Posted on 06/17/2014 10:09:11 AM PDT by skeptoid
WASHINGTON - A Virginia man is furious after he was pulled over in Alexandria while driving in a funeral procession. He missed his great-grandmother's burial because of the delay, his family says.
Now Alexandria police are reviewing the stop.
With their hazard and headlights on, Heather Spinner and her husband were on Duke Street driving to the Mount Comfort Cemetery on June 12 when they noticed red and blue flashing lights in the rear-view mirror.
"My brother-in-law behind us was actually pulled over for running a red light," Spinner says.
Both her husband and brother-in-law, R.G. Spinner, removed their yellow funeral procession tags from the rear-view mirrors and waved them out the window, hoping the officer would let them continue driving, she says.
But after the fact, Alexandria police Sgt. Seth Weinstein told Spinner her brother-in-law's behavior escalated the consequences of the traffic stop.
R.G. Spinner now has a summons to appear in court June 18.
"When someone is burying a family member, they're very raw and emotional. At what point do you give that as much consideration as you do the fact that the person approaching that person is a law enforcement officer?" Spinner asks.
She says her family is disappointed and upset. She has filed a formal complaint with the Alexandria Police department.
"We missed the burial. I mean my husband and brother-in-law were pallbearers ... By the time we got to the cemetery, it had already happened. So there's nothing we can do to get that back at this point," Spinner says.
The responding officer's supervisors are reviewing red light tape at the intersection Spinner is accused of running through and will determine if he was in the wrong or the violation stands, says Ashley Hildebrandt with Alexandria Police.
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lights are ignored
“It is an American tradition.”
Yes, still done here in Massholechusetts too.
You must yield to funeral processions. Do not cut through, join or interfere with a funeral procession. Unless led by a police escort, the lead vehicle in a funeral procession must obey all traffic signs and signals.The cop was in the wrong.Other drivers in the procession may follow carefully without stopping and may use hazard lights (flashers) to indicate they are in the procession
I remember that tradition. My dad would get out of the car and put his hand over his heart if we were in rural areas.
This is a real oldie:
Two men are playing golf on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. As they approach the 10th tee they can see a nearby road. Just before they tee off, a funeral procession passes by on the road so one of the golfers takes his hat off, faces the road and holds his hat over his heart.
The golfer’s partner says “That is very kind of you.”
“Not at all,” the golfer replies, “After all, we were married for 42 years.”
That’s how it’s done in Wisconsin and Minnesota.............the police work with the funeral homes.
I'm at an age where I've driven in may funeral processions in MI and TX. None stop at red lights and traffic pulls over and yields right of way at intersections.
I wasn’t referring to the police escort or the going thru red lights.
I was referring to the other drivers in the opposite lanes stopping their cars out of respect until the procession had passed....................
Yes. That is what I was referring to as well.
With golfers, it might be true!
I was the last car of a procession once.
The cops ‘trade off’ as the procession goes through each intersection, so the cop at the tail end is constantly changing...usually the guy who had traffic stopped at the previous intersection, who has to catch up.
We could tell that one of the cops was very suspicious of us, and pulled up alongside us, trying to peer in and see whether or not we wearing suits. He eventually satisfied himself and fell back behind us...but I can see how the last car can be hard to identify.
I’ve also been in processions where a magnetic sign is placed on the last car.
That’s a Southern tradition.”
Good grief. I just hope there are no Yankees trying to go south on 288 out of Houston on Saturday morning between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The entire freeway system and all the exits and entrances on that 15 mile stretch are shut down by the police escort so the processions can move from the city to the large urban cemetery where most Blacks are buried. You learn early on to not go to or from the city that time of day on Saturday. Groups are always large and processions long and I can’t imagine everyone being able to get to any cemetery around here without a police escort.
With cars bumper to bumper, what person crossing that traffic would pull into the procession?
The officer was wrong. He used very bad judgment.
If he truly had a problem, take the license down and make a citation later.
Maybe you misunderstood?
People/vehicles in opposite lanes pull over for funerals in Iowa.
Well they apparently had some ribbon, so spotting them shouldn’t have been difficult. But that’s assuming they’re keeping up. If I saw somebody with a ribbon but no other ribboned cars within sight then I wouldn’t just let them run lights, they had become separated from the procession and were back to having to follow normal traffic rules.
I don't know where you got that idea. Funerals here often have a police escort to get through busy intersections especially if is a large funeral. I have been to many... actually too many.
likewise, Ive seen it happen, particularly among older folk
Used too funeral homes either put a clip on flag on the vehicles window gutter or a magnetic one on the roof or food of the car. With todays car designs & plastics etc I guess a mirror placard is the only universal place left. Yes head lights were supposed to be on. You followed the Limo & hearse and did not stop for signals etc. People had some common sense. So did cops.
Really I can’t remember the last time I saw a funeral procession. Most families in my region have started opting for holding the funeral service immediately following receiving friends. Friends and family then the next day meet at the grave site for a short graveside service. That means no procession from church or funeral home to grave site. Really it’s a good idea. Evening service allows more persons the opportunity to attend and IMO less stress placed on the family the next day.
I wasn’t referring to the police escort or the going thru red lights.
I was referring to the other drivers in the opposite lanes stopping their cars out of respect until the procession had passed....................
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