Volunteer radar gunslingers nail speeders

[Quadruple Bypass]

Speeders beware. Your neighbors might have you on their radar. That's the message police departments across the country are trying to send by loaning residents radar guns and turning them into neighborhood speed watchers.

Volunteers can't ticket the drivers they catch breaking the speed limit, but their reports can result in warning letters being sent by police, depending on how fast the drivers were going.

Police say the program is worth it if it can make even a few motorists obey speed limits. "It's one more element of enforcing speed," says Lt. Daniel Furseth of the DeForest Police Department in Wisconsin.

For the past year, the village has allowed residents to borrow a battery-operated radar gun for a week or two, sit on their front lawns and record the speeds of passing motorists.

Typically, a warning letter is sent when speeds are 13 mph over the limit, but it depends on the residential area, Furseth says.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-10-22-radar_N.htm

Just read this on yahoo. I don't know about you guys, but a 'warning letter' isn't going to stop me from going 50 in a 30.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-10-22-radar_N.htm

Just read this on yahoo. I don't know about you guys, but a 'warning letter' isn't going to stop me from going 50 in a 30.

How about the possiblity of killing someone?

 

[BobG]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-10-22-radar_N.htm

Just read this on yahoo. I don't know about you guys, but a 'warning letter' isn't going to stop me from going 50 in a 30.

I don't know how they handle traffic in your city, but most major thoroughfares have speed limits over 30. 30 is usually for residential neighborhoods (although that's been lowered to 25 in most neighborhoods in the Springs). If you're going 50 through residential neighborhoods then you deserve a whole lot worse than a warning letter.

 

[Moonbear]

I don't know how they handle traffic in your city, but most major thoroughfares have speed limits over 30. 30 is usually for residential neighborhoods (although that's been lowered to 25 in most neighborhoods in the Springs). If you're going 50 through residential neighborhoods then you deserve a whole lot worse than a warning letter.

Agreed. We have a few areas that are between 30-35 because it's a wider road NEAR a residential area, but not with houses directly lining it, or an industrial area with a lot of driveways entering, but if the speed limit is anywhere between 25-35, there's usually good reason for it...and it's that you can't stop in time for the little kid whose tricycle rolls out of the driveway, or chasing a ball without looking. If you're in a neighborhood and regularly driving 50 mph, your neighbors should want to do more than just send you a letter!

 

[Quadruple Bypass]

it was a JOKE. seriously though, whos going to be scared of a warning letter? whos to say that a neighbor that has something against you won't say that you were going 100 in the neighborhood (exaggerated). that's why it will never turn into an actual ticket, unless they catch it on film or something of the likes.

 

[slugcountry]

what ***holes... no ambitions and they hate life so they sit by the side of the road and try to make life miserable for others... losers.

 

[turbo]

what ***holes... no ambitions and they hate life so they sit by the side of the road and try to make life miserable for others... losers.

Actually, students at Unity College have been doing the same thing for some months in an effort to get people to stop speeding through the down-town. In rural towns, this isn't such a bad idea because we can't afford our own police forces and the county sheriff's deputies and the state police are spread VERY thin. I live on a back road. The speed limit is 45, and the weight restriction is 60,000 lbs gross weight. We are routinely dodging fully-loaded pulp trucks (easily exceeding 100,000 lbs) doing 55-60 mph. Such heavy trucks are murder on lightly-built back roads and they cost the taxpayers $$$$ in maintenance costs, and there is no way that a speeding 100,000+ lb truck is going to stop in time to avoid a collision with another vehicle or avoid a child chasing a frisbee or a ball.

Trucking is very important to our forestry industry, and the truckers need to stay efficient to make a decent living, but when they take high-speed short-cuts through these narrow back roads (no shoulders, not even painted center-lines) they will eventually kill someone and THEN there will be a crack-down. It will take a death to prompt action.

 

[slugcountry]

Sucks to be you then but I will never never live down paying a 230 dollar ticket for going 55 in a 50 - I hate cops with a passion =X where I live there is virtually no crime and the local police spend ALL their time issuing minor traffic tickets and busting kids for smoking pot.

Like I said - losers.

 

[moose]

I don't know how they handle traffic in your city, but most major thoroughfares have speed limits over 30. 30 is usually for residential neighborhoods (although that's been lowered to 25 in most neighborhoods in the Springs). If you're going 50 through residential neighborhoods then you deserve a whole lot worse than a warning letter.

Around where I used to live, there were tons of roads that were 30mph zones, and yet were very wide roads with fences on the sides and no incoming traffic or anything. Everyone goes around 45 down those roads...

 

[Hurkyl]

Sucks to be you then but I will never never live down paying a 230 dollar ticket for going 55 in a 50 - I hate cops with a passion =X where I live there is virtually no crime and the local police spend ALL their time issuing minor traffic tickets and busting kids for smoking pot.

Like I said - losers.

I'm sure not all people who break traffic law and use illegal substances are losers...

 

[turbo]

I'm sure not all people who break traffic law and use illegal substances are losers...

Good one! I am pretty sure that people who would like to deter people from exceeding the speed limits past their homes by 15-20 mph are not losers, either. They have to be willing to give up their time and effort to make a point, and hope that their efforts will help protect pedestrians, playing kids, and other motorists. The State Police would not issue me a set of truck scales and give me the authority to stop heavy traffic on my back road, but I'll guarantee that if they did, I could stop 40,000+ lb overloaded rigs from shooting through here in a week or two. The scofflaws are stealing from us and endangering us.

 

[slugcountry]

Good one! I am pretty sure that people who would like to deter people from exceeding the speed limits past their homes by 15-20 mph are not losers, either.

right, and I'm sure those same people take care to never ever exceed the speed limit as well, just like the cops who blaze by at 90+ mph on highways without even their emergency lights, and then turn around and issue speeding tickets - not just losers, but hypocrites I'll never have respect for people like that

 

[Kurdt]

I've never been fond of the strict adherence to speed limits. If one were to try and adhere to them all perfectly you'd do nothing but look at your speedo causing more crashes. In fact wasn't there a study saying far from lowering accidents speed cameras increased them because people were too busy looking at their dash boards?

 

[Quadruple Bypass]

I've never been fond of the strict adherence to speed limits. If one were to try and adhere to them all perfectly you'd do nothing but look at your speedo causing more crashes. In fact wasn't there a study saying far from lowering accidents speed cameras increased them because people were too busy looking at their dash boards?

Hmm. Now that i think about it, i understand what you mean because when I am going through a 20 MPH school zone, i usually keep my eyes 50/50, on the road and the speedo. Good point.

And to the person talking about cops going 90 on the highway. today i saw a cop zoom by without emergency lights on. he was at least going 60 in a 45, hypocrites indeed. i always wondered what would happen if you were behind a cop car without its lights on going the same speed as he was. could they give you a speeding ticket knowing that you were going over the speed limit?

 

[slugcountry]

i always wondered what would happen if you were behind a cop car without its lights on going the same speed as he was. could they give you a speeding ticket knowing that you were going over the speed limit?

Yes, they have a rear radar.

As far as going the same speed as you without their lights on, they do this on a routine basis and it is called pacing. As illegal as the practice may be on the surface, it is a very wide spread tactic and even has laws written that support it. An officer has to "pace" you (basically follow you within a certain distance) for a specific amount of time above the speed limit in order to issue a speeding ticket without the use of a radar gun.

Of course the courts literally always rule in favor of the officer in traffic citations. The only way to get out of a ticket is for the officer not to show up.

Honestly I hate hate hate cops =X. If they actually kept people safe it would be great, instead they just harass people.

 

[Hurkyl]

Of course the courts literally always rule in favor of the officer in traffic citations. The only way to get out of a ticket is for the officer not to show up.

Literally? I'm sure there exists at least one counterexample.

Honestly I hate hate hate cops =X. If they actually kept people safe it would be great, instead they just harass people.

I have absolutely no sympathy for someone complaining that they got penalized when they were caught breaking the law. I don't think you're condemnation of police is warranted; you're just bitter you got caught.

 

[slugcountry]

Hurkyl, just because a law exists doesn't mean it is just - don't assume that I've been caught for anything, you don't know a thing about me.

I simply make observations about my surroundings. I've been personally HARASSED by cops many many many times, though I've only ever received one ticket (for driving 55 in a 50 no less...)

I've been pulled over in the middle of the night because "my tires looked bald."

Yeah... right. I was pulled over because I was profiled as likely trouble (a younger man driving at night). Thats only one example among many - and I'm far from the only one who's fed up with this kind of behavior. Very very few people will stick up for someone who winds up on the wrong side of the law (prime example: you) - innocent or not. Just look at the number of innocent people on death row over the years. They do this kind of bull**** on a regular basis around here.

 

[Hurkyl]

Hurkyl, just because a law exists doesn't mean it is just - don't assume that I've been caught for anything, you don't know a thing about me.

I didn't assume. You said yourself that you have been ticketed for speeding. Also, you have been complaining about other people being caught.

Very very few people will stick up for someone who winds up on the wrong side of the law

In general, why would one attempt to defend an illegal act?

 

[slugcountry]

In general, why would one attempt to defend an illegal act?

Ok. Again: Just because a law exists does NOT MAKE IT JUST.

Secondly: What I was trying to explain is that not everyone who winds up on the wrong side of the law is actually guilty.

 

[Hurkyl]

Ok. Again: Just because a law exists does NOT MAKE IT JUST.

Unless you intend to argue that the notion of a speed limit is unjust, I don't see any relevance to this thread.

Secondly: What I was trying to explain is that not everyone who winds up on the wrong side of the law is actually guilty.

Unless I'm very much mistaken, being on the "wrong side of the law" means that you are guilty. (And a quick internet search confirms my understanding)

But again this is just a red herring, since you have been talking about people who were speeding (and were using illegal substances).

 

[Ivan Seeking]

When I was a teen I was hell on wheels - drove like a madman. Then, one day, on a road that I raced along every day, in my rear view mirror I saw a neighbor come running out of his house screaming at the top of his lungs as I passed by. Only when I saw the intense anger in his face did I realize what his perspective was like: What I saw as a nice little set of curves that was cool to hit hard. What he saw was an idiot who was threatening the life of his kids.

 

[slugcountry]

Unless you intend to argue that the notion of a speed limit is unjust, I don't see any relevance to this thread.


Unless I'm very much mistaken, being on the "wrong side of the law" means that you are guilty. (And a quick internet search confirms my understanding)

But again this is just a red herring, since you have been talking about people who were speeding (and were using illegal substances).

Ok Hurkyl, I'll just assume that you've never exceeded a speed limit in your life. And you don't have to be guilty to be on the wrong side of the law, you just have to be on the wrong side of the law. Red herring is a nice buzz word, but as I was trying to explain to you police regularly harass people - they can lie that you were driving too fast, as an excuse to pull you over and investigate (as has happened to me more than once). Like I said I've been pulled over MANY times, but only ever received one ticket. This isn't because the cops were being nice or something... its because they pulled me over when I wasn't doing anything wrong.

And as far as any "wrong doing" for that matter, going 60 in a 45 for example, on an abandoned road, is a victimless crime in my book so yes I would definitely say that in many cases a speed limit is a stupid and unjust notion.

 

[berkeman]

Ok Hurkyl, I'll just assume that you've never exceeded a speed limit in your life. And you don't have to be guilty to be on the wrong side of the law, you just have to be on the wrong side of the law. Red herring is a nice buzz word, but as I was trying to explain to you police regularly harass people - they can lie that you were driving too fast, as an excuse to pull you over and investigate (as has happened to me more than once). Like I said I've been pulled over MANY times, but only ever received one ticket. This isn't because the cops were being nice or something... its because they pulled me over when I wasn't doing anything wrong.

And as far as any "wrong doing" for that matter, going 60 in a 45 for example, on an abandoned road, is a victimless crime in my book so yes I would definitely say that in many cases a speed limit is a stupid and unjust notion.

No, we all speed sometimes in some places (including Hurkyl I'm sure), and we know it's against the law. But the point is that you try to be reasonable about it, and when you get pulled over, you man up and be honest and straightforward. If the police officer let's you off with a warning, that's nice. If s/he gives you a ticket, be straightforward and deal with it.

Doing 80mph in the #1 lane in a 65 zone on the freeway in commute traffic that's all mostly moving at the same pace is not unreasonable (but still plenty ticketable). Doing 50 in a 30 residential area is very marginal. And even driving 30 in a parking lot is stupid in most cases (quiz question -- why?).

The most unfortunate thing about the position you've taken in this thread is that you are trying to bash cops based on them enforcing the law. When they blow by you on the freeway and don't have their lights and sirens on, they still have a good reason for it and are within the law. Either "pacing" as already explained, or Code-2 hurry-up. They know what they are doing is dangerous, but it's part of the training, and part of the job.

I've been stopped probably a dozen times in my life, and gotten a total of 3 tickets, and every single stop was justified. Yes, I did get reamed once or twice verbally, but I stood there and took it, and finally was given a warning (because the police officer knew his case was marginal for a ticket).

Police officers do a lot more than just give out traffic tickets for violations of the vehicle code. You should see if your city offers ride-alongs with PD officers. I'd bet that after you've done a ride-along or two, your view of police officers will change some.

 

[turbo]

This sort of thing extends to "enforcing" all victimless crimes...

Either you are trolling, or you don't understand that speeding is not a victimless crime. People speed through my rural neighborhood every day, often exceeding the speed limit by 15-20 mph. They are not committing a victimless crime - they are indulging in criminal negligence that can (and eventually will) result in the death of innocent person(s).

 

[Moonbear]

And as far as any "wrong doing" for that matter, going 60 in a 45 for example, on an abandoned road, is a victimless crime in my book so yes I would definitely say that in many cases a speed limit is a stupid and unjust notion.

Only until you find out that some other group of kids was parked along the side of that "abandoned" road to make out, or you end up rolling in a ditch because the "abandoned" road is not maintained well enough for you to do 60, or you smash into a farmer on his tractor because the "abandoned" road runs along his farm.

Speed limits are set for a reason, and that reason is safety. It includes safety margins for the curves on the road, safety margins for the amount of traffic on the road, safety margins for the location it is in and the number of driveways entering it. Just because you're young and reckless and have no regard for others on the road doesn't mean they are pointless.

And, if you do object to a law, think it's outdated, unjust, etc., then the way to fight it is NOT to just break the law. Take it to the legislature who writes the law. You may find out that your "unjust" law actually has a really good reason, even if it's not obvious to you.

And, cops do pull people over for a variety of reasons of suspicion. If you start to slow down and make too many stops in a neighborhood known for dealing drugs, they might pull you over just to let you know they're watching. If you keep changing your speed, up and down, braking at odd times, whether it's because you're lost and looking for road signs and house numbers (happened to a friend of mine that way) or distracted while talking on the cell phone or to a passenger, they might pull you over suspecting drunk driving, even if you'd done nothing else technically wrong. I've been lost in bad neighborhoods, and the one time when the cop pulled me over in one because my gender, color of skin, newish car and slightly erratic driving (trying to read signs to figure out where I was and which way I needed to go) made me stand out as not belonging there, he simply asked, "What are you doing here?" Whether he was hoping to catch someone looking for drugs, I don't care, I was relieved to tell him I was lost and get a police escort out of that neighborhood and back to the highway. When they pull you over seemingly for no reason, they very much do have a reason, and it's not to harrass you. Something about where you are, or how you're driving gives them reason to want to pull you over and check if all is okay. For all you know, you might just be driving a style of car that is frequently stolen. One of my friends was stopped for that once too...her car matched the make and model of a recently stolen car, so she got pulled over, and once they ran her plate and checked all her registration and license were in order and matched the car she was driving, all was fine. Taking the attitude that the cops are harrassing you when they're just doing their job won't help. Once they determine you've done nothing wrong, you're on your way. If they were out to harrass you, you'd be pulling away with tickets for worn windshield wiper blades, dirt on the license plate, etc. And, if you start giving them an attitude, they just might have reason to want to start looking for all those problems that one is unlikely to get a ticket for even if the laws are on the books.

 

[Kurdt]

Many places in Europe are now removing most of the traffic signs and traffic markings in towns and villages as the uncertainty of who has right of way and the melding of pedestrian and road spaces makes drivers more aware and drive slower. It came to light when a Swedish town, Norrköping, tried it and traffic accidents were reduced to zero. I think its an interesting contrast to the way we've been trying to make roads safer and what actually makes them safer.

Slight digression there any way apologies.

 

[slugcountry]

Only until you find out that some other group of kids was parked along the side of that "abandoned" road to make out, or you end up rolling in a ditch because the "abandoned" road is not maintained well enough for you to do 60, or you smash into a farmer on his tractor because the "abandoned" road runs along his farm.

Speed limits are set for a reason, and that reason is safety. It includes safety margins for the curves on the road, safety margins for the amount of traffic on the road, safety margins for the location it is in and the number of driveways entering it. Just because you're young and reckless and have no regard for others on the road doesn't mean they are pointless.

And, if you do object to a law, think it's outdated, unjust, etc., then the way to fight it is NOT to just break the law. Take it to the legislature who writes the law. You may find out that your "unjust" law actually has a really good reason, even if it's not obvious to you.

And, cops do pull people over for a variety of reasons of suspicion. If you start to slow down and make too many stops in a neighborhood known for dealing drugs, they might pull you over just to let you know they're watching. If you keep changing your speed, up and down, braking at odd times, whether it's because you're lost and looking for road signs and house numbers (happened to a friend of mine that way) or distracted while talking on the cell phone or to a passenger, they might pull you over suspecting drunk driving, even if you'd done nothing else technically wrong. I've been lost in bad neighborhoods, and the one time when the cop pulled me over in one because my gender, color of skin, newish car and slightly erratic driving (trying to read signs to figure out where I was and which way I needed to go) made me stand out as not belonging there, he simply asked, "What are you doing here?" Whether he was hoping to catch someone looking for drugs, I don't care, I was relieved to tell him I was lost and get a police escort out of that neighborhood and back to the highway. When they pull you over seemingly for no reason, they very much do have a reason, and it's not to harrass you. Something about where you are, or how you're driving gives them reason to want to pull you over and check if all is okay. For all you know, you might just be driving a style of car that is frequently stolen. One of my friends was stopped for that once too...her car matched the make and model of a recently stolen car, so she got pulled over, and once they ran her plate and checked all her registration and license were in order and matched the car she was driving, all was fine. Taking the attitude that the cops are harrassing you when they're just doing their job won't help. Once they determine you've done nothing wrong, you're on your way. If they were out to harrass you, you'd be pulling away with tickets for worn windshield wiper blades, dirt on the license plate, etc. And, if you start giving them an attitude, they just might have reason to want to start looking for all those problems that one is unlikely to get a ticket for even if the laws are on the books.

Look lady I don't know what planet you live on, but when I get pulled over again and again by cops for doing nothing wrong, I don't feel safer, I feel harassed and oppressed.

 

[berkeman]

I have to say I'm pretty surprised with the blind faith in police displayed here =\... if the world was anything like the fantasy you seem to be living in organizations like copwatchers would have no need to exist.

Nah, you're just encountering a group that's been there and done that (where you are now). As you gain more experience in life, and see more things, you may start to change some of your opinions. I still recommend a couple ride-alongs to see the other side. What could be the harm?