Law Is it time to stop traffic stops or have someone other than police to handle them?

[Andy Capp]

Driving with a suspended license etc. Its kind of a threat to society since most of these fuckheads speed, drive intoxicated and dont signal on left turns. In some areas, they may have guns etc, yeah i want that off the streets. Fuck em.

Agreed. I don't see driving while suspended as free of threat to public safety.

@nhbbear on this one I have to admit I have no reference point upon which to judge with any certainty what ought to be done. I know what my feelings tell me but that's just from the news and whatnot. I happen to live in an extremely safe place from the point of view of intentional weaponized violence. But it's also rife with extremely selfish drivers and not nearly enough enforcement. So I can only relate my experience and what little I do know, HTH.

The other day I walked to the grocery store--perhaps a 15 minute walk--and no less than 3 times I was nearly run over in a crosswalk by drivers turning and failing to see me or just plain refusing to cede the right of way. One of them was a fire department pickup truck. One of them I was able to see clearly the entire time looking to his left--he never looked in my direction at all until after he had jammed his foot on the gas. If I had not been paying attention either--say looking at my phone--it would have been bad, no exaggeration. It's also a daily occurrence walking back and forth to work where I pass many one-way streets. It happens constantly that people fly past the stop sign and right onto the crosswalk before they stop--if they stop--and I have had very close calls more times than I can count now.

Contrast that with Halifax Police being found to be so grossly fond of "street checks" and so fond of targeting black people especially, but really minorities in general, that street checks were found to be criminalizing those very people.

Out of all the quotes you posted I found this one to be most troubling:

"“Somewhere along the way to righteous demands for police reform, we have elected to toss the baby out with the bathwater. Proactive policing strategies, which were adopted more than three decades ago, have come under knee-jerk assault, though studies have provided evidence they can prevent or reduce crime.” — James Gagliano, CNN"

I can't tell if he's talking about predictive policing software here but that shit's just plain bad.

tl;dr every place is different and a 1-size fits all approach is not wise. But the bias evident in much of policing--unintentional or not--needs to go if things are to get better--letting people get away with shit or making it easy to do so isn't helping.

 

[TheRealHNIC]

Traffic statutes are unconstitutional anyway. Obviously the motivation is absurd but police shouldn't doing traffic stops and issuing tickets as that impedes our constitutional right to travel. It criminalizes people for exercising their constitutional rights.

 

[gspieler]

What's protocol when the mobile meter maid discovers the driver has a warrant out? Or suspects the driver is intoxicated? Or observes narcotics in the vehicle? Or...any of the other scenarios that might pop up?

 

[gspieler]

Traffic statutes are unconstitutional anyway. Obviously the motivation is absurd but police shouldn't doing traffic stops and issuing tickets as that impedes our constitutional right to travel. It criminalizes people for exercising their constitutional rights.

So driving 100mph through a residential neighborhood is protected by the constitution?

 

[spamking]

How in the world is someone who’s been too lazy to go to the dmv and update their tags a threat to society? Is that what you’re trying to say? Anyone who’s tabs say 2020 is a threat?

If they didn't update the tag because they don't have current insurance . . . sure . . . uninsured drivers are why our rates are higher.

 

[Matsukaze]

This is how it will go down..These unarmed traffic enforcers will primarily go after ( ticket ) soccer moms, old ladies and citizens they know pose no threat. They will not risk their lives trying to enforce traffic laws on people they perceive to be a threat. Most Turds don't stop for armed police in my area so I know they aren't going to stop for these security guards

 

[The_Renaissance]

This is how it will go down..These unarmed traffic enforcers will primarily go after ( ticket ) soccer moms, old ladies and citizens they know pose no threat. They will not risk their lives trying to enforce traffic laws on people they perceive to be a threat. Most Turds don't stop for armed police in my area so I know they aren't going to stop for these security guards

Exactly.

"Excuse me sir, please can you pull over and exit the vehicle, please...."

"No, fuck off you fucking cunt."

Drives off.

 

[MoparOrNoCar]

I don't agree with not stopping people with suspended licenses. They aren't supposed to be operating a vehicle outside of private property at all.

Surely they'll have insurance as well.

 

[HockeyBjj]

Suspended license has nothing to do with tags, but to entertain your scenario, too lazy to get tags = stay off the road you lazy fuck, i have to update my shit like a normal functioning human. But in some cities the people doing this arent just forgetful, they can also be knuckleheads up to shit. Cops should be able to pull you over snd tell you to update your shit or they impound your car, and im fine with this.

But one of the things they’re no longer pulling over for is expired tags. And you were saying those are all threats to society

and again. In your example. No where did you establish that someone with expired tags is a threat to society. You just like seeing people punished for not following rules in a timely manner

You’ll still get ticketed for having expired tabs, but only if a cop pulls you over for speeding or running a red light or something that’s actually dangerous.

 

[nhbbear]

Driving with a suspended license etc. Its kind of a threat to society since most of these fuckheads speed, drive intoxicated and dont signal on left turns. In some areas, they may have guns etc, yeah i want that off the streets. Fuck em.

Me too. If that is the only crime, ticket and tow em. If they’re dui, arrest them. If they’re speeding or driving like assholes, ticket the hell out of them

 

[HockeyBjj]

This is adorable that the “Don’t tread on me” type folk are now crying that cops can’t pull people over for non safety related reasons, in order to simply tread on them.

consistency people. Please.

 

[TheRealHNIC]

So driving 100mph through a residential neighborhood is protected by the constitution?

I mean for public roadways. It is the sovereign citizens argument. But im not as well versed and ready to defend it as I thought I was.

 

[Badger67]

But one of the things they’re no longer pulling over for is expired tags. And you were saying those are all threats to society

and again. In your example. No where did you establish that someone with expired tags is a threat to society. You just like seeing people punished for not following rules in a timely manner

You’ll still get ticketed for having expired tabs, but only if a cop pulls you over for speeding or running a red light or something that’s actually dangerous.

I literally did.


"But in some cities the people doing this arent just forgetful, they can also be knuckleheads up to shit. Cops should be able to pull you over snd tell you to update your shit or they impound your car, and im fine with this."

I am referring to expired tags here. Cops should be allowed to find out why you arent updating them, and go from there.

 

[Fluffernutter]

Traffic cameras are so sketchy.

I used to teach in a country that was heavily dependent on oil prices. When oil was down, the government needed to increase the money to go into the municipality. So, they used traffic cameras do all the work.

- price of oil down? Increase traffic fines.

- price of oil down? Start the fines at 5mph over the speed limit, rather than 10mph over the speed limit.

-price of oil down? Decrease speed limits on certain areas of town without telling anyone.

Cynical people believe that traffic stops are only in place to bring in more money into the local municipal coffers. Traffic cameras will increase that big time.

 

[shockaholic12]

Because these violations tend to overlap with more serious illegal activity, and if you believe the broken windows theory it makes it more likely that people will be lawless in more serious ways.

I doubt anywhere near a majority of stops overlap with some serious charge. But this is the larger issue. Cops now treat every stop for a minor infraction as full on investigation and interrogation for a full gambit crimes they have no cause to detain you for. Just obsessed with writing a bigger ticket.

a dozen questions that have nothing to do with what they pulled you over for. If you don’t answer these questions you suddenly it’s assumed you’re hiding something and they are thinking up an excuse to search your shit. It’s bull shit.

 

[kahiljabroni]

Because these violations tend to overlap with more serious illegal activity, and if you believe the broken windows theory it makes it more likely that people will be lawless in more serious ways.

Its basically the opposite of the broken windows strategy. We don't want to pull you over because we're afraid of what we might find or that you won't comply....because it could be "disproportionate"

Lmao

 

[Blayt7hh]

I agree with not pulling them over for expired tags. You could always run their plates and just mail them a fine. My knee jerk reaction though is they should still be pulling people over with suspended licenses. I mean that person usually did something to earn their suspension

 

[freakroor]

if we stopped using police for piddly menial traffic stops then we could probably cut the force in half. i’m all for it.

also it’s cute how everyone in this thread is ignoring the factual statistic in the OP , that traffic stops disproportionately affect minorities. (systemic racism is a myth, right??)

 

[ShadowRun]

Suspended license has nothing to do with tags, but to entertain your scenario, too lazy to get tags = stay off the road you lazy fuck, i have to update my shit like a normal functioning human. But in some cities the people doing this arent just forgetful, they can also be knuckleheads up to shit. Cops should be able to pull you over snd tell you to update your shit or they impound your car, and im fine with this.

What about the illegals that don't got car insurance ?

 

[nostradumbass]

So getting a license and registering your car is now optional?