Ive have seen cops sitting on the middle of a hill on route 113 West Newbury Massachusetts eager to ticket.
Is that police work?
Posted on 12/22/2005 2:28:15 PM PST by JTN
Calgary's top cop said he's not interested in turning the force into a money-maker, despite calls from city council to increase fine and other revenues within the service's budget.
Chief Jack Beaton said it's unlikely the service will be able to meet council's $3-million revenue expectation next year -- more than $1 million more than what was projected.
Aldermen approved the change in a 9-6 vote as they tried to find ways to cut millions from its 2006-08 budget, which calls for a 5.4 per cent tax increase next year.
Beaton was disappointed with council's expectation of the police service as a revenue generator.
"We don't want to write tickets for the sake of writing tickets," Beaton said late Monday. "We do traffic enforcement for one reason -- safety."
The police budget for 2006 is $187 million, with nearly $2.1 million in projected revenues. The amendment would add an extra $1 million next year.
Ald. Bob Hawkesworth, who proposed the change, said it will be a good incentive for drivers to obey the rules of the road.
"These are expenses people can avoid by driving within the speed limit," he said, noting it would bring additional revenues to one of the city's biggest departments while reducing property taxes.
Hawkesworth said it's a wise move if it makes the streets safer.
But Ald. Craig Burrows, who sits on the Calgary Police Commission, said it would be difficult for police to generate $1 million in extra revenue.
Ping
Play by the rules.
Or, alternatively, we could have police doing work related to public safety rather than revenue. For example, roving patrols rather than checkpoints and speedtraps.
Attempts by Carr to get an official comment on these memos have been met with silence,he says.
They could make a ton of money in the Seattle area. It didn't used to be this way, but now one regularly sees up to three cars enter the intersection after the light has gone red.
And not a cop to be seen.
----You know, it is ironic but as I set here typing this post I am looking out the window at two cop cars pulled up beside each other talking. They have been setting there for the last half hour, not doing anything and drawing a salary.It seems like every day at one time or another you see two or sometimes three setting there, just talking and not patroling or anything.
The other night in Palm Desert, CA two motorcycle cops were injured and sent to hospital. It seems they had pulled off a street and were stopped in a side road having a nice chat. Guess they weren't in the mood for donuts. Well, some drunk drives into the alley and crashes into them both. I suspect if they were doing their job and were out patrolling the streets, they would not have been hit. Of course, they did catch a drunk driver.
If everybody played by the rules we wouldn't have anarchy in the streets and there wouldn't any such thing as traffic cops and red light cameras.
Ive have seen cops sitting on the middle of a hill on route 113 West Newbury Massachusetts eager to ticket.
Is that police work?
"Bob Hawkesworth, who proposed the change, said it will be a good incentive for drivers to obey the rules of the road."
Doesn't matter, Bobby boy. See, what happens is that people do respond by being more careful and cops then respond by writing tickets for things that aren't infractions.
I drive in the NY NJ metro area every day from Long Island and for the past year or so on each end of the trip and in between I see non stop pull overs EVERY DAY at all hours. From LI to, say, Bloomfield NJ I'll se 35 or 40 pull overs---EVERY SINGLR DAY ON EVERY ROAD.
Sure enough Bergin County's lamest pulled me over today for not having a registration for my tow-behind compressor. It doesn't require a reggie or lights to be legal but this lying sissy in blue is banking on my not contesting the case in a court so far from home and out of state to boot. He's in for a surprise.
Well, it's official, with mounting evidence. Is it about safety, or is it about revenue?
Seems revenue is the overriding factor.
An excellent site on the politics of driving:
Libertarian ping! To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.
You've got that right! And safer, too. They know if they just raised taxes, the torches and pitchforks would come out!
I work in Seattle and I see the cops at the Starbucks. It is hard to patrol if you have a latte in one hand and a biscotti in the other.
LOL! It sounds like the drunk caught them. Blackbird.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.