Why is it that 8 out of 10 times when I see a law enforcement vehicle they are exceeding the speed limit by a fair margin?  I am just asking this because today I witnessed a sherrifs car pass me going at least 10mph over the limit just to tail-gate a car a little ways up and then turn off just a little ways later.  This just seemed extremely dangerous and irresponsible.

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Why is it 8 out of 10 times I'm giving someone a ticket, they ask me 'Why aren't you catching REAL criminals?'  I'm just asking this because if you break the law, aren't you by definition a 'criminal?'  The other day, I wrote this guy who jumped over the turnstyle, which according to the NYS Penal Law is a misdermenor (Theft of Service).  I usually see several people a week 'doubling up on turnstyles' (one fare, two entries).  This just seems wreckless and irresponsible

Quoted: Why is it that 8 out of 10 times when I see a law enforcement vehicle they are exceeding the speed limit by a fair margin?  I am just asking this because today I witnessed a sherrifs car pass me going at least 10mph over the limit just to tail-gate a car a little ways up and then turn off just a little ways later.  This just seemed extremely dangerous and irresponsible.

Catching up to a vehicle he was going to stop, and then got a call?

I mostly drive like a grandma in the work car. More cops get killed in traffic accidents every year than are shot and killed. Or shot or stabbed and killed. Or shot, stabbed and blown up and killed. Or are shot, stabbed, blown up or in aircraft crashes and killed. Or are shot, stabbed, blown up, in aircraft crashes, falls, on-duty disease exposures, training accidents and all other line of duty deaths. Car wrecks are our biggest killer. If I am breaking a traffic law, it is for a good reason, and in most states (mine included) there is ample statuatory authority to do so, if the reasons are right.

As a supervisor, this has been by far the most frequent complaint I handle from the public, and in every one I have investigated yet, my officers were doing right (except the guy who forgot to turn his "takedown" lights off; he just had a brain fart). Rest assured that if my guys were driving like idiots, appropriate actions would be taken.

I follow cops at 10-15 over at least once a month. This is only counting the ones that are out of their jurisdiction. The ones from OR are the worst!

Natez, I would buy that reasoning except for the fact that this deputy came from too far back and we were too close to the state line.  This kind of aggressive driving irks me because this area is known for dumb drivers and just about everyone gets dumber when they have an officer tail-gating them.  (Im in the memphis area where most vehicle accidents seem to be car verses utility pole.)

Im of the opinion that if an officer has somewhere to go in a hurry they need to light up so that everyone else can get out of their way for safety sake, and if they are going somewhere that they need to make a quiet approach they need to light up until they are in the vicinity and then back down and drive normally.  

Geeezzz... not this again .

Dude, we go to calls sometimes that we need to get there in sort-of-a hurry, but it doesn't necessitate lights and siren (per our Department policy).  Dig?????

-signed LEO co-worker with Robinson LE Supply owner.....(tiger 2 tank)

A lot of times its damned if you do damned if you don't.  The county I work for is the third largest county east of the Mississippi.  To keep up with the volume of calls you have to speed to get to the call, eventhough it may not be necessary to run your lights.  Also, when someone calls the police they want you there ten minutes ago.  I can't tell you how many time I have had to apologize for taking a long time to respond.

Thanks for the responses.  Gives me a better perspective.  However, if you will please pass along to your fellows that tailgating is not a smart idea.  Hurrying to a call does you no good if you never make it there because a cat ran in front of the guy ahead of you.

Quoted: Thanks for the responses.  Gives me a better perspective.  However, if you will please pass along to your fellows that tailgating is not a smart idea.  Hurrying to a call does you no good if you never make it there because a cat ran in front of the guy ahead of you.

Try and read plates on other cars sometimes, especially at night. That is often why officers get close to other cars.

Unfortunatley, many of them forget to re-establish proper following distance after the obtain a plate.

Also I find when I am commuting back and forth to work there are many people that "draft", and are much closer than most police cars ever get to the back end of my car, or others they are "looking at". It just may be you are more aware of the police cars, due to the implications.................

He might have been being an ass,,,or maybe he was  trying to get to a non-emergency call quickly.  This is wasy to believe if it was a county sheriff.  They usually cover a wide area and not enough man power to handle it. A county near me got so short handed that for a while they were running code to every call.

We get code 2 calls where we need t get there asap but without lights and siren (code 1).
For instance, a domestic where (to the dispatchers) there is no signs of assault and no known weapons involved (i.e. neighbor hears man and woman having loud argument next door and calls us) it gets dispatched as code 2.  We still try to get there in a hurry, since we might be able to get there before it does get violent.

Also, we might be hurrying up to back up an officer who is on another call that has some dangerous elements (i.e. an alarm call where the first officer finds an open door or window...or a traffic stop where there are multiple occupants and the driver comes back wanted).

When I am patroling, I am either driving well below the speed limit (so I don't miss anything) or 10 or so mph above the limit...because I need to get somewhere.  
Since I don't pull people over unless they are at least 15 mph over the posted limit, I don't think I'm being a hipocrate.  

Quoted: Why is it that 8 out of 10 times when I see a law enforcement vehicle they are exceeding the speed limit by a fair margin?  I am just asking this because today I witnessed a sherrifs car pass me going at least 10mph over the limit just to tail-gate a car a little ways up and then turn off just a little ways later.  This just seemed extremely dangerous and irresponsible.

Yea, whats up with that?

Or how about these tags that have a little badge that people place on their license plate or bumper? Does that get anyone off with a ticket (dont BS me)?

And what is up with the whole seatbelt thing? We KNOW you dont care about us THAT MUCH.

Quoted: Yea, whats up with that? Or how about these tags that have a little badge that people place on their license plate or bumper? Does that get anyone off with a ticket (dont BS me)? And what is up with the whole seatbelt thing? We KNOW you dont care about us THAT MUCH.

Must be a regional thing,  the only tags of his type I've seen were from out of state.

Makes you more likely to get a ticket in my opinion,  but only if I notice it in the first place.  (BTW: in Texas,  stickers, rainbows,  funny cartoon animals etc.  on the plate is another ticket)

As for the seatbelts,  I don't care about you at all.  I do prefer to save the EMS guys the chore of picking you up with a stick and a sponge.  They are great guys and not deserving of your thoughtlessness.

Quoted: [It just may be you are more aware of the police cars, due to the implications.................

Im aware of everyone on the road.  I drive in memphis and the only way that I have managed to keep my car dent free is by watching the other guy.  No one here believes in using a turn signal so the only warning you get is when they look in the rearview mirror and then turn their head a little.

My rookie year, I was driving on a local 4-lane median divided highway just after dusk with a supervising Lt in the marked car directly behind me. I was doing dead-on 65 MPH which was the posted limit. We started to follow the curve as the highway went from south to southwest and the Lt radioed ahead to me to look into my rearview mirror. There was nothing in front of me and behind me was the Lt's car and about a half-mile of traffic stacked up behind him.  


Get it?

Quoted: Why is it that not all cops do 10-15mph over the limit. Nothing worse than getting behind a cop doing below the limit on the interstate.  I laugh my ass off as blind speeders crank it down to slower than the cop knowing they are praying like hell he didn't notice. Tj

Oh shit!! That's CAR 54 syndrome!!! We used to do that all the time, just to see who passed us.  Most people fail to realize it's completely legal to pass a marked squad as long as it's safe and legal to do so (ie. you don't "speed" in the process, passing zone or multi lane hwy)

Quoted: My rookie year, I was driving on a local 4-lane median divided highway just after dusk with a supervising Lt in the marked car directly behind me. I was doing dead-on 65 MPH which was the posted limit. We started to follow the curve as the highway went from south to southwest and the Lt radioed ahead to me to look into my rearview mirror. There was nothing in front of me and behind me was the Lt's car and about a half-mile of traffic stacked up behind him.   Get it?

I love when that happens.  Cruisers are like the pace cars of the freeway.  As soon as they turn of, you can hear the engines roaring as the cars pick up the pace again...

Quoted: Why is it that 8 out of 10 times when I see a law enforcement vehicle they are exceeding the speed limit by a fair margin?  I am just asking this because today I witnessed a sherrifs car pass me going at least 10mph over the limit just to tail-gate a car a little ways up and then turn off just a little ways later.  This just seemed extremely dangerous and irresponsible.

because you never know where the officer is going.  Not all calls warrant a full on 100mph lights and sirens code 3 run, but they might need a quicker response than a strollthrough the park

C'mon guys answer it straight.  A lot of the times we are "speeding" to go to a call, the rest of the time we are Adreniline junkies, we speed because we can.  Ill admit it.  Is it right? probably not, but then again in this business a fraction of a second can mean life or death, se we are always in a hurry, I think that (for me atleast is the main reason I drive fast.)  

Also, lights dont really do much on the Freeway.  If you are driving really fast people never see you, and to drunks those blue flashing lights are like magnets, that is why many LEOs are killed on traffic stops by drunk drivers.  Sirens are useless at freeway speeds.  Next time (for you non-LEOs) you are on the freeway and see a Cruiser commin' up on you six, pull to the right and look forward, and wait to see when you hear the siren.  99.9% of the time it is when the Cruiser is either right at your rear bumper or closer.

Another thing about lights on the freeway, most people panic when they see the blue lights behind them, their first instinct is to slam on their brakes, this has made for some close calls.  I usually never light up on the freeway untill I am right behind the person I wish to pull over, It has worked out a lot better for me.  Ive had fewer close calls after learning this little tid bit of info.  

Sorry long answer for a short question.

I was watching a cop weave through traffic the other day, running code. It was pretty scary. People slamming on their brakes, him passing on the shoulder, swerving around through another lane. Musta been really important, whereever he was going.

It was mildly entertaining, from the right lane

Not that I approve of it all, but...

Quoted: Im of the opinion that if an officer has somewhere to go in a hurry they need to light up so that everyone else can get out of their way for safety sake, and if they are going somewhere that they need to make a quiet approach they need to light up until they are in the vicinity and then back down and drive normally.

You obviously have a poor understanding about what a large number of idiots do when they see lights... they drive like lunatics or idiots. People will swerve into the oncoming lane, slow down or stop in the traffic lane, try to pull onto a dirt shoulder doing 70 and worse.

EDIT: Expounding on the other guys question... what about those folks who drive around with stickers that show they are:
supporters of the sherrif or police fund
search and rescue
firefighters
waterrescue
paramedics
EMTs

Do *you* cut them a little extra slack in some situations?

I usually go 5 over so that the cronic speeders don't go INSANE behind me. Makes it more "reasonable" for me.