- Joined
- Mar 24, 2012
- Messages
- 3,310
- Location
- NOVA
Few Comments Here
On the one made by CMH-
Laser is the most deadly and effective method LEO can use which is not "recognized" like all other signals just as CMH stated. In some occasions it MAY be picked up if a vehicle near you gets tagged and you may then have the opportunity to slow down while that other person gets hit.
However - if you are tagged by an Officer using Laser, there are NO/ZERO chances to slow down once you get hit! I used this gun back in the early 2000s which Im sure has gotten even better since then, and it was the most effective means of obtaining speed violations without a doubt. Using the conventional methods takes someone with the skill set of constantly monitoring the radar device AND the traffic at the same time. I would sit on the side of a roadway doing paperwork and such with the system just turned on for the hell of it- and if someone was SERIOUSLY exceeding the speed limit I would know from the extremely High Pitched sound emitted from the system itself. The higher the pitch, the faster the vehicle. One must be able to ascertain WHICH vehicle is being picked up by the system and the Officer MUST be able to specifically identify that vehicle without a doubt, or its not right to "guess" it was a specific car that was the one causing the sound to occur. I would always be honest with myself enough to grant people the benefit of the doubt using this method since if I did not know EXACTLY which vehicle was the offender, I would NOT simply guess that it was the one going faster than others just by looking up. Hence why Laser is a much more effective tool to use against SPECIFIC vehicles and not just painting an entire field where it picks up ALL the vehicles within it. Lastly, when hit by a Laser gun- there is NO DOUBT whatsoever that you are snagged! It too has the high pitched sound and the highest speed is shown on the Laser gun too. Once you get painted with a Laser there is NO wiggle room on this- you are busted!
I don't know about Laser "Jamming" Materials or devices and their impact on the Laser gun itself because I never actually tried doing it on someone who had these items installed on their vehicle. I do know that, Laser often bounces off the glass windshield of cars and will give back "Inaccurate" readings, also with lighter colored vehicles too. This is why we usually targeted the front license plate area or grills almost 100% of the time. I used to do what I called "Trooper Stops" on a main stretch of road where once I obtained the reading it stays on the gun itself and I would literally walk out onto the roadway and point at the vehicle I wanted / caught and signal them to pull over immediately! This is truly a scary site to see on the other end - with someone wearing a orange reflective vest walking right into traffic pointing at you like that, and caused all drivers around you to slow down to a crawl- which actually is a much more dangerous thing to do, and not generally well liked by the PD.
On Mr Berretta's comment about the infamous question of "Do you know why I pulled you over" is actually NOT the correct way of doing business!
That question is so stupid and sets a driver up for failure when asked. The PROPER method of this would be to say "The reason I stopped you is because (Fill in the violation blank here)" and then request all required paperwork. The first statement is an "Old School" method and not usually taught by FTO's (Field Training Officers" which I was for about 5 years. Due to tickets these days being so friggin high and ridiculous, I always tried to be as polite and professional as possible believe it or not, because I hate hypocrites and would NEVER say that I didnt speed myself while driving my truck or bike. To say a LEO never speeds cause its against the law, is total BS and hypocritical IMHO. Hence why I often gave drivers a very wide and reasonable range of speed they would need to break before I would waste my time pulling out and chasing them down. Regardless what any LEO tells you, this range is almost always at the discretion of the Officer and not a Dept Policy (I say almost always) Obviously there are factors which play into this, such as School Zones, residential areas, and stuff where severe speed violations come into play. In a regular 55 MPH zone Id normally give about 13-15 MPH over the limit = meaning anything above 68+ would result in being stopped. Whether I issued an actual "Ticket" vs verbal or written warning actually depended on the demeanor of the individual and the area I described above. Now, when in zones with a 25-35 MPH area it would be a bit lower than 13+ MPH over since these are most likely in residential areas and if its a school zone then tis would almost always result in the monetary infraction.
EVERY LEO has their Pet Peeve out there, EVERY one of them!!
My personal Pet Peeve was drivers without their kids in the required Car Seat and jumping around inside the vehicle! These Moms or Dads almost ALWAYS got the ticket! And they usually came back with "My son or daughter just doesnt like sitting in their car seat and screams when I put them in it" and crap like that. Well, who is the parent and who is the child? Ive literally seen kids tossed a 100 feet out the windows and crushed by the car in accidents which most likely wouldn't happen if they were in a car seat! Hell, I could go on and on with stories here about the fatal MVA's I caught while in my Districts / Area which not only takes TONS of paperwork but often I also had to visit homes to tell parents their kid was killed today by this or that. A truly horrible thing to do!
Sorry for the long novel here and Id be happy to write more if anyone wishes. There is NO correct statement or reply someone can give to an LEO when stopped, but I will say this - the more sincere and honest you are the better chances of getting just a written warning the better! Not saying you should say " I know I was going 15 MOH over the limit" is smart to do at all- because those EXACT words will be written down in the report and sink you for sure! Just keep hands on steering wheel - oh and let them know you are carrying a firearm if you are (Legally of course) and don't take off your helmet and go waling back toward the cruiser at all. I'll write some more later - again if anyone wishes?
Another quick story? lol
Stopped a guy for speeding like 20 mph over a 45 zone. While speaking with him while looking over his paperwork he tried the usual "Name dropping" approach which also can backfire BIGTIME if you happen to know an officer on the specific Dept! Anyway, the guy says to me " Hey is Officer Fitzgerald working today?" which obviously got my attention. I asked if he knew Officer Fitzgerald, which he stated "Yeah, he's in the local Marine Corps Reserve unit a friend of mine is in also" When asked if he was a Marine too, he replied no. When asked if he knew Officer Fitzgerald he replied "Yeah we met a few times with my Marine buddy"
I then informed him that I (Myself) was Officer Fitzgerald and I had never in my life met him, and when trying to drop names like that he should definitely ensure he knows the Officer and that things like that could backfire on him, making the outcome of the situation be even WORSE in the long run due to his attempt at the infamous "Name Drop!" LMAO.
***The proper way to do such a thing (If you truly do know someone from said Dept is to say "Pardon me Officer, would it perhaps mean anything to you if I said that Officer X happens to be a friend of mine?" - Which is exactly what I taught my wife to do when stopped! And if they say "NO" then at least you tried doing this in a polite way, but if they say "YES" and ask you how you know said Officer, then you damn well better be sure you in fact know them, their spouses name, and other details that would surely make the Officer believe you know this individual.
***Disclaimer: Hope that story was ok to tell and the rest of this info is received ok too. Im not here trying to get anyone out of a ticket or "Instruct" anyone on the correct way of acting if ever pulled over. Since I too speed everyday - mostly due to some ridiculous speed limits, I don't wish to sound hypocritical and come off like someone who obeys EVERY law and motor vehicle statute to a "T" - Is this clarified guys?
PS- Next time (If desired) I will get into the factors of those who choose to "Run" while on a bike and the usual "Dept Policies" on giving chase! LOL
On the one made by CMH-
Laser is the most deadly and effective method LEO can use which is not "recognized" like all other signals just as CMH stated. In some occasions it MAY be picked up if a vehicle near you gets tagged and you may then have the opportunity to slow down while that other person gets hit.
However - if you are tagged by an Officer using Laser, there are NO/ZERO chances to slow down once you get hit! I used this gun back in the early 2000s which Im sure has gotten even better since then, and it was the most effective means of obtaining speed violations without a doubt. Using the conventional methods takes someone with the skill set of constantly monitoring the radar device AND the traffic at the same time. I would sit on the side of a roadway doing paperwork and such with the system just turned on for the hell of it- and if someone was SERIOUSLY exceeding the speed limit I would know from the extremely High Pitched sound emitted from the system itself. The higher the pitch, the faster the vehicle. One must be able to ascertain WHICH vehicle is being picked up by the system and the Officer MUST be able to specifically identify that vehicle without a doubt, or its not right to "guess" it was a specific car that was the one causing the sound to occur. I would always be honest with myself enough to grant people the benefit of the doubt using this method since if I did not know EXACTLY which vehicle was the offender, I would NOT simply guess that it was the one going faster than others just by looking up. Hence why Laser is a much more effective tool to use against SPECIFIC vehicles and not just painting an entire field where it picks up ALL the vehicles within it. Lastly, when hit by a Laser gun- there is NO DOUBT whatsoever that you are snagged! It too has the high pitched sound and the highest speed is shown on the Laser gun too. Once you get painted with a Laser there is NO wiggle room on this- you are busted!
I don't know about Laser "Jamming" Materials or devices and their impact on the Laser gun itself because I never actually tried doing it on someone who had these items installed on their vehicle. I do know that, Laser often bounces off the glass windshield of cars and will give back "Inaccurate" readings, also with lighter colored vehicles too. This is why we usually targeted the front license plate area or grills almost 100% of the time. I used to do what I called "Trooper Stops" on a main stretch of road where once I obtained the reading it stays on the gun itself and I would literally walk out onto the roadway and point at the vehicle I wanted / caught and signal them to pull over immediately! This is truly a scary site to see on the other end - with someone wearing a orange reflective vest walking right into traffic pointing at you like that, and caused all drivers around you to slow down to a crawl- which actually is a much more dangerous thing to do, and not generally well liked by the PD.
On Mr Berretta's comment about the infamous question of "Do you know why I pulled you over" is actually NOT the correct way of doing business!
That question is so stupid and sets a driver up for failure when asked. The PROPER method of this would be to say "The reason I stopped you is because (Fill in the violation blank here)" and then request all required paperwork. The first statement is an "Old School" method and not usually taught by FTO's (Field Training Officers" which I was for about 5 years. Due to tickets these days being so friggin high and ridiculous, I always tried to be as polite and professional as possible believe it or not, because I hate hypocrites and would NEVER say that I didnt speed myself while driving my truck or bike. To say a LEO never speeds cause its against the law, is total BS and hypocritical IMHO. Hence why I often gave drivers a very wide and reasonable range of speed they would need to break before I would waste my time pulling out and chasing them down. Regardless what any LEO tells you, this range is almost always at the discretion of the Officer and not a Dept Policy (I say almost always) Obviously there are factors which play into this, such as School Zones, residential areas, and stuff where severe speed violations come into play. In a regular 55 MPH zone Id normally give about 13-15 MPH over the limit = meaning anything above 68+ would result in being stopped. Whether I issued an actual "Ticket" vs verbal or written warning actually depended on the demeanor of the individual and the area I described above. Now, when in zones with a 25-35 MPH area it would be a bit lower than 13+ MPH over since these are most likely in residential areas and if its a school zone then tis would almost always result in the monetary infraction.
EVERY LEO has their Pet Peeve out there, EVERY one of them!!
My personal Pet Peeve was drivers without their kids in the required Car Seat and jumping around inside the vehicle! These Moms or Dads almost ALWAYS got the ticket! And they usually came back with "My son or daughter just doesnt like sitting in their car seat and screams when I put them in it" and crap like that. Well, who is the parent and who is the child? Ive literally seen kids tossed a 100 feet out the windows and crushed by the car in accidents which most likely wouldn't happen if they were in a car seat! Hell, I could go on and on with stories here about the fatal MVA's I caught while in my Districts / Area which not only takes TONS of paperwork but often I also had to visit homes to tell parents their kid was killed today by this or that. A truly horrible thing to do!
Sorry for the long novel here and Id be happy to write more if anyone wishes. There is NO correct statement or reply someone can give to an LEO when stopped, but I will say this - the more sincere and honest you are the better chances of getting just a written warning the better! Not saying you should say " I know I was going 15 MOH over the limit" is smart to do at all- because those EXACT words will be written down in the report and sink you for sure! Just keep hands on steering wheel - oh and let them know you are carrying a firearm if you are (Legally of course) and don't take off your helmet and go waling back toward the cruiser at all. I'll write some more later - again if anyone wishes?
Another quick story? lol
Stopped a guy for speeding like 20 mph over a 45 zone. While speaking with him while looking over his paperwork he tried the usual "Name dropping" approach which also can backfire BIGTIME if you happen to know an officer on the specific Dept! Anyway, the guy says to me " Hey is Officer Fitzgerald working today?" which obviously got my attention. I asked if he knew Officer Fitzgerald, which he stated "Yeah, he's in the local Marine Corps Reserve unit a friend of mine is in also" When asked if he was a Marine too, he replied no. When asked if he knew Officer Fitzgerald he replied "Yeah we met a few times with my Marine buddy"
I then informed him that I (Myself) was Officer Fitzgerald and I had never in my life met him, and when trying to drop names like that he should definitely ensure he knows the Officer and that things like that could backfire on him, making the outcome of the situation be even WORSE in the long run due to his attempt at the infamous "Name Drop!" LMAO.
***The proper way to do such a thing (If you truly do know someone from said Dept is to say "Pardon me Officer, would it perhaps mean anything to you if I said that Officer X happens to be a friend of mine?" - Which is exactly what I taught my wife to do when stopped! And if they say "NO" then at least you tried doing this in a polite way, but if they say "YES" and ask you how you know said Officer, then you damn well better be sure you in fact know them, their spouses name, and other details that would surely make the Officer believe you know this individual.
***Disclaimer: Hope that story was ok to tell and the rest of this info is received ok too. Im not here trying to get anyone out of a ticket or "Instruct" anyone on the correct way of acting if ever pulled over. Since I too speed everyday - mostly due to some ridiculous speed limits, I don't wish to sound hypocritical and come off like someone who obeys EVERY law and motor vehicle statute to a "T" - Is this clarified guys?
PS- Next time (If desired) I will get into the factors of those who choose to "Run" while on a bike and the usual "Dept Policies" on giving chase! LOL
