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While traveling through Florence today I witnessed a Florence Police Officer at a red light. He turned on his lights, bumped his siren and proceeded through the intersection. Just as he cleared it, he turned his lights off. I saw him minutes later at another intersection and it was clear he was not responding to an emergency or any call in fact. I am posting to say this is absolutely ridiculous. I am a law enforcement officer myself and think this is a perfect way to place a black mark on all of us out there that protect and serve the public. I am also posting so everyone knows not all of us are like this individual and completely believe we should be held to a higher standard.

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Props for being better than that. Seriously.

 

It's refreshing to hear a LEO hold himself to the same rules we all hafta obey.

 I know cops sometimes have to expedite their travels, but yeah...That does irk me when that happens. I guess it's a perk of the job?

  I once asked a cop why he could do that when I'd get a citation for doing the same thing. He replied "Because I'm a cop-You're not."

 Well, that was good enough for me.

 

Far be it from me to purposely fail the attitude test.

/shrug

 

Last edited by Road Puppy

Ask me sometime about Florence's shiny new Dodge interceptor that blew through the red lights on my school bus one afternoon on Veterans Dr. as I was unloading.  He hadda be doing 60.

Shook the bus when he went by. Two of my kids were about to cross at the time.

No lights. No siren.

They never woulda seen what hit 'em.

Good thing I scan my mirrors all the time.

School zones are a tough issue, no doubt. The issue is for us is to THINK before reaction. We can be more of a danger than the offender if you don't think before you pursue. I NEVER pass a school bus in pursuit with lights and siren even. I limit my pursuit speed considerably in those conditions. Sometimes the risk is greater than catching the offender.

on the other side of the coin....i worked as a Paramedic for 25yrs. there were occasions where we'd be given a call, only to have it cancelled almost immediately. lights and siren on, then off, and sometimes back on again. it happened in many driving situations, and i'm sure at red lights. not taking up for the officer. if he did that without reason, shame on him, and he should be reported! i'm just saying that most often we don't know 'the rest of the story'...

@ HG: Like I said before, I understand cops/EMS/Fire sometimes hafta expedite their travels. If ya got 'em (lights and siren), use 'em. That's what they're for.

I just saw the bullbar onnat interceptor in my mirror in 3D closing fast on the kids that were about to cross in front of my bus. No lights (not even headlights), no siren. just *WHOOSH* and the bus shook. (And me laying on the horn).

 

@ jrc:

Isn't there some kind of defined procedure for police to use when approaching a stopped bus with it's lights flashing? The state I used to drive bus in required them to slow (or stop, if necessary) when kids were in the lane of travel) like everybody else.  Then if they had to go through, to activate lights and siren and proceed through the lights with caution for the three or four seconds it took for everybody to clear the road before hammering it again.

 

My job then was to keep the lights on til my kids were clear the road and stay put til the police car/ambulance/whatever had passed, just like anybody else trapped in a lane when that happens would do so the emergency vehicle could get around safely.

 

They s'posed to do that here in Alabama? Or is there no defined procedure. Or does it depend on the municipality?

Just curious for the next time around.

 

Originally Posted by jrc_1803:

While traveling through Florence today I witnessed a Florence Police Officer at a red light. He turned on his lights, bumped his siren and proceeded through the intersection. Just as he cleared it, he turned his lights off. I saw him minutes later at another intersection and it was clear he was not responding to an emergency or any call in fact. I am posting to say this is absolutely ridiculous. I am a law enforcement officer myself and think this is a perfect way to place a black mark on all of us out there that protect and serve the public. I am also posting so everyone knows not all of us are like this individual and completely believe we should be held to a higher standard.

==============================

 

If he wasn't going on a call that would have required him to clear the intersection then why would he have done what he did? I believe the FPD works 10 or 12 hr. shifts so where do you think he was going in such a hurry?

Based your many years of experience, jrc, and your insight to the police mentality, what was the guy thinking when he did this? 

Originally Posted by jrc_1803:

While traveling through Florence today I witnessed a Florence Police Officer at a red light. He turned on his lights, bumped his siren and proceeded through the intersection. Just as he cleared it, he turned his lights off. I saw him minutes later at another intersection and it was clear he was not responding to an emergency or any call in fact. I am posting to say this is absolutely ridiculous. I am a law enforcement officer myself and think this is a perfect way to place a black mark on all of us out there that protect and serve the public. I am also posting so everyone knows not all of us are like this individual and completely believe we should be held to a higher standard.

 

==============

Then shouldn't you have reported it?

RP<

Isn't Veterans a four lane road?  WHy were kids crossing in front of the bus on a four lane road?  I did not think that was allowed, especailly since in the state of Alabama the traffic on the oncoming side is not required to stop for a school on a four lane road in the onc oming traffic.

Hopefully you reported the incident to the FPD along with the time and site of the offense.

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