Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here
Posted on 06/20/2005 5:23:24 PM PDT by Stew Padasso
I don't know where the "line" is on enforcement, and I doubt anyone else does. But a department which is satisfied on "stats" should be disbanded.This attitude flys in the face of 'objective goals', where stats, actual 'counts' forms the basis of 'piecework' as a way-of-life in guaging production and productivity of any given individual.
Well, on second thought, maybe we should 'dumb down' larrrrrw enforcement too, to match publik edukashun's race to send tax payer dollars down the drain ...
I think law enforcement has already been dumbed down in many areas. Too bad.
Its easier to bust a kid smoking pot than it is to do the work to catch a rapist.
It is also safer and more profitable. It costs money to prosecute and jail a rapist, and they are likely to be a bit easier to handle since all you have to do is give them a bag of salty snacks and they'll be fat, dumb, and happy.
Looks like a State revenue collector advcate has decided to chime in. Hey _Jim! How is that taxpayer funded salary treating you?
"Its not like anyone is claiming the violations are made up."
LOL! I'll add you to my ping list. JK.
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here
Failure to yield, failure to come to a complete stop, and speeding too fast for conditions are always judgment calls cops can bust someone on if they really want to. Whether you've 'committed the violation' or not.
We don't have "quotas." We have "performance objectives."
And if we don't hit them, we get dealt with by the bosses. But if we write too many tickets over any given month, we get dealt with by the other cops. Pick your poison. Would you rather have the bosses put you on a horrible footpost, deny you a meal or change your schedule all together? Or would you rather walk into the locker room and find your locker upside down in the shower (in the on position) or the locker simply thrown out the window by the other cops?
Thankfully, I have not had to deal with these consequences as of yet. Just make sure you kiss just the right amount of boss butt and go out and have a few with the guys after work.
Cops toe a very fine line.
Ooh, ooh, this is even better than it sounds. The UN perverts don't have to pay the tickets, but it's still a violation, so the cop gets his quota and the city gets no dough, but bears the cost of processing the tag. The cops ought to use cell phones to rat on UN vehicles so every cop on duty can drop by and stick a tag under the wiper.
Back when I was a sworn to guy the city was such a mess that picking up the pieces was about all you could do. The whole quality of life concept (broken window policing)was still three mayors away and the Bronx was still burning (Fort Apache was still Fort Apache, not yet The Little House on the Prairie). Then they laid us off and things really got interesting for the lucky ones who kept their jobs.
"Watch your Ps and Qs" ping.
"Did you really think we want those laws observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We want them to be broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against... We're after power and we mean it... There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced or objectively interpreted – and you create a nation of law-breakers – and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Reardon, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with." ('Atlas Shrugged' 1957)
Thank you. I often think of that passage, and marvel at its truth.
"They can't cite you if you don't commit the violation."
Do you REALLY believe this??
I will sell you all of my family's ancestral Florida swampland for 50 cents an acre AND throw in the bridge for free
For the most part, yes.
I've never developed any particular paranoia about police, unlike a lot of people here in FR.
Its really simple. If you drive like a responsible citizen, you simply disappear from the view of police (unless you drive a red sports car of something that really attracts attention). Police look for likely suspects, and develop a sixth sense about suspicious activity. The just DO NOT SEE Ma and Pa Polyester on the way to the store.
They do SEE Bubba Punk who is quick off the line when the light changes to green, or the guy who darts into an alley as soon as the cruiser comes around the corner.
I have friends who are cops, and they tell me that they can stand on any given street corner and fill their monthly traffic quota (yes, they freely admit there is a quota) just by selecting the most boneheaded moves and reckless drivers in any one hour period. They don't have to, nor do they want to go after marginal violations, because its way easier for them if the subject knows damn well he blew threw the stop sign, and pays the fine without contesting it. They then do not have to go to court and testify. Like I said, its EASY to fill a quota, they don't have to pick on innocent people.
But, if they suspect you of something, I agree its a simple matter to find some transgression as an excuse to stop you. But the key point is, you really have to have an attitude to attract their attention in the first place, because its really hard to get noticed above the total jerks running around out there.
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