Just make sure that you weren't being pulled over for doing your hair at 70 mph.
Ah,this idea just gives you a warm fuzzy feeling does it not.
Stupid idea!
Maybe they can give them a good conduct Tazering to boot.
This is detainment by law enforcement without probable cause of a crime being committed plain and simple. Let's suppose for a moment that you are driving all nice like, and you see the blue lights but you have better things to do and keep driving. You would certainly be cross checked in a computer database, and may very well be ticketed or arrested for "not cooperating". The free movie tickets and certificates are supposed to make the Gestapo pill go down easier. There is no way in advance for a motorist to know the nature of the traffic stop beforehand. Orwell is getting a lot of mileage out the US these days.
I live in Pinellas county. This is the first I heard of this (not surprising, since I don't bother reading the local rag-sheet). What a stupid idea. The Sheriff may mean well, but this is intimidation.
Heck, I saw where in Maryland they just awarded teens for not drinking alcohol at a post-graduation party by giving out parking citations to everyone in attendence!
Go figure...
It needs a thorough Fleeting.
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.
Oh yea, also, how does one go about NOT getting pulled over when a cop is following them? Drive bad? Drive good? Nope, either one is good enough. This doesn't even pass the laugh test.
They could even add a regulation that offsets one speeding ticket by 3 or 5 Good Driving Citations. No, wait - that would take money out of the guvmint's pockets. Never happen.
How is it that they can identify the age of the driver before pulling them over for a treat. I've always had to show my ID after I am stopped.
Huh, seems like they can just stop anyone then?
Stupid, stupid, stupid. And unconstitutional.
Gee thanks big brother.
Sounds like this area has to large of a budget for law enforcement.
What are they calling this?
OPERATION "FISHING EXPEDITION"?
I want to know when it is ok for me to follow a cop around for a while and make sure he is driving safely. Then stop him to chat about his good performance or lecture him on the violations he just fractured. Seriously, we need people to police the police. I sometimes do follow police. That way I can legally drive 90.
A possible good idea that can go badly in any number of ways. I doubt the officer could compensate the teen for the anxiety caused by the stop. I am opposed to a traffic stop without probable cause just as a matter of principle. As a matter of fact, given that just about every stop is now video recorded, I would want it to be standard procedure that the officer explicitly states the probably cause for a stop at the moment (s)he turns on the lights to commence the stop. This is one of the few times I think the ACLU could have value so it is probably why they won't touch it.
I wish this was proposed for Maryland. We have a governor who would, as soon as he heard about it, nix the idea. He stopped the use of night vision goggles to catch seatbelt violators. He said, (paraphrasing)" I heard about it, I told then to stop it. It wasn't right. I've had reporters who wanted to ask follow up questions. What possible follow up could there be? I heard about it, I told then to stop."
This. Totally. Stinks.
This has been tried before in other jurisdictions...usually doesn't last too long. The cops hate doing it, and there will be very vocal complaints.