see how unsafe our police officers are treated.

[midnight lover]

In this letter to the editor I want to talk about some thing that most of you wont know about or might not care about, At least till you read all the letter and see how unsafe our police officers are treated.
I drive to KY, many times a week and what I see bothers me. And let me just say it is not just in the southern part of Indiana look at I 69 up by Fort Wayne Indiana. The state and some local police officers are forced to park and sit on the middle side of the road a busy high way and they are ordered to clock speeders to catch a speeder on the high way. I can’t tell you how many times I have watched a police officer run out in two lanes of traffic on I 65 from about the 6 Mile marker to the 1. The police will clock a speeder and the officer will run from the middle of the highways and stand in the road and point at the speeder and point for the driver to pull off to the side of the road to get a ticket.
This is no lie this last week I as well as others had to hit our brakes hard to miss a stupid police officer who ran out in traffic in front of us in semis and cars to point for one driver to pull over.
This is very dangerous. Could cuss a wreck. Or worse the officer could get ran over and die. Than you the tax payer will pay big time to his or her family.

I wrote the governor and he had another person answer me saying that they know about this and he the governor orders more officers out on the high ways like this to as he said take back the high ways. Yes I saved the email I will attach it. We all need to write to and call the governor and demand him stop this at once before we lose another police officer. It is not worth the state making money off of speeders to put a cop’s life in danger to do it.
I hope this will help you at election time to see that Daniels only cares about him self and money and not about the lives of the men and women who we pay to protect us. The police protect us but who is protecting them? Sure ant Daniels now is it? Bill Coffield Keystone In, P/S Don’t take my word for it just drive down I65 and see for your self.
If a law was passed to give you a ticket if you do not slow down or get over for a police officer on the side of the road because it is dangerous for the officer on the shoulder than why put the officer on the side of the road to clock speeders? You just can’t make this stuff up.





Dear Mr. Coffield:

Thank you for your e-mail to Lt. Governor Skillman regarding traffic enforcement on I-65. She appreciates the time you took to share your comments and has asked me to respond on her behalf.

When Governor Daniels took office, he instructed the Superintendent of the Indiana State Police to "take back the roads". Superintendent Whitesell increased trooper visibility and increased the number of troopers on the roads in an effort to enforce the speed limit on the interstates and highways. The presence of these troopers has made an impact by slowing traffic down. The safety of our troopers is a concern, and supervisors are constantly evaluating their techniques in an effort to improve upon the personal safety of the troopers as well as the safety of the public.

Please do not hesitate to contact Lt. Governor Skillman or the State Police with future questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Terry L. Spence, Lieutenant
Indiana State Police
Operations Support Division



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[Cerberus]

they do that in Goergia also but usually on smaller roads. years ago i got "pointed" over by a cop who ran out in the road and pointed to the side. i ahd to swerve to the right lane to miss him and pull over. luckily there was no one in the lane. the thing is i saw the cop on the side of the road and was actually watching him as i was coming up to him and getting ready to go by him. before he ran out he never made a gesture for me to pull over. when he came to the window he gave me shit about almost running him over. i was like you were in the middle of the road so what do you expect ? yeah i payed a hefty fine for being a smart ass.

[yellowbird2525]

folks this has got to end! some of those police officers are on the side of the people, not this NAU, etc; they are trying to push thru; here in Oregon they are "saying" we have no $; putting extra fees on electric bills, etc; & everything else they can while in reality there is all kinds of $ at both st & fed level available thru an agency called Oregon Action that is all for NAU; & votes here are fixed; and if we vote a bond down, they put it thru anyway; & add 2 more to your water bill then claim "it went in thru a back door"; we lost in Ore 70,000 jobs due to NAFTA; job preferences are given to illegals; a state run agency started the LIE that all military personnel have mental problems; quickly followed by Corp's saying we don't want to hire military (just like Americans are to lazy to do the work so we have to bring in immigrants); it is all political propaganda; & they (our Gov) does not even care who gets hurt or harmed; I email them daily stating STOP HARMING THE PEOPLE! & I let them know in no uncertain terms that it may well take 100 years but THEIR names will be remembered at TRAITORS to the people of the USA & their bones or ashes will NOT remain upon the soil of the USA; THESE police officers are being ORDERED to risk their lives for a couple of bucks which would be there already if not so much graft & corruption at all levels of the Gov, at least here in So. Oregon; I have a passion for the people of this country & it makes me mad as H*LL what is going on in every state; EVERYONE needs to know this; to EMAIL & take cars/trucks/everything to STOP what is happening here; No car let alone a semi can stop on a dime; THIS is where MY thinking & THEIRS parts in meeting; I do NOT feel that billions of dollars are worth the LIFE of ONE legal citizen of the USA; And I have tunnel vision; you WILL not nor can you change my mind; patriotism to me is NOT harming the citizens of the country EVER; NO one in power of ANY kind should harm the citizens; because of MY way of thinking MY voice is being called "the voice of treason"; YOU decide: is mine the voice of reason or the voice of treason? ANYONE saying ANYTHING against the Government or what they are doing according to the law that THEY passed is a home terrorist; we disagree; I call THEM terrorists; both dems & reps are united behind this agenda; some trying to "not be implicated" so they can be seen as "wonderful" once this is over; bipartisan means agreeing across party lines & it is done so many times I honestly think there IS no 2 parties; just put on for our benefit; THE ONLY REASON for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing; to know to protest & fail to do so is a sin: Abe Lincoln;

[Blakowt13]

In ALL States I've traveled through, I've seen many, MANY times where State Troopers have pulled in front of current legal speed traveling vehicles just to chase down some specific vehicle because of speed or some (fabricated?) reason and while doing such have nearly impacted several vehicles. If it were not for the other vehicles either slowing down or changing lanes, there would have been (and can well be) dire consequences to these State "cops".
I've seen and had to slow because of these state nitwits that pull into the Number 1 Lane from an on ramp then immediately and without signals of any type, reduce their speed to a minimum and enter the middle of the Highway.
These "cops" have more than likely been hit by vehicles that had nowhere to go or had they stopped suddenly would have through no fault of their own caused a multi vehicle crash.
These "cops" are just as dangerous as ANY other careless driver and maybe through enough collisions these practices will be reduced or eliminated.
I see no way anyone can be charged for "failure to reduce speed to avoid a collision" when traveling at say 70 and some inconsiderate "cop" pulls in front and quickly slows to enter the Median, especially when these 1/2 wits do these maneuvers in front of 18 wheelers and WE have nowhere to go.

I don't like to see, hear, read about wrecks of ANY KIND, however when some individuals tend to be the direct cause, well that's too bad for them and the others involved.
---
When enough People when being chased and "commanded" by these "cops" do not instantly pull over but instead head to the next Exit, THEN locate someplace safe to pull over, we the motoring Public might therein have safer roadways not just for us but as well for the "cops".
There is NO LAW that states any driver of any vehicle has to immediately apply a stop when approached from behind or front by any vehicle with Emergency Lights lit. There is NO "cop" that will run anyone off the road for failing to heed the finger pointing to the side of the particular road/highway. It doesn't matter how far to the next EXIT, simply initiate your 4 way flashers* and proceed. --*some vehicle Makes/Models were manufactured without 4 way flashers installed usually from the early 60s back--

I'm not saying do as you want, I'm saying do not pull over on the side of ANY Highway especially at Night simply because some inconsiderate to others "cop" directs you to do so regardless of the noisy siren or his/her wants spoken through his/her P. A. System.

NO ONE has to pull over immediately. Do as you can when SAFE for you first, the officer second.
----
These are only suggestions and what YOU do with YOUR situation is YOUR decision. I am NOT RESPONSIBLE for anyone doing anything at anytime from anything written in this post nor shall I be held accountable except for MY decisions in MY situations.

[Flatbedpete]

Now for the truth, most if not all states are suffering from lack of funding. That lack of funding is part of the judicial system. The true fact is officers now must write citations and enough of them to support their salary. So to put this into very simple terms, they are now hired hit men or women.


Example: going through Iowa, minding my own business, getting passed by everything in site. I am going 65 in a 70. I was pulled over for having tinted windows. 88 dollar fine, officer uses UV meter on side window, and places it over a bug splatter which looked like I had hit a bird and says to me the window darkness is 1% to dark. Paid the ticket to go on my way. Find out it is on my record as an out of service due to an unsafe vehicle charge. Now we have to spend money to fight the charge to correct the record of this was not an out of service, it was a state violation that does not apply to CMV. As far as I am concerned F__K the police. I now just ignore them. What is funny last year I had a total of 55 D.O.T. inspections alone on my truck that I drive. I have had officers come up on me and turn their lights on and I just keep running unless they pull me over from the front now. Guess what happened. 99% of them turn off their lights or get off the highway. The one percent that does haul me down, get nasty and all I say is you need to do your job just the same as I, and I have not violated any Federal laws, so get a Federal, or State authorized officer to come out, before any information is exchanged. It works. They may be pissed, but if they are local or sheriffs they no authority to look at anything on a CMV and can just write a traffic violation for speeding or failing to obey a traffic device.

[RobW]

We'd all be better off if the sates police forces were directed to do their job as opposed to doing PART of their job. Police are put into harms way as a part of their job, so that isn't a shock. They know this upon donning the uniform.

A bigger problem is "targeting speeders" instead of "fixing the real problems" on our roads. They "instruct" to do this or that, but only because it draws "easy money" when compared to other things, like slow drivers in the passing lane... If it's easy to convict and take money, they're more apt to abuse the privilege.

I remember when a DS was stopping traffic on the road near my home several yrs ago, every day for probably 3 straight months. He was a motorcycle deputy who was "instructed" to sit in one area and issue speeding tickets. He took the job seriously and casually stepped into oncoming traffic, very well knowing he was amply protected by his fluorescent orange vest... Then one day he stepped into the path of a "speeding van" which was being driven by a rather unattentive driver. That driver never saw the cop standing infront of his van, arm outstretched with the "stop" sign of his hand hanging on the end, and proceeded to drive as if the officer wasn't there.... After that death(the van was stronger than the hand), deputies arrested and charged the driver with several crimes, all of which, he took to court. In the end, he not only "beat the rap," but also sued the county and got a much nicer replacement van...

Governmental greed, not poor training, cost that cop his life. Not where he was parked, but the simple fact he was standing in the path of oncoming traffic instead of doing "the rest" of his job to prevent crime... Tell me that wasn't about money and I will have to laugh it off, knowing that's all it was really about.

Just my opinion of course, but it seems if the cops were "instructed" to do their job, in full, they'd make more money than they do simply targeting specific violations like speeding.