Suggestions for speed limit enforcement

**Marmoot** · 25th November 2004, 15:58

Originally Posted by spudchucka

Just how would you propose the police could differentiate between an endorsed speeder and a non-endorsed one? The only way is to stop the driver and check the licence, you can't assume the registered owner of the vehicle is the actual driver.

With an "E" plate like the "L" plate for learners?
Or a little signal transmitter in the car and a detector screen in the police car?
C'mon....It's 21 century, spud
And you're spoiling my daydream...........

**spudchucka** · 25th November 2004, 19:01

Originally Posted by GoodAndSuchLike

good point, and fair enough... Where does all that money go anyway?

I also heard somewhere (i dunno how true it is) that if the police pull you over, and you were speeding, they are obliged to give you a ticket, is this true? or is there still some justice in this world?

The decision to write up a ticket is the cops decision to make,no one elses. They do still have discrection despite what others say.

**Quasievil** · 25th November 2004, 19:05

Originally Posted by spudchucka

The decision to write up a ticket is the cops decision to make,no one elses. They do still have discrection despite what others say.

Oh really, Im right then !!! the cop who did me for riding down hill doing 111km was a FUCKEN PRICK then

**MikeL** · 25th November 2004, 19:22

Originally Posted by spudchucka

The decision to write up a ticket is the cops decision to make,no one elses. They do still have discrection despite what others say.

But they don't seem to be exercising it quite as often as in the past...

**Marmoot** · 26th November 2004, 09:03

Originally Posted by Quasievil

Oh really, Im right then !!! the cop who did me for riding down hill doing 111km was a FUCKEN PRICK then

good point

Spud: do the Highway Patrol guys have different briefing than the Beat guys?

**jrandom** · 26th November 2004, 09:12

Originally Posted by MikeL

Not quite the reaction I was expecting. C'est la vie.

The waters are over-fished.

**spudchucka** · 26th November 2004, 09:19

Originally Posted by MikeL

But they don't seem to be exercising it quite as often as in the past...

Depends who you talk to.

**spudchucka** · 26th November 2004, 09:20

Originally Posted by Quasievil

Oh really, Im right then !!! the cop who did me for riding down hill doing 111km was a FUCKEN PRICK then

Thats a fair enough description.

**MikeL** · 26th November 2004, 15:11

Originally Posted by spudchucka

Depends who you talk to.

Of course. All we have is anecdotal evidence. It would be good to hear the facts from someone in the know...

**spudchucka** · 26th November 2004, 22:34

Originally Posted by MikeL

Of course. All we have is anecdotal evidence. It would be good to hear the facts from someone in the know...

What exactly would you like to know?

In the last month I've transferred to a new station and have written one speeding ticket, 75 in a 50. I've also warned one person for the same offence, I grey haired old pensioner who was chatting to her bowling mate and didn't realise what her speed was. I've locked up one disqualified driver and impounded his car, which the courts saw fit to give back to him after only five days. The driver pled guilty and got another 5 months disqualification and $250 fine. I've had one pusuit that went for 35 minutes and got to speeds of 150 in a 50 and 170 in a 100, it was abandoned when it hit population density. The driver was not known to me but enquiries have given me a lead and I intend to take the bugger to court. I've also been on a two week course in forensics so the month has been a bit on the slow side as far as the action goes. I've dealt with numerous theft, assault, burglary & disorder incidents and resolved a few civil disputes over property ownership. However this is the stuff that goes on every day without the public knowing anything about it unless they for some reason become involved.

Oh, by the way, I have also just put my bike back together today and took it for its first ride of the summer.

**MikeL** · 27th November 2004, 16:37

Originally Posted by spudchucka

What exactly would you like to know?

Whether cops are less likely to use their discretion and give a verbal warning for motoring offences such as doing 111 kph on the open road, and if so why.

**spudchucka** · 27th November 2004, 20:42

Originally Posted by MikeL

Whether cops are less likely to use their discretion and give a verbal warning for motoring offences such as doing 111 kph on the open road, and if so why.

I'll speak for myself to begin with. I didn't join the police to write traffic tickets but I accept it as part of the job I signed up for. I prefer to target behaviour rather than have a simple threshold that once exceeded earns a ticket. I don't write a lot of speeding tickets but I do write tickets for unsafe vehicles, seatbelt non compliance and general behaviour oriented offences.

As far as speeding goes, if you are doing 65 or over in a 50 then you are likely to get a ticket, in some cases 63 depending on the circumstances. If you are speeding near a school, hospital or old folks home then you are going to get a ticket regardless of what excuse you can come up with. If you are a burglar, theif, druggy or any other form of general scum bag I'll give you what ever tickets I can, whenever I can.

In relation to 100 kph areas I'll start to think about stopping a vehicle if they are doing 118 or over. If it is a shitty looking vehicle I will pretty much always stop it, likewise if the driver looks like a dodgy bugger. I won't target vehicles on passing lanes unless they are doing 125 or more, unless they are again a shitty car or dodgy looking driver. No body will get a ticket from me for 111 unless they fit the shitty car / dodgy driver profile as I wouldn't have bothered to pull them over in the first place.

Most of the cops I work with have a similar mentality to myself. There are those however who have joined the police because they want to write lots of tickets and I guess that most of the time these are the ones you see in the HP cars. Having said that however I know plenty of real good bastards working in Highway Patrol too.

The official police line on speeding is no secret, exceed the speed limit by 11 kph or more and you will get a ticket. I don't really have a problem with that because it is black & white and therefore people know where they stand and should behave appropriately. However I'm not buying into some policy telling me who to give speeding tickets to and prefer to keep an open mind, taking into account all the circumstances. As far as I'm concerned thats what discretion is and no policy is going to change my attitude towards it.

A lot depends on the boss you work under and the attitude they have to traffic enforcement. The brass try to force you to dish out tickets by allocating x amount of hours to speeding, drink driving, restraints etc and then set performance measurements such as two "contacts" per hour delivered. Thats the terrible quota that people go on about. Another way they get you by the short and curlies is when you start thinking about promotion as you will have to be able to demonstrate that you have consistantly performed traffic enforcement to the required standard. The internal politics involved are too complex to go into here. All I can say is that there is nothing preventing individual cops from using their discretion if they choose to, you just have to be able to play the system the right way.

I hope that answers the question.

**Jackrat** · 27th November 2004, 21:04

Originally Posted by spudchucka

I'll speak for myself to begin with. I didn't join the police to write traffic tickets but I accept it as part of the job I signed up for. I prefer to target behaviour rather than have a simple threshold that once exceeded earns a ticket. I don't write a lot of speeding tickets but I do write tickets for unsafe vehicles, seatbelt non compliance and general behaviour oriented offences.

As far as speeding goes, if you are doing 65 or over in a 50 then you are likely to get a ticket, in some cases 63 depending on the circumstances. If you are speeding near a school, hospital or old folks home then you are going to get a ticket regardless of what excuse you can come up with. If you are a burglar, theif, druggy or any other form of general scum bag I'll give you what ever tickets I can, whenever I can.

In relation to 100 kph areas I'll start to think about stopping a vehicle if they are doing 118 or over. If it is a shitty looking vehicle I will pretty much always stop it, likewise if the driver looks like a dodgy bugger. I won't target vehicles on passing lanes unless they are doing 125 or more, unless they are again a shitty car or dodgy looking driver. No body will get a ticket from me for 111 unless they fit the shitty car / dodgy driver profile as I wouldn't have bothered to pull them over in the first place.

Most of the cops I work with have a similar mentality to myself. There are those however who have joined the police because they want to write lots of tickets and I guess that most of the time these are the ones you see in the HP cars. Having said that however I know plenty of real good bastards working in Highway Patrol too.

The official police line on speeding is no secret, exceed the speed limit by 11 kph or more and you will get a ticket. I don't really have a problem with that because it is black & white and therefore people know where they stand and should behave appropriately. However I'm not buying into some policy telling me who to give speeding tickets to and prefer to keep an open mind, taking into account all the circumstances. As far as I'm concerned thats what discretion is and no policy is going to change my attitude towards it.

A lot depends on the boss you work under and the attitude they have to traffic enforcement. The brass try to force you to dish out tickets by allocating x amount of hours to speeding, drink driving, restraints etc and then set performance measurements such as two "contacts" per hour delivered. Thats the terrible quota that people go on about. Another way they get you by the short and curlies is when you start thinking about promotion as you will have to be able to demonstrate that you have consistantly performed traffic enforcement to the required standard. The internal politics involved are too complex to go into here. All I can say is that there is nothing preventing individual cops from using their discretion if they choose to, you just have to be able to play the system the right way.

I hope that answers the question.

LOL,yeah it answers the question for me perfectly.
Seeing as how I now drive an old Toyota Corolla and have always visualy fitted the scumbag profile,I guess I'm fucked if I get pulled over by you.
Such is the price if not being rich huh.
Nice to know nothing changes

**marty** · 27th November 2004, 21:08

ahhh the southern motorway on a friday evening. every dorklander and his KFC driving his fucked diesel with the speedo disconnected pulling out in front of me. oh how i love passing people on the left and flicking them the bird. just fitted some 100w spotlights to the front of the diamante today. i'm gonna really enjoy doing the euro light flashing thing as i'm freight training up behind some dickhead who decided to dawdle out into the fast lane, giving me 50 metres (if i'm lucky) to slow from warp commuter factor to yummy-mummy-out-for-a-coffee-in-cambridge factor. i think my next accessory to the mitsi beast is one of those stainless nudge bars...

**Jackrat** · 27th November 2004, 21:15

Originally Posted by marty

ahhh the southern motorway on a friday evening. every dorklander and his KFC driving his fucked diesel with the speedo disconnected pulling out in front of me. oh how i love passing people on the left and flicking them the bird. just fitted some 100w spotlights to the front of the diamante today. i'm gonna really enjoy doing the euro light flashing thing as i'm freight training up behind some dickhead who decided to dawdle out into the fast lane, giving me 50 metres (if i'm lucky) to slow from warp commuter factor to yummy-mummy-out-for-a-coffee-in-cambridge factor. i think my next accessory to the mitsi beast is one of those stainless nudge bars...

This friday just gone???
Damn wasn't it fun?,another nose to tail every 10kms

Took 1 1/2 hours to get from Silverdale to East Tamaki.
I noticed the Motorway patrol film crew were doing a roaring trade