Can cops speed if they aren't going anywhere important?

Question

I was fallowing him and he was going about 85, then he slowed down and i slowed down to about 65 then he came up behind me and pulled me over and gave me this explaination how he can legally go faster... is this true?

Answer 1

Almost every state has laws that authorize law enforcement to exceed the speed limit during the course of their duties, as most receive special training to drive at faster speeds. The reasoning for this is that there are times when you don't want to draw attention to yourself as you attempting to get somewhere thereby alerting the bad guys.

Answer 2

They shouldn't but they do all the time. I had a cop fly up on me so fast in the rain while driving on a major highway will lots of other cars. It startled me so much I almost swerved into the car next to me to move out of his way. I see them speed all the time for no reason; make turns without using their signal; use their lights to get through a red light they don't feel like waiting at just so they can get to the donut shop across the street. Then when they pull you over they talk down to you like you're some criminal!

This to me means one thing. If they truly believed in upholding the law they would follow it themselves. Since they don't it becomes very obvious that is has nothing at all to do with the law and everything to do with quota and money.

Here is a good point. The speed limit on the Parkway was increased from 55 to 65 a few years ago. When they did this they said that even though the limit is increased if you're pulled over for speeding you'll be charged as if you were going over the old speed limit. So if you were going 75 that would be seen as 20mph over rather than 10. Again, it's very blatant and obvious that this was done because they didn't want to lose money on tickets as a result of the limit being increased.

So to answer your question. Yes they can, and do, but shouldn't. It's completely wrong and shows that they do not care about the law or the safety of others. It's a business my friend.

Note: I am not saying there aren't occations when they are helping and I'm referring to traffic cops primarily here.

Answer 3

The cops here have a (problem) with obeying traffic laws. I set at a red light and the cop pulls up in the next lane over. Turns on his lights and makes a left hand turn to go down a road then turns off his lights after he clears the intersection. What's up with that?

Answer 4

not if they aren't going anywhere, now if they are on call like something comes over the waves and they are close, they can speed up without lights or sirens, but for no reason they have to follow the same rules as us. Some cop was dismissed from duty because he turned on his lights to get home faster, they are supposed to follow the same rules as us unless they are needed

Answer 5

If he follows you for less then a mile, and believes that you will speed if he lets you go, or that you could possibly endanger someone, then yes, he can very well do that. The same thing happened to my husband and myself once. We didn't think it was right, so we talked to his uncle, who is a lawyer, about it, and he let us know about the laws in that category. Always remember this when it comes to cops, they go by the "do as I say, not as I do" rule just like parents. It may not be right but that's just how it is.

Answer 6

No they are not allowed to go faster than the speed limit if they have no where to go quickly, but they do it anyways. Just the other day a cop panel did a U-turn for no reason, just because they could I guess.

Answer 7

It is not legal for any vehicle, police or otherwise, to travel faster than the posted speed limit, except in the matter of emergency vehicles that are traveling with lights and sirens active that are in the performance of their duties.

You, however, were also in violation of the law for speeding in order to pace him.

Answer 8

Because of call volume, some jurisdictions allow officers to go over the posted speed limit when answering non-emergency calls.

In the situation you described, the officer could have been enroute to a call and saw you following and called for another officer to handle that call so he/she could deal with you. Or, the call was canceled and then the officer turned his/her attention to you.

Answer 9

Yes. The state statute on speed limits usually excludes emergency vehicles, and police vehicles whether they are displaying their emergency equipment or not. They could never catch speeders if they had to go slower than the speeder.

Answer 10

No they can't. In fact, unless they have both lights and sirens activated, they can't break any traffic laws. Furthermore, if they do break traffic laws under an emergency condition, they may be liable for any accidents plus, they must yield to public safety during this time.