...or so I'm told.
I stopped an elderly woman this afternoon for making an illegal turn. She plead with me not to cite her, and assured me that she does not normally drive in such a fashion. As convincing as her story was...
I still wrote her the citation.
If I was any more compassionate, I wouldn't have the heart to cite anyone. I don't cite people because I like to write tickets. I don't cite people because I don't care.... actually, I cite people because I DO care. I care about their safety, and the safety of all the drivers around them (and in some cases, my own safety).
I suppose in her mind I should cut old people slack. In the minds of some Hispanic drivers, I'm sure I should cut Hispanic drivers more slack. Asians, cut Asians more slack. Women, cut women more slack. See where this is headed?
About the only group of people who NEVER ask me to cut them slack simply because of their race, sex, age, or other group affiliation, are straight, middle aged, white men. I suppose I could limit my ticket writing to straight, middle aged, white men, but wouldn't that be profiling?
So, I suppose I'll just have to continue with my dispassionate ways and just cite everybody.
God, what an asshole I am...
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6 comments:
Gosh! Why do dispatchers always say that?
We've had someone claim the only reason or officer pulled him over was because his wife was black and riding shotgun in and old army jeep. The driver was a white man and the vehicle was registered as a "1995 jeep". The officer could clearly see it was older than 1995 and that it had expired registration and insurance. After 3 officers arrived and were called "racists" they decided to tow the vehicle and cite the driver. I like to harass the officer about it still
Some days I ticket or not depending on the nature of the offense and whether or not I think that my merely stopping the person has gotten the point across that what they did was wrong.
Other days I am on dedicated traffic enforcement and everyone that I stop gets a ticket, unless of course they are a brother or sister officer. (Yeah, I don't cite cops. If it pisses someone off, you know where my blog is.)
Still other days, I'm using minor traffic stops as a means of contacting suspect drivers to develop probable cause to search their cars or see if they've been drinking. On those nights, no one gets a ticket unless I find what I'm looking for. Everyone else gets a warning and sent on their way so that I can resume my interdiction efforts as quickly as possible.
But the one thing that I never take into account is the race, color, sex, etc. of the driver. All are equal in my book as I divide all drivers into two simple categories: Cops and non-cops.
OH--one exception: Women who turn on the tear factory as soon as I approach are guaranteed a ticket just because I hate that ploy and consider it to be personally insulting to both of us.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
3 copies. press hard while signing.
Here are my rules for stroking tickets.
1. If you lie (or try to get out of one): you get a ticket.
2. If you don’t lie: you don’t get a ticket.
Simple. lol
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