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Posted: 7/1/2015 11:54:26 PM EDT
So on they way home last night I found out they shut down all 4 lanes of the highway I normally go on. There were 3 cops sitting at the road block. There has been construction there for the last several weeks and many times I see cops around. I got to thinking, I see them a lot of time at road construction sites.

The question is - why? Why are we spending tax dollars on this? I understand if they were perhaps guiding traffic, but they just sit there. The red and blue lights make people sit up and pay attention, but you could get  a bank of lights and a small generator to do that for a fraction of the cost of hiring cops to sit and do NOTHING. Many times they are situated where they couldn't even get out and go after someone if they were being unsafe in a work zone. Heck last night one of the cars was one of those stealth ones with no light bar, so the internal lights were muted compared to the other two, making it even more pointless.

Maybe some cops can shed some light on if this is a true public safety issue or not.
Link Posted: 7/1/2015 11:56:04 PM EDT
[#1]
In short you aren't paying them, the construction company is.

I will post more when I get to a computer and I'm not on my phone.
Link Posted: 7/1/2015 11:58:20 PM EDT
[#2]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
In short you aren't paying them, the construction company is.

I will post more when I get to a computer and I'm not on my phone.
View Quote


And who is paying the construction company?
Link Posted: 7/1/2015 11:58:47 PM EDT
[#3]
Its safe for them .... less chance of shooting someone and going to jail
Link Posted: 7/1/2015 11:58:55 PM EDT
[#4]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
In short you aren't paying them, the construction company is.

I will post more when I get to a computer and I'm not on my phone.
View Quote



Yep, they are being paid by the construction company
Link Posted: 7/1/2015 11:59:21 PM EDT
[#5]
I would bet that its for federal money
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:00:31 AM EDT
[#6]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
In short you aren't paying them, the construction company is.

I will post more when I get to a computer and I'm not on my phone.
View Quote


FPNI.  


Called extra duty or similar, whatever the department calls it.

Here's what usually happens: Construction contractor knows they need an officer for traffic control or because they are closing a lane on the highway/intersection/similar.  They call the department and notify them they need an officer.  

The contractor pays the officer their wage, say $50 an hour, to be there.  The contractor also has to pay a set hourly rate to rent the cruiser, to cover gas and maintenance and rental of the cruiser.  Officer gets paid directly by the contractor, and the contractor cuts the city a check for the cruiser.

I had tons of W9's last year from all the contractors I worked for.

Also, even while working for them I am a city officer first.  So say I am on my time off being paid by the contractor and a shooting or high priority call goes out around the corner, I am expected to respond on that call.

Here's a few reasons:

first

second

third
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:00:42 AM EDT
[#7]
They are there to keep the poor bastards working on the roads from getting killed.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:00:57 AM EDT
[#8]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I would bet that its for federal money
View Quote


You don't see cops sitting at construction sites or doing flagging duties in this state.
Waste O Money.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:02:27 AM EDT
[#9]
In
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:03:24 AM EDT
[#10]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


You don't see cops sitting at construction sites or doing flagging duties in this state.
Waste O Money.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
I would bet that its for federal money


You don't see cops sitting at construction sites or doing flagging duties in this state.
Waste O Money.



Im sure it is in IDAHO
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:06:43 AM EDT
[#11]
revenue generation.  Fines are double in a lot of construction sites, so every speeding ticket or whatever brings in more $$$
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:07:32 AM EDT
[#12]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
In short you aren't paying them, the construction company is.

I will post more when I get to a computer and I'm not on my phone.
View Quote


I thought they might be off-duty (though who is paying for engine wear and tear? - And the gov. is paying the construction company to fix the roads/bridges. So taxes are still paying in a round about way.)

But even if it is the construction company, why not get a bank of lights?
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:09:48 AM EDT
[#13]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


I thought they might be off-duty (though who is paying for engine wear and tear?) But even if it is the construction company, why not get a bank of lights?
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
In short you aren't paying them, the construction company is.

I will post more when I get to a computer and I'm not on my phone.


I thought they might be off-duty (though who is paying for engine wear and tear?) But even if it is the construction company, why not get a bank of lights?



Would you slow down when you knew it was just a bank of lights just sitting there every day?
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:10:19 AM EDT
[#14]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


I thought they might be off-duty (though who is paying for engine wear and tear?) But even if it is the construction company, why not get a bank of lights?
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
In short you aren't paying them, the construction company is.

I will post more when I get to a computer and I'm not on my phone.


I thought they might be off-duty (though who is paying for engine wear and tear?) But even if it is the construction company, why not get a bank of lights?


See my post above.  City charges a set hourly rate for cruiser rental also.  Why not a bank of lights?  I cannot tell you how any times I have been working an overnight job and had some drunk drive right past me or into the construction zone and sent guys running.  Officers on the spot handle that a little better than a set of stationary lights.  Alot of time I work paving jobs and we have to move with them, not sit stationary.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:10:40 AM EDT
[#15]
I guess for the same reason we pay for half of those AT the construction site to lean on shovels and watch.....
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:13:44 AM EDT
[#16]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
revenue generation.  Fines are double in a lot of construction sites, so every speeding ticket or whatever brings in more $$$
View Quote


Not likely.  The guys that work those construction sites are there for the easy money.  Pulling over cars would be more work.  

Plus the construction companies want them to be on scene for the crews...not chasing down cars.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:15:10 AM EDT
[#17]
People have been known to get out of their cars and assault construction workers for delaying their drive. The PoPo is there is keep the crazies away.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:15:14 AM EDT
[#18]
They are there to make sure that PennDot doesn't sleep on the job
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:15:33 AM EDT
[#19]
If the taxpayers pay the contractor and the contractor pays the cop, then isn't the taxpayer really paying the cop?
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:15:55 AM EDT
[#20]
Because unions. There I said it.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:16:03 AM EDT
[#21]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
They are there to keep the poor bastards working on the roads from getting killed.
View Quote



Then again it might be to keep the stupid mother fuckers from killing themselves. I was going down I255 on the IL side about 3 weeks ago. It was down to one lane. Speed limit was 50 mph. I was going 40 mph.

Dipshit steps outside the barrier for no reason. Starts waiving his arms like a lunatic. He steps out into the road. I go over onto the shoulder and the rough strip on the shoulder. He fucking starts jumping up and down.

I'm certain if I would have slammed on my brakes the guy behind me would have swerved toward him and ran him over.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:16:16 AM EDT
[#22]

I am the lead-man for a small to medium size city's street dept. When we have a big road repair where a lane or two will be closed we use barrels, cones, vertical panels and round delineators along with signs. People still drive right through a cone pattern I could land aircraft with.
A cop sitting there usually doesn't get ignored.
I have had way too many close calls in the last 14 years. They are worth whatever they cost.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:17:06 AM EDT
[#23]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Because unions. There I said it.
View Quote


We don't have unions.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:17:07 AM EDT
[#24]
The contractor pays the officer their wage, say $50 an hour, to be there.
View Quote

Cops make that much?

I went into the wrong line of work. I thought being a corrupt bureaucrat would pay more than a cop salary. Oh well, maybe I can become a corrupt cabinet member instead.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:18:47 AM EDT
[#25]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:

Cops make that much?

I went into the wrong line of work. I thought being a corrupt bureaucrat would pay more than a cop salary. Oh well, maybe I can become a corrupt cabinet member instead.
View Quote View All Quotes
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Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
The contractor pays the officer their wage, say $50 an hour, to be there.

Cops make that much?

I went into the wrong line of work. I thought being a corrupt bureaucrat would pay more than a cop salary. Oh well, maybe I can become a corrupt cabinet member instead.


Depends where you're at.

I make $18/hr....$25 for extra duty gigs
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:21:37 AM EDT
[#26]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:

Cops make that much?

I went into the wrong line of work. I thought being a corrupt bureaucrat would pay more than a cop salary. Oh well, maybe I can become a corrupt cabinet member instead.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
The contractor pays the officer their wage, say $50 an hour, to be there.

Cops make that much?

I went into the wrong line of work. I thought being a corrupt bureaucrat would pay more than a cop salary. Oh well, maybe I can become a corrupt cabinet member instead.



For an extra duty job it is right around that number.  Regular hourly pay is a little lower.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:21:41 AM EDT
[#27]

Because Dunkin' Donuts parking lots are only so big.





Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:24:13 AM EDT
[#28]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


I thought they might be off-duty (though who is paying for engine wear and tear? - And the gov. is paying the construction company to fix the roads/bridges. So taxes are still paying in a round about way.)

But even if it is the construction company, why not get a bank of lights?
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
In short you aren't paying them, the construction company is.

I will post more when I get to a computer and I'm not on my phone.


I thought they might be off-duty (though who is paying for engine wear and tear? - And the gov. is paying the construction company to fix the roads/bridges. So taxes are still paying in a round about way.)

But even if it is the construction company, why not get a bank of lights?


I can only speak for WA, but I assume other states may be the same.  In WA a flagger is legally not allowed to control/flag in an intersection which is why you see so many cops working in the construction zones. Also in WA failure to obey a flagman is a misdemeanor crime, if there is no cop there nothing can be done.  The car is there to be the (threat of the) stick in the carrot and stick analogy.  In many years of flagging traffic I have only written a single criminal summons...and she really deserved it.

Some jobs are easy as another poster said, but the majority of the jobs are hard work.  I only work for two companies consistently (they call me direct because I work my ass off for them) and neither of them are usually sit in the car jobs.  Also when I work for these companies I am not covered under my agencies insurance.  I am considered to be "an independent contractor" working for that company and if I get hurt I have to fight their insurance for coverage.  The agency does bill the company for the wear and tear and fuel on the car.

I enjoy it because I get along with the people on my crews and honestly I relate more to the redneck construction worker than I do most of the people in my department.  That being said, directing traffic is one of the most terrifying things you will do as a cop.  If the country was so serious about lessening our carbon footprint they would make driver retesting mandatory every 5-10 years and 70% off the cars would be off the road because people turn into complete morons when they see cones on the ground and they cant go "the only way I know" how to get home!
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:24:55 AM EDT
[#29]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:



For an extra duty job it is right around that number.  Regular hourly pay is a little lower.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
The contractor pays the officer their wage, say $50 an hour, to be there.

Cops make that much?

I went into the wrong line of work. I thought being a corrupt bureaucrat would pay more than a cop salary. Oh well, maybe I can become a corrupt cabinet member instead.



For an extra duty job it is right around that number.  Regular hourly pay is a little lower.


For us it is just a little over time and a half.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:25:40 AM EDT
[#30]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
If the taxpayers pay the contractor and the contractor pays the cop, then isn't the taxpayer really paying the cop?
View Quote

Sure, but only after winning the bid.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:26:18 AM EDT
[#31]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


I thought they might be off-duty (though who is paying for engine wear and tear? - And the gov. is paying the construction company to fix the roads/bridges. So taxes are still paying in a round about way.)

But even if it is the construction company, why not get a bank of lights?
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
In short you aren't paying them, the construction company is.

I will post more when I get to a computer and I'm not on my phone.


I thought they might be off-duty (though who is paying for engine wear and tear? - And the gov. is paying the construction company to fix the roads/bridges. So taxes are still paying in a round about way.)

But even if it is the construction company, why not get a bank of lights?


Why do people speed when there are speed limit signs?
Why do people run red lights?
 Why do people pass when there are double lines?
  Why do people slow down when they see blue lights flashing on a patrol car?

(ETA:  Doing traffic detail on road construction is a great way to ruin a good pair of boots.  You will get tar/asphalt on them.)  
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:26:43 AM EDT
[#32]
I just drove south on I-5 from 152/ Pacheco Pass. The roadwork at Kettleman City south sucks! Thank God, that I hit that mess when the sun was up.

Avoid that area if you can.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:28:53 AM EDT
[#33]
You're lucky. They just hang out at firehouses out here.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:30:31 AM EDT
[#34]
Best extra duty gig going has to be jewelry store work.

Nobody robs jewelry stores around here. I talk to a few of the APD police doing that duty and they love it.

Much better than working construction sites or festivals or clubs on 6th st.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:33:50 AM EDT
[#35]
Quoted:
So on they way home last night I found out they shut down all 4 lanes of the highway I normally go on. There were 3 cops sitting at the road block. There has been construction there for the last several weeks and many times I see cops around. I got to thinking, I see them a lot of time at road construction sites.

The question is - why? Why are we spending tax dollars on this? I understand if they were perhaps guiding traffic, but they just sit there. The red and blue lights make people sit up and pay attention, but you could get  a bank of lights and a small generator to do that for a fraction of the cost of hiring cops to sit and do NOTHING. Many times they are situated where they couldn't even get out and go after someone if they were being unsafe in a work zone. Heck last night one of the cars was one of those stealth ones with no light bar, so the internal lights were muted compared to the other two, making it even more pointless.

Maybe some cops can shed some light on if this is a true public safety issue or not.
View Quote


To keep people like you from driving around/through/over the obvious barricades and other safety features that allow road construction to take place.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:34:33 AM EDT
[#36]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


I can only speak for WA, but I assume other states may be the same.  In WA a flagger is legally not allowed to control/flag in an intersection which is why you see so many cops working in the construction zones. Also in WA failure to obey a flagman is a misdemeanor crime, if there is no cop there nothing can be done.  The car is there to be the (threat of the) stick in the carrot and stick analogy.  In many years of flagging traffic I have only written a single criminal summons...and she really deserved it.

Some jobs are easy as another poster said, but the majority of the jobs are hard work.  I only work for two companies consistently (they call me direct because I work my ass off for them) and neither of them are usually sit in the car jobs.  Also when I work for these companies I am not covered under my agencies insurance.  I am considered to be "an independent contractor" working for that company and if I get hurt I have to fight their insurance for coverage.  The agency does bill the company for the wear and tear and fuel on the car.

I enjoy it because I get along with the people on my crews and honestly I relate more to the redneck construction worker than I do most of the people in my department.  That being said, directing traffic is one of the most terrifying things you will do as a cop.  If the country was so serious about lessening our carbon footprint they would make driver retesting mandatory every 5-10 years and 70% off the cars would be off the road because people turn into complete morons when they see cones on the ground and they cant go "the only way I know" how to get home!
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
In short you aren't paying them, the construction company is.

I will post more when I get to a computer and I'm not on my phone.


I thought they might be off-duty (though who is paying for engine wear and tear? - And the gov. is paying the construction company to fix the roads/bridges. So taxes are still paying in a round about way.)

But even if it is the construction company, why not get a bank of lights?


I can only speak for WA, but I assume other states may be the same.  In WA a flagger is legally not allowed to control/flag in an intersection which is why you see so many cops working in the construction zones. Also in WA failure to obey a flagman is a misdemeanor crime, if there is no cop there nothing can be done.  The car is there to be the (threat of the) stick in the carrot and stick analogy.  In many years of flagging traffic I have only written a single criminal summons...and she really deserved it.

Some jobs are easy as another poster said, but the majority of the jobs are hard work.  I only work for two companies consistently (they call me direct because I work my ass off for them) and neither of them are usually sit in the car jobs.  Also when I work for these companies I am not covered under my agencies insurance.  I am considered to be "an independent contractor" working for that company and if I get hurt I have to fight their insurance for coverage.  The agency does bill the company for the wear and tear and fuel on the car.

I enjoy it because I get along with the people on my crews and honestly I relate more to the redneck construction worker than I do most of the people in my department.  That being said, directing traffic is one of the most terrifying things you will do as a cop.  If the country was so serious about lessening our carbon footprint they would make driver retesting mandatory every 5-10 years and 70% off the cars would be off the road because people turn into complete morons when they see cones on the ground and they cant go "the only way I know" how to get home!



It's the same damn way here.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:43:19 AM EDT
[#37]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:

Cops make that much?

I went into the wrong line of work. I thought being a corrupt bureaucrat would pay more than a cop salary. Oh well, maybe I can become a corrupt cabinet member instead.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
The contractor pays the officer their wage, say $50 an hour, to be there.

Cops make that much?

I went into the wrong line of work. I thought being a corrupt bureaucrat would pay more than a cop salary. Oh well, maybe I can become a corrupt cabinet member instead.



It depends on the job and the area.  Usually (in my AO), extra-duty jobs pay at a rate roughly equal to time-and-a-half for a patrolman- or sergeant-level employee (it's a flat hourly fee set by the PD based upon current average hourly rates for PD work).  When I started at the PD, the averages hourly rate on a part-time was $25/hour.  Now it's up to $40/hour.  The job I work most often is $35/hour and my base pay rate at the PD is $22.90/hour.  Also keep in mind that while those part-time rates seem pretty high, those are 10-99 jobs, so we pay all normal taxes, plus self-employment taxes and BOTH halves of social security.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 12:44:55 AM EDT
[#38]
Quoted:
So on they way home last night I found out they shut down all 4 lanes of the highway I normally go on. There were 3 cops sitting at the road block. There has been construction there for the last several weeks and many times I see cops around. I got to thinking, I see them a lot of time at road construction sites.

The question is - why? Why are we spending tax dollars on this? I understand if they were perhaps guiding traffic, but they just sit there. The red and blue lights make people sit up and pay attention, but you could get  a bank of lights and a small generator to do that for a fraction of the cost of hiring cops to sit and do NOTHING. Many times they are situated where they couldn't even get out and go after someone if they were being unsafe in a work zone. Heck last night one of the cars was one of those stealth ones with no light bar, so the internal lights were muted compared to the other two, making it even more pointless.

Maybe some cops can shed some light on if this is a true public safety issue or not.
View Quote


We dont do that here in Michigan unless they are stringing power lines across the highway or putting up a bridge truss or something "quick" like that, that would not need for the highway to be shut down all day.

I have seen that in other states however while travelling and always wondered about it.

J-
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 1:07:39 AM EDT
[#39]

The construction company (you know private enterprise that GD cumshot hard over, asks for and pays for them and all associated costs here. But please, continue with your bullshit.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 1:17:25 AM EDT
[#40]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:

The construction company (you know private enterprise that GD cumshot hard over, asks for and pays for them and all associated costs here. But please, continue with your bullshit.
View Quote


Aw, do you need a hug?

Who pays that construction company who pays the off duty cops?
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 1:19:32 AM EDT
[#41]
Around here, in Houston, they aren't in actual cop cars...they are in their POV's with a bunch of red and blue lights all over them.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 1:20:33 AM EDT
[#42]
To keep them out of town and away from dogs.

It's safer for everyone that way.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 1:21:56 AM EDT
[#43]
lol. They are usually sleeping. A friend of mine was working nights on the Poplar Street Bridge going into St Louis, they had a car come by, swerve into the lane under construction knocking over multiple barriers and continue into MO. The MO state trooper didn't seem to notice all the yelling by the construction crew or happen to see any of it. The car then returned coming into IL and again swerved into their lane. Again knocking over multiple barriers then continuing into IL, finally the trooper gets out of his car while finishing buckling up his belt and says he cant do anything because the driver went into IL. So the construction company in paying them to sleep, I like that they are there though because the lights usually help to slow down traffic, I have a lot of friends that work out there.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 1:22:19 AM EDT
[#44]
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Quoted:



Im sure it is in IDAHO
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I would bet that its for federal money


You don't see cops sitting at construction sites or doing flagging duties in this state.
Waste O Money.



Im sure it is in IDAHO


Only cops you see at construction sites in CA are CHP at Caltrans freeway construction jobs and then only in the really busy places. This is the only type that makes sense to me.  Freeway builders usually only have 1 lane of oh shit space between them and 70 MPH  traffic.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 1:24:10 AM EDT
[#45]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


I can only speak for WA, but I assume other states may be the same.  In WA a flagger is legally not allowed to control/flag in an intersection which is why you see so many cops working in the construction zones. Also in WA failure to obey a flagman is a misdemeanor crime, if there is no cop there nothing can be done.  The car is there to be the (threat of the) stick in the carrot and stick analogy.  In many years of flagging traffic I have only written a single criminal summons...and she really deserved it.

Some jobs are easy as another poster said, but the majority of the jobs are hard work.  I only work for two companies consistently (they call me direct because I work my ass off for them) and neither of them are usually sit in the car jobs.  Also when I work for these companies I am not covered under my agencies insurance.  I am considered to be "an independent contractor" working for that company and if I get hurt I have to fight their insurance for coverage.  The agency does bill the company for the wear and tear and fuel on the car.

I enjoy it because I get along with the people on my crews and honestly I relate more to the redneck construction worker than I do most of the people in my department.  That being said, directing traffic is one of the most terrifying things you will do as a cop.  If the country was so serious about lessening our carbon footprint they would make driver retesting mandatory every 5-10 years and 70% off the cars would be off the road because people turn into complete morons when they see cones on the ground and they cant go "the only way I know" how to get home!
View Quote View All Quotes
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Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
In short you aren't paying them, the construction company is.

I will post more when I get to a computer and I'm not on my phone.


I thought they might be off-duty (though who is paying for engine wear and tear? - And the gov. is paying the construction company to fix the roads/bridges. So taxes are still paying in a round about way.)

But even if it is the construction company, why not get a bank of lights?


I can only speak for WA, but I assume other states may be the same.  In WA a flagger is legally not allowed to control/flag in an intersection which is why you see so many cops working in the construction zones. Also in WA failure to obey a flagman is a misdemeanor crime, if there is no cop there nothing can be done.  The car is there to be the (threat of the) stick in the carrot and stick analogy.  In many years of flagging traffic I have only written a single criminal summons...and she really deserved it.

Some jobs are easy as another poster said, but the majority of the jobs are hard work.  I only work for two companies consistently (they call me direct because I work my ass off for them) and neither of them are usually sit in the car jobs.  Also when I work for these companies I am not covered under my agencies insurance.  I am considered to be "an independent contractor" working for that company and if I get hurt I have to fight their insurance for coverage.  The agency does bill the company for the wear and tear and fuel on the car.

I enjoy it because I get along with the people on my crews and honestly I relate more to the redneck construction worker than I do most of the people in my department.  That being said, directing traffic is one of the most terrifying things you will do as a cop.  If the country was so serious about lessening our carbon footprint they would make driver retesting mandatory every 5-10 years and 70% off the cars would be off the road because people turn into complete morons when they see cones on the ground and they cant go "the only way I know" how to get home!


So you are there directing traffic? I can under stand using cops for that with the combo of the lights and the training. But that isn't what I am talking about.

This is Missouri and what I see is cops just sitting there acting like lit up traffic cones / road blocks. They aren't directing. They don't even seem to be in a position where if someone was speeding through they could enforce anything. Their purpose seems to be just to alert people of the shit ahead and wake them up. Which you could accomplish with a bank of lights, as by the time you see its not a cop car you will have already been alerted, perhaps slowed down, mission accomplished.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 1:24:14 AM EDT
[#46]
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Not likely.  The guys that work those construction sites are there for the easy money.  Pulling over cars would be more work.  

Plus the construction companies want them to be on scene for the crews...not chasing down cars.
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revenue generation.  Fines are double in a lot of construction sites, so every speeding ticket or whatever brings in more $$$


Not likely.  The guys that work those construction sites are there for the easy money.  Pulling over cars would be more work.  

Plus the construction companies want them to be on scene for the crews...not chasing down cars.


Yup. In a more practical vein, someone obviously has no idea how tough it is to get out of a construction zone and then chase down the guy who sped by.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 1:25:45 AM EDT
[#47]
The contractor pays for them.   People are unbelievably stupid and dangerous around construction areas.   They tend to be less so when there are police there.   In the city many feel they are entitled to go wherever they want including where you are working.   I literally had to yard an asian family out of the way of an asphalt roller they were walking straight for after they went under our danger tape.  Also sometimes the law requires you to hire officers if you are affecting traffic or pedestrians.  It's much easier to let them deal with the dumbasses while you worry about your actual job
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 1:26:30 AM EDT
[#48]
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See my post above.  City charges a set hourly rate for cruiser rental also.  Why not a bank of lights?  I cannot tell you how any times I have been working an overnight job and had some drunk drive right past me or into the construction zone and sent guys running.  Officers on the spot handle that a little better than a set of stationary lights.  Alot of time I work paving jobs and we have to move with them, not sit stationary.
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In short you aren't paying them, the construction company is.

I will post more when I get to a computer and I'm not on my phone.


I thought they might be off-duty (though who is paying for engine wear and tear?) But even if it is the construction company, why not get a bank of lights?


See my post above.  City charges a set hourly rate for cruiser rental also.  Why not a bank of lights?  I cannot tell you how any times I have been working an overnight job and had some drunk drive right past me or into the construction zone and sent guys running.  Officers on the spot handle that a little better than a set of stationary lights.  Alot of time I work paving jobs and we have to move with them, not sit stationary.


Well if you say it's that common to need a level of security, ok. But  I would think with the amount of construction around me I'd see cops arresting people in construction zones, yet I don't. Makes me wonder how necessary it is.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 1:27:33 AM EDT
[#49]
If you have done any construction or surveying on a roadway you would understand they are the ONLY thing that slows idiots down.
Link Posted: 7/2/2015 1:27:37 AM EDT
[#50]
Lol.
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