State Troopers hold ticket writing competition for pizza prize

Originally posted by intrepid
reply to post by Vasa Croe

 

No, it wasn't incorrect. I was not debating the accident rate. I said "look at those crashes. No one survived that."

Opting for emotional reaction to nullify statistical evidence.

As in children fearing Halloween candy even though only one case is on record of any child ever being harmed by Halloween candy.

"Dont check the facts, just look at the horror!"

JUST goes to the show you U.S has it backwards and Canada has it right.

In my old City of Fredericton, Police Officers were pulling behind drivers who were pulled over using their cell phone and AWARDED free-pizza coupons for them following protocol


Police deliver pizza, not tickets as thanks

www.cbc.ca...

Originally posted by intrepid
reply to post by Vasa Croe

 

No, it wasn't incorrect. I was not debating the accident rate. I said "look at those crashes. No one survived that."

Right...but apparently a lot more survive there than do here.....

In fact, the annual fatality rate (2.7 per billion km in 2009) is consistently lower than that of most other superhighway systems, including the US Interstates (4.5 in 2009).

Neither here nor there though as this thread is about the ticketing practices of lazy law enforcement. If it is going to be done, it should be done consistently. While they may have more to do than just that, I don't see them waiting in force for jaywalkers or litter bugs to ticket. It's tricky though because the laws are on the books but not enforced unless ticketed and brought to court. It is a discretionary discrepancy in the officer's favor....if the officer chooses not to follow the law daily (ticketing for all speeders on daily basis) then why should those who are not law enforcement officers choose to follow or accept this type of lazy behavior from pubic servants? I know that wouldn't fly at my job.

Traffic enforcement blitzes happen all the time. Haven't you heard commercials warning drivers that there will be extra patrols out looking for drunk drivers; same thing in reality. I have no big issue with this; if I get pulled over for not following the laws it's on me not the cop.

Sorry but I fail to see why this is such an issue.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


Click the link and go to "Effectiveness":

en.wikipedia.org...

I don't know how to insert those graphs. They are quite telling. It is up to the government to set the correct limit and those stats show that more is worse on high speed roads.

As to motorists.org:

Since they have been introduced, speed limits have been opposed from various sources; including motoring advocacy groups, anti-motoring groups and others who either consider them to be irrelevant, set too low or set too high.

More about them:

en.wikipedia.org...

I don't think that they are the best source to quote.

Sounds to me like the citizens of CT need to have a Trooper Beating Contest for pizza. I swear to God, Buddha, Allah, and all others that I am so totally sick of the bully mentality of the police state that we live in. This shyt has got to stop, we have been transformed into a totalitarian state where you are subject to harassment by the governments tyranny enforcement officers on a daily basis.

And seriously........$275 for a speeding ticket? That just shows you that those making the laws are way out of touch with reality. I also wonder how many of those troopers are speeding around in their cruisers. I know that where I did live in FL they had a speed trap on a 30mph road, yet they would consistently do 40 or 50 on their way down that road. One time I called in to report them and was asked why I was reporting them??????.....Really?

People we need to take back not only our country but our liberty.

Originally posted by intrepid
reply to post by thisguyrighthere

 

Click the link and go to "Effectiveness":

en.wikipedia.org...

The Synthesis of Safety Research Related to Speed and Speed Limits report sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration published in 1998 found that changing speed limits on low and moderate speed roads appeared to have no significant effect on traffic speed or the number of crashes, whilst on high-speed roads such as freeways, increased speed limits generally resulted in higher traffic speeds and more crashes. It is also stated that there is limited evidence to suggest that speed limits have a positive effect on a system wide basis.

Doesnt sound like they're worth "blitz" days or tickets approaching $300.

A placebo. Giving the fearful people the illusion they are safe on the roads.

ETA: Crashes and what causes or prevents them encompasses far too many variables for one such as a speed limit to be an end-all-be-all master variable. But all this is off-topic anyway and belongs in its own "Do Speed Limits Work?" thread.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


I guess you missed the graphs. Doesn't matter, these points are moot. The law is the law and if you break them you are going to be penalized. Can't blame the cops for that, that's their job.

Originally posted by intrepid
reply to post by thisguyrighthere

 

I guess you missed the graphs. Doesn't matter, these points are moot. The law is the law and if you break them you are going to be penalized. Can't blame the cops for that, that's their job.

Which brings us back to the topic.

Shouldnt they be doing it all along rather than looking the other way for three seasons only to "blitz" in spring?

It's not like there is a big hiring "blitz" in spring or a bunch of officers are laid off for the Summer, Fall and Winter. So what are they doing when not showing blitz? And if they were genuinely busy with other things arent those other things suffering while the "blitz" is on?

Originally posted by intrepid
reply to post by thisguyrighthere

 

I guess you missed the graphs. Doesn't matter, these points are moot. The law is the law and if you break them you are going to be penalized. Can't blame the cops for that, that's their job.

While it is true it is their job, the story points to them only selectively doing their job when funds are needed and even then, they have to be bribed to do so.

I understand they have other stuff to do as well, but so does everyone at every job. We all multi task and fulfill tasks that are needed and outside of our job description. I can't imagine telling my boss coming to me one day and telling me hey, I know we are already paying you to do this and it is your job and you haven't been doing it but I am going to give you a pizza if you do it today.

If it is their job then I guess laziness is to blame in the case of it not being done?

The point I am making is that these guys are PAID by US to do their JOB and they aren't so they play catch up at the end of a quarter to boost numbers and funds for more people to be hired who will, in turn, not do their job either because they learn by example.....and then get a reward for it.

It's backwards. If they don't meet their goals, they should pay the price, not US. Simply put, these traps are a very easy way that they KNOW statistically they will make a lot of money at so they most likely purposely don't ticket drivers most of the year to give them a false sense of security when they do speed so that when the traps are set they are more likely to catch and ticket a LOT more people. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they have a study on exactly that. In a way it is a bit like entrapment and definitely corrupt, especially to bet on it.

Somehow it just doesn't surprise me anymore. I think I am at the point that absolutely nothing could shock me. Good find op.

reply to post by Vasa Croe


WE pay them? Yes we do but they pay taxes as well so they also pay themselves. They take care of the roads all year but this is a blitz. They have them from time to time. I saw one last week. Couldn't drive 5 miles without seeing another cop. Guess who wasn't speeding? That said I seldom do. This was a blitz with a twist, free pizza to the winners. A contest so to speak. The bottom line remains though. If you break the law they have every right, duty actually, to enforce it.

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
Reply to post by intrepid

 

That line of thinking is operating under the assumption that a posted speed limit creates safety.

One only has to look at the statistics of the Autobahn to see that this is not necessarily true.

It's easy to argue that police enforcement "makes us safe" because it is seen as an obvious truth on one side and fear keeps any thought or study of the other side from ever happening.

 

Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

 

More to your point, due to the fundamental physics of the Audobahn, it is quite safe due to its constuction, electronic monitoring and the pure engineering genius that went into building it. The gradient of the road, slanting to the opposing gradient of the ground (and monitoring those measurements for changes) makes it possible to take a 120-degree turn at 110 mph without losing the vehicles center of gravity due to centrifugal force. Or something. Tried to find the documentary about it for you, but couldn't locate it.

Essentially, it isn't the blood pressure, but the construct of the artery, which determines survival.

The vast majority of all accidents involve people driving below the speed limit. Speed limits are for generating revenue and not much more.

Originally posted by alfa1

Last week I was thinking, as I drove home, that being a traffic cop must be the easiest job in the world.
Like the proverbial shooting fish in a barrel.

So for the rest oif the journey I kept a look out for drivers breaking the law. Not more than a few seconds would go by before I found someone I could have booked if I was a cop.
Speeding, another one speeding, another one speeding, turning without using indicators, brake light not working, talking on the phone, dangerous driving, another one speeding, one moron indicated right then turned left... etc...

I'm surprised they even need quotas. What they need is a thicker ticket book.

LOL... I can't help but laugh and enjoy the point you make here.

More than once I've found myself in traffic and thinking I missed my calling. If only I'd taken the path to a Traffic Cop....I would lead a life with absolutely no down time or boredom and all because my fellow citizens either have no understanding of traffic laws or simply feel they are for everyone BUT them.

I hate hearing about cops making a game out of tickets that really do harm to people with points and insurance rates long after the fine itself...but I hate driving into an area that has no traffic control and everyone KNOWS it more. If people weren't breaking traffic laws like it was a game itself, the cops wouldn't be able to make a game of ticketing them for it.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


HAHAHA thought I saw a lot of cops out on my way home last night.

I am a Connecticut resident and on the way home from one of my friends houses (around 1am) me and two others in my car noticed between 5 and 10 cops on a 20 minute drive through 3 towns (all fairly small). We were thinming that something must be up.

Legally CT officers do not have a quota for tickets, but over the past several years many townships have gotten in trouble for having "informal" quotas, including my own town.

Scary business... watch out there drivers, these guys are out for blood.

HA what are they the special ed class in high school? Oh wait....


No offense to any one that was in those classes. I was but it was my choice.

Originally posted by Infi8nity
HA what are they the special ed class in high school? Oh wait....


No offense to any one that was in those classes. I was but it was my choice.

No idea what post this is in response to, and no need to lie about it being your choice. Under 18 and you get to make NO decision about your schooling. So I would have to say FAIL on both counts....though I am sure this post will disappear in a bit.

Got anything on topic to post?

Originally posted by Vasa Croe

Originally posted by Magnum007
come on, people break the law all the time, and most of the year we turn our heads the other way without giving tickets...

So what if they give tickets in a "blitz" for 1 day? nobody is making anything up, they are doing their job without using their discretionary powers; you're caught doing something and breaking the law, you get a ticket...

what's wrong with that? don't want a ticket, then don't speed, do your stops, and follow the rules of the road... it's YOUR responsibility to do so... get caught? get a ticket...

That has to be one of the most ridiculous things I have heard in response to something I find disconcerting about law enforcement. So you are saying that taxpayers are paying cops to not do their job most of the year making it easier for them to give tickets when they "decide" to do their job because they have allowed us to break the law for so long.

So wrong on so many levels.....great example for kids to look up to. Shuck your job for most of the year then play catch up at the end....sounds more like laziness, inefficiency and manipulation to me.

What's ridiculous is the fact that people believe that we are obligated to give tickets... we are not, we use judgement and common sense... There are times when we don't have choices, such as when doing safety campaigns or "blitz" operations to try to make people realize that they must abide by the law...

What else is ridiculous is that people actually believe that we conspire to purposefully harm the population through ticketing or through applying the law... if you have a problem with the law, speak to your reps. to have the LAWS changed...

We do our jobs the way the law permits us to, just as you should do as the law permits you... plain and simple...

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere

Originally posted by Magnum007
come on, people break the law all the time, and most of the year we turn our heads the other way without giving tickets...

So what if they give tickets in a "blitz" for 1 day?

So then we can easily save tons of money by cutting police positions drastically? Maybe dropping them all down to 10 hours a week?

This sort of explains why relatively benign situations get slammed with an overwhelming cop presence so regularly. They just dont have anything else to do.

The "overwhelming cop presence" during "benign situations" is to help prevent the major situations that can arise from those "boring", "stupid", and often times under estimated situations : I.E. speeding in a school zone... Ever tried to stop at 40 MPH when a 7 year old jumps in front of your car less than 20 feet ahead to chase a ball? You just killed that kid...

Not so benign anymore is it?