Rokko

iTrader: (2)

how did i know the resident ex quota writer would be in here.

I guess God makes it clear and sunny for the last few days of each month so the men in blue can get out of the donut shops and make their QUOTAS!

Rokko

iTrader: (2)

Hey! I know where you live missy. Now git back in the kitchen and make me turkey pot pie.

Rottluver

iTrader: (3)

Cuz you write the title to entice me in, just like a fisherman with tasty bait.

I will be sure to call MLT PD and tell them to make sure to harass any black Formies they might see just for fun.
Don't forget the sammich.

VIKING

You guys are too funny. I know why you are single fellas. You haven't figured out what women are really for! Just ask Mark. Wait, he would say we are for going to work and making car mod money.

WAHUSKER

iTrader: (4)

That's RIGHT! W.I.F.E. washing, ironing, fugging, etc (aka going to work & making car mod money)

Rottluver

iTrader: (3)

Enjoy that couch tonight Santa.

GEARHED

iTrader: (5)

That would be great if it were actually what we see happen.
The thing that drives me nuts is when you call from a major freeway to report a drunk driver or racer literally running people off the road - and 911 will tell you "we need to see it to actually write a ticket" when you look around to other drivers and see *them* calling about the same car bs!
There are parts of 405 where ricers/beemers tend to 'run' more often but its rare to see any cruiser in the area. Reason? They fight tickets left and right so its not worth their time to run that section of 405.
Head north - way north and they run like crazy because there are too many people that don't live in the area to fight a ticket (except us, and it was thrown out anyway). Any WSP knows they can write up a dozen tickets in an hour because they pull over 6 at a time. That is some serious money when you add up any percentage especially when you find them out there for eight hours (or more) daily.

If it really were true about calling in particular section we would have the Sheriffs out here every day (you have heard our road, its like that 24/7). The few times they do, most tickets are $300 to $1,000 for kids with no license, warrants, driving the road when there is water on it (the $1,000 ticket), kids with no belts or not in saftey seats etc.

And oh man! The paperwork for a theft or drug bust takes all day compared to someone doing 76mph in a 70mph zone/head lamp out/bald tire etc. You know that is the case. Who wants to be stuck doing paperwork when its easier to pop off tickets one after the other?
When there are departments sectioned up as you said, then what is the primary goal?
To write moving violation tickets and write as many as possible. Don't pull over a drunk, its too much paperwork. That is the mantra of WSP's in a particular area - yes, they actually told me that in 'off' mode.

Yes, there are but they are not accesible to the general public and tell us we "misinterpret" the orders when they do surface. I still have a copy of the memorandem issued to WSP where they would lose the more cush shifts, sections and types of response if they didn't write a particular number of moving violation citations, they even had a 'bounus' program for those that did by months end. Not one but three WSP who would not identify themselves said since they were staying to the letter of the law were getting flack for not going with the QUOTA memorandum. They were moving out of the division because of the pressure to write tickets that had no legal merit or were required to issue a certain number within a particular time frame.
Quota's do exist. They are memo's with bonus programs attached but everyone "misinterprets" that as "we just are making sure to keep our freeways safe".

And no, this is not directed at you but you brought up the reason people get irritated on this subject - one mindset vs the other/what the general population is told vs what actually happens.

Your still a good egg as are the few other LEO's part of any car forum.

Rottluver

iTrader: (3)

I cannot speak for anyone you have talked to but I have NEVER heard any cop I know (or myself) not want to write a ticket because someone might fight it? We get 2-3 hours overtime for court appearances, we LOVE when people fight tickets.

As for people calling about speeders (or any traffic infraction) from their car, that is 100% true, the Officer has to see the violation to be able to write the citation, that is the way the law is written. We can't go around giving out tickets based on what someone says because how easy would it be to **** with your enemies/ex'es/etc and "say" they did such and such so I want them to get a ticket.

In your area I am guessing the Sheriff's Dept is not over-staffed so they will send people out when they can, but it is unreasonable to have people out there 24/7. The Sheriff's Dept I worked for, for 5 years, had FIVE guys on duty for my area at any given time including the Sgt. We covered an area that was almost 30k in population and about one hundred square miles. Not easy to deal with each and every problem that crops up every hour of the day unfortunately.

As I have said before, Agencies like WSP, CHP, etc are primarily traffic enforcement so of course they are going to pull over tons of cars and write tons of tickets, that is their main job. They don't handle "real" crime as we liked to tease them about so all they do is tickets, crashes and DUIs.

As for preferring to write tix over arresting drunks, maybe 1 in 10 guys feels that way but paperwork is part of the job, aside from tickets EVERYTHING we do involves tons of paperwork so the excuse that "I don't wanna do XXX cuz of the extra paperwork" is either the talk of a lazy (and pathetic IMHO) cop or just nonsense.

As for who wants to be "stuck" doing paperwork over writing tickets? Most of the cops I know including me when I was working. I HATED working in the traffic division and almost never wrote tix when I was out of it. I MUCH preferred to take idiots to jail for all kinds of good (and deeply involved paperwork) sorts of crimes. Does paperwork suck? Yup. Is it worth it? HELL YES!!!!!!! And every year more and more technology gets introduced to make the paperwork easier and less time consuming for them.

And no offense, but without seeing this so-called QUOTA memo from WSP, I am going to have to say nothing since I find it hard to believe that an Agency the size of WSP would write down something like that when it is in direct violation of Federal law. I am curious about the date of that memo as well.

Do guys working traffic get leaned on to write lots of tickets? Of course. That is their job. Could the Agency get severely screwed for offering "bonuses" and punishment (taking away the good shifts) if Officers dont write a certain amount of tickets? Oh you bet they can and would. Every Dept has a group of cops who look to screw with the Agency any way they can.......and if there were such a memo in today's world, it would have been "leaked" to someone who would hose that Agency in a heartbeat.

Not saying you are lying or have bad info Amy, you know I love ya, just that in today's world, that memo would be worth a million bucks in the hands of any number of cops out there. Show me that memo and not only will I be shocked but deeply saddened that kind of nonsense is going on in today's world. I could see that memo being 20-30+ years old, but since i started in 1989, i cannot think of any decent sized (over 50 cops) Agency that would open itself up to Federal sanctions and lawsuits by typing up that kind of stuff and distributing it where anyone could get a hold of it. At least not in a non-hillbilly area such as Seattle. Arkansas, maybe, but it is hard for me to believe that they would allow the potential repurcussions from something like that to be out there, let alone actually write something that potentially damaging.

Again, let me stress that I do NOT think all cops (or the system) are perfect, etc. But from where I was (and having a Dad who is a Chief up here) I can honestly say that if that memo exists, it is 100% illegal and would be used against the Dept faster then they can say "quota".

Rokko

iTrader: (2)

Oh, I know what women are for. But they don't stick around very long after I cut em loose from a weekend of debauchery tied up to my four poster. I'll know I have a keeper when she wants to stay after that.

Rokko

iTrader: (2)

And........Just because it isn't written in a law book doesn't mean there isn't an "unwritten" rule, or code, of filling "quotas"

Just to add fuel to the fire of course!

GEARHED

iTrader: (5)

Watch out - that is how I ended up married (cept it was the other way round)

WAHUSKER

iTrader: (4)

Yep, when they stick around after that to cook you breakfast & then do dishes, you KNOW you got a keeper!!!

Rottluver

iTrader: (3)

Now I have never said (that I am aware of) that traffic cops are not encouraged to write a large number of tickets BUT that is their friggin job. And again, Federal law prohibits quotas or the stuff Amy's "memo" was talking about for the obvious reason that it would encourage cops to write less then perfect tickets and that doesn't fly.

As a patrol cop one of my Sgt's had it in for hookers so he asked us to try to arrest one a night but we never got into trouble or had shifts taken away or anything like that if we didn't....and we didn't arrest one per night. We averaged 5-10 a month in good weather. Every boss has their pet peeves and they pass those desires along to their troops.........I am sure that is the same in most any job field.


Now if I could just find a sane one who felt that way I would be in business.

Wyoming T/A

iTrader: (1)

monroe where???

Rottluver

iTrader: (3)

Washington (State)

Rokko

iTrader: (2)

Ha! This could go on forever Rott.

SANE?! None of 'em are sane. Some are close, but most of them are already taken. It's the level of insanity that you have to be ready to deal with.

Rokko

iTrader: (2)

That'd be heaven!

Rokko

iTrader: (2)

Marriage is an outdated concept. Unless children are involved. Other than that, I don't see the need.

Rottluver

iTrader: (3)

Let's go get some wings and a beer (diet coke) and I will tell you my latest horror story..this one takes the cake, even from my past experiences.
Which is why I don't believe in God, cuz that doesn't exist.

Rokko

iTrader: (2)

Sounds good. When? I'm going to the ball game wednesday night after work, other than that I'm open.

That **** does exist, I met one once, but I was too young and full of myself to realize it. Such is life.