Miami Police Officer Caught Driving 120 mph

[MLR]

The 'Don't Snitch" motto crosses all boundaries. When I first seen those t-shirts with that motto on the news I was not sure who was wearing them. The good guys or the bad guys. Then It came to me. It was the bad guys regardless of what organization they belonged to. Be it cops, politicians or gang members.
Only the bad ones respect that motto when it comes to crimes.

Michael

 

[Mr10mm]

Reminded me of Farva off Super Troopers.

 

[Michael Brown]

My take on this:

I speed on occasion. Much like the rest of the population. I don't speed to the point that I believe I put the public in danger, much the same standard I would hold anyone else to.

On occasion I get pulled over. I generally do not get tickets.

Prior to being a police officer, I occasionally sped. I did not get tickets then either, but I'm guessing my attitude toward the officer had more to do with that than anything just as it does today.

I am the first in my family to work in law enforcement, so I didn't grow up in the culture, so I can't say what occurred before I became a police officer.

Now, if I was doing 120 mph in a 65, I would expect to get a ticket. If that was what I got, I can fully accept and expect such.

That said, I have the money to pay a ticket.

What I DO NOT have, is the currency to pay back my personal embarrassment at putting one of my fellow officers in the position to have to determine whether or not to write me a ticket for such an outrageous flaunt of speed limits, which I expect would happen if I drove 120 mph away form work.

Personally, I wouldn't handcuff another officer in this situation but I'm not going to second-guess what the female officer did as I wasn't in her shoes. The police handcuff because of a perception of threat, or to punish or send a message. Once I saw a uniform, I would be fairly confident there is no threat and the female officer's willingness to walk right up to the window indicates that she probably didn't feel threatened either, but rather disrespected. I do not handcuff people because I feel disrespected, but then again I don't get than response from a lot of people.

What I'm suprised by was the Miami officer's decision to hit 120 without lights and siren. If he's willing to flaunt that policy/law, I'm suprised he wasn't willing to flaunt the lights/siren policy.........

My personal action probably would be to think "He must be running to something important. I wonder why he isn't using his lights and siren? I'll go too in case he needs help but I'll run code 1" i.e. lights and siren. Once I found out he's running to an extra job, I'd tell him what I thought of his behavior and be on the phone to his supervisor, just as I'd hope another officer would do if he saw one of my subordinates doing this. I'm confident my subordinates would rather pay the ticket than have me hear about it from another officer.

If I were in the female officer's position, I wouldn't have written a ticket or handcuffed the guy. Not because of any perceived "brotherhood" but rather because if the situation were reversed my personal sense of professional responsibility regards my fellow officers' reprimands for my behavior as far worse than any citation.

I would much rather pay/mail a citation than have to explain to those I respect that I violated the public trust so egregiously.

Some may agree with my point of view, some may disagree. However it is MY point of view and my personal integrity cannot be bought back as easily as a citation.

I regard my badge as a symbol that the public has entrusted me to do things they do not even allow themselves to do, and thus it is my responsiblity to exercise those privileges with the greatest of caution and restraint. If I cannot do this, then I don't deserve to have it and the last thing I'd worry about was paying the court a couple hundred bucks.

I recognize that not everyone feels this way and make no apologies for anyone else's behavior or their thought on my position.

This is my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the position of my employer or collegeues.

Michael Brown

 

[RidgeHunter]

I'd tell him what I thought of his behavior and be on the phone to his supervisor, just as I'd hope another officer would do if he saw one of my subordinates doing this.

Fawking Serpico.

 

[doctorjj]

My personal action probably would be to think "He must be running to something important. I wonder why he isn't using his lights and siren? I'll go too in case he needs help but I'll run code 1" i.e. lights and siren. Once I found out he's running to an extra job, I'd tell him what I thought of his behavior and be on the phone to his supervisor, just as I'd hope another officer would do if he saw one of my subordinates doing this. I'm confident my subordinates would rather pay the ticket than have me hear about it from another officer.

If I were in the female officer's position, I wouldn't have written a ticket or handcuffed the guy. Not because of any perceived "brotherhood" but rather because if the situation were reversed my personal sense of professional responsibility regards my fellow officers' reprimands for my behavior as far worse than any citation.

I would much rather pay/mail a citation than have to explain to those I respect that I violated the public trust so egregiously.

Michael Brown

What would you do to average Joe Public if you pulled them over in the same situation, i.e. upward of 120 mph, not stopping for you, changing lanes aggressively, and pulling over to the left like a retard???

 

[WhiteyMacD]

What would you do to average Joe Public if you pulled them over in the same situation, i.e. upward of 120 mph, not stopping for you, changing lanes aggressively, and pulling over to the left like a retard???

I'm betting he wont just call your boss and leave it at that...

 

[RidgeHunter]

What would you do to average Joe Public if you pulled them over in the same situation, i.e. upward of 120 mph, not stopping for you, changing lanes aggressively, and pulling over to the left like a retard???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonperson

 

[Michael Brown]

Fawking Serpico.

While I recognize that this statement was made in jest, this is pretty freaking insulting since Serpico's motives and mine are 180 degrees in opposite directions.

My motivation is personal integrity; Serpico's motives were personal advancement.

My position is based upon my incredibly high regard for my peers; Serpico's was based on his lack of regard for his peers, however justifiable.

Serpico is heralded in the public as a hero, when the truth is that he probably wasn't very heroic and his actions weren't really that honorable.

Thus while I recognize you meant this as a joke and probably don't recognize how seriously I take this matter, I'd prefer you not mock how importantly I regard this difference.

I normally regard your sense of humor as very advanced and I don't believe you meant it to be insulting.

Michael Brown

 

[Michael Brown]

What would you do to average Joe Public if you pulled them over in the same situation, i.e. upward of 120 mph, not stopping for you, changing lanes aggressively, and pulling over to the left like a retard???

I'm guessing that if you have to ask this question, I either didn't make my point emphatically enough or you read my post and you took it as you wished to take it.

Michael Brown

 

[RidgeHunter]

While I recognize that this statement was made in jest, this is pretty freaking insulting since Serpico's motives and mine are 180 degrees in opposite directions.

My motivation is personal integrity; Serpico's motives were personal advancement.

My position is based upon my incredibly high regard for my peers; Serpico's was based on his lack of regard for his peers, however justifiable.

Serpico is heralded in the public as a hero, when the truth is that he probably wasn't very heroic and his actions weren't really that honorable.

Thus while I recognize you meant this as a joke and probably don't recognize how seriously I take this matter, I'd prefer you not mock how importantly I regard this difference.

I normally regard your sense of humor as very advanced and I don't believe you meant it to be insulting.

Michael Brown

Yeah, I was using sarcasm to make fun of Gforce89 for using the Serpico jab at cops who...do their job. If you read up you'll see in my reply to him that I gave you recognition for your stance you consistently take regarding police corruption on this board.

EG: Gforce seemed to be painting anyone that wouldn't back a fellow officer up in any situation as a "snitch", which seems more suited for the playground than law enforcement IMO. Jab was at him, not you.

I guess not quite advanced enough, huh? Lawl.