Do you get disappointed with law enforcement/police officer?

Question

Tonight I received my first speeding ticket. I got my license abt 6 months ago with a clean record. I always try my best to obey traffic laws. Since I was the designated driver, I did not touch alcohol at all. Around 3am, while I was accelerating and getting on the highway I was pulled over. Before I was pulled over, I saw the parked police car and I looked at my meter; it was reading around 43-45. The officer told me I was speeding 53 on 30mph zone. I said sorry and I told him I wasn't aware of it. Since, I put my purse in the back seat, i asked if I could reach and get my purse. The officer looked at me and said no, he told my friend who had few drinks to get my purse. The officer asked me if I drank, and I said no. Without further talking and pay no attention to my PBA card. He wrote me a ticket. I feel like I was not treated with respect. Maybe I misunderstand him, but why can I get my own purse? Do I look like I carried a weapon? I don't think the ticket is fair to me.

I am not writing this to be disrespectful to the police and I am not denying the ticket. Since, it is my first ticket, I might be thinking too much into it. It was my first encounter with the law enforcement, I just think it wouldn't hurt if they speak in a courteous way. I am not even asking for a smile

Answer 1

A lot of people who pull weapons on police officers don't look like they would do so, and reaching in the backseat, in the dark at 3 am can be considered a threat. So, I agree with his proceedure there.

However, if you're positive that you were only doing 43-45 and he says you were doing 53 in a 30 mph zone - he could have read his radar wrong - however if the zone was actually a 30 mph zone, you were still speeding.

You can take the ticket to court and contest it but the chances of getting it dropped are very unlikely. If this is your first ticket, maybe they'll allow you to take a drivers safety class. When I got my first ticket I was allowed to do take the drivers safety class and turn in the completetion form and the ticket was dropped.

Sadly, more often than not you're going to run into police officers who think they're above the law, bad manners, and no respect. Unfortunately, that's a side effect from working the streets too long with people who don't DESERVE the respect (I'm not refering to you, but others.)

Every once in a while though, you'll run into an officer who is compassionate and not so rude - so don't write them all off.

Again, though, you can contest the ticket - I'm not sure how one goes about doing that but you can try these two links:
http://www.expertlaw.com/library/traffic_tickets/fighting_tickets.html
http://www.expertlaw.com/library/traffic_tickets/speeding_ticket.html

I, myself, have had a few run ins with rude police officers but fortunately I live in a rather small community where we all pretty much know each other and the cheif of police is my cousin, the sheriff is my dads best friend and one of the officers is one of my old high school buddies. Needless to say, I've gotten out of 2 speeding tickets and avoided a ticket for not having my license at a check point.

I know it's upsetting when you get your first speeding ticket - when I got my first I was shaking all the way home and cried when I did get home, lol. The trip to court is a little frightening but really, it won't be as bad as you think.

The main thing to remember always though, is always always be respectful to a police officer, nice even (sometimes that helps) - even if he's being rude and mean. You just never know what kind of day the poor man/woman has had or what kind of call they JUST came off of.

Answer 2

You were going 43 to 45 mph in a 30 zone by your own admission. You were speeding.

Is it really a big deal if the officer wanted your friend to hand your purse to him. He probably did not want you twisting around in the seat and blocking his view. People do shoot officers from time to time so you really can't blame him for practicing good officer safety.

Your PBA card doesn't mean you can't get a ticket. We all must follow the law even people who donate some money to PBA and get a sticker.

How were you not treated with respect? Your question says nothing about the officer being rude or making a nasty comment. Sounds like the guy was just doing his job.

Answer 3

I guess I'm not understanding how the officer was disrespectful to you. I'm not saying this to be mean, but I really don't understand. Was he rude to you, did he cuss at you, did he use any excessive force against you? Or is it just that he gave you a ticket?

During any traffic stop, we don't like folks reaching around for stuff. You may know that you're not a criminal, and don't have any evil intentions towards us, but we don't know that. It would be great if we could give you the benefit of the doubt, but "trust kills", and there's a wall in Washington with 1000s of police officers names inscribed upon it because of this.

In academy most cops see hundreds of police dashcam videos in which cops are killed or injured during traffic stops. We don't know what's in your purse, but have to assume it's something bad. It's nothing personal against you, and not meant to offend you, its for our safety.

3am with a bunch of drunks in the car, you better believe we'll take the appropriate officer safety measures. We want to go home safely at the end of our shift.

As for your PBA card. Do you think that cops should let some folks off tickets just because a family member is a cop or the driver paid 10 bucks for a card or sticker. Of course not...it wouldn't be fair and it wouldn't be right.

As for the ticket not being fair...why not? You say you think you were going 43-45 mph. The speed limit was 30mph. The cop thinks you were going 53mph. What wasn't fair about it?

Again I don't want to sound mean..but you're the one driving, you're the one responsible for knowing how fast you're going and what the speed limit is. Even your right you were at least 13 over, and if the cop was right you were 23 over. I typically write anyone who's doing more then 10mph over the limit...

Perhaps you could do a ride-along with your local PD and see traffic stops from our perspectives. I've found that folks who do ridealongs learn a little about why we do what we do, and I've always learnt something from every civilian who has done a ridealong with me.

Answer 4

I agree with El Scott's response and he's provided you with some sound information.

This is not an attack on any one individual but ... to quote information about the IQ of officers from one agency is absurd. Additionally, it's amazing to see the sentence composition used by some here and then have the audacity to talk about officers or anyone elses IQ.

Most agencies require a minimum of a high school diploma yet many more opt for two and four year college graduates.

This was one article that provided statistical information without even providing a source of information. As such I question the validity of the statistic!

Most agencies encourage on-going education to include job related and college related courses.

Sadly, out of all the educational opportunities...none...zero...zilch offer a course on how to detect the unknown subject who is going to pull a weapon on you to end your life. Therefore, I can understand the officers thinking about a car full of intoxicated passengers who could get out of hand with one unknown driver who the officer didn't know (until you told him) could have also been intoxicated.

Don't take the stop nor the officers demeanor as not being respectful....but the officer being overly cautious until he was sure he had control over the situation!

Best wishes.

Answer 5

I suppose, in a way, you could be disappointed. The way I see this, you are looking to place blame elsewhere. Anyone else would do the same thing, and usually do. Like, its his fault he stopped you and it has nothing to do with his job or anything. He is in a possible life/death situation in his shoes. How does he know weather you have a gun, pepper spray, cup of hot coffee, wild cat, or wrench to throw at him. In his eyes, better safe than sorry.

Either way, you were speeding. Your speedometer is not certified as 100% accurate and can be off by a bit. Just pay the fine, learn from the experience, and go on with life.

Answer 6

You are just upset because you got a well-deserved ticket for speeding. PBA cards aren't get out of a ticket cards. Grow up and take some responsibility, and oh, slow down next time.

Answer 7

thats standard for a speeding ticket. What you could do is get your spedomiter checked or have a mechanic testify for you that your spedomiter was off and, walah! The judge will find more than reasonable doubt that you were speeding. And especially if you say you went going so fast. Cops do that in hopes you send your money in and dont go to court. I know they don't say it, but cops do have quotas so...

Answer 8

From an officer safety point of view, I would rather the backseat passenger handed your purse to the front, you see, I want to go home a the end of my shift. Because you didn't talk about him being rude, I assume this action is why you are "disappointed". Please think about it and put yourself in his shoes.

Answer 9

That's what court is for. Good luck. Are we talking about the ticket or the cop being rude. Because too many cops are rude but then too many people are rude to cops. Endless cycle.

Answer 10

I lost respect for the New Orleans Police after the way they acted after the Hurricane Katrina fiasco in 2005.Some of their actions were reprehensible.