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.
well, who WOULDN'T drive their best with a police cruiser following you for no reason?
Please try not to be so ignorant. There is no way to pull a vehicle over without seizing the vehicle and passengers for the purpose of pulling it over. Detaining a person however briefly is a seizure of their person for the duration of the detention.
But if it really is, then probable cause is all the elbow room needed for cops to do it anytime they want anyway.
your point?
how is the cop supposed to know you're under 18 unless he stops you? are you saying that a cop should be able to stop somebody driving with a cigarette if they LOOK young?
Not at all.
I've never been pulled over for being a "good" driver.
Police are NOT your friends...the reason they are doing this is so they will have another reason to pull someone over and conduct a fishing expedition.
I see. If I go to the effort of finding you five Supreme Court cases that clearly spell out that being pulled over is search and seizure will you abjectly apologize for your ignorance and go away?
Yes I've been pulled over, but I also live in a very diverse and very heavily policed neighborhood. Being pulled over seems like it might interfere with some kids schedule some of the time so it would take some discernment but if it really is a reward, that is going to take seconds, just like when the cops hand out tickets to the game in my hood.
It needs a thorough Fleeting.
Terribly sorry, I meant to ping you to 76.
i don't think that anyone here is saying that cops should NOT pull over someone they have "probable cause" to beleive is doing something illegal, what we're saying is that there is a difference between "probable cause" being used to sponsor a fishing expedition, and ginning up a pretext for same.
what would you think about it if a cop pulled YOU over to "give you a good-driving prize", and the computer said that your license was revoked? Computer often make mistakes of that caliber y'know.
Please try not to be so nasty with people that don't just say Amen to you.
Yes - but the carrot should be the continued use of the vehicle, and should be administered by the parents, not the nanny state.
I'm not in the Police_are_not_your_friends club at all.
How do they know the driver is a minor? What if they start a program to pull over any driver to "reward" them for "good" driving? I have no doubt it would be used as a pretext by some officers just to pull people over.
Prior consent (waiver) should be required before deprivation of a Constitutional right. The bottom line is that this idea stinks.
This is pititful. An obvious ploy to get the cops nose in a car that is doing nothing wrong but the cop wants to "check things out". Pitiful.
IT WILL NOT BE FOR A REWARD. the "reward" will only come out if the cop can't find anything to bust the kid for. Cops don't get evaluated on the number of rewards they issue. They get evaluated by the number of citations they issue and arrests they make.
and how'd you like to be the cop who pulls a teen over and gives him a reward, only to have the kid speed to make up for lost time and crash his car?
Nope, the cop will do his derndest to write up the kid for something... it's CYA for him.
what would you think about it if a cop pulled YOU over to "give you a good-driving prize", and the computer said that your license was revoked? Computer often make mistakes of that caliber y'know.
I was pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt. I offered to show my proof of insurance and the cop didn't want to see it. What was up with that?
Please try not to ridicule accurate statements and I won't reply with ridicule of inaccurate ones.
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.