An Australian newspaper is expressing surprise that Victoria police officers who are stopped for speeding are 20 times more likely to get off with a warning than the rest of the peasants who are stopped for that offense.
Of course, the cops are permitted to speed while responding to emergencies, and rightly so. All of the 134 instances that the paper uncovered in the last year involving police, however, happened during non-emergencies, or while the officers were off-duty.
Now, for the fun part:
"Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Noel Ashby denied that there was special treatment for police.
He said it was likely police had been more aware of a new policy in which drivers with a clean driving record for two years could escape with a warning. "I think it's fair to say that previously the policy was not broadly known and it was only those who work in the industry that knew," he said."
Hmmm. The cops sure seem to remember this policy when they stop each other, but conveniently forget to give Aussie Joe the same break when they stop him for the exact same violation. I guess one has to remember to ask for the "super secret warning special" when they're pulled over. Oh, and how new is this policy, by the way?
"Two weeks ago Victoria Police announced it would be easier for speeding drivers to receive a warning instead of speeding fine."
Remember, the newspaper looked at police violators over a period of an entire year. Mr. Ashby blames the disparity of ticket issuance on a policy that has been in place for two weeks. Could it be that the department knew from the freedom of information request that this little tidbit was coming, and decided that a new policy might mitigate the PR hit a little bit?
Anyone who has ever sat at an intersection and seen a police cruiser hit their emergency lights long enough to go through an intersection and then turn them off knows that cops routinely ignore traffic laws whenever it's convenient, not just in emergencies. It's a small abuse of their power, but an abuse all the same, and lots of small abuses tend to lead to a mindset of tolerating bigger ones, in my view.
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2 comments:
I don't think it's a secret that cops are a lot nicer to other cops. Some are too nice, such as letting DUIs go, but most are only willing to exercise their discretion for traffic offenses.
Is it fair? No. Is life fair? No.
The concept of professional courtesy is often explained that an officer doesn't want to create ill-will with someone (or someone's agency) that they may have to rely on to save their life. Cops generally are kind not just other cops, you can add firefighters, EMS personnel, and Emergency Room staff to the list of people who are more likely to get a warning. Personally, I think it's a bit of a thin excuse, but I also accept that friends and family of the right people get far better deals on cars, jewelry, remodeling, or just about anything else than I do.
You could take away an officer's discretion, but I doubt anybody would be happy with every traffic stop resulting in a ticket.
BTW, it has been explained to me that there are several valid reasons why a squad would sneak through an intersection. In fact, I can't think of a reason for a squad to do that unless there was official business involved - unless you think they're all in a hurry to get to the doughnut shop :)
Hmmm, it's a pity you don't seem to understand the issue. It's not about cops pulling over other cops, it's about infringements issued by speed cameras. If a member of the public writes in and requests a review/caution, then the policy applies equally.
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