violation in 8 yrs of CA driving!

Actually, I was 'lucky' since passed him doing 65 mph..and the CHPs (out of Victorville/San Bernadino county) waived that part of the tkt!

Live and learn....

 

And you're fresh off a vacation?!
Man-0-Man.
You really ARE outta shape, amigo.
Better take another vacation.
Then, you'll have more idle time to digest my
"exhaustive"
expanded versions.
Ya reckon.

 

Really, AS, if you wear spandex I really dont want to know...

 

Hard to ignore,
I imagine.

 

Isnt spandex the current way of keeping score on 'dimples'??

 

I dunno 'bout "dimples", butt,
it helps separate the crack from the
cheeks.
For whatever THAT'S worth.

 

Yeah, I like clear separations....but the cracks keep getting bigger as the dimples increase in number...