tree68hey figure they'll just stop him and tell him the light was out and to get it fixed. Not big deal - a public service if you will. Turn on the lights, tap the siren - he takes off. Runs three roadblocks before they finally get him stopped. He didn't have his license with him. They probably weren't even going to ask him for it.
That's funny....guilt can eat a person alive if they let it.
One of my college psyc professors had a saying: "don't fight straw dogs"...That has come and helped me stay cool several times over the years.
I had an Inglewood CA cop pull me over for a burnt out license plate light. I was driving an Eldorado which has two bulbs for the license plate....both were working fine. He still searched me and a buddy, hand cuffed us both and sat us in the back of his cruiser, and we watched him search the interior of my car and the trunk...75 minutes he spent hoping a gift would fall down out of the sky and into my car....finally, you could see his shoulders sink, when he realized he was gonna come up empty.
He unhooked us, told us we were free to leave, and then he drove away while all the contents of my trunk were still on the ground behind my car...sitting in an active lane of traffic. I guess I was just supposed to be thankful that I was going to sleep in my own bed that night?
And people wonder where my attitude about cops came from. LOL!
tree68 don't think the cops around here go looking for trouble - but if you're going to drive stupidly, and you've got outstanding items in the system, it's gonna catch up with you.
One other amusing instance I recall,.....I had an expired license plate.....and was driving at 1:30 in the morning in the worst part of LA's "South Central" district. Actually in Hawthorne's jurisdiction. We were driving through a real destitute residential neighborhood when pulled over
My passenger had a really juicy prior conviction that I knew nothing about, and also had an outstanding warrant. So they pull us over, run us for warrants and my buddy must have rang a few bells, because things turned serious real fast.
I'm always a "yes sir and no sir" kinda guy when stopped by authority, and I think the cop started tripping over why somebody like me would be out at that time with somebody having the reputation that my passenger had. So they musta felt that digging deeper might pay off.
I've never seen anything like it. Over the next 30-45 minutes, 22 marked patrol cars joined our little curbside party....probably the entire on duty shift for the Hawthorne PD the way I figure it. It was funny watching the residents all staring out their doors and windows, probably thinking they were going to be raided.
When the tow truck showed up, they just told me I was free to go....they were impoundingmy car to insure compliance.
So here I am in the worst possible neighborhood you can imagine, 2 am...and on foot. I ask if they could give me a lift to the nearest bus stop, and they just chuckled, told me "7 blocks that way, and then 3 blocks left"
Such nice guys.
Semper Vaporo I had already been wondering if the propensity to be a law breaker makes some individuals more likely to be simple traffic offenders as well.
I've often been amused with how self professed "law and order" types can become so irate when they see a cop with his lights on in their rear view mirror.
~hey, go pick on some real criminals!!~ LOL!
@convictedone: Yeah... I catch myself thinking like that sometimes.
I was lazily driving home late one cold and rainy evening. The partricular route crossed two one-way streets about 2 blocks apart. There are 4-way flashers at both intersections, and I knew full well that they are NOT regular red/yellow/green stoplights.
I stopped at the first one and glanced in the rearview mirror to see a car approaching rather fast. I pressed hard on the brake, expecting it to ram me, but instead it pulled into the curb/parking lane and proceded to make a right turn without slowing at all. I remember mumbling out-loud to myself, 'Where's a cop when you need one?"
I then proceeded to the next 4-way stop, where there was a pickup truck in the left turn lane, and just as the "flashing" red light went dark, the pickup pulled forward and made the left turn. Somehow, I unconciously decided that the "Red" light had turned "Green" and that is why the truck had made the left turn, so I proceeded through the intersection without stopping. I didn't realize it until I was in the middle of the cross street. I now am sure I was preoccupied with my disgust of the other driver at the previous intersection. I know I managed to touch the brake then, but decided that stopping would be rather pointless in the middle of the intersection.
My thoughts at that moment were, "I guess I am glad there were no cops around!"
But, guess what I then saw in the rearview mirror?
Yep, flashing red and blue lights.
I pulled over and the cop came to my door and asked, "What's goin' on?"
I had not yet realized what my thinking had been, so I just said, "Would you believe stupidity?"
He chuckled and asked for my driver's license and took it back to his car, while I was left trying to decide what what this was going to do to my savings account and to try to sort out why I had done what I did.
I figured out why I had done it before he came back, but by then it was raining harder and windy and COLD, so I decided against keeping the officer in the cold and rain trying to explain it to him.
He just handed me my license and said, "Be more careful in the future. You may go." and he got back into his car. So I drove off and he followed me for about 2 blocks and then he went off in some other direction.
I honestly think it was God's way to teach me to not be so judgemental about that other driver.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
wilmette2210Do Railroad Police ever come out for Train VS Vehicle or Train VS Pedestrian accidents? Thanks.
In my experience - occasionaly. If there is one that is in the area and not involved in some other company productive use of their time. If the time for 'clean up and resolution' of the incident becomes protracted and 'never ending' the likelyhood of them getting on the scene rises.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Convicted OneSo here I am in the worst possible neighborhood you can imagine, 2 am...and on foot. I ask if they could give me a lift to the nearest bus stop, and they just chuckled, told me "7 blocks that way, and then 3 blocks left" Such nice guys.
Convicted OneAnd people wonder where my attitude about cops came from. LOL!
zardozThere are some real nice, fair, dedicated, follow-the-rules type of cops out there (two of my nephews are Chicago cops); but it's the other 99% that give them a bad reputation.
Alas, oftimes the cops are only giving back what they're getting.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Nothing but respect for those guys, many of whom were big city or FBI folks in a past life and had just "burned out". (They often called on us for help when their widdle 4wd RR-PD poodle cars got stuck out in the boondocks)...I got Scotty Dog #1 ("Clyde") from a special agent that had rescued him after finding him abandoned, starving and cowering in a culvert near NA Junction.
zardozhere are some real nice, fair, dedicated, follow-the-rules type of cops out there
There truly are some decent cops out there, trying to make the world better for everybody....I've met several. And (just like with people in general) there are some truly loathsome characters out there who wear badges.
Additionally, there seem to be a good number of "weary" police officers out there, I'll pull some numbers out of the air,,,say with 8-15 years on the force who theink they are still trying to do a good job....but they develop this mindset as though they are the "keeper", and we all are like the animals in the zoo.
They forget about our constitutional protections as a matter of their own personal convenience ...because "there are so many of us critters, and so few of them to keep track of us.....that they feel entitled to take liberties for the good of all.
Most cops are aware of that mentality and call their fellow officers who operate that way "poachers". I guess it fits.
I've truly been blessed in that the several times I have had run in's with the law, I have not been "vulnerable". (*cough cough*) While at others, my jaw actually dropped that they somehow missed me with the crosshairs.
Now that I am old and feeble, I'm actually glad they are there to keep the young bucks in check.
What do the RR cops tell the local PD when they threaten to arrest the crew? Glad you are able to help him out.
mudchicken wilmette2210 Do Railroad Police ever come out for Train VS Vehicle or Train VS Pedestrian accidents? Thanks. Frequently here, if they are within a reasonable distance of the incident. We still have townies trying to arrest train crews due to political grandstanding. Who has jurisdiction often plays into that reponse. Nothing but respect for those guys, many of whom were big city or FBI folks in a past life and had just "burned out". (They often called on us for help when their widdle 4wd RR-PD poodle cars got stuck out in the boondocks)...I got Scotty Dog #1 ("Clyde") from a special agent that had rescued him after finding him abandoned, starving and cowering in a culvert near NA Junction.
wilmette2210 Do Railroad Police ever come out for Train VS Vehicle or Train VS Pedestrian accidents? Thanks.
Frequently here, if they are within a reasonable distance of the incident. We still have townies trying to arrest train crews due to political grandstanding. Who has jurisdiction often plays into that reponse.
Semper Vaporon't realize it until I was in the middle of the cross street. I now am sure I was preoccupied with my disgust of the other driver at the previous intersection. I know I managed to touch the brake then, but decided that stopping would be rather pointless in the middle of the intersection.
Well, I am happy that your miscue did not put you in harm's way with another car.
At least I entered the intersection at the same moment the truck was making the left turn, so any traffic from the right would have been stopped at the 4-way flasher to let the truck turn, but there were no cars coming from that directoin anyway.
I still don't know where the police car came from nor do I understand how it could have caught up to me so quickly. I am sure it was not stopped on my right at the light waiting for the truck to turn because I was still in the intersection when I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw it right behind me, and if it had been behind me at the previous intersection I am sure he would have given chase of the car that made the right turn there without stopping. I just have this nagging feeling that God put it there just to teach me a lesson.
Incidents like this occur, then the cops wonder why they get an "FU" attitude from people. This was nothing short of harassment. There was no reason for them to impound your car in the Hawthorne incident. But while the 22 cars were attending to you, it would have been a great time for someone to knock over a 7-11.
tabeckettIncidents like this occur, then the cops wonder why they get an "FU" attitude from people.
Yet those same people will complain loudly if another driver's actions somehow imperil them - then "hangin's too good for 'em."
tabeckett There was no reason for them to impound your car in the Hawthorne incident.
In New Jersey as late as the mid-Nineties, being caught with expired registration meant automatic impoundment. (Often the tow driver would quietly agree to pull around the corner and release the car to you on the sly ... if you paid the tow fee, in full, in cash.)
Why would you expect to be free to drive away in a car with expired tags?
Overmod tabeckett There was no reason for them to impound your car in the Hawthorne incident. In New Jersey as late as the mid-Nineties, being caught with expired registration meant automatic impoundment. (Often the tow driver would quietly agree to pull around the corner and release the car to you on the sly ... if you paid the tow fee, in full, in cash.) Why would you expect to be free to drive away in a car with expired tags?
Tags are nothing more than a tax reciept. There are a multitude of legal actions that surround 'encumbering' a property for failure to pay property taxes. Vehicles are no more than property that gets used on the road system, should not the same legal actions surround 'encumbering' a vehicle?
BaltACDTags are nothing more than a tax receipt
Non-expired tags (or stickers on tags), at least in California and New Jersey, are an indication that the fees to operate a particular vehicle on public roads are paid correctly. In Tennessee an expired tag is considered an opportunity to charge lots of fees, but you can drive away from the stop. NOT SO in some other states, where they demand compliance (in New Jersey, including proof of insurance) before allowing your vehicle to be driven. (The 'impoundment' is a matter of convenience, not allowing a derelict vehicle to remain on public roads 'since you can't drive it even an inch legally' -- you could have hired AAA or a tow company to move it for you, but then the police would have no guarantee you wouldn't start driving it illegally again the moment the vehicle were out of their control.)
Note that your right to OWN the vehicle is not affected by the seizure, only the ability to drive it on the road (which is what the 'currency' of the tags permits). You also retain the right to remove property from the vehicle as seized, and probably to sell it (subject to a lien for accrued fees and storage, but that's another racket entirely, which perhaps shouldn't be moral but is certainly legalized)
tabeckett This was nothing short of harassment. There was no reason for them to impound your car in the Hawthorne incident.
Few additional details:
In California you have to get you car smog tested every two years in order to renew your license plate. For 95% of drivers you just go to a "smog pros" type specialist who will stick a probe up your exhaust pipe, get a reading, and bill you a service fee. Sometimes they stick you for a couple hundred dollars of ("needed") repairs...but for the most part it's quite painless.
The Year, make, and model of my car was on a watchlist that the state of California calls "gross polluter". And what that means is I couldn't just go to any of the chain smog shops, I had to go to a closely state regulated "test only" testing shop...where they couldn't sell me a certificate by squeezing me for repairs.
At these places they actually put your car on a dynamometer type machine and "drive" your car at 55 mph standing in place....and then put the probe up your exhaust pipe, and the reading goes straight to the state of California...
These tests are hard to pass if your car isn't like just a few years old.
So I tested and failed, and it looked like I was going to have to spend serious money for repairs to pass.
So, I did the next best thing, and just decided to buy a different car.
Two years later I still hadn't gotten around to buying the replacement, and my license tags were two years out of date...so thats' where the "to insure compliance" part of the cops story came from. Yeah...I had it coming.
Additionally, I could tell that they did a major search of the vehicle while it was in their possession...so the need to tow because of the plate served other purposes. Likely had a dog give it a once over too.
Also, I mean both sides of the street were bumper to bumper patrol cars...it wouldn't shock me if there were a few unmarked cars among them as well.
When I left on foot, I really kinda doubt that I was all alone, even though the cops made it seem like I was being thrown to the wolves. I strongly suspect that I had at least one pair of law enforcement eyes on me, looking to see If I ducked into a nearby home,..which if I did,... might prove an interesting lead for them to investigate. I think they were "playing" me. And therefore knew that my safety really wasn't at risk.
That's all just my speculation,..but I'd put money on it.
Happy ending on the smog issue, I managed to find a closely monitored "test only" test shop that operated a little differently from the norm....and they found a way to get my car to pass. So, happy ending for all.
Overmodonly the ability to drive it on the road (which is what the 'currency' of the tags permits). You also retain the right to remove property from the vehicle as seized, and probably to sell it (subject to a lien for accrued fees and storage, but that's another racket entirely, which perhaps shouldn't be moral but is certainly legalized)
Here's the funny part of that aspect. What I had to do was go to the local BMV office, and for only like $10 they issued to me a release permit that was good for two weeks...carry it in your wallet....the intention being to allow you to claim the car, take care of the deficiencies, and then go back to the BMV to get the license plate sorted out.
And if you did that all on time, they squashed the ticket for expired tags.
Still had to pay towing and impoundment.
Now that we have been "around the horn" on various and sundry topics, I do have some curiosity in line with the OP's question. What are the routine duties of RR police?
I know that they play tag with trespassers, would assume that they are involved in all crimes occuring on railroad properties even when a civil agency is the first responder, and at least departmentally handle new hire background checks.
And there was that interesting little episode with the "bait" container of Nike shoes in Chicago a while back.
But do the RR police administer post incident employee testing, including chain of custody assurance for evidence collected? Do they respond to theft reports when the theft occurs on customer owned sidings? Are the RR police the much despised "eyes in the weeds" we so often hear about looking for rules violations by operating crews? And, do they administer sting type operations screening for such things as employee theft? Intercepting impaired operating crews, stuff like that?
Frisco used to have yard cops, a/k/a "bulls" and got to know some of them visiting the yards with Dad. He knew all of them, I'd see them looking when we came on the property or sitting on the office steps. They'd start over, recognize him and wave or sometimes come over to talk. From what I understand BNSF only has a few cops who work the whole Midwest, if there's a problem anywhere, the local PD are called. There was a perv who used to call Dad's office and whoever talked to him got the same message, meet him under the Arsenal bridge which was near one end of the yards. The "bulls" told the office workers, the next time he called, set up a "date" to meet him and they would take care of the problem. They caught him and brought him into the office until PD came to pick him up. He was a young guy and very embarrased to be finally found. They did take care of that problem, so they did a variety of things. When Dad worked as yard clerk in 3rd trick, he had a manifest of cars and had to check all to make sure seals were intact, paying close attention to the ones hauling cigs and booze. When he found one, he had to notify one of the "bulls" who would check out the car and a report would be turned in. Sometimes they did catch the thief or a hobo trying to sneak a ride. They had more of an open mind than today, if someone was a railfan and not trying to steal something, it would be ok to hang around and take pictures. Even the switchmen did not care as long as they stayed off the tracks. Whole different world today.
I can relate one incident where we used railroad police to solve a property crime.
My former employer had a plant site a bit southwest of Montreal that was served by CN. The plant loading foreman contacted me one Thursday morning to advise all of our private cars switched into the plant that morning were missing the stainless sparger inlets and product outlet extension fittings from one side of the cars. I immediately contacted the CN police and they set up a surveillance of the yard that served our plant site. The following weekend; CN police caught the thieves when they returned to the service yard to steal more stainless fittings. The CN police arrested the thieves, confiscated their cell phones and traced one of the recent phone calls to a Montreal scrap dealer. CN police visited the scrap dealer and obtained a security video showing the individuals selling the “scrap” they had stolen from our cars.
CN police did all of this between Thursday when I notified them of the theft and noon the following Monday when they phoned me with their follow up report. I will admit to being pretty damned impressed with how quickly they solved the crime and arrested the thieves.
Several of you have commented based on my reply about Convicted One's impoundment, mostly about expired plates. I looked back, and realize I must have neglected that detail when composing my reply. Of course, expired plates will, most places, get your vehicle taken off the road.
In NY, I knew several people who got snagged in one of those periodic pogroms held by the Binghamton PD, where they'd have a check point set up to look for specifically this kind of violation, and whatever else they could find. There's a reason the registration expiry date is printed large on the windshield sticker. These antics were also run by the state police, and sheriff road patrols as well(sometimes on NY 17 out on the open road, which was posted 65 MPH. Safety First, eh??), so it was a widespread tactic. In any event, if a registration was expired, they'd not only tow the vehicle, they'd take the plates off it as well. Presumably, they went back to DMV, since the expired plates had no grace period on them.
One gimmick they have here in Arkansas is to follow vehicles with temp tags(30 days) around just after midnight, looking for tags that have expired. The 30 day tag is designed to give a new car buyer time to get the vehicle assessed-we have a personal property tax here. At one time, it applied to all personal property, but now is only vehicles and boats-and get it registered, and pay any sales tax due. This all must be done before a regular plate will be issued. For a lot of folks who are living paycheck to paycheck, coming up with several hundred to maybe $1000 for sales tax can be overwhelming, and there are quite a few expired temp tags out there. So it's a good way to bust nuts, and make some cash for the local municipality.
Anyway, to those who pointed out the fact that Convicted One's plates were expired, I stand corrected. Should pay more attention to detail.
In any event, any time a public official carries on about safety, it's the money.
tabeckettIn NY, I knew several people who got snagged in one of those periodic pogroms held by the Binghamton PD, where they'd have a check point set up to look for specifically this kind of violation, and whatever else they could find. There's a reason the registration expiry date is printed large on the windshield sticker.
Same goes for the inspection. I've been working accident scenes with the troopers numerous times and I'm always amazed that they can pick out an expired inspection at 25 MPH...
I may have mentioned this, but in listening to the scanner, it seems like a significant number of the cars stopped have some outstanding action on them. If it's serious enough, they're headed straight before a judge for arraignment.
tabeckettIn any event, any time a public official carries on about safety, it's the money.
You mentioned "harrassment" in an earlier post to me.
Actually I felt more harrassed in the instance where they claimed my license plate light wasn't working. My car had two, and both were working fine. They fabricated the claim as an excuse to pull me over.
Several blockes earlier the cop had turned from a cross street onto the street where I was first in line waiting for a red light. As he drove past I avoided eye contact with him...and that arroused his suspicion. So he did a U-turn to get in behind me, followed me for a few blocks...and then made up the lie about my license plate light.
Those are the things our Bill of Rights is supposed to protect us from.
Learned my lesson there however. Now whenever I see a cop in traffic, I smile and wave, and act like a law enforcement groupie. That's usually sufficient to get them to hightail it the other way.
Not always. It can be about power and political kissing-up as well.
Periodically we have little spasms of 'sobriety checkpoints' at odd hours, where roads are blocked off supposedly to detect 'drunk drivers'. Unsurprisingly, however, drivers are quickly asked to produce license, registration, and proof of insurance ... and given the consequences that follow when some of those things aren't fully up to snuff. A recent example of one of these raids resulted in exactly zero drunk-driver interdictions ... but no fewer than 240 citations against Hispanics. Good plausible denial for what effectively constitutes profiling! You sure couldn't do that driving around targeting people from groups you don't like!
Convicted OneLearned my lesson there however. Now whenever I see a cop in traffic, I smile and wave, and act like a law enforcement groupie.
Back in the day before LED light bars, you could easily see my blue (firefighter) or red (fire chief) colored dome - I'm sure I escaped further scrutiny on more than a few occasions because of them. Professional courtesy, donchaknow.
Nowadays, everybody has an LED bar with no color indicated. The license plate marker stating "fire chief" probably isn't quite as effective.
They also get a friendly wave, and since I've worked with some of them at accidents, it's that much better.
tree68 Convicted One Learned my lesson there however. Now whenever I see a cop in traffic, I smile and wave, and act like a law enforcement groupie. Back in the day before LED light bars, you could easily see my blue (firefighter) or red (fire chief) colored dome - I'm sure I escaped further scrutiny on more than a few occasions because of them. Professional courtesy, donchaknow. Nowadays, everybody has an LED bar with no color indicated. The license plate marker stating "fire chief" probably isn't quite as effective. They also get a friendly wave, and since I've worked with some of them at accidents, it's that much better.
Convicted One Learned my lesson there however. Now whenever I see a cop in traffic, I smile and wave, and act like a law enforcement groupie.
And when those Blue and Red LED's get fired up on High Intensity at night - they are BLINDING to oncoming traffic in all directions - and I suspect, in some cases lead to 'target fixation' type accidents.
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