Posted on 06/09/2005 9:44:22 AM PDT by Millee
Beginning this fall Pinellas County Sheriff's Deputies will be pulling over teen drivers who haven't broken any traffic laws.
As part of a new program, deputies will be pulling over teens for safe driving and rewarding them with free movie theater and movie rental certificates.
Uniformed deputies driving unmarked cars will follow the drivers and give out the certificates.
"Deputies will follow them for a short distance, down a thoroughfare and we will watch their driving," said Sgt. Glenn Luben, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. "Once we identify a good safe driver, we attempt to follow them to their house or open shopping area."
Some parents think it's a great idea to reward teens for safe, responsible driving. However, while most agree the reward is nice, some parents are concerned about this method of identifying safe drivers.
"I'd be concerned whether they'd think it's a real police officer pulling them over," says Jennifer Zeitler, parent of a teen driver. "It's scary for parents too. There's so many kidnappings and other things going on; I'd be concerned for my child."
The program was started by an Oldsmar, Fla. man whose son was killed in an accident involving a teen driver. After the program begins this fall, there is a possibility it will spread to other communities.
I'm hiding something....frisk me...frisk me.....
Well, I would sue if I were pulled over without probable cause. Not to gain anything ($1 in damages), but to get the program cancelled.
Particularly effective with the near perfection of driving while stoned.
Gee, would it be cynical of me to suggest that this is a way for cops to pull over any teens that they feel like? And then they can search the car because they "smelled" something or the occupants were "acting suspiciously?" So... if you're a teen in that county, it's like you're a minority in other counties - you will get pulled over whether you have broken the law or not.
It's just an excuse to come up with probable cause.
hows about leaving the kids alone?
a cop stops a kid driving a car and finds a bottle of beer. kid gets busted, but the cop has to prove probable cause.
now a cop has the pretense of stopping a teenager "to give him a prize", finds the beer, and the bust sticks.
it's a pretext for going on fishing expeditions with young drivers. the constitution has clauses to protect us from arbitrary ssearches and seizures. this is designed purely as a pretext to get around this.
Stupid.
What an idiotic plan! It's Florida, for cryin out loud!! Don't they have anything better to do?
and how manyh innocent kids will get hassled by the cops in the meantime?
i have a big problem with this excuse to get a cop up close and personal so he can gin up some reason to bust ya.
and i find it amazing that the very same folks who rioted in the sixties against "the man" and being hassled by the man, are behind schemes to have the man hassle other people.
Attn sex perverts: buy a uniform and drive around in your unmarked cars pulling over young girls.
Attn young drivers: If a unmarked car attempts to pull you over drive to the police station.
care for a side of cuffs with that frisk ?
'What an idiotic plan! It's Florida, for cryin out loud!! Don't they have anything better to do?'
You made a spelling error....it's FLORIDUH! ;-) What a stupid, stupid idea this is.
I agree with you, and think this is a totally illegitimate use of government authority and taxpayer funds even if it were completely on the up and up. I would assuredly sue if I had any standing to do so and hope that someone does.
The government simply doesn't have the authority to involuntarily detain citizens without probable cause, even if it's to give them free movie passes.. It's a quite clear violation of the 4th Amendment in my view.
"well your honor it's like this... I spotted this punk-er-kid driving around not far from the mall, and noticed that he used his signal light. So I pulled him over see? to give him a prize - yeah! that's it! i was gonna give him this prize for good driving.
after a half hour of checking his license and registration, I found out that it was fifteen minutes after curfew, so I busted him for that...
then I saw a screwdriver in the back seat. We all know that screwdrivers are widely used in crimes, so I drug the little punk-er-kidlet downtown and after softening him up a tad, he confessed to murdering Jimmy Hoffa.
and his good driving was my reason for stopping him in the first place."
You win. I'm blushing.
if thsi gets though, we'll see what democratic floridian activist judge does with it. remember these are the lunatics who had a guy arrested for assaulting a girl, taking her to the ground and was lying atop her, but didn't convict him. he later murdered another girl.
I don't think it's such a bad idea.
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