Posted on 11/02/2009 11:36:55 AM PST by BGHater
HOUSTON -- The Houston Police Department launched a new creative campaign to crack down on dangerous and aggressive drivers, KPRC Local 2 reported Wednesday.
The plan calls for putting plainclothes officers in different locations around the city to spot drivers who are speeding, not wearing seat belts, or changing lanes erratically.
In one tactic, senior Houston Police Officer William Dodson will dress in street clothes and stand at a street corner with a sign in his hand.
Some people could mistake him for a vagrant, but on closer inspection, they will see that the sign is reminding people to wear their seat belts.
Dodson will radio ahead to an officer in a marked HPD unit who will make the stop and issue a citation.
"You can see the drivers start to pull on their seat belts," said Dodson.
"This is about safety on our freeways," said HPD Capt. Carl Driskell with the Traffic Enforcement Division.
So far this year, HPD has recorded 179 traffic fatalities.
Most of those automobile crashes were alcohol related, and about one-quarter of the people killed were not wearing seat belts.
HPD said it plans to begin its new initiative this week.
This police department has too much money. A budget cut would clarify priorities nicely.
Be seeing you.
Lots of dangerous drivers in front of this shopping center...
Nice that seat belt violations are the biggest crime in Houston.
Yup, more spying brought to you by the nanny state.
I still remember them saying “Oh we will never use this as a primary offense, its only a secondary ticket for seat-belts”
Now its the main focal point of these kind of “stings”
How silly. Its NOT the govts biz if I wear my seat-belt.
The mayoral candidates say how they will put more officers out on the streets.
How about scaling back the number of multi-officer ticketing operations and put them on PATROL instead?
What’s more, the officers say that Houston streets are too dangerous (too much violent crime) and that they want all patrol cars to have 2 officers. If the officers don’t feel safe in this town, how are the citizens supposed to feel about driving around alone at night?
The City of Austin began doing this a few months ago using police in city buses. The buses would drive along freeways with a cop watching for violators. He’d radio a unit on the feeder and it would come out and pull the violator over.
They’ve added a BACKSEAT seltbelt requirement for all passengers as well (September 1st).
I don’t live in Houston, but around here, my observation is that most traffic issues are caused by three things.
1) Equipment failure/malfunction/disuse (no brake, stop, turn signals, or the inability to use them)
2) Improper lane usage - failure to stay right, failure to yield the right of way.
3) Poor maintenance. Bald tires, atrocious alignment (or lack of it), worn brakes.
But I never see the police going after these types of drivers, even though anyone driving sees them everywhere.
Make that four things
4) Driver distractions. Kids, cell phone, putting on makeup, reading the newspaper, texting, whatever.
A woman almost rear-ended me this morning. She was on a cell phone and reading a book(!) while driving. I can’t help but admire her a bit - she must have some skillful legs with which to drive as her hands weren’t available.
I just get in the lane I’m going need and stay in it, unless I encounter someone going waaaaay too slow.
Of course, from my experiences on GA 400, I’m the one most people think is going too slow.
I’d be happier if they’d solve the 18 unsolved arsons we’ve had in the Heights instead of playing seat belt nanny.
Absurd and complete bs. HPD goes after soft targets. OK seat belt violations are one thing, but illegals riding around with no tags, no inspection sticker or registration, and ignoring the traffic laws don’t get stopped. Plus, with the ecomonic activity down, the city of Houston is really hurting in the tax money downturn. For the last 18 months, there has been LOTS of traffic enforcement on the roads, close to triple than before. This is just about tax revenue.
Maybe they figure the arsonist is a non seatbelt wearing monster.
Yup, we have no other crime issues in this town.
The main reason for this “crackdown” is it is a revenue producer.
Exactly. I agree with you. A department that has undercover officers to spare, and can devote resources to going after normal citizens is a department that has too many officers.
As you say, a budget cut would clarify their priorities.
They always say it's about safety, but in the end, real safety takes a back seat to revenue. Just look at the red light cameras. If they really wanted safety, they'd lengthen the yellow lights by a second or two (or add a second of dead time, where all lights are red) so that traffic could clear the intersection, but that would mean a loss of $.
“”This is about safety on our freeways,” said HPD Capt. Carl Driskell with the Traffic Enforcement Division.”
LOL, no one w/ a brain believes that whopper. It’s rarely about safety and all about $$$.
Same in Dallas. The city of Dallas put up redlight cameras and issued tickets to red light runners. Drivers quit running the lights, so the revenue dropped. Then the city decided they coudn’t afford the maintenance on the cameras and turned them off. Go figure.
Seiously? Don’t they have any crimes to solve?
This is more about revenue enhancement than crime or safety.
I don’t see em’
Shouldn’t be fiddling with the radio. Take it out.
Shouldn’t be distracted with GPS. Take it out.
Shouldn’t be distracted with an annoying passenger like a whinny person saying “we are lost”, “you are driving to fast” (always cracks me as I watch cars go flying by), “Why don’t you just pass this idiot and why are you in the slow lane. Don’t you know how to drive? (Cracks me up again, from the same person who complained about driving to fast.)
“Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera”
Shouldn’t be distracted with kids in the car. Leave them home.
All wipers should be federal mandated to have laser on them so they wipe as needed and you don’t have to figure out what speed to put them on or where the “turn on switch thing is”.
No cute toys or ornaments any where near the front window, on the dashboard or hanging from a mirror. (Sorry bobble head Chihuahua)
No cute toys or ornaments any where near the back window, on the deck or stickers. (Again, sorry bobble head Chihuahua)
No stickers on the side windows (impairs your view)
No dry cleaning hanging from anywhere in the car. Makes noise and impairs your view.
No ashtray, no smoking, no eating and drinking anything in the car (you should have both hands on the wheel at all times, in the 10 and 2 O’clock positions.
No putting on lipstick or make up ever and no shaving.
No more vanity mirrors, you shouldn’t be looking at anything but the road.
No pets ever. Never know what they are going to do.
Exceptions:
Police -
3 to 5 radio channels transmitting information all the time, computer sending info all the time, GPS sending info all the time, they can talk on radio and switch to secure channels, Cell phone use is frequent.They do have drinks in car; have to look at license plates as they travel down the road, look for people in distress, look for crime, look for infractions, etc.
Truck Drivers -
CB is allowed, GPS is allowed, and Radio is allowed, pets in the front seat or back of cab, lunch, dinner and snacks. Cooler for their drinks and yes drinks, Cell phone, a bunch more dials of information to ensure the truck and trailer are running correctly.
Airline Pilots -
Just look at all that crap in the cockpit! How do they do it?
One of them was a prominent lawyer involved in the Dow silicone implant litigation and lawsuits against tobacco companies. His ambulance-chasing days are over - few days ago, he had a high-speed collision with a tree.
Yes, they are apparently more dangerous than criminal illegal aliens preying on the elderly and less able bodied legal citizens, more dangerous than criminal illegal aliens peddling dope on the street corners to our children, more dangerous than the criminal illegal aliens molesting our children and on and on the list goes.
Wow. I'm glad the HPD and City Council and Mayor have their priorities straight; protect the illegal alien more than they protect the tax paying legal citizenry.
You know, I got to thinking...I know it is a scary thought, but I don’t care...hehehe
I see someone in a cherry picker like that pointing a radar gun at me...
I might be inclined to do something rather New York City-ish in response...
Show them how much I think they are Number One in my book...
I guess that would just make me hated all the more...sigh...
That damn tree just jumped right out in front of him!!!
I smell a lawsuit...Ohhh, wait...dirnit...
Forgive me for being crass, but I believe the Heights arsonist thinks of himself/herself as “cleaning up the neighborhood”. Thank God no one has been injured - firefighters or next door neighbors. So far, abandoned houses/buildings have been destroyed.
I’m not defending this person, but it sure would be nice if the city condemned these eye sore properties so as not to continue harming the surrounding property appraisals.
Forgive me for being crass, but I believe the Heights arsonist thinks of himself/herself as “cleaning up the neighborhood”. Thank God no one has been injured - firefighters or next door neighbors. So far, abandoned houses/buildings have been destroyed.
I’m not defending this person, but it sure would be nice if the city condemned these eye sore properties so as not to continue harming the surrounding property appraisals.
HPD goes after PROFITABLE targets. Namely, people who would actually PAY their tickets.
I've often wondered if it's a developer looking to boost sales of his $350K "townhomes" on 25 foot lots.
I've lived there since 1983. I bought there because it was a) cheap; b) centrally located; c) unzoned and with no deed restrictions, and d) had lots of nice trees.
One of those "abandoned" homes was lived in about a month previously. I know because my wife drives by it daily on the way to work. It's also fairly close to several of the new townhomes. When you torch a building like that, the neighbor's place can catch on fire as well.
I want that guy strung up by the short and curlies.
BTW, if you don't like the character of the Heights, which since I've lived there has always included a range of housing from dilapidated dinky shotgun shacks to some classic Victorians, you're welcome to look elsewhere - not burn down what you don't like. Some very nice folks live in some of those lesser properties, I've found. Unlike the yuppies in their trendy new McMansions who won't speak to their neighbors, let alone someone passing down the street.
I’m not defending this person, but it sure would be nice if the city condemned these eye sore properties so as not to continue harming the surrounding property appraisals.
The Heights has always been a "live and let live" neighborhood, which has been a major point in its favor. We don't tell our neighbors how to mow their lawns, what color to paint their houses, or what old junk they can keep in their yards. I LIKE it that way.
My next door neighbor runs a high traffic business out of her house. A Hispanic family 150 feet away sometimes has parties with fairly loud live music. A nearby park has hosted rowdy baseball games, and now has rowdy soccer games. We get along fine.
If you want to get rid of eyesores that harm appraisals, try deporting the illegals that infest 11th & Shepherd.
You are a bad Obamerican. You need to learn to get in line and stay in line.
Oh, and like it.
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