Quote:
Originally Posted by 85vette
I don't even stop anyone unless they're 15 over. Unless it's a school zone....but I cut Joe Citizen alot of slack anyway, so I'm going to cut my fellow officer some slack as well. We do have discretion.
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Yes, discretion is certainly a welcome relief from someone who would be hard nosed, and strictly "by the books", I would think. But the discretion that this is about is based on is simply someone flashing a LEO ID and being given MORE consideration than anyone else in an identical situation.
So would you cut an LEO or ex-LEO more slack then you would Joe Citizen in exactly the same circumstances? If you pull someone over and you feel that they should get a ticket (let's say 20 over), does it cause you to change your mind about that ticket if you find out that they are an LEO instead of just a "Joe Citizen"?
That is the issue I am bringing up. The law is the law. Unless LEOs are specifically exempted from such laws, then aren't they obligated to obey them the same as the rest of us are? If a private citizen would get the ticket written for a specific violation then why not the ex-LEO or LEO in plain clothes, off duty, etc.?
Actually, do most LEOs flash their identification with the expectation to get some slack? Is this ETHICAL to have such expectation and try to act on it accordingly?
Seriously, LEOs SHOULD even be held to a higher standard then us common folks anyway. They should be leading by example, not expecting to get "perks" because of their position. Show US by your example how we should obey the laws. Even when in uniform and while driving your cruiser, you SHOULD be obeying the law just as is expected of us. If you have a valid legitimate reason for trying to get to a crime scene or some other actual emergency, then fine, get there as quickly as you safely can. But otherwise, I believe those posted speed signs apply to EVERYONE, in or out of uniform and whether or not they are, or have been, a LEO.
No, I'm not saying that all LEOs should be hard asses in all situations. What I'm saying is that it is not FAIR nor ethical to allow other LEOs special considerations over and above what would be offered to any other citizen when a law has been violated. It gives an impression to the general public that is not flattering at all to LEOs in general, in my opinion.