Traffic Cop Memories.

[awa355]

Some of my earliest re collections of the local Traffic Officers in Putaruru.

Noel Cole was the officer who took me for my licence. Known as a hard man, he wasn't afraid to apply a bit of 'corrective' training at the roadside if the local yobs got a bit lippy. His patrol car was an EH Holden. He got phoned up one Sunday morning by a resident who was pissed off at the cars ignoring the tempory speeds over the street roadworks. Noel went down to Arapuni st and set up his black box on the roof. One of the locals he nicked was the guy who had phoned him, returning from uptown.

Noel made a point of calling in on all the local trucking companies on a regular basis. He would turn up at smoko time with cakes etc and spend time talking with the drivers. They all knew each other and there was always a mutual respect for each other. If there was an awkward load to be delivered somewhere, Noel would leave the rule book at home and assist with traffic control or advice etc.

Saturday night would see Noel teamed up with the local police. Alf Gyde or Jack Lopdell. The police never had a police car in those days, so us yahoos would be forever looking out for Alf's green Morris 1100 or Jacks blue MK111 Zepher. Two 'old school' policemen. I never had a problem with the law but those who did, soon learnt not to backchat these two policemen.

After Noel retired came a guy called Johnson. A different kettle of fish. Straight from the college. He even gave his own wife a ticket for speeding. He stuffed up his record tho' by letting her take the patrol car ( mk 4 Zodiac ) up to the local shops whereby she ran into another car.

Tirau had an officer stationed there as well. In 1971 Leo Tooman was based there. He was a bigger tearaway than most of us. He pulled me up one night to have a look at my new XS650. Ended up taking it for a blast up and down Tirau st. Gave me his cap to hold and away he went. He drove a HT/G Holden that had the 253 V8. For the time, it went like stink.

We had a lot of respect for those men in uniform back then. I think a lot of that came from the respect our parents had for them.

Anyone else have memories of their early days and the local law?

[Akzle]

yes. And none good.
Cops have never done me any good. Even in the times afore i went baiting them.

The td were just wannabe cops. Giving them shit was fair game.

[unstuck]

We had one traffic cop that was good bastard, and after getting caught doing doughnuts on a newly sealed road, picked me up the next day and took me to visit the roadwork crew as punishment, where I had the shit scared out of me.
We had a really good cop too, who was of the old school variety and spent a lot of his own time trying to help us scumbags out. Fond memories of those 2 chaps. Even though their lives turned out to be quite tragic in the end, they were always fair and straight up with me. :yes:

[Bender]

Yeah I remember them, but not with the rose coloured fond memories you guys do. I lived in Orewa and had a Honda 175. There were five cops lived locally, which had to be the biggest traffic cop per head of population ratios in the country. As a result they were bored and constantly harrassed the local population, especially us young ones.

Here's one classic example. I was coming onto the main road from a side street and as I approached the intersection one of the local cops, a prick called Joe kerr, went past. "Uh oh" I thought, knowing I would be in for some harassment. Sure enough he spins a U turn and stops me, reckoning I was speeding. As I was about 50ft from the intersection with the main road it would have been extremely silly if it wasn't impossible.

He let me proceed but followed me along the main road. A few hundred metres later he stops me again and is about to do me for carrying a pillion without pillion footrests. I pointed out the pillion footrests which were neatly hiding under the pillion's feet.

Once again I get to go. About half an hour later I notice that the cop car is parked outside our home. "That's not good" I thought to myself. When I get home I'm in deep shit because Kerr has called on home and told my father that he had stopped me for speeding three times that day - only his respect for my father had prevented him giving me tickets, but he thought my father should know.

So I'm in the shit and my father is threatening to confiscate the bike. He did not believe my side of the story.

So that was the end of my relationship with my father. I thought forever after that he was an arsehole for believing Joe Kerr instead of me.

That's the sort of shit we put up with in Orewa back in the '70s.

[Hitcher]

I can't be bothered retyping, but here's a traffic cop story. Names have been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty.

http://bit.ly/14IVomx

[unstuck]

I can't be bothered retyping, but here's a traffic cop story. Names have been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty.

Good stuff. very nicely written.:2thumbsup

[Goblin]

Hitchers story reminds me of my father when he was a logging truck driver. He had a few cops who liked to ticket him for overloading. One cop used to always take the hub meter off and lick the dust off it, so the old man would always piss on it! A great uncle was the explosives man at the local quarry so the old man aquired some explosives then early one morning blew up the weighbridge.

[Oakie]

Kerry Salt in Oamaru was a bike cop. I thought he was a prick for a start but then I grew up a bit and realised that he was a fair bloke and quite approachable. He had an RD350LC all of his very own so I suspect he enjoyed a bit of lively riding himself.

[T.W.R]

Try living with one http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=244433&d=1313100268

[unstuck]

Try living with one

Thats some nice looking cars in the background.:2thumbsup

[Road kill]

My riding test for my bike licence was up the main street of Putaruru from of the library to the top of the street an back while the local TO watched from the front steps.
Same cop was instrumental in taking it off me again a few months later.

Oh well:laugh:fuck em all!

[granstar]

Local cop in a small town was really good and fair most likely because everyone knew everyone. ...counts fingers 123456.
Often told us to bugger off home when hanging out in streets drinking, I don't think the breatherlizers were that accurate in those days (70's) or they didn't like doing all the paperwork, they definitely were on the beat cops with a presence and knew what was up. After a couple times he would be stern and really warn you of consequences, that was respected and never got into trouble with him. Then in those days we never did anything bad like some of kids today, lot of tom-foolery but respected peoples property, never stole anything or damaged property. They used to take the keys off you and let you walk home and sober up a bit, there was no need to be smart with them, they were respected and if you did get booked, you likely deserved it.
Went for my car licence at 15 for work and he asked if I had a licence for the Triumph 500 he'd seen me riding about:facepalm:. Confessed no, and he gave me my car licence A with B ticked as well (no test).
Moving to the city life one finds a different breed of copper, classic example the recent road block at Omakau after Brass Monkey, local cop accommodated all the bikers in both's best interest, can't imagine that happening in the city.

[red mermaid]

My best memory that I am sure members of KB will like is....

Getting sent to a school cause some kids were riding a scooter round the playground and the local grump complained.
I went, explained what the story was, how someone had complained, how they shouldn't be there, and left them to it.

Up to the road, swing my leg over my pride and joy, a CB 650 that wasnt my allocated bike but might as well been as I rode it the most, started her up, up the hill round the corner and oh shit, pea metal on the bend and over I went.

Lucky it was relatively slow, the kids came up from the school and gave me a hand to pick my bike up, and I was able to carry on with one broken mirror cause the Honda's had crap chrome ones that broke at the slightest excuse.

[scumdog]

The one down here in the late 60's had a hot daughter....:drool:

[T.W.R]

Thats some nice looking cars in the background.:2thumbsup

Ha, they got a lot better than that, Chev Impalas, then a whole host of Holdens, Premiers & utes ans a couple of XC Falcon utes and brit bikes stashed in any space that was available ;)

[328FTW]

My dad speaks of the cops of old in the same fashion. The only experience I've really had with modern cops is being pulled over every 5 minutes in my SS commodore so they could desperately find a reason to ticket me, that or turning up to accident scenes I've already pretty much sorted so they can play commander n chief over the whole deal. Maybe modern cops don't smoke enough dope to chill out.

[awa355]

My riding test for my bike licence was up the main street of Putaruru from of the library to the top of the street an back while the local TO watched from the front steps.
Same cop was instrumental in taking it off me again a few months later.

Oh well:laugh:fuck em all!


Easy come:( Easy go.

The chap in my OP, Leo Tooman ( just retired), took me for my HT. an A2 Bedford with a steel plate on the back to bring it somewhere near the 2.5 ton, requirement.

[caseye]

HELL, how many of you other buggers come from,or like me, were born in Put a RURU.
Local TO's were balanced, one a GC, Ol Col.The other a right arsehole, Johnson.
Local Bobbies(Alf and Jack) and their own cars were fondly waved to and respected for their no nonsense attitude to policing in a small town. I couldn't do a damn thing wrong or all hell would break loose and I'd get taken home,towed inside by the ear and watched as I got another walloping from mum or dad.
Grew up with and went to school with all of the local police kids, had a fantastic up bringing and wouldn't change a damn thing, even if I could.
Respect was given automatically to those in positions of influence or power and could and would be lost depending on how those same people treated you.
Best memory of small town policing was Max Rigg ( Sgt in charge PUT for many years) arresting some morons in a large Impala in his driveway where they'd followed me in thinking they were going to kill me or something, in his PJ's. OK it was 2 in the morning and he wasn't happy at being woken up by me blasting my air horns as I sped right up his driveway behind the then station.
Those mudda fucka's in the Impala didn't know what hit em I tell ya.
Leo Toomie was the man for Tirau and regions closer to Mata bloody mata, not one of my favourite TO's then and certainly not a Police constable, by default, that I could ever respect.

[Motu]

That's the sort of shit we put up with in Orewa back in the '70s.

Had some dealings with Orewa cops. Pulled over one day in 1971 for nothing, but I was riding my brother's T110. I had been riding for longer than him, but seeing as he had a full car license, he had a full bike license, I was still on a learners. Back then the L plate was an L rego, and I was riding on a full rego sticker. I had to go to court for that one...and saw a fat greasy lawyer defending someone on a speeding ticket - David Lange. Another time in 1974 5 of us were coming back from the Far North, and one bikes lights went out at Whangarei , so we put him between the 2 front bikes, I was TEC with another bike and followed with a gap. We got pulled over in Orewa, and he said he saw the bike with no lights, and was going to wait for them to come back for us. We told him they wouldn't come back as they saw a cop, he was pretty sure they would. He had the let us go after 15 minutes, and our mates were waiting at Silverdale. What a dickhead, did he think we were dumb bikies or something.


We had a tough good bike cop in Panmure - Maru. He was firm but fair, and would stop to lend a hand with a broken down bike. I've seen him sitting on his Triumph - stand up, kick start the bike, pivot it on one leg of the stand, put it in gear and launch off the stand in one fluid movement. He said we should be able to take the Panmure Roundabout at 50mph - so that set the standard. Killed one night when he put his Zephyr into a tree on the Pakuranga Highway...drunk.

[awa355]

Re Caseye. The Matamata TO was called Webb. " Snake" was his nickname.

There used to be a cop who rode a motorbike at Cambridge.

Max Rigg was a good cop. Before him was a sgt Kelly. Alf Gyde told me that Kelly was the most corrupt policeman Alf had ever worked with.

The police would arrive out at the Litchfield hall on a Saturday night when the local Scottish Club had a dance on and search all of the young fellas cars for booze. My B in law was Alf's cousin. He said Alf would turn up at the family christmas gathering with all this booze, none had labels.

Putaruru had a taxi driver who was always telling the local TO where he had seen us parked up drinking. Arnie Sole. Another taxi driver was Arthur Jackson. ( green VX Victor.) Arthur would give free rides home for those who the police had deemed too drunk to drive. Looking back, it seems that the local community took more care of its own than you see today.

[unstuck]

Looking back, it seems that the local community took more care of its own than you see today.

And that is where a lot of todays problems are starting, people are just too busy trying to pay the bills to care much about whats going on in the community around them.

[wingnutt]

Some of my earliest re collections of the local Traffic Officers in Putaruru.

Noel Cole was the officer who took me for my licence. Known as a hard man, he wasn't afraid to apply a bit of 'corrective' training at the roadside if the local yobs got a bit lippy. His patrol car was an EH Holden. He got phoned up one Sunday morning by a resident who was pissed off at the cars ignoring the tempory speeds over the street roadworks. Noel went down to Arapuni st and set up his black box on the roof. One of the locals he nicked was the guy who had phoned him, returning from uptown.

Noel made a point of calling in on all the local trucking companies on a regular basis. He would turn up at smoko time with cakes etc and spend time talking with the drivers. They all knew each other and there was always a mutual respect for each other. If there was an awkward load to be delivered somewhere, Noel would leave the rule book at home and assist with traffic control or advice etc.

Saturday night would see Noel teamed up with the local police. Alf Gyde or Jack Lopdell. The police never had a police car in those days, so us yahoos would be forever looking out for Alf's green Morris 1100 or Jacks Pa Velox. Two 'old school' policemen. I never had a problem with the law but those who did, soon learnt not to backchat these two policemen.

After Noel retired came a guy called Johnson. A different kettle of fish. Straight from the college. He even gave his own wife a ticket for speeding. He stuffed up his record tho' by letting her take the patrol car ( mk 4 Zodiac ) up to the local shops whereby she ran into another car.

Tirau had an officer stationed there as well. In 1971 Leo Tooman was based there. He was a bigger tearaway than most of us. He pulled me up one night to have a look at my new XS650. Ended up taking it for a blast up and down Tirau st. Gave me his cap to hold and away he went. He drove a HT/G Holden that had the 253 V8. For the time, it went like stink.

We had a lot of respect for those men in uniform back then. I think a lot of that came from the respect our parents had for them.

Anyone else have memories of their early days and the local law?

yeh have fond memories, of cops in the 60s and 70s, wellington, always found them to be damm good to deal with, I got a few tickets,
for refusing to follow a really stupid, dangerous road rule, that said if carrying a pilion, a maximum of 45mph was allowed.

doing 45mph on a motorway was bloody dangerous, all. the cops where pretty sympathetic, and where great about it I think it used to cost about 5 pound.

Has a cop stop me on the foxton straits, one day, and said I was cruising at 65mph (which I was) 60mph was max for open road.
he looked over the bike, complimented my on my riding skills, asked me to just keep it down a wee bit, and let me go.

I had a lot of respect for the cops of the era, where always good to chat too.

[awa355]

yeh have fond memories, of cops in the 60s and 70s, wellington, always found them to be damm good to deal with, I got a few tickets,
for refusing to follow a really stupid, dangerous road rule, that said if carrying a pilion, a maximum of 45mph was allowed.

doing 45mph on a motorway was bloody dangerous, all. the cops where pretty sympathetic, and where great about it I think it used to cost about 5 pound.

Has a cop stop me on the foxton straits, one day, and said I was cruising at 65mph (which I was) 60mph was max for open road.
he looked over the bike, complimented my on my riding skills, asked me to just keep it down a wee bit, and let me go.

I had a lot of respect for the cops of the era, where always good to chat too.

That 45mph while carring a pillion got me my only ever speeding ticket. Was the motorbike cop from Cambridge. 51mph , $2 per mile over the limit. hence a $12.00 fine. I had to ask my mom for the money to pay the fine.

I remember Noel Cole chasing a speedster down Bent st one evening in his EH Holden. Had his his siren going. Every household came out to see the great chase. All they talked about for the next week, was how the town was being taken over by the hooligans. The law needed to crack down on the thugs before the town was destroyed. Letters to the editor of the local rag demanding more police etc.

[Road kill]

HELL, how many of you other buggers come from,or like me, were born in Put a RURU.
Local TO's were balanced, one a GC, Ol Col.The other a right arsehole, Johnson.
Local Bobbies(Alf and Jack) and their own cars were fondly waved to and respected for their no nonsense attitude to policing in a small town. I couldn't do a damn thing wrong or all hell would break loose and I'd get taken home,towed inside by the ear and watched as I got another walloping from mum or dad.
Grew up with and went to school with all of the local police kids, had a fantastic up bringing and wouldn't change a damn thing, even if I could.
Respect was given automatically to those in positions of influence or power and could and would be lost depending on how those same people treated you.
Best memory of small town policing was Max Rigg ( Sgt in charge PUT for many years) arresting some morons in a large Impala in his driveway where they'd followed me in thinking they were going to kill me or something, in his PJ's. OK it was 2 in the morning and he wasn't happy at being woken up by me blasting my air horns as I sped right up his driveway behind the then station.
Those mudda fucka's in the Impala didn't know what hit em I tell ya.
Leo Toomie was the man for Tirau and regions closer to Mata bloody mata, not one of my favourite TO's then and certainly not a Police constable, by default, that I could ever respect.

I lived in Putaruru during 1972-73,worked on one of the dairy units at Hodderville.
I have family that grew up in Put but I was only there the two years.
Bought my one an only new bike from Whites Yamaha,a 73 Honda CB 350.
Had a 50's LIP Vauxhall,awesome car with suicide doors that were exellent for shooting possums from.
I never had much contact with the local TO's other than the one unfortunate incident.
Only time I ever spoke to a local cop was when I went to ask if I could buy a gun,an got told to bugger off an come back next year.
I own a place in Tokoroa today but have it on the market,,the place is dieing.

[Naki Rat]

That 45mph while carring a pillion got me my only ever speeding ticket........
Must try harder ;)