Getting tired of the Speed Enforcement tactics in COS

[JohnTRourke]

it's all about the revenue
they just make the speed limits up (true story, longmont violated their own law to change a speed limit (3rd Ave) because it's "for the children")
doesn't have a damn thing to do with teh law, has to do with speeding
where do they get speeding tickets?
on wide open freeways most of the time (that of course, are the safest by far of the streets) because ti's easy

Cops wonder why people don't respect them, it shouldn't be hard to figure out.
:cry:

[michael_aos]

It was in the paper a while back. Presumably a lot of people run the lights under I-25 and Garden of the Gods, so they were going to station motorcycle cops there for 2wks.

If they wrote enough tickets, they'd use the money to hire cops to sit there all the time.

I read it in the paper, and I saw them sitting there during the pilot phase.

Kind of a long story, but the summary is that they wrote me a ticket for running a red-light. The light was green, so I went to court.

The judge cautioned me to plea-bargain, but I knew I was in the right so it went to trial.

The two motorcycle cops lied their butts off. Told a complete made-up fabrication. They did not deny that they had to meet a quota. The new assistant D/A got a conviction (me) on her very first case.

I guess they must not have met the overall quota though, because they never did assign a permanent detail.

Mike

[Recon]

I saw a piece on the television some time ago about a city in Europe that took down all traffic signs and regulations. There was a study that showed how people in a lawless environment were more cautious in their conduct so they decided to try it. I guess the jury is still out.

It makes some sense to me. If you don't know what the other freak on the road is going to do then maybe you'll get your stupid ass off the #$%^& phone and actually watch what you doing. Drive defensively.

It's the same principle as the old saw: "An armed society is a polite society."

Another study I read about some thirty years ago had a stop light in the middle of wide-open nowhere in France and in the U.S. It was set to hold red for quite a while. The French would slow down, look both ways, and cruise on through a red light without stopping if no one was coming. The Americans would stop and wait for the light to change, even though there was no one for miles in any direction.

Laws aren't all bad, but if you come to rely on them, you get stupid.

[smd223]

Interesting responses. Very polar issue no doubt. I'm not by any means suggesting that we should be allowed to speed, and as a rule, I don't in neighborhoods as I never want to run down a child, pet, etc... But, I also am expected to get to work on time and having to drive 50 miles one way every day in COS it's always a crap shoot. Major construction, lots of congestion, etc. and there are days when you just have to hussle to get to work on time... I consider speeding to be more like 90 in a 75, or 50 in a 30, or all out drag racing... I don't think it's right for Traffic Cops to be out aggressively enforcing speed laws during rush hour in a town where simply getting around on a day to day level is never predicatble... And don't sit there and tell me "don't break the law" because everyone on this thread has done it and will continue to do it as they see fit... Don't give me that "holy-ier than thou crap"... If that is your best input, stowe it. And by the way, the day I was most upset about, there were 2 Motorcycle cops and a cruiser writing tickets to people taking a side street around one intersection on Powers because Powers was stopped dead and traffic was crawling... They've been there every morning since and appear to be making a killing doing it... If the vast majority of drivers are exceeding the limit, there is a problem with either the set limit or the ability for people to make timely progress in there commute...

[Delphi]

^^^

agreed... their is obviously somthing wrong...

It's the same with gun laws though isnt it? The best regulation is the least regulation. I think that applys to guns as it applys to driving and almost everything else. I thought all us gun guys could at least agree on that... i guess the speed limit seems to be devisive though.

[robsterclaw]

If the vast majority of drivers are exceeding the limit, there is a problem with either the set limit or the ability for people to make timely progress in there commute...

Or the vast majority of them aren't smart enough to leave early enough to get where they need to be on time.

And don't sit there and tell me "don't break the law" because everyone on this thread has done it and will continue to do it as they see fit... Don't give me that "holy-ier than thou crap"... If that is your best input, stowe it.

Quite a jerk statement to make, as a new member to a forum THAT IS MADE TO AIR YOUR OPINIONS. If my opinion is to tell you "don't break the law" I'll sure as hell state my opinion. You can feel free to break the law as much as you want. You know what the penalties are and if your fine with the risk good for you.

[cedrick]

I think its about the money ,but I wish they would put a cop in my dive way I live by a school the back way in and they go50 up the street the worst are the school busses there aint no way they could stop if one of my 3 little one got to the street I even talked to them there to busy out on the main drag where its safer to go fast ,I dont mine the speed in the main areas if your safe no weaving in and out of traffic , but people need to slow down in the subdivisions getting home 5 seconds faster isnt worth plowing a kid and jail for life

[Delphi]

Ya the idiots speeding around neighborhoods and school zones are out of line... Maybee if they actually put cops in those areas to protect people instead having to worry about quotas it might make our society a bit better. All I know is they just want to suck your money out of you, and in all honesty they couldnt care less bout safty for the most part. I'm not blaming the cops, they do what they are forced to do by their bosses. I know quite a few of em and I in generall think most cops I've met are really quite cool. But it's really the fault of the people we ellect. So I guess even though speed traps are stupid it is in major part due to our voting tendancys. We vote for the ones we think are the lesser of two evils who have a chance of winning instead of going libretarian which would do a better job at regulating these types of things.

And about not breaking the law... at what point is it warrented to do so? Will you not be breaking the law when they outlaw guns (when not if the way this country is going) or will you go allong like a puppet and hand em all over? I go by the rule of the less law the better, except for certain circumstances. In a town in france they took away all speed limits and lights etc. Basically it was all up to the people actually driving and the accident and death rates on the roads whent down derastically. It's been proven that enforcing laws on the roads doesnt work for the most part, yet they still choose to implement it. It works the same way with guns, if everyone had a gun i guarentee you people would be much nicer to eachother :mrgreen:

Now you as why are they implementing somthing that doesnt work? It's the $$$ involved.

[LippCJ7]

Asha you and I have the same driving techniques! the "Rabbit" theory has served me well for 20 years now. However I am amazed anyone in Colorado Springs can speed at all I mean can they do anymore road construction? is there any road in Springs that is not in some form of upgrade and for crips sakes how long does it take to finish the woodmen interchange? I as watching a show on the troops in Iraq and one of the troops even cited that they took over Iraq and were well on the way of rebuilding Iraq meanwhile his hometown can't finish Woodmen Interchange I about fell off my chair!

[Zak Smith]

The light was green, so I went to court.

The judge cautioned me to plea-bargain, but I knew I was in the right so it went to trial.

The two motorcycle cops lied their butts off. Told a complete made-up fabrication.

There is a key learning here.