Quote:
Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan
You paint with too broad a brush. Look, citation fines are revenue, just like victim restitution fines, weed abatement fines (....e.g...fines for having an unkempt front yard), etc. There's a punitive dollar amount assigned/attached to just about every type of broken law however frivolous that written law may be. Why you guys seem to focus so much on vehicle fines (...and tend to funnel law enforcement away from focusing on them) is beyond me. While important, DUI/reckless driving enforcement aren't the end all, be all of law enforcement. Like I stated in an earlier post, minor traffic violations OFTEN lead to major apprehensions of criminals. There IS a rhyme and reason to it regardless of whether or not you/others agree with it. I don't think you are in a position to tell me what the "real" hazards of day-to-day driving are. I don't intend that to come across antagonistic in any way, shape or form, but it is the truth. You don't know how many traffic collisions any particular station handles per day/month. You don't know about causality (..aka..PCF, or Primary Collision Factors), nor do you have any idea about the additional repercussions of those accidents (..i.e...injuries or death to innocent parties, property damage, etc.). My main purpose in replying to some of the comments is to dispel any perceptions that aren't legitimate, and confirm others. Granted, there are always variances in what officers do from other departments and that patrol other areas (...we are dealing with people here....and people are organic), so take what I say with a few grains of salt.
As for the article, I'm not too concerned with what an article says. It doesn't mirror what I experience, so I give little credence/weight to it.
That's a good question. Let me check into that.
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From what I understand about traffic stops, I seem to recall many officers stating it's one of the most dangerous situations they deal with on a daily basis. Not from possibly being hit by some numbnuts idiot driver on their cell phone not paying attention. But not knowing if the occupant in the car is going to start shooting once the officer gets next to the car.