Long story short was driving out of state in a rental car which drove much faster then my truck. I got pulled over for 70 in a 55 (again this car was nice) the officer was nice I informed him of my chl and was not carrying he took my license after he walked away I remembered I had  courtesy card.  He wrote the ticket for 60 in a 55 which I guess was a nice break but would you honor a out of state card or a local departments card

What is a courtesy card?

Courtesy card?

Edit: bad link.  Some card that says you are related to an officer or are a donor or otherwise affiliated with the ticketing agency or similar agency

That must be an Eastern thing.

My method is a little more subtle.


"Excuse me officer, but I seemed to have dropped my badge out the window!"

Are you talking about those "get out of jail free" business cards

Varies greatly by what part of the country you're in, mostly a NE thing IME.
I didn't honor them unless they were from my PBA, had an actual shield number on the front, and were signed by the officer that gave it to the person. Right after the ticket scandal a few years back less guys on my PD were giving breaks to people with cards, not sure if it's still that way now. It was hit or miss with guys from neighboring departments, some gave breaks for our cards and some didn't.

Yeah...no.  I haven't even heard of them till this.  

In my area, people will typically pull out an officer's business card.  This is why when I give out a card, it has a spot for a report # or commentary to keep them from being used for "courtesy".

We weren't allowed to have our own business cards.

That's exactly the kind of thing that leads to the public looking at law enforcement as corrupt. My reaction is always "that's nice" while I hand back the card without even looking at it. Unless the paper in your hand is your license, registration, or insurance, I don't want to see it.

Most department in Ohio have them. I usually honor them and just give out a warning.  Most Union states that belong to the FOP issue them.  

You should see what a badge will do for you off duty in Chicago.

Meh, the public at work didn't like us no matter what.

Never seen one of those.  If I did though, I'd let them know that I don't need that, just need their license and proof of insurance.

Nvm, thought this was GD.

I have.

 

 
Some of the things you have indicated about that agency even make me scratch my head.

The department would do away with the "courtesy cards" (PBA cards) if they could but they're given out by the union not the department.

+1 This.  Our agency doesn't have any affiliation with those booster stickers that people line up on their driver side windows.  For all I know you printed a sticker off the internet, called yourself a "Donor' and put it on your ride.
People that try to hand off business cards make me laugh.  The usual manner in which they acquired it was for being on the wrong end of their previous LE contact.

Thank you for your integrity.

Never seen anything like that.  I despise our union's political stances (and police unions in general), showing me that you gave them money isn't going to help you.

My father has one from his brother and he has apparently worn the ink off of it handing it to various officers. He is out very late a lot for work so I guess an easy target for traffic enforcement.

My IAFF plates and fire dept ID work pretty well unless you are in North Carolina or talking to the Ohio State Patrol.

Most of Illinois is like that. there is actually an officer in Moline (Iowa/Illinois border) that is known even in Chicago as being the biggest dick around he takes pride in giving LEO's tickets.

F that bull and anyone who tries to play that card.  Don't put officers in that position.  I've disappointed many with those cards or retired badges over the years that make it out here.

So you write retired officers citations?

Unless its an actual criminal offense and not just a civil traffic offense and unless the [off duty cop/retired cop/EMT/Paramedic/FF/ER Nurse] is a total dick, they aren't getting a ticket from me.

I don't like writing tickets, I don't believe that they are effective in reducing accidents, and I don't write them at all unless I have to.

I don't believe they are either. My department started a program where they tracked where accidents happened and then had those of us in traffic focus our enforcement at those locations. Month after month, year after year, the same intersections were the "Accident Prone Locations" even though we wrote thousands of tickets a year there.

I've lived in NH for decades, and this is the first I've ever heard of such a thing.

This, if all you have going on is a moving/traffic violation, i can all but guarantee you are leaving with a warning. I hate it when people try to slide off the get outta jail free passes... this includes giving me your military ID when i ask for your license. If its something i would write you or anyone else for it means it was bad enough that you are going to jail and your .mil ID or courtesey card isnt going to help you anyways

Ive never hurt another copper or his family over simple traffic. Its one of the things Im most proud of. I dont do this job like a little poodle hoping I get the occasional pat from a public thats made us the bogeyman for every thing.

Ive put my ass on the lines to many times to count for this "public" that would condescendingly "thank me for my integrity" had I done different. I could care less what they think.

Any PO that doesnt give an off duty, or a retired, professional courtesy for no reason is a dickhead. And spare me "the job is on the up and up" speech during the stop.

But things are changing. This new breed just doesnt get it. I avoid dealing with the police when at all possible when off duty. I havnt been stopped in over 15 years. That was the last time I got a lecture from a suburban kiddie cop over going 10 miles over the limit.

thanks guys for the input seem like a 60/40 split here.  I dont plan on getting pulled over i really only go 5 over in the city and 10 on the highway i havent had a ticket for 20years till this point so i hope i wont have to use this card again for a long time

I made it 23 years until my recent speeding ticket.

Yeah, down south those cards are non existant... but I can guarantee if someone gave me one expecting to get out of a ticket, they'd be disappointed.

I've written a retired cop (never have clarified exactly who he worked for, who knows if it's even legit) a ticket once. He ran a stop sign blatantly right in front of me at 5pm when I was sitting in the median 100 feet away... then proceeded to stop his car in the middle of the highway and when I informed him why I stopped him, he interrupted me with "I DIDN'T RUN NO FUCKIN' STOP SIGN!" His son is one of our local problems and he's always a dick to anybody that deals with either one of them. When I returned to his vehicle to give him the citation and warnings, he let me stand there in the rain for a few seconds before rolling down his window even though I saw him watching me approach in the mirror... then he cussed me out for each warning and then called me something to the effect of a "$30,000 a year making motherfucking asshole" when I gave him the citation that he ripped up and threw on the floorboard.

Looking back, I should've gone back and written him a citation for every last one of the three other things I gave him written warnings for (no insurance, no registration, and IIRC no headlights in the rain) because he was such a prick during the entire interaction.

He did write my Chief a two page apology letter commending my professionalism a few weeks later... in which he denied running the stop sign, stating that he stopped behind the vehicle in front of him and then went when they did. Dash cam clearly showed that "other vehicle" turning into the gas station entrance 75 feet east of the stop sign while he was at least 100 yards behind them. He then drove right up to and around the corner onto the highway, in front of oncoming traffic, and never even slowed down. I was really disappointed he didn't try to fight the ticket, having a signed letter from him admitting he didn't stop at the stop sign plus the dash cam footage would've made that session of traffic court 100% worth it

This right here.  
What a farce to expect to be above the law.  I have been pulled over and never even mentioned what I did for a living.  It doesn't matter, does it?

Well said brother

...are retired officers above the law?  Why?  They are less dangerous when committing traffic violations than Joe Blow?

Thats where discretion comes in, and many new cops have trouble understanding when to warn/cite.  It all boils down to whether you think the warning will correct the behavior.  If not, and they have warnings, tickert on record, then cite.  First offense, and you believe they will correct their habits, then warn them.  Its that simple.  Cop or not.  Most good cops don't put other cops in that position when off duty.  If you do, then that is on you, not the guy on duty, doing his job that you also are paid to do.

They were to me when I was still working and writing tickets. They got a an automatic break from me along with FD, EMS, and military.

+1

Unless you're a total dick, you're not getting a ticket from me.  Add ER Nurses to that list.

Depended on which ER.

Nobody gives out any of that crap here except sheriffs offices and its most certainly not honored by anyone other then a deputy from that office.

A commissioned law enforcement officer is different though.




I agree on that point.

I don't do a lot of traffic stops. I usually don't even bother doing one unless I'm reasonably certain I'll be issuing multiple citations or making an arrest on the driver. Typically I stop people that I'm fairly certain are drunk.