Non-Immediate Relative Notes on a Traffic Stop

[Timothy]

Officer: Yes I know him, I can't stand him, that bastard cheated with my wife on me a couple of years ago. (watch as sweat begins to bead off violaters forehead and go back and write them a ticket knowing you won't hear a word out of their mouths again)



God I love my job somedays![/QUOTE]


I would have loved to see that.

Most of the replies are interesting to say the least!!!!!

Some seem to have taken only one aspect and run with it, I would never ask any of you how and when you may make a certain decision, or if this is something that would work with you.
I only was interested to know if it was a common occurrence. Personally I had no idea the name dropping was even that common. You all have given me quite an "education", and I thank you for that.

[Wolfman]

The one that stands out is when my Sarge was talking with someone I had arrested and was waiting to transport. He didn't see that I was standing behind the Sgt. for 95% of the conversation.

He keeps calling the Sgt. by his first name..."Don" this "Don" that. Then when I take over talking with him, he continues to drop the Sarge's first name ---- unaware the whole time that his name was "David" and he had read his "old friend's" name wrong....lol

[Creeker]

When I first started dating my wife, my In-Laws (from NYC) made a big deal about how if they were ever stopped, they'd just tell the Cop that they knew me.

I told them that would guarantee they received the ticket they deserved around here.

Since then, I've only heard about his "traffic encounters" via third or 4th hand word of mouth.;)

My M-I-L's Uncle was a Cop of some type in NY, (I've never met him) and from what I've been told my F-I-L got away with a lot of petty crap up there because of it. I didn't want to be "One of those guys".

Of course that worked both ways while we were dating, too. My M-I-L used to tell my wife that I was going to be a drunk and beat her, just like her Uncle used to do his wife.

[Bob Loblaw]

The one that stands out is when my Sarge was talking with someone I had arrested and was waiting to transport. He didn't see that I was standing behind the Sgt. for 95% of the conversation.

He keeps calling the Sgt. by his first name..."Don" this "Don" that. Then when I take over talking with him, he continues to drop the Sarge's first name ---- unaware the whole time that his name was "David" and he had read his "old friend's" name wrong....lol

I've had the exact same thing happen once on a DUI. "Officer X is my bestest friend and he's gonna punch you in the mouth when I tell him about you." I let him go on and on and on about Officer "X." Until he's done getting processed, that is, and he spouts off one more time about his best buddy, Officer "X." I reply, "Well, if you're such good buddies with him, maybe he'll post your bond. But when you call, you should probably call him by his actual name, which is OFFICER Y, YOU FREAKING MORON!!!!! If you're going to name drop, get the freaking name right!!!!" Everyone in the jail, staff and inmates, nearly doubled over in laughter.

[RoadKingTrooper]

Dude, do you talk the way you write? :confused:

Do a search on professional courtesy. We don't have to extend it. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't. Every situation is different and it's up to the individual officer re: discretion/options.

Yeah, I've been wondering the same thing:confused:

While I appreciate the grammar and punctuation, your style comes off as anti confrontational

What's up with that?

[lawduck]

I have discretion, how and when I apply it is not your business.

:yup:

Name dropping makes me more likely to write you. I work in a city of 30,000+, and anybody that has been there for a few years knows somebody on the PD's name, it holds no weight with me, and quite frankly, I hear "I know so and so" so much, it pisses me off. I give WAY more verbal warnings than I do written tickets anyway, if it's your turn for a coupon, it's your turn.

I get it all the time.

This one officer I work with grew up in a bordering town. We stop/write/arrest tons of people who go, "You know Ofc. 123?" I want to say something like, "Na, we both work here with twenty something patrolman. Never met him."

But that raises my suspicions of that person and wind up going to jail or getting arrested.


I wrote a lady the other day. Her MVI was almost out a year. She was like "my brother is a cop" blah blah. I believed her but where do you draw the line? Her brother called me about it too.



If you're an officer you ain't getting wrote by me.

That's all I care to talk about on public forums.

[Big_Montana]

I have an immediate family member that i think a week or so in the clink would do good, as i would assume most of us probbably do, so relative doesn't impress me.

[Creeker]

Back when I had been on at my first small town Agency for about 2 years, on Night Shift Patrol I came across a vehicle parked and running in the median near the City limits at about 2AM.

I wake up the driver, who is a 20 year old kid drunk off his ***.

While I am hooking him up, he keeps telling me "Johnson, Don't do this to me. YOU KNOW ME!!", like I should know him. He repeated that phrase more than a dozen times:yup:

At the time, Sgt. Johnson was, for years, the only black Cop on the Agency... and the only Cop named Johnson in the whole County. He had 6 fingers on both hands.

I'm probably one of the most white guys you'll ever know... and I've got the rhythm to prove it.

[Timothy]

Yeah, I've been wondering the same thing:confused:

While I appreciate the grammar and punctuation, your style comes off as anti confrontational

What's up with that?

Thank you. I certainly appreciate it.

Several reasons, first I believe you all deserve respect as Law Enforcement Officers.
I also believe that I may be one of the few that actually realize that this board is YOUR HOME. I am only here now and then to learn, and solicit your advice.
Aside from everything else, I believe that's part of my nature. Every man has their own thoughts that might not always be in direct alignment with mine but in most cases I certainly will retain the respect for that individual.
Never really go back and forth with someone on line.

If you're referring to posts being "wordy" as Sgt. kindly pointed out to me, I'll keep the next at the bare minimum.

Thanks to all who responded, and I hope this clears up anything about my character.

Tim

[oscarmitre]

Doesn't happen in my corner of the world. Years ago it would have, not now. Heck we even get pinched by speed cameras on duty. Cops are too worried about being pinched for ethical violations to give out professional courtesy to anyone nowadays.

[retdetsgt]

Heck we even get pinched by speed cameras on duty.

When they came out with those, we were told that if you're plain clothes, you paid the ticket. Uniform in patrol cars were a case by case basis. To my knowledge, all have been tossed.

A suburban dept went after a uniform officer who was caught doing 12 over in a 35 mph zone. The city bowed up and said she had to pay it. The union fought it and it was headed to a court fight when the city (intentionally, I suspect) screwed up in how they notified DMV and it was dismissed. She had been found guilty in municipal court (their own appointed judge) and it was being appealed to district court, an elected judge.

The officer's lawyer, a retired senior DDA was probably going to expose a lot about the photo radar program that the city really didn't want aired in public. That photo radar program is run out of the mayor's office, not really the police.

[United0417]

I won't tell my exact line. But if I stop an officer's kid I'll give him a shout and let him know. He'll handle it.

But ya know... I do that with a lot of kid's... because the parents end up paying the fine and the increased insurance... so if they're willing to handle it "appropriately" I'm all for that. And notifying a father that his 15 year old daughter was caught in the backseat with her 17 year old boyfriend makes an interesting conversation.