cops don't like it when you interfere with their revenue stream....

I feel safer knowing this woman was off the streets for 12 hours. Hopefully, she learned her lesson. Fark the police in this case.

I'm a little confused. So it actually was legal for her to be holding the sign?

And in states where it's illegal to flash highbeams, is the illegality actually based on the underlying purpose of the action (warning drivers of police), or is it based on some sort of "safety" issues (flashing highbeams might temporarily blind oncoming drivers, etc.)?

Pocket Ninja: I'm a little confused. So it actually was legal for her to be holding the sign?

Yes. Which is why they busted her on a stupid charge that basically amounts to jaywalking. Speaking of which, why the hell is jaywalking a misdemeanor? It should be, if anything, a ticketable violation.

And in states where it's illegal to flash highbeams, is the illegality actually based on the underlying purpose of the action (warning drivers of police), or is it based on some sort of "safety" issues (flashing highbeams might temporarily blind oncoming drivers, etc.)?

"Safety issues" is the excuse, "takin' our cop-moneys away" is the reason.

I don't understand. The purpose of a speed trap is to get people to slow down. Warning people extends the effectiveness of on cop by several miles in both directions. It's a force multiplier, they should love this.

EvilEgg: I don't understand. The purpose of a speed trap is to get people to slow down. Warning people extends the effectiveness of on cop by several miles in both directions. It's a force multiplier, they should love this.

Here's your problem.

EvilEgg: I don't understand. The purpose of a speed trap is to get people to slow down. Warning people extends the effectiveness of on cop by several miles in both directions. It's a force multiplier, they should love this.

Your problem of understanding stems from the incorrect notion that speedtraps are actually for getting drivers to slow down. Cops do not want drivers to obey the speed limits, or any road laws for that matter, because there would be no revenue coming in. There's a reason why cops in Houston are moving toward more unrecognizable cars:



It's so people won't see them so quickly and adjust their driving to be within the law. They WANT to catch people, not make the roads safer.

Weaver95: cops don't like it when you interfere with their revenue stream....

THIS.

If the cops couldn't write bogus traffic tickets, they would resort to just pulling you over and confiscating all the drug tainted money on your person, i.e. all of it.

Is that what you really want?

scottydoesntknow: EvilEgg: I don't understand. The purpose of a speed trap is to get people to slow down. Warning people extends the effectiveness of on cop by several miles in both directions. It's a force multiplier, they should love this.

Your problem of understanding stems from the incorrect notion that speedtraps are actually for getting drivers to slow down. Cops do not want drivers to obey the speed limits, or any road laws for that matter, because there would be no revenue coming in. There's a reason why cops in Houston are moving toward more unrecognizable cars:

[farm4.static.flickr.com image 500x375]

It's so people won't see them so quickly and adjust their driving to be within the law. They WANT to catch people, not make the roads safer.

Hell, they even took of the side spotlights to make them harder to spot

HPD is bad, but not as bad as some of the small towns, oddly though the county and state ones seem to be a little more relaxed.

EvilEgg: I don't understand. The purpose of a speed trap is to get people to slow down. Warning people extends the effectiveness of on cop by several miles in both directions. It's a force multiplier, they should love this.

I've asked some cops about this (i'm in NJ where it's legal to flash lights) they said yes, it is mainly about getting people to slow down, but it's also about catching "bigger fish" as most criminals are lazy and therefore will have more violations than someone who's living right. So warning others could provide an "out" to someone who'd normally be locked up.

EvilEgg: I don't understand. The purpose of a speed trap is to get people to slow down.

Yes, it is obvious you don't understand the purpose of a speed trap :-)

Yet no one tickets and arrests those HPD geniuses that jump out in front of moving traffic on foot at intersections & frontage roads to give people tickets for expired registration stickers.

Seen so many drivers almost plow them over when they do that sh*t.

Pocket Ninja [TotalFark] 2012-06-29 08:44:31 AM

I'm a little confused. So it actually was legal for her to be holding the sign?

And in states where it's illegal to flash highbeams, is the illegality actually based on the underlying purpose of the action (warning drivers of police), or is it based on some sort of "safety" issues (flashing highbeams might temporarily blind oncoming drivers, etc.)?

They will hit you up with obstruction of justice in Ohio for flashing your high beams. But they also do that if you merely stand on the sidewalk and observe the police beating and arresting black people too. You don't have to participate, just stand there and don't move when they tell you nothing to see here, move along.

Cops suck and not in a good way..

scottydoesntknow: It's so people won't see them so quickly and adjust their driving to be within the law. They WANT to catch people, not make the roads safer.

Those bastards!

I hate those cars people buy from auctions and then don't remove any of the old cop stuff. Then they just drive as fast as they want and people move out of the way.

I don't think I've seen a speed trap in MD yet. They just sit there in the open to get you to slow down. I can't figure out how stupid you have to be to get caught by them.

But Houston police saw it differently, and arrested Plummer for standing in the street where there a sidewalk was present, a misdemeanor charge.

ummm

The local radio station always gives the daily locations of the radar zones. Then again, I live in FL where flashing your headlights to warn people about speed traps is legal. Car headlights, that is.

/male, no moobies

It sounds like a reasonable judge will throw out the charges. She interfered with the polices' predatory mandate and revenue stream and they responded by inconveniencing her for 12 hours plus court.

I was thinking subby meant another type of high beams. A pair of high beams, if you know what I mean. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

/would slow me down

Helping people to not get caught when breaking the law is heroic?

This is Houston...she's lucky to be alive, and not a corpse in the bayou.

Link

scottydoesntknow: EvilEgg: It's so people won't see them so quickly and adjust their driving to be within the law. They WANT to catch people, not make the roads safer.

Pocket Ninja: I'm a little confused. So it actually was legal for her to be holding the sign?

And in states where it's illegal to flash highbeams, is the illegality actually based on the underlying purpose of the action (warning drivers of police), or is it based on some sort of "safety" issues (flashing highbeams might temporarily blind oncoming drivers, etc.)?

I've talked to one somewhat arrogant NC State Trooper who said he resents drivers who flash their highbeams to warn of speeders. He cited some hypothetical situation about alerting a hypothetical drunk driver who ends up killing another driver. He basically said he wouldn't have a problem ticketing a "flasher" with "failing to dim headlights" (NCGS § 20-181).

If I ever get stopped for flashing the highbeams or flicking the lights on and off (which I think would be a more recognizable signal), I would just tell der Offizier that I was checking them to make sure they were working correctly. The first four times, I wasn't quite sure.

slognard: But Houston police saw it differently, and arrested Plummer for standing in the street where there a sidewalk was present, a misdemeanor charge.
[i1246.photobucket.com image 640x360]
ummm

Yep. I bet he said, "Stand right here on the street. See that sidewalk there? You're under arrest, jay-walking scum." Around here 12 hours in jail will get a girl strip-searched about six times, too.

Amazing. Tennessee allows flashing lights to warn of speed traps? Just when I thought the term "Dumb as a rock." came from here...

Pocket Ninja - And in states where it's illegal to flash highbeams, is the illegality actually based on the underlying purpose of the action..."

its obstruction of justice... same as if you tipped someone off that there were officers outside looking for them, or told police you had never seen a person when you actually had. Of course, we all know this is to generate income, nothing more. I know this because of all the people I see flying down the road in front of my house. It is a fairly quiet neighborhood, but this one street allows people to cut from one major road to another and avoid four stoplights in the process. The cops know this happens, but they never seem willing to set up a trap here. Of course, the fact that plenty of them live in this area has nothing to do with it...

/nothing to see here move along citizen...

In Ohio it hasn't been made a state law about the legality of flashing high beams (at least not since I last looked it up, about 6 months ago). I can't find the source now, but there were three cases that went to court about it, 2 of those three said it was legal mostly because they were trying to get them on impairing other drivers with bright lights (which they said a quick flash wasn't impairing other drivers, especially during the day). The third case said it was illegal. I don't think anything had to do with "impedeing an officer" or whatever you want to call that.

I don't flash usually, I usually just stick my hand out the window and do a "slow down" motion. Seems to get the point across most of the time.

/just FYI, I think the Ohio State Highway Patrol is moving to silver cars now, (with a thin light beam that is all blue) instead of white. I saw one a couple of days ago with the OSHP logo on it. I haven't confirmed this however.

From the comments:

Her holding a sign to warn motorists of a speed trap is no different than Paul Revere riding through the streets of Boston to warn of a British attack. Flashing your lights or holding a sign is warning of armed enforcement just as the silversmith did. Freedom of Speech plain and simple.

I blame Obamacare and Justice Richards

Clownmug: Helping people to not get caught when breaking the law is heroic?

And the boot lickers have arrived.

Black or brown polish, sir?

PsyLord: The local radio station always gives the daily locations of the radar zones. Then again, I live in FL where flashing your headlights to warn people about speed traps is legal. Car headlights, that is.

/male, no moobies

The Buzz in Houston does the same thing called "The Jelly Report". It actually pisses some of the officers off, while others think it's a fun game.

I would imagine it's not just about revenue stream. It seems like whenever I read about a big bust for drug trafficking, it starts with the cops pulling someone over for speeding or some other minor charge.

Hermione_Granger: They will hit you up with obstruction of justice in Ohio for flashing your high beams.

What wiki has to say about it:

"In Ohio, courts have held that the act of flashing one's headlights so as to alert oncoming drivers of a radar trap does not constitute the offense of obstructing a police officer in the performance of his duties, where there was no proof that the warned vehicles were speeding prior to the warning.[35][36] In another case, where a driver received a citation under an ordinance prohibiting flashing lights on a vehicle, a court held that the ordinance referred to the noun of flashing lights and did not prohibit the verb of flashing the headlights on a vehicle.[37] In a difference case, a court held that a momentary flick of the high beams is not a violation of Ohio R.C. 4513.15[38] (which prohibits drivers from aiming glaring rays into the eyes of oncoming drivers).[39]"

Link

EvilEgg: I don't understand. The purpose of a speed trap is to get people to slow down. Warning people extends the effectiveness of on cop by several miles in both directions. It's a force multiplier, they should love this.

Even accepting the premise that it's for safety and not for revenue, I doubt speed traps actually have the effect of making the roads safer. Whenever you see the cop looming in the distance, what else do you see? Brake lights everywhere, a bunch of cars abruptly changing speeds, and unpredictability for the next couple of miles as some drivers determine it's safe to speed back up while others plod along at speeds well below the limit (in all lanes, of course). I suppose there are probably studies on this, and if anyone could link one that would be nice.

payattention: Amazing. Tennessee allows flashing lights to warn of speed traps? Just when I thought the term "Dumb as a rock." came from here...

Pocket Ninja - And in states where it's illegal to flash highbeams, is the illegality actually based on the underlying purpose of the action..."

its obstruction of justice... same as if you tipped someone off that there were officers outside looking for them, or told police you had never seen a person when you actually had. Of course, we all know this is to generate income, nothing more. I know this because of all the people I see flying down the road in front of my house. It is a fairly quiet neighborhood, but this one street allows people to cut from one major road to another and avoid four stoplights in the process. The cops know this happens, but they never seem willing to set up a trap here. Of course, the fact that plenty of them live in this area has nothing to do with it...

/nothing to see here move along citizen...

Huh, I'd just say I saw a pig deer in the road and was warning other drivers about the potential road hazard.

Couldn't read that sign anyways. Not at the speed I'm going. What did it say?

squidgod2000: From the comments:

Her holding a sign to warn motorists of a speed trap is no different than Paul Revere riding through the streets of Boston to warn of a British attack. Flashing your lights or holding a sign is warning of armed enforcement just as the silversmith did. Freedom of Speech plain and simple.


So I guess ringing a bell would be OK too.

hypothetical situation about alerting a hypothetical drunk driver who ends up killing another driver

if this hypothetical drunk driver is hypothetically alert enough to hypothetically slow down and drive safely because he's had high beams flashed at him, he's probably hypothetically as fit enough to drive as anyone else hypothetically might be.

Instant dick.

Just add uniform and badge.

scottydoesntknow: The Buzz in Houston does the same thing called "The Jelly Report". It actually pisses some of the officers off, while others think it's a fun game.

Waze has where you can mark the cops on the map. Also, don't some radar detectors and gps?

I get the high beams joke....

/a little light humour

Orgasmatron138: I would imagine it's not just about revenue stream.

It's the end of the month. Quota time... I mean incentive time.
Write x number of tickets each month and earn an extra floating vacation day but there is no quota.

Also, if you are on the interstate, watch the truck drivers. They usually have a good idea of where the LEOs are (with the CB communication and all)

/Had a CB radio in my youth, only to monitor the group channel (19 I think it was) to get a heads up on smokey

TheYeti: Clownmug: Helping people to not get caught when breaking the law is heroic?

And the boot lickers have arrived.

Black or brown polish, sir?

Who says I'm on the cops side? I just think speeders should be punished for endangering everyone else on the road.

Harry Freakstorm: Couldn't read that sign anyways. Not at the speed I'm going. What did it say?

She should wear a mask like this and just stand there.

Clownmug: Helping people to not get caught when breaking the law is heroic?



"Exactly right, white bread."

Florida does it best.

Mirrorz: It's the end of the month. Quota time... I mean incentive time.
Write x number of tickets each month and earn an extra floating vacation day but there is no quota.

Was married to a cop (no longer thankfully). They call it 'job performance guidelines' now.