Kenneth Burgener wrote:
Steve wrote:
Feel lucky that you yourself were not cited, to be perfectly frank.
Yes you were on the phone with dispatch, but on the whole never try to
stop a hit and run driver. Thats breaking a lot of laws. I know I
very nearly evaded a citation myself last summer when a guy in a SUV
hopped a curb, ran over a bicyclist and then took off. I was right
behind him, so I swung my vehicle out blockade style in front of him
and offered him a nice T-Bone to add to his hit and run (I've got good
insurance and needed a new car anyways). He stopped before he T-Boned
with my much larger truck. But the cop threatened to cite me!
I could have been cited for following the driver who hit me? That would
seem as ridiculous as suing McDonalds for burning yourself with hot
coffee, or suing a hope owner because you fell through their skylight
when trying to rob them! I know the rules... the victim is guilty
because he/she let themselves be a victim. :-(
Much of this comes from invasion of "jurisdiction". Vigilante thingies
are taken seriously as well. Between those two things, it was probably
why the officer was a bit agitated. However you as a citizen can
actually arrest people in such situations, most of the time, but it must
be done according to the standing statues of the combined locality
(state, township, etc). In fact it's not uncommon to allow a citizen to
issue the citation to the offending driver under the supervision of law
enforcement officer, when that citizen observed the offending behavior.
Makes for a great extension to the effectiveness of traffic patrols.
In the end, all this is relative to the officer's mindset at that exact
point, whether they are rookie or seasoned, and the situation and/or the
handling thereof by all parties involved.
The rest is fairly true. Citations are a revenue generator. Has been
that way for the last couple of decades I've had dealings in this area.
Originally meant to be a deterrent, citations are now viable income
streams for most cities and townships... main purpose of so called photo
cops. Provo City has become more aggressive with this aspect the last
little while, in that they will issue citations to everyone involved in
an incident traffic wise ... meaning no more true accidents. Most Provo
occifers that I have discussed it with dislike the mandate the mayor has
handed down.
Mister Ed
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