To some extent I agree. I would love to give up writing parking tickets except in special circumstances, but I still believe in the value of moving violations. Aggressive driving is a big problem in NY, and one of the main sources of our incredibly high insurance rates. I drive 55 or so in the right lane going to work and I see all kinds of craziness going on. So when I can
But I would love to spend hours staking out burglary-prone locations too. We have a plainclothes unit that does just that, often spending hours on rooftops in our precinct waiting and watching.
Whats needed is balance. Everyone notices someone that pulled over for speeding or running a stop sign, but most don't see or know about other things going on in their neighborhoods.
Aggressive driving is a big problem across the country. But the traffic enforcement which most people encounter isn't targeting aggressive driving, it's a cop on the side of the highway picking out unlucky drivers who are just going with the flow.
I would LOVE to see cops actually driving the roads and catching the tailgaters, racers, SOBs who cut you off, weaving drunks, etc. That kind of traffic enforcement would get nothing but kudos.
Everyone notices someone that pulled over for speeding or running a stop sign.
They sure do, and they all slow down, for a little while. But they do slow down, and that may help prevent an accident. They don't even need to be issuing a ticket, just patrol the worst sections of highway a few times an hour, people get real polite.
I think that the police in general are doing as good a job as possible, remember, they are by law a reactive, not proactive force.
The problems I have are rooted in the no knock invasions, or the 0400 knock, wait 4 seconds and break down the door invasion. If you want to talk to me knock on my door, if home I will answer it.
Jack