Teachers are delightful.

[GDaddy]

It seems like cops became income generators preying the citizens giving chicken sh!t tickets.

I couldn't be a cop for that reason.

My agency wasn't big on traffic. I usually only wrote a couple of citations for moving violations (those are the ones that cost you) a month. Registration and equipment violations can get signed off if you cure the deficiency. i might have written 2-3 of those a week. The rest of the stops I made ended with a verbal because I figured that was enough to get the point across.

But sure, a belligerent asshat could most definitely talk themselves into a citation if that's what they wanted to do.

In any case, if an agency is hot on traffic then the only way that happens is if it comes down from City Hall. It's not something that's decided at street level by the cops en masse.

 

[grapedrink]

Registration and equipment violations can get signed off if you cure the deficiency. i might have written 2-3 of those a week.

I lived in a state where if you got a ticket for expired tags or not carrying proof of insurance (even though you had it) you got hit with a $200 fee imposed by the state DMV for 2 consecutive years, non-negotiable. Laws like that are clearly designed for the purpose of extracting revenue and disproportionately affect the type of people who will have the most trouble paying it.

I can understand a 1 time fee, but a 2nd year installment for something that minor is simply being punitive for the sake of being punitive.

 

[Autoprax]

Yeah, I'm sure the cops don't dig it.

Malcolm Gladwell talked about cops being revenue generators in his last book, which I didn't read.

But in that situation you are preying on those who are supposed to be protected.

 

[GDaddy]

Using citations as an economic engine for local government is immoral. It's another form of taxation, made worse due to the disparate impact on the poor. It's even worse when it's the state because the state isn't even paying the overhead for the local LE agency so at that point they can't even claim that its about recovering their costs.

If the purpose of enforcement is to coerce compliance then the minimum of whatever it takes to achieve that compliance should be the default. If/when some asshat wants to escalate it from there then that's on them.

 

[Autoprax]

That is setting cops up for failure.

 

[GDaddy]

The CHP basically only does traffic and stolen cars. They don't get into local policing and therefore don't need a relationship with the community. So them chasing citations and fines doesn't really create a problem for them.

The local cops and sheriff deputies are ostensibly being aimed at trying to do the other thing; keeping the peace when people come into conflict with each other, trying to suppress the criminals, and so forth. That DOES require public support.

Fishing for fines pisses the public off and works against the other things the local cops are trying to do, especially when its actually being done to generate revenue instead of coercing compliance.

 

[grapedrink]

The CHP basically only does traffic and stolen cars. They don't get into community policing and therefore don't need a relationship with the community. So them chasing citations and fines doesn't really create a problem for them.

The local cops and sheriff deputies are ostensibly being aimed at trying to do the other thing; keeping the peace when people come into conflict with each other, trying to suppress the criminals, and so forth. That DOES require public support.

Fishing for fines pisses the public off and works against the other things the local cops are trying to do, especially when its actually being done to generate revenue instead of coercing compliance.

From my limited experience with LEOs while mostly living in whitey coastal and college towns, the city cops seem more beholden to the prevailing politics and are more "fair and even keeled" in their dealings with citizens. At least if the address in your drivers license matches the city name on their badge.

Sheriffs on the other hand seem to be the most poorly educated and jaded and DGAF about the politics, and tend to have more of a chip on their shoulder. IMO part of that is being forced to work the county jail for the first few years, while valuable experience for the sake of "paying your dues", probably taints their view on society from that point forward.

 

[GDaddy]

WRT sheriffs being surrounded by a population of crooks all day in the jails and the courts, the old saying kicks in "Familiarity breeds contempt".

With that said, people are often more polite in small towns because they know the chances are higher of running into each other again 5 minutes later at the grocery store; whereas with the big urban population centers we tend to consider ourselves more anonymous and less accountable due to being hidden in that larger population. Same with the cops.

 

[PRCD]

The CHP basically only does traffic and stolen cars. They don't get into local policing and therefore don't need a relationship with the community. So them chasing citations and fines doesn't really create a problem for them.

My cop friends call CHP "Triple A with guns."

 

[GDaddy]

They're spectacular with the Vehicle Code. Way more competent in finding violations than most local cops. Also spectacular at vehicle pursuits and high speed driving because they do so much of it.

They're horrible at building searches and interviewing people and dealing with street people or people-on-people conflicts. It's just not their thing.

 

[Autoprax]

I had a CHP pull me over for no tags.

I had the tags in my glove box.

I forgot to put on because I had just had back surgery.

I asked if I could just put the sticker on.

The CHP said no and wrote the ticket.

Do they have ticket quota?

That cop blew a chance to create good will with the people he is supposed to protect and serve.

 

[hammies]

It seems that the Kalunda-Rae Iwamizu story has kind of fallen off the radar.

 

[PRCD]

They're spectacular with the Vehicle Code. Way more competent in finding violations than most local cops. Also spectacular at vehicle pursuits and high speed driving because they do so much of it.

They're horrible at building searches and interviewing people and dealing with street people or people-on-people conflicts. It's just not their thing.

Here's a solution to both our education problem (which is real) and our policing problem (which is not): we make the teachers cops and the cops teachers. In the former case, the teachers will finally get a dose of reality. In the latter case, discipline will be re-introduced to the classroom and parents can get a dose of reality about their little "angels" who they've failed to discipline.

 

[Autoprax]

I always think I would have been a good cop when I watch Cops.

 

[Autoprax]

It seems that the Kalunda-Rae Iwamizu story has kind of fallen off the radar.

It's weird how they keep calling her a teacher but she's not teaching anywhere.

Former teacher?

I guess that messes up the slant?

 

[hal9000]

Here's a solution to both our education problem (which is real) and our policing problem (which is not): we make the teachers cops and the cops teachers. In the former case, the teachers will finally get a dose of reality. In the latter case, discipline will be re-introduced to the classroom and parents can get a dose of reality about their little "angels" who they've failed to discipline.

troll harder

 

[VonMeister]

It's weird how they keep calling her a teacher but she's not teaching anywhere.

Former teacher?

I guess that messes up the slant?

Stop Asian Hate!

 

[Autoprax]

I love the Asian people.

 

[PRCD]

I love the Asian people.

That's racist. WHat kind? Are you saying they're all the same???

 

[hammies]

It's weird how they keep calling her a teacher but she's not teaching anywhere.

Former teacher?

I guess that messes up the slant?

What really messes up the slant is the skin color thing.