Cops pose as beggars

[deputydawg]

Re: Cops pose as beggars

Txswinner, I am a little confused here. Is the "bum" stopping cars? If so that is definately wrong. Should be in a marked patrrol vehicle in uniform. Is the people killed stopped later by a marked unit for what the bum saw? Then it would be an unfortunate accident. Happens all of the time, I myself have had to jump onto the hood many times because gawkers come too close. Now if the bum is obstructing traffic they should be cited as well for obstructing traffic. <br /><br />I have already explained the entrapment defense. A person dressed as a bum, hiding in the bushes etc. is NOT entrapment. entrapoment is when they compel someone to break the law then arrest them. Unless the bum is blocking traffic then they arrest the people protesting this traffic obstruction, then they should all be fired and convicted. If the bum is sitting on the side of teh road well out of traffic watching what is happening then it is all good. IF this is the case then I still don't see why this would anger someone, unless that someone was breaking the law and got caught and is now upset that they didn't see it coming. Like I said should we all place billboards advertising cop 500 feet ahead?

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Cops pose as beggars

Originally posted by deputydawg:<br /> I am missing something here. What is the big problem?

One more time: The cops are wasting their time stopping crimes that do not help keep the world a better place. It doesn't matter if they have officers dedicated to this or not, they shouldn't. Like I said before, all the officers involved in this seatbelt BS could have spent their time fighting REAL crime or setting up stings for much more serious offenses.<br /><br />For example, lets say they had 5 cops dedicated to this seatbelt BS for the day. Those same 5 cops could have gone undercover and sold meth. They would have caught just as many or more people, but instead of fining average citizens they'd be arresting tweakers. They'd accidentally run across as many other unrelated crimes as they would during any seatbelt stop. They could also set up a check point for drunk drivers. Or patrol the highways for speeders. There are many, many other traffic related crimes they should be trying to stop before they harrass people who forgot to put on a seatbelt.<br /><br />This question is for anybody here, which would you prefer the police spend their day doing?<br />1. Fine 50 people not wearing their seatbelt<br />2. Arrest 50 tweakers<br />3. Stop 50 reckless drivers<br />4. Stop 50 drunk drivers<br />5. Stop 50 speeders<br />Any cop that's busy doing number 1 can't be doing 2-5.

 

[deputydawg]

Re: Cops pose as beggars

OK, I see where your going with this. I am with you on the seatbelt issue. It is a B.S.law and I never enforce it. I do enforce the child seat law, but I have personal reasons for that, but the seatbelt law does not have my support. I like my state, it is secondary only to a citation meaning you have to be ticketed for something before a seatbelt ticket. <br /><br />I also agree that designating that many officers to a seatbelt checkpoint is a waste of rescources. What is probably happening there is the the officers were working off duty on the click it or ticket overtime grant. I know this will get a lot of people hot, and maybe rightfully so, but they probably signed up for the grant to enforce nothing but seatbelts for a week for overtime for Christmas money.<br /><br />Now that I understand where you are going, I see your point. A seatbelt is not a serious enough crime to spend these rescources on. These officers are probably assigned to traffic detail so cannot make cases on anything except traffic, but there are more serious problems than seatbelts. <br />States where the seatbelt law is a primary offense, it is definately a good stop for PC. If all else fails, stop for seatbelt. BUT not every officer feels like I do about seatbelts. If you would have asked me 4 weeks ago I would probably have said otherwise. I investigated a fatality where a seatbelt would definately have saved a life. Yes it was her decision to drive and place her life in danger. BUT what in h#(( gave her the right to make me have to go pick up her bloody body, then go tell her father, then go to her house and tell her young sons that mommy is gone and will not be coming home. But I guess it was her decision to go that way so good for her.<br /><br />Anyway now that I see where your going I understand and agree with you. I understand though that these 5 officers are probably on days off working click it or ticket B.S. for Christmas money. In that case would not be allowed by the nature of the overtime grant to answer any calls for service or enforce any other offenses as their primary function.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Cops pose as beggars

Originally posted by deputydawg:<br />I also agree that designating that many officers to a seatbelt checkpoint is a waste of rescources.

Exactly my point. At the same time, these officers and whoever came up with the idea to dress up like bums are just giving the general public another reason to hate cops.