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.
You are absolutely correct. I have taught my daughters if they ever need help, call the firemen, not the police. The firemen will be there in less then three minutes, police could take half hour or more. Firemen are experts in first aid and life saving, police are not. Police if they can find a reason will leave you with a ticket or a fine to account for their time.
I have had to deal with a dozen or so cops a dozen or so times over the past 30 or so years. Traffic cops, beat cops, detectives, ... never has the experience been less than "good." I can think of one time when a particularly young state trooper might have been looking to put a notch on his belt. But, even if it was only by 5 MPH, there's no doubt that I was in fact over the limit.
In the past decade or so, if I've been stopped (e.g. for rolling thru a stop sign in a small town), I've gotten off with a friendly warning. Maybe it'd be different if I wasn't balding and graying. Maybe it's different beyond the Midwest.
But, until the day comes that my convictions cause me to decide to break an unjust law, the police shall be, with few exceptions, my friends.
To the extent that the police exist to enforce the law, and to the extent that I intend to abide by the law, the police are my friends.
In my experience, it seems the overwhelming majority of the cops are on the same side of the law as I am, and we both appreciate that.
I think this is a terrible idea. My blood runs cold when a siren starts up behind me, even when I've done nothing wrong. This will scare the pants off of most teens.
Besides, there has been a history of people pretending to be the PD just so that they can stop and rape, molest, or kidnap pretty young girls. I would advise my teens to never stop for a cop alone on a lonely road -- drive directly to the Police station where there are witnesses.
I think we should grant no power to government you would not want your worst enemies to wield against you.
I have no doubt of your good experiences with the police. I also have no doubt that the majority of LEOs are the good guys. But, that really isn't the point. The point is this, by its nature the role of the police officer is not 'friendship'. Your experiences so far have been positive, but you shouldn't mistake benevolence, so far, with 'friendship'.
Exactly correct. You're not paranoid if they really are out to get you. About the only circumstances I could imagine where I would voluntarily call the police would be a burglary or auto theft where I needed a police report to collect my insurance.
Yes, as long as they remain benevolent, they remain my friends.
That's pretty much what I said in my last post. :-)
LOL
Probably not as important an issue because there aren't 43,000 people dying in house fires each year. I'll say it again, that's a Vietnam every 16 months. I have quite a personal conspiracy theory about that by the way. The media should be all over this but they like their cars and driving as much as Detroit and Big Auto. So they cover things that won't hurt that love of cars thing.
If you were to add up all of the emotionalism that the media and vets and Hollywood has generated over Vietnam, and then scale it up to a proportional level that the highway death stat deserves. Cars would be illegal.
Very interesting piece of law. Thanks for having the patience to post that.
In addition to movie tickets, the cops will also hand out napkins to mop the urine off the driver's seat.
Ya know what I always say! If men ruled the world there'd be no speed limits; if women ruled the world there'd be no cars. ;^)
The reason I attributed it to "liberalism" wasn't due to its institution by a Repuclican or Democratic local administation, but instead, seeing the effort couched in "its good for you" terms as well as expanding the pervasiveness of government made it fit in that category in my mind. Planned outcomes are so much part-and-parcel to that mindset.
If it had been more along the lines of a policy to stop all teen drivers for general checks, then I would see it as a Right-wing, stateist expansion of government issue, but the Nanny State tone of the policy was the deciding factor.
Welcome. I hope we can trade opinions on something more important the next time.
"Can anyone think of a more egregious waste of teens' and police time?"
Yes. Busting teens for underage drinking and ruining their lives with an arrest for something adults do legally every day.
"Meanwhile nobody is looking out for the bad drivers."
Bad drivers, my fanny! Who the hell is arresting the CRIMINALS?
Using police officers to control traffic speed is a huge waste of their time and that of drivers. You share my frustration if you've been stuck behind a highway patrolman on an interstate in a pack of pissed off drivers who won't pass a cop because they know he's itching to bust `em. Use some sort of official to assess accidents, and let police prevent DANGEROUS drivers, sure, but why bother otherwise!?!?!
What frustrates me are the folks I get behind and go 5 mph under the limit because they think they'll get stopped for driving 1 mph over. Probably didn't think you'd hear that 8>) Then again I'm a city beat officer...highway patrol has a different approach to things most places. FReegards!
Are these people totally crazy? This is outrageous! Here we are trying to teach young women to be very careful and NOT stop if someone is trying to get your attention. We tell them to go drive to the police station. This is soooo nuts that I just can't believe it.
I understand your frustration but I was keeping it in the traffic enforcement theme. I prefer to focus on the criminals myself, after all it's what I do for a living.
---Good to hear from a good cop. Minoring in criminology, I listened to an awful lot of bad kampus kops chortling while police procedure films were running in the 'goofus-and-gallant' mode, showing what bad cops do. If I had a dime for every time I hear them muttering 'I did that,' or 'Did I tellya captain caught Bill at that? Dumb SOB,' well, I'd have at least few bucks. 8(
It never ceases to amaze me when surveys are done in town by the city in what they want regarding city services. Top of the list every time is more traffic enforcement.
---Traffic enforcement may not be a specific enough category. What I would like to see is what that entails to people. Is traffic enforcement making sure people don't drive poorly (not signalling, passing on the right, changing lanes erratically, etc.) or making sure they don't drive fast? That survey doesn't sound really specific, and changing it would be hellabetter for your department's enforcement efforts.
Mind boggling considering the rampant meth and stolen car problems we have in these parts which contributes to other criminal activity. Of course it's the politicians who want to get reelected who instigate the surveys and the crap rolls downhill
---Yep, ain't it always the way. And having never even seen a survey like this, I reckon they're probably very 'scientific' in their administration.
What frustrates me are the folks I get behind and go 5 mph under the limit because they think they'll get stopped for driving 1 mph over. Probably didn't think you'd hear that 8>)
---Nope, but I do something different from most. When I see a cop on my fanny, I just get over and either slow down to get out of the pack or get off the road entirely for a while. I hate driving in packs for no good reason, and I hate driving behind those folks who insist on matching a cop's speed. And I refuse to let police turn into a pace car for me. But I also know that there ARE cops who will pull you over for doing 1 mph over the speed limit if their day hasn't been any fun. I went to high school with `em.
So if the kid breaks the law, the cops can pull him over, check his papers, ask him questions, and look inside the car. And with the new program, it the kid doesn't break the law, cops do exactly the same thing.
Screw probable cause. Screw the kid's personal freedoms. We're cops, we're intrusive, get used to it.
No.
I'm starting to believe in understaffed, poorly funded police departments, that only have time for the important stuff. When a police department starts trying to pull crap like this, they are begging for downsizing.
Me too. I keep forgetting the "/sarc". It amazes me that there will be parents out there in favor of this, not thinking their kid might get "black and white fever" and have an accident, or just might get busted for something mommy and/or daddy didn't know they were doing. Then and only then will this be "unfair". People sure seem to be in a rush to give away their rights. Why not just have a random drawing of the kids who didn't get a tickett? The DMV should know who they are.
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