Do you have a negative opinion of police because of speeding tickets?

Question

The only time many of us EVER interact with the police is when they are handing out tickets for minor infractions of the speeding law. Do you feel this gives the police a rather significant black eye in terms of how they are viewed by the general public?

Let me add this little detail. I can go out to a highway right now and see 95% of the cars (assuming traffic is actually moving, which it often isn't) going safely 10 MPH over the limit. Nobody's cutting anyone off, nobody's tailgating -- ok, sure there is always some jackass out there going 95 switching lanes, but we aren't discussing him.

Are all of these people "criminals"? Are all of these people needing to be "saved" as some of you are suggesting? Be real people, studies have shown repeatedly that MOST people will drive at a safe speed for the road and the conditions and its most dangerous when cars are traveling at significantly different rates. So, where is the crime?

Why is it that so many people's ONLY crime in life is speeding? Must we all be "sinners" in the eyes of our law?

And back to the point of the question, is there a significant cost to the relations of the police and the public as a result? By posing the question, you can infer my opinion: there is one.

Curt: EXACTLY!!!!!! Everyone on the road knows who should be getting the ticket, except for the police.

And then there's the whole catch 22, Mr. Police Officer. If I am on the highway going EXACTLY the speed limit, I have people running up my ***, cutting me off, doing all kinds of super crazy ****.

Personally, I think everyone should respect the right of others to follow the law. But that's not reality. My odds of being in an accident TRIPLE if I drive below the speed limit by even 3 MPH.

Answer 1

I get tickets occasionally, and its easy to be frustrated with them, but they're doing their job.
The irony is when i see people weaving in and out of traffic @ 95 MPH, or people tailgating who don't get a ticket. I'm running a few miles over, or even running at the flow of traffic speed and WHAM! they're on me in a flash.

Answer 2

I have a negative opinion of the system that causes them to have to write tickets to help pay their salaries. Most people focus on the police themselves as the reason they are getting the ticket. That is very rarely the case but on occasion it does happen. A large percentage of the money generated by tickets goes for hiring City Attorney's and/or Local Prosecutor's. Then a chunk is put into the Court Judge's retirement fund. I've only had one occasion where I felt that a ticket was issued to me on a personal level by the officer's. It was 3 am in the morning on an Interstate Highway in the middle of no-where. The nearest small town was 30 miles from the location. I had a radar detector which was legal to use in the state I was in. It was turned on and showed nothing. The car in the right lane slightly ahead of me also had one. His was also turned on. Suddenly from out of no-where from behind two Highway Patrol cars were on us. We were both written tickets for "speeding" without a definite speed being listed on the citation. When I asked to see the radar unit they used to catch us, I was told that they used a stop watch to "clock" us. Not a radar unit. I said, "Isn't there something you could be doing besides trying to write tickets in the middle of no-where with no traffic on the roads?" The officer said, "Yes... But I'm not doing them right now." So as I traveled that stretch of Interstate frequently at that time I made a note of where the cars set up at night to play there little game. For a short while afterwords I would stop on the Interstate when they were not in there hunting blind and salt their parking places with roofing nails and sheet metal screws. After a couple of weeks of having to change flat tires, they gave up their little game. ( They had to pay for their own uniforms to be cleaned. Money started coming out of their pockets for cleaning bills after changing tires so often. ) My advice to those who find themselves being the victim of some sadistic treatment: You can't beat the system. It's set up in such a way that makes that nearly impossible. You go to get justice and that is exactly what you get. "Just-us". You can't beat them but you CAN get even.

Oh.........by the way.......if it about safety and saving lives, then why has it taken so long to start requiring seatbelts in school buses? It's all about money........not safety. Officers are told to write tickets and it is made known to them by higher-ups when they are not writing enough.

Answer 3

I'm sure that it does affect the way that society views police in general. But many areas are working to solve that problem. Our local school has a county sheriff who serves as D.A.R.E. director, and is in the school one day a week, and also for special occasions. The kids love him and are getting a chance to interact with a police officer in a positive way. I've noticed that in most cases, the students whose grades work with the officer view the police as a positive part of our society--truely to protectect and serve, and not to harass. Personally, I have a very high opinion of cops--my father was a sheriff, nearly all of my in-laws are state troopers, and one of our best friends is also a sheriff. These people do a very dangerous job for an amount of pay that does not equal the risk involved.

Answer 4

No, my negativism towards cops comes from a sour, show of force on my child and I by cops who violated our civil rights, and didn't know that *I* was a State employee, *knew* what they could, and could not do to us, and backfired all the way up to the Office of the Governor with my grievance.

No, neither my child or I were felons or were arrested before. I've never even received a freaking ticket in my life. But we are of Hispanic descent, and Porky was having a slow day.

Now, I am very committed to educating citizens about their civil rights, and what to do when cops go too far.

Answer 5

I do believe that some police officers get a bad rape just for doing their jobs. What I don't think the public understands is that They do alot more then hand out speeding tickets. They may take guns away from people who want to use them inappropriately and try to take down major drug traffickers so that 1 less child will do crack and they put there lives on the line to protect us, so we don't have to worry so much. It is a rough job for them and there families. My hearts go out to them.

Answer 6

No one likes to get pulled over. When it happens to me, I am angry. Why are they chasing speeders when there are big crimes being committed?

After the fact, I realize that I am technically in the wrong. Here I am breaking the law and getting upset about it when I get caught.

We need to have police. In the long run I am glad that they have a few extra bucks from speeders instead of extra taking tax dollars.

Answer 7

The police don't hand out tickets you ask for them. They enforce traffic violations with the hope of preventing accidents. The police do not tell you to violate the law, you take the risk and hope you will not get stopped. Most people understand why the police are enforcing speed laws.

Answer 8

NO, I've got a negative opinion because we have 500,000 illegal aliens in this State and to-date they have only located 78.
I see them all the time at the corners waiting to be picked up for day labor jobs.....

Answer 9

are you kidding? when I've gotten a speeting ticket it was because I was *speeding* - knowingly breaking the law - it was my fault. how could that make me think poorly of the police officers that have caught me and stopped me? they've likely saved my life by getting me off the road and reminding me of my responsibilities while operating a vehicle.
I wonder if cops have a negative opinion of us morons that can't manage to slow down and obey the posted limits.

Answer 10

Not to me - if I get a speeding ticket, I'm obviously in the wrong.

Grace - can you back up your statement?