Ask A Police Officer

[streakn]

For those of you silent types that don't want to post anything, here is a website with fairly acurate laws covering everything. Keep in mind laws are always changing.http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html

[streakn]

And here is some case law stuff for you as well.http://california.lp.findlaw.com/

[streakn]

From California DMV...new laws for 2006. LEO's this is a good one to look into.http://www.dmv.ca.gov/about/leg/leginfo.htm

[STG]

Originally Posted by IMachU

MLV289 - The best thing to do is follow at a SAFE distance and call it in. While on the phone with the Highway Patrol dispatcher, describe exactly what the vehicle is doing - like swerving, driving too slow/fast, as the driver does it. That will help with the officer's investigation, and the 911 tape will be called in as evidence.

Well intentioned advice Dave, but....

In Southern California,if you dial 911 from a cell phone(rings CHP dispatch), you will hear (to the best of my memory):


(IF YOU DON'T GET A FREAKIN' BUSY SIGNAL....)

You have reached the California Highway Patrol's 911 emergency line. Press one for English.

La prensa ocho para español.

All of our operators are busy. The emergency 911 service is for emergency calls only. If your call is not an emergency, please call your local police or sheriff's department on their non-emergency number during regular business hours.

If your call is an emergency, please wait for the next available operator.

All operators are busy ......




The longest I've waited before hanging up was 22 minutes.

Back when I was in California, I had the direct phone numbers for local PD or Sheriff programed into my cell phone for all cities I normally travelled through. I either called the juristiction I was in directly, or for more fun I would call any PD on their direct line and tell them the goddamed idiots at the CHP aren't picking up the 911 line and have the PD dispatch call CHP on an inside line.

[streakn]

Originally Posted by STG

Well intentioned advice Dave, but....

In Southern California,if you dial 911 from a cell phone(rings CHP dispatch), you will hear (to the best of my memory):


(IF YOU DON'T GET A FREAKIN' BUSY SIGNAL....)

You have reached the California Highway Patrol's 911 emergency line. Press one for English.

La prensa ocho para español.

All of our operators are busy. The emergency 911 service is for emergency calls only. If your call is not an emergency, please call your local police or sheriff's department on their non-emergency number during regular business hours.

If your call is an emergency, please wait for the next available operator.

All operators are busy ......




The longest I've waited before hanging up was 22 minutes.

Back when I was in California, I had the direct phone numbers for local PD or Sheriff programed into my cell phone for all cities I normally travelled through. I either called the juristiction I was in directly, or for more fun I would call any PD on their direct line and tell them the goddamed idiots at the CHP aren't picking up the 911 line and have the PD dispatch call CHP on an inside line.

Stan, check out my post above old salt.
EDIT:actually page 8 post 196

[kevsrcode]

Originally Posted by mlv289

This is a great thread. I have a question regarding when a DUI/wreckless driving is witnessed. I had all kinds of thoughts run through my head the other night on my way home when I saw some jack*** swerving all over the road, coming into other peoples lanes, etc. I don't know if the driver was drunk, or just some punk trying to show off to his friend or girlfriend (it was ricer afterall, Celica). It almost seem to exagerated to be drunk, but I am no professional... Anyway, is there anything that can be done besides calling it in? It took a little over 8 minutes for a response time, which is good I guess, as it was out in "rural" area, but yet it is a well traveled road, and he made at least 15 cars that I counted have to evasive action to avoid a wreck. I realize that any forceful action taken by a civilian driver could amount to more damage and/or casualities, but if there was an opening, and other drivers were now keeping distance, and I was in my beater......could I do anything and have any legal grounds? Afterall, the driver is endangering my life, as well as others....I don't know, maybe a stupid question but I really wanted to run him off the road and then beat him down for being an idiot driver, or a drunk driver, whatever the case was. Or at least block him somehow...

Not a good idea. Anything you do, if I am properly understanding your intention of using force to end the situation, is gonig to open you up to civil liability and possible criminal charges. The best thing to do is stay at a safe distance and call, stay on the phone and, if needed, be a good witness.

[kopacko]

Originally Posted by kevsrcode

Not a good idea. Anything you do, if I am properly understanding your intention of using force to end the situation, is gonig to open you up to civil liability and possible criminal charges. The best thing to do is stay at a safe distance and call, stay on the phone and, if needed, be a good witness.

Good witness > suspected civil action and potential criminal charges.

[mlv289]

Understood, and I would never take any action due to the liability that could arise, but on the other hand, when I was watching this happen I was just thinking...would I rather help now by getting the idiot off the road, or help later pulling a family out of their SUV that just flipped over because they had to swerve to get out of the way and hit a curb...

I know though, alot of varaibles to consider, at it should just be left to the pros. Thanks.

[Fenixfire]

Originally Posted by mlv289

Understood, and I would never take any action due to the liability that could arise, but on the other hand, when I was watching this happen I was just thinking...would I rather help now by getting the idiot off the road, or help later pulling a family out of their SUV that just flipped over because they had to swerve to get out of the way and hit a curb...

I know though, alot of varaibles to consider, at it should just be left to the pros. Thanks.

That is very difficult to consider about getting him off the road or helping the ppl he hit later. Its not easy living with the idea that you could have maybe done something to prevent a serious accident. Just remember, its not your fault, you were not the one that caused it. As you said, there are too many variables involved and you could end up causing more harm than good. By watching out for yourself that is one less person that is being endangered. It sounds selfish, but it really is the best course of action.

As many other fine officers have already stated stay a safe distance away, call it in and follow that individual until the authorities arrive. Describe everything they are doing to the 911 dispatcher and always make sure you keep out of harms way. If they do hit someone then tell that to the dispatcher in the best detail possible. Stop and see if those people are ok and describe their condition to the dispatcher. That way medical knows what to expect before they even get to the scene. If the suspect driver continues on dont follow him. Simply report the last known direction of travel you saw him take. Stay with the victims that he just hit and wait for patrols/medical to arrive even if the victims are ok. You do not want to continue following someone who just hit someone else and continued on. That says that they are either driving impaired in some way(drugs/alcohol) and are completely oblivious to what they are doing OR they are completely coherent and have lost all regard for human life. Someone like this is VERY dangerous and VERY unpredictable and NOT someone you want to follow, because they could suddenly stop and turn a weapon on you(be it the car they are driving or a firearm, both are deadly).

If you ever find yourself in this situation again(God forbid) consider the aformentioned information before doing anything. It is tempting to get involved but you could simply become another victim. If you follow all this then you will have become the single most influential person in the case and all you did was observe and report. This is the best witness a police officer could ever ask for and you will have the 911 tapes to back you up.

[streakn]

And lastly write his license plate down along with the description of the vehicle and the driver. I don't know how many times people don't look for the vehicle plate and the suspect gets away.

[Starsky]

Originally Posted by streakn

Yikes!!! You all haven't run into any liability issues with that yet? Such as driver comes back, drives the car...crashes kills family of 4 (God forbid)etc. etc.

Me personally, I'll call someone to pick it up that is valid to drive. If i can't find a reason to impound the vehicle.

In my 13 yrs down here we haven't had a liability issue, although our argument has always been, "We give the driver a ticket for no insurance and driving without a license, After I leave, he drives 2 blocks, T-bones a school bus that catches on fire, and you're telling me when they find my ticket in his pocket the city doesn't have liability due to their policy?"

I have been told Arlington Texas has started impounding in those cases, and we may be waiting to see if it holds up in court.

[Fenixfire]

Originally Posted by streakn

And lastly write his license plate down along with the description of the vehicle and the driver. I don't know how many times people don't look for the vehicle plate and the suspect gets away.

Yes, a very valid point streakn.

[streakn]

Originally Posted by Starsky

In my 13 yrs down here we haven't had a liability issue, although our argument has always been, "We give the driver a ticket for no insurance and driving without a license, After I leave, he drives 2 blocks, T-bones a school bus that catches on fire, and you're telling me when they find my ticket in his pocket the city doesn't have liability due to their policy?"

I have been told Arlington Texas has started impounding in those cases, and we may be waiting to see if it holds up in court.

Good deal, I hope it works out for you Lone Stars.

[kevsrcode]

Our department policy is to arrest if there is no state issued ID. Very similar to what you were talking about previously, Starsky. We also cite and release if the guy has a State issued ID card. The problem that we ran into was one of our officers making an arrest and then the guy filing an IA complaint. The department/city legal's ruling was that the reason Texas law allows arrest on a class C charge is to ensure the defendant's appearance in court. Citing someone with valid ID should be good enough, according to them. There are also exceptions if we have some other "articulable facts" as to why we believe they won't show up...ie, they've been issued warrants in the past, etc...

[Mustanger2]

This is really serious for my wife... after more than 30 years of wanting to find out about her father she has finally gotten a name and an address...we know that he does have a prison record but not for what or how serious... before she makes an attempt to contact her father I think it might be wise to have a background check to see if contact is even smart...

How does one go about this? What resources does the internet provide for this effort? Anybody here have experience or know the best approach?

Asking for all advice and opinions, it really means a lot to her but I want it to be a safe action... Thanks everyone!
__________________

[mustangmike2003]

Yea, Id like to ask some of the local cops why they like to follow me 100 feet back and think that I dont realize they are there when im doing 20 in a 35

[Fenixfire]

Originally Posted by Mustanger2

This is really serious for my wife... after more than 30 years of wanting to find out about her father she has finally gotten a name and an address...we know that he does have a prison record but not for what or how serious... before she makes an attempt to contact her father I think it might be wise to have a background check to see if contact is even smart...

How does one go about this? What resources does the internet provide for this effort? Anybody here have experience or know the best approach?

Asking for all advice and opinions, it really means a lot to her but I want it to be a safe action... Thanks everyone!
__________________

All criminal records are public. Just go downtown(or wherever your city/town keeps its public records) and look under her fathers name. It will pull up all applicable records for that person.

[New Mach]

Mustangmike2003,

Are you sure they're following you? Do they pull you over? If yes, what do they say?

Cops don't tend to follow the same vehicle (or anyone for that matter) over and over again, just for fun. Most cops are looking for bad guys, not traffic violators. If they want "you" they'll just pull you over, as Probable Cause (PC) is not hard to find, if you know what you're doing. Cops aren't not shy. Ever consider they might just like looking at your car?

I was pulled over once for no reason by a CHP, he polighty asked if he could look under my hood, ended up he was just a Mustang fan. I took it as a compliment.

Michael

[mustangmike2003]

Originally Posted by Vffr1

Mustangmike2003,

Are you sure they're following you? Do they pull you over? If yes, what do they say?

Cops don't tend to follow the same vehicle (or anyone for that matter) over and over again, just for fun. Most cops are looking for bad guys, not traffic violators. If they want "you" they'll just pull you over, as Probable Cause (PC) is not hard to find, if you know what you're doing. Cops aren't not shy. Ever consider they might just like looking at your car?

I was pulled over once for no reason by a CHP, he polighty asked if he could look under my hood, ended up he was just a Mustang fan. I took it as a compliment.

Michael

Well, one time I got followed for like 3 miles, then got pulled over for no turn signal. The other time, I got followed then pulled over in my own driveway for exhaust. Then I got followed and he got bored of me so he went and pulled someone else over, that was so funny. Then one time got pulled over for no front plate.....the complaints with local cops are never ending....but I have gotten more then my share of speeding tickets

[Fenixfire]

Originally Posted by mustangmike2003

Well, one time I got followed for like 3 miles, then got pulled over for no turn signal. The other time, I got followed then pulled over in my own driveway for exhaust. Then I got followed and he got bored of me so he went and pulled someone else over, that was so funny. Then one time got pulled over for no front plate.....the complaints with local cops are never ending....but I have gotten more then my share of speeding tickets

Wow that sux.....Instead of being a babe magnet your a cop magnet! J/k man :LAUGH:

[Mustanger2]

Originally Posted by Fenixfire

All criminal records are public. Just go downtown(or wherever your city/town keeps its public records) and look under her fathers name. It will pull up all applicable records for that person.

Thanks for the reply Fenix... But we live in Oregon & his address is in Illinois???

[kopacko]

Originally Posted by mustangmike2003

Well, one time I got followed for like 3 miles, then got pulled over for no turn signal. The other time, I got followed then pulled over in my own driveway for exhaust. Then I got followed and he got bored of me so he went and pulled someone else over, that was so funny. Then one time got pulled over for no front plate.....the complaints with local cops are never ending....but I have gotten more then my share of speeding tickets

Do not feel bad. Since I have owned my Mach, I have been pulled over 7 times by neighboring department officers. I was headed home from work one night, in uniform and was followed for several miles. It is the car most likely, not the driver.

[kevsrcode]

Originally Posted by Mustanger2

Thanks for the reply Fenix... But we live in Oregon & his address is in Illinois???

I'm not sure about Illinois, Mustanger, but in Texas, you can contact the State Police and they will have a form that you can fill out to request someone's criminal history. I would assume that Illinois is the same way, but, you know what they say.... That would be a place to start though.

[kevsrcode]

Originally Posted by mustangmike2003

Well, one time I got followed for like 3 miles, then got pulled over for no turn signal. The other time, I got followed then pulled over in my own driveway for exhaust. Then I got followed and he got bored of me so he went and pulled someone else over, that was so funny. Then one time got pulled over for no front plate.....the complaints with local cops are never ending....but I have gotten more then my share of speeding tickets

The cars do attract alot of attention, I've been pulled over in mine three times since I got it in August. It may also have something to do with your age..., the combination of the fast car and young driver leads some to believe you may be waiting to take off. I am only guessing though. It could also be that they aren't following you but with your history of being stopped, it may seem to you as if they are. Again, just guessing.

[mustangmike2003]

Ive been pulled over more then 20 times in my car for little stuff, its pretty aggrivating.