Are cops dumb, or is it just me ?!?!

[Graymist]

Quite often, I come across cops who have pulled someone over for whatever reason, either on the downhill stretch of a hill, or on the uphill stretch.

Now, isn't that a disaster waiting to happen ? If a cop has to pull someone over, why can't they wait till they hit a flat stretch of road, and then pull the other vehicle over ?

Or, am I missing something here ?

[bigtimba]

Not to worry . . it's not just you.

[Uturn2001]

One of my favorite "stupid cop tricks" is when they have someone pulled over and the park on the shoulder with the front of their car taking up 3 or 4 feet of the travel lane.

[thebaldeagle655]

One of my favorite "stupid cop tricks" is when they have someone pulled over and the park on the shoulder with the front of their car taking up 3 or 4 feet of the travel lane.

You have to remember, that 3 or 4 feet in the travel lane is for the officer's protection. They are trained to place their cars in a position to deflect an oncoming car that happens to pile into their cruiser. As we all know, the average driver will turn their car towards where they look. Police, fire and EMS vehicles are struck by rubberneckers all too often!

As for stopping a car in a blind area, remember, the officer turned on the lights, the idiot in the car he is stopping is responsible for pulling over at a safe place!

My pet peeve though, is to see an officer with a car pulled over on the left shoulder of a divided freeway. I feel that if a driver is being stopped and pulls to the left shoulder, the officer should advise him over the loud speaker to SAFELY move to the right shoulder, then after the driver moves to the proper place, issue the citation for not only the original infraction, but also for failure to pull to the RIGHT for an emergency vehicle as the law requires.

[all18wheels]

One of my favorite "stupid cop tricks" is when they have someone pulled over and the park on the shoulder with the front of their car taking up 3 or 4 feet of the travel lane.

just yesterday, i came around a blind corner.
i was entering I70East from I68East in Maryland.

i was lucky i didnt hit the front of the cruiser that was sticking out of the shoulder about 4 feet. :?

[Orangetxguy]

One of my favorite "stupid cop tricks" is when they have someone pulled over and the park on the shoulder with the front of their car taking up 3 or 4 feet of the travel lane.

You have to remember, that 3 or 4 feet in the travel lane is for the officer's protection. They are trained to place their cars in a position to deflect an oncoming car that happens to pile into their cruiser. As we all know, the average driver will turn their car towards where they look. Police, fire and EMS vehicles are struck by rubberneckers all too often!

As for stopping a car in a blind area, remember, the officer turned on the lights, the idiot in the car he is stopping is responsible for pulling over at a safe place!

My pet peeve though, is to see an officer with a car pulled over on the left shoulder of a divided freeway. I feel that if a driver is being stopped and pulls to the left shoulder, the officer should advise him over the loud speaker to SAFELY move to the right shoulder, then after the driver moves to the proper place, issue the citation for not only the original infraction, but also for failure to pull to the RIGHT for an emergency vehicle as the law requires.

Have you ever had the chance though to see how many of the "dummies" comply with orders given to them by LEO's over the PA system?? Very very few dummies get it...their to busy pi@@in and moanin about the LEO pulling them over in the first place.

[Mr. Ford95]

FYI, that parking at an angle does nothing to protect the officer from an incoming vehicle if it is traveling fast enough. Just watch some of the police videos on TruTV and you will see what I mean.

I hate the one's that do a traffic stop right in the middle of a travel lane. Out on I-66 near Dulles Airport is a bad spot for that to take place. Causes a major traffic backup because the cop is being a bonehead.

I had one on a backroad that had a car stopped in my travel lane right as you come off a blind corner in the spring and summer. Came around at 30 mph and thankfully no cars were coming the other way. Cop got pissy with me so I called in to their local HQ and told them that he was welcome for me not running his stupid self over. They got him on the radio once I explained where it was and how there was a wide shoulder area just 500 feet further down the road. He was told to never pull a stunt like that again and for his temper tantrum would have to go thru some dept. mediation.

[DDCavi]

Who in the hell pulls over to the left shoulder when being stopped?!? They should also be hit in the head with a tack hammer...

[Uturn2001]

You have to remember, that 3 or 4 feet in the travel lane is for the officer's protection. They are trained to place their cars in a position to deflect an oncoming car that happens to pile into their cruiser. As we all know, the average driver will turn their car towards where they look. Police, fire and EMS vehicles are struck by rubberneckers all too often!

It looks good on paper doesn't it. :wink:

I know an IL state trooper and we were talking about this a couple of years ago and he was telling me that IL had considered making it a policy but on further exam it turns out that it actually increases the chance of the officer and others being hurt in a traffic accident, not to mention causing one.

[harleypiper]

FYI, that parking at an angle does nothing to protect the officer from an incoming vehicle if it is traveling fast enough. Just watch some of the police videos on TruTV and you will see what I mean.

I had one on a backroad that had a car stopped in my travel lane right as you come off a blind corner in the spring and summer. Came around at 30 mph and thankfully no cars were coming the other way. Cop got pissy with me so I called in to their local HQ and told them that he was welcome for me not running his stupid self over. They got him on the radio once I explained where it was and how there was a wide shoulder area just 500 feet further down the road. He was told to never pull a stunt like that again and for his temper tantrum would have to go thru some dept. mediation.

Ha! I really doubt they got him on the radio and told him never to pull a stunt like that again. More than likely if you spoke with someone it was a civilain dispatcher and they have no authority what so ever to tell any LEO on the road not to do anything. And if it was a back road, I'm sure the cop didn't have much room to stop the idiot he pulled over. As the bald eagle pointed out, the cops do pull 3-4 ft off the vehicle he/she pulled over for a safety zone for them to walk to the vehicle and should they have to ask the driver out, for their safety as well. If you notice the front wheels are also turned to the outside so the police vehicle if struck would veer away from the stopped vehicle. A cop for the most part does infact make an attempt to turn his lights on at a point where it might be safe to stop a vehicle, but again the idiot he is stopping thinks it's safer someplace else and stops where they choose. After 21 yrs. as a cop, I have seen some really stupid people pull into the oncoming lane when I pulled behind them with light and siren. People are just stupid out there. Now I'll bet if the cop that you say you called on, had stopped someone for cutting you off in your truck, I'll bet you wouldn't care where he pulled them over, as long as he pulled them over. I do agree, there are some boneheaded cops out there who automatically think because they have the badge, gun and car, everyone will watch out for them, but I've now seen more dumb ***** truckers stop in worse locations in rest areas, truck stops and on the side of the roads.

[Walking Eagle]

FYI, that parking at an angle does nothing to protect the officer from an incoming vehicle if it is traveling fast enough. Just watch some of the police videos on TruTV and you will see what I mean.

Mr. Ford95, Sorry you are wrong. They only show the good (Bad) stuff on TruTv. Before I joined the Dark Side (trucking) I was a trooper. Always trained to angle the squad to deflect "oncoming" Made a stop as per the book and got hit in the rear by a P/U doing about 80, walked away. Made a stop and the person stopped real quick on the shoulder so had to stop pararlelle, got hit in the back by a Crown Victoria. Had two stainless steel knees but now they replaced them with some kinda Teflon stuff !! If I had angled the squad I would have walked away !!!!!!

[Phreddo]

i've had a cop pull me over in a car, and i led him into a parking lot to get us off the travelled part of the road. he was all "why did you pull in here?" Honestly, i try to do whatever i can to minimize the danger and inconvenience in a traffic stop, but i'm always reluctant to make the cop think i'm disregarding his orders.

i was running with another driver, and there was a cop in the middle of the road, and some construction guys on the side of the road. so we slow down, and the cop starts waving and ****. well, we pull into a truck stop 100 feet away cuz he needed fuel. well, the cop jumps in his car and follows him in with the lights on. so he stops, i pull in, and the cop jumps up on his running board and starts talking at him. turns out he wanted to perform an inspection, right on the fscking road. he was all p/o'd that the driver didn't stop his placarded tanker right in the middle of the road.

sorry, but if that's me, i don't care what that cop thinks, he can wait to find a safe place to perform his precious inspection. talk about sending mixed signals.

[Mr. Ford95]

harley, no it was not a civilian dispatcher, they patched me thru to a corporal and I was talking to him when the call was made on the radio. I was on the phone still and could hear the back and forth between them.

Eagle, I respect what your saying but total BS on angling a vehicle. Why do you think more and more cops are now going to the passenger side of a vehicle? If angling worked so well then they would stay to the drivers side. My wife's neighbor in Ohio is a Statie, he angles the car but he refuses to go to the drivers side because in his words, "That angling has never worked like we were told it would. I stay to the passenger side so I can have a clear path to dive out of the way if a car comes careening my way. Standing on the drivers side, your stuck and have to put all your faith into that cruiser somehow shielding you because ain't nowhere to dive out of the way." Ohio is one of the more notorious states for cops being hit. Believe what you want but in my opinion angling the car doesn't do a thing, it is about perception, it puts the cop more at ease to make the stop vs having to worry about being sideswiped if they know the car is angled out.

[BigDawg]

here in Missouri we had so many Troopers getting run over the old traffic stop postion,they had go to the angle postion.Now here it is a law that if you can move over when a trooper is a on stop a it would be a good idea,if not they can charge you with a Felony for not moving over.If you can't move then slow down when you pass.And don't worry it is written into law.

[BigWheels]

here in Missouri we had so many Troopers getting run over the old traffic stop postion,they had go to the angle postion.Now here it is a law that if you can move over when a trooper is a on stop a it would be a good idea,if not they can charge you with a Felony for not moving over.If you can't move then slow down when you pass.And don't worry it is written into law.

In Wisconsin, you also need to move one lane over if you can (slow down when you can't) when a trooper is talking with someone on the side-of-the road. It's the law.

I see about a 50/50 mix of troopers using / not using the angle position. I do see more troopers talking to people on the passenger-side of their vehicle.

[ct77]

Dont know how may times I have moved over to the left lane when I see an emergency vehicle on the side and some yo-yo 4 wheeler will then pass on the right, Have wondered if I just straddled the lanes and prevented moron behind me from passing on the right(until I am past the traffic stop) if that might not create a safer situation preventing yo-yo from passing but I am sure that would be considered an improper lane change. Times like that I sure miss the no passing on the right like they have on the Autobahn.

[wonderman]

One of my friends who works for the same company as I do, pulled out of Rhome and Hass in Houston loaded with monomers. He turned the corner and got on the service road, looks back to see the local yocal trying to pull him over on the 55 mph service road. My friend hits his flashers and dialed 911 told the dispatch he didnt recognize the type cop trying to pull him over and he was afraid to pull over (hijack the load)
within minutes he had 3 state troopers there pulling over the local cop. My buddy kept driving till he found a safe place to get off the road, The state troopers followed with the local cop who eventually apologized for trying to pull over a placarded load in traffic. My buddy is a little nuts but I think I would have kept driving too, some places are just not safe to stop...wonderman

[freebird]

Why ask here?
Next time you see a cop ask him/her!
"Are Cops dumb, or is it just me?"
Let us know what they say!! :wink:

[Ronin]

Ten bucks says is begins something like this "Step out of the vehicle please."

[Graymist]

Why ask here?
Next time you see a cop ask him/her!
"Are Cops dumb, or is it just me?"
Let us know what they say!! :wink:

As a matter of fact, I did do so, since I have a cop who lives next door to me. He failed to understand what the big deal was, in pulling cars over on a downhill or an uphill stretch. He believes that we can quite easily slow down and move over !!