Hello Officer...

[Tristan]

This is what I dont understand:

Today, while driving down the road, I see an officer that has pulled a vehicale over. Thats common enough. What I dont understand is why he couldnt simply pull ahead 15 more feet and into a driveway/parkinglot to avoid conjesting traffic. I mean, is it really that hard? And this isnt the first time ive seen this. Its constantly. It is as if the police want to create traffic problems.


Later
T

 

[Persol]

2 different reason for you:
1) The driver of the car stops where he stops. Cops generally won't tell them to move.
2) In some areas cops are told not to leave the road (visibility and stuff)

 

[robtex]

I don't know about your specfic senerios but when an officer makes a stop he is building a case for his arugment from that time forward in case it goes to court. This is espcially true of a dwi or narcotic suspicion traffic stop. One of the "tricks" used by defense councils in traffic stops invovling mind altering drugs is stating that the officer ordered (thus breaking a law) the offender to drive. From my understanding this defense tatic works well in court.

What Persol said is very true

Many officers feel that if they have there lights on and there is more than one lane that they are not stopping traffic and only impeding it. It is their legal right to do so (as part of thier job description) and completely a judgement call on their part.

driveways ( i am assuming you mean peoples homes) are private property legally that may be a bad idea.

while parking lots are a better idea I would imagine that traffic stops are one of their least favorite pastimes and whatever lets them get through it the quickest is probably their interpretation of a good idea.

 

[cardiovascular_tech]

being a cop of 7 years I can anwser this very easy as well robtex is very right, when law enforcement officer stops a vehicle no matter where that is where he or she starts making the case, and it has been used in a court case where a officer advised a man that was later charged with DWI to move his vehicle to a near by parkig lot, because the officer ordered him to drive the court ruled that in its self was telling the man it was ok to drive and the officer felt the man was able to drive safely. Officer have no control over where someone come's to a stop, I myself have stopped hundreds if not thousands of vehicles and every stop is different some stop off the road some stop on the shoulder of the road and yes some stop right smack dab in the middle of the road, I am assuming people do this to try and hurry the officer and get out of a ticket (those are the ones I always wrote a ticket too). as far as driveway a officer can stop someone in a driveway but if the officer arrests the driver the vehicle must be immedately towed which will probably happen anyways no matter where the stop.

another thing I have heard alot of complaints about is officer angling there vehicle out behind the suspect vehicle this is very much a nessessity for the safety of the officer giving him or her a shield from passing vehicles as he or she approaches or returns from the suspect vehicle without the shield the officer could be struck and killed by a passing motorist it has happened I had a friend killed this very same way Trooper Kelly Pointer of the Missouri State Highway Patrol who was struck by a female that was DWI at the time.

 

[robtex]

cardio tech I am very sorry about tropper Pointer. I think that the police provide a valueable and neccessary service to society and I hate hearing about any of them dying.

 

[Tristan]

That goes to show how ignorant I am... Thanks Cardio, duly noted. Sorry, my bad.

Later
Tristan

 

[cardiovascular_tech]

I don't believe your ignorant at all, its a question I asked myself before I became one, I just think the public has been keeped in the dark about alot of the asspects of law enforcement which is wrong, its all good we all know people that have died or been killed I just knew and worked with someone that this happened to he was a good guy and a good officer.