Saturday, July 4, 2009

When police violate traffic laws

What should a citizen do, when he sees a police officer roll through a stop sign? Or drive on the wrong side of the road when he is reading his in-car computer? Or fail to signal a turn continually within 100' from an in-town intersection? Or fail to come to a complete stop when exiting from the police department employee parking lot through the driveway onto Lake Avenue or onto Fremont Street by Dick Tracy Park?

Should he write himself a ticket?

If another officer observes such a traffic violation, should he stop his fellow officer and write him a ticket? (Okay, you can stop laughing now.)

Should he contact the shift sergeant and register a formal traffic complaint and be willing to go to court and testify to the violation?

Officers of the Woodstock Police Department write many legitimate tickets. When a driver blasts down the center lane (two-way, left-turn lane) on Route 47 to pass a long line of cars stopped for a red light, that's worth a ticket.

When a driver speeds 10-15-20MPH over the limit? That's worth a ticket.
Tailgating? A ticket.
Aggressive driving? A ticket.
Passing on the shoulder through an intersection? A ticket.
Running a red light? A ticket

How about when a driver rolls up to a stop sign at a T-intersection, no cross-traffic, no pedestrians, but fails to signal a turn for the required 100 feet while approaching the stop sign?

Should he get a ticket for that or a written Warning? Is that a violation that should cost the driver $75.00-125.00?

In many jurisdictions, an officer would make a traffic stop, check the driver's license and insurance, and point out that a signal is required; then he would issue a verbal or written warning and send the driver on his way.

What happens in Woodstock?

What has been your experience, when you have been stopped in Woodstock? Did you get a ticket? Or did you get a warning? Vote in this week's survey.

2 comments:

surferpl said...

I do not live in Woodstock, but I do live in a community in northern Los Angeles county called Valencia. We are "served" by the L.A. Sheriff's Department which is corrupt as all getout and suffer the kind of infractions mentioned above. I see these on an almost daily basis and have "called" the driving officers on their offenses when I could. Oh, boy, did I hear from them -- and harassment afterwards to boot! I'd really like to know what I can do legally. Thanks.

Gus said...

Contact the chief or superintendent of the Calif. Highway Patrol and ask him for help.

When I lived in Woodland Hills in 1989, I asked a cop why they were speeding all the time. His answer was, "We can get there if we don't speed."

Not "We can't get there as quickly." He said, "We can't get there..."

Theirs is the mentality that they are above the law. Good luck.