Montgomery's Finest Won't Pay Fines ( Maryland )

Washington Post ^ | March 8, 2008 | Ernesto Londoño

[freekitty]

Geez, I wish that applied to me. Everytime Hubby drives my car; something happens and because it’s in my name; I get the ding.

[YourAdHere]

Having cake and eating it too Ping.

[Wiseghy]

Not sure who to root for here.

But I certainly understand and agree with the “gesture” on-camera!

[Dilbert San Diego]

Are these police on duty? If a policeman gets a call for a crime in progress, or other emergency, he will exceed the posted speed limit to get to the scene. Certainly we’re not going to ticket a police officer in a case like that are we?

[Lurker]

officers have twice been photographed speeding past a camera and extending a middle finger, an act that police supervisors interpreted as a gesture of defiance.

Ya think?

L

[woollyone]

fillintheblank for me but NOT for thee!

[ProfessorGage]

Of course they’re speeding to a crime scene!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How can I know this? Because cops obviously would never run lights otherwise.

[unixfox]

"You can't have one set of laws for police officers and another one for the rest of the world,"

They seem to think so.

[bikerman]

That seems to be everywhere, cops don't have to obey the law I see them everyday breaking the law. Do as I say, not do as I do rule. Rampant here in Florida.

[MplsSteve]

Especially in Lee County.

The Lee County Sheriffs Office is as close to a fiefdom as I’ve ever seen.

[Hegemony Cricket]

"...citations are issued not to the driver but to the vehicle's owner..."

Another good reason to lease your vehicles - so you can just pass all your moving violations along to the leasing company...

[Repeal The 17th]

“You can’t have one set of laws for police officers
and another one for the rest of the world...”

---

Since when?
It’s always been that way.
Nothing new to see here, move along, move along.

[weegee]

More often than not (2:1) they were NOT on call:

During the last eight months of 2007, the department's cameras recorded 224 instances in which county police vehicles were nabbed traveling more than 10 mph over the speed limit, the department disclosed this week in response to an inquiry from The Washington Post.

Of those citations, 76 were dismissed after supervisors determined that officers were responding to calls or had other valid reasons to exceed the speed limit. Nearly two-thirds of the remaining 148 fines have not been paid, including an unspecified number that remain under investigation, said Lt. Paul Starks, a police spokesman.

[weegee]

Leaders of the police union recently filed a grievance arguing that the citations constitute a change in labor conditions that the department must negotiate with the union before implementing.

Yeah, they can't break the law anymore. Imagine that. How about putting them on a probationary status for breaking the law and refusing to accept their fine.

[tatsinfla]

wow!! i had no idea they were now using electronic devices to mail youtickets for speeding...i know they use red light cameras for that purpose...next they will have a camera take drivers pic at the same time for a possible seatbelt violation...??....and we all laughed at orwells 1984.....

[tatsinfla]

you think lee is bad you should see volusia.....

[vigilo]

It’s a beautiful thing when the ruling elite and their thugs have a falling out. May they all suffer no end of frustration and consternation.

There was a time when I would not have called the police thugs. But they have fallen in love with their SWAT tactics, property confiscation, tasers and such, that they have earned the name. Too bad for the one or two good cops still out there.

[OldMissileer]

“That seems to be everywhere, cops don't have to obey the law I see them everyday breaking the law. Do as I say, not do as I do rule.”

I know a Fairfax County (Virginia) cop who laughs when he says he exceeds 100 MPH while traveling down a 40 MPH limit road while going to work in the early mornings in his county car (a unmarked Dodge Magnum).

This is the same guy who just took two trips across the state with the same county vehicle to pick up his child from college for the summer and several years ago took another unmarked car on a three day family vacation to North Carolina.

Previous reports of his abuses to the county returned vacuous answers about how all this was OK. He even got promoted.

[ltc8k6]

The owner is the bank for most people...