Question about police officers.

[BlancoNino]

If the police have a goal of trying to get everyone to drive within the law, why do they hide out and try to bait somebody into going a little over and then pull them over?

I ask this, because if the police officers didn't hide out and were actually driving around and being noticable, nobody would speed or run red lights or drive completely drunk which would eliminate most of the problem itself.

I guess it's the police departments goal to nail as many people with as many tickets as possible so they can rake in the money and not to actually stop people from committing the crimes.

 

[Narmer]

Originally posted by: BlancoNino
I guess it's the police departments goal to nail as many people with as many tickets as possible so they can rake in the money.

That's their main interest. Oh, and they have to meet their quota.

 

[FoBoT]

what makes you think they are hiding?

 

[Fern]

Sometimes they do just make themselves very conspicious, at least around here. It's pretty darned effective too.

But commen sense would suggest if that's all they ever did, people would feel free to speed etc when the police weren't conspiciously present. So, by hiding and giving tickets - you just never know if it's "safe" to speed even when you don't see the police.

Fern

 

[funkymatt]

cops dont actually have a written quota. why do people think this?

 

[Tobolo]

Originally posted by: Narmer

Originally posted by: BlancoNino
I guess it's the police departments goal to nail as many people with as many tickets as possible so they can rake in the money.

That's their main interest. Oh, and they have to meet their quota.

Quit saying they have to meet their quota. Quota's were banned by the supreme court. Try using a diffrent system. (Which many use).

 

[rivan]

Because it's easier to make you think they might be around any corner than actually being around any corner.

 

[Atheus]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
what makes you think they are hiding?

The plain painted cars, with tinted back windows concealing a speed camera, parked in a dip behind a tree?

 

[mugs]

Because they want people to drive safely ALL the time, not just when a cop is around - they can't be everywhere at once. When cops hide, people know that they're ALWAYS risking a ticket by breaking traffic laws, so it creates a constant deterrent (which many people are not deterred by).

 

[tweakmm]

$$$

There are freaking cops everywhere around here though. It doesn't help that all the blow and schwag from south of the border run through my city to get up north. All that drug money buys a fair amount of cars.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: funkymatt
cops dont actually have a written quota. why do people think this?

because they have an unwritten one?

 

[Canai]

they govern through fear.. fear of coming over a hill and having one of them waiting to spring on trap.

 

[thepd7]

Originally posted by: Fern
Sometimes they do just make themselves very conspicious, at least around here. It's pretty darned effective too.

But commen sense would suggest if that's all they ever did, people would feel free to speed etc when the police weren't conspiciously present. So, by hiding and giving tickets - you just never know if it's "safe" to speed even when you don't see the police.

Fern

Bingo.

 

[BlancoNino]

Originally posted by: Fern
Sometimes they do just make themselves very conspicious, at least around here. It's pretty darned effective too.

But commen sense would suggest if that's all they ever did, people would feel free to speed etc when the police weren't conspiciously present. So, by hiding and giving tickets - you just never know if it's "safe" to speed even when you don't see the police.

Fern

That's what I figured too, but I can't honestly say that people drive like angels all the time just because they think a cop is hiding around a corner. I'm pretty sure it's to actually catch somebody in the act so that they can nail them with a ticket.

 

[Captante]

State police do make themselves obvious most of the time (here in Connecticut at least) & will often cruise down the highway with non-flashing blue lights on at about 65mph to keep traffic flow in check.

Local cops, particularly in small towns are often more interested in collecting large fines then anything else.. making the roads safer is a secondary concern to funding the budget.

 

[jtvang125]

Well here in CA we have the CHP and they're the ones who usually pulled over people for traffic violations. It is their primary job to enforce traffic laws. Very few people I've seen are pulled over by the local police.