Are police officers above the law???

Kay T

Legally they are not above the law, but too frequently, it turns out to be the case. It depends on how public the offense becomes. It is usually ignored when it doesn't get made public with video to support it.

LabRat

Ideally, no.

Realistically, yes.

Law Dog

In our department, officers are instructed to obey all traffic laws unless responding to a call. In other words, drive like the car you are in is NOT an emergency vehicle until such time as an emergency exists.
Officers in violation of this are subject to disciplinary action.

Sami

They aren't supposed to be, but they always are.

Matt

No, but the government is corrupt.
Some countries have a better method for informing traffic laws; some just use the military; some have police that take bribes.
Ranting on Yahoo!Answers will accomplish nothing; there are better ways to correct this injustice.
I have been pulled over for glaring at a cop that cut me off and slammed on his brakes for "suspicion". How is this right? It isn't.

Get involved in your city and correct this. If anything police should have to obey the laws more strictly.

They shouldn't be, but they usually are.

thehouseofrepresentatives

Some cops act like they're above the law, and in your case, this guy clearly was. They shouldn't abuse their power like that however, and a more professional cop would not have run that light. Interesting topic.

Knots_in_my_stomach

umm no there not above the law
hes gonna get into sh*t but like
its "the citys" fault since there "public servants"
so we ended up paying in the end

Glen D

They shouldn't be above the law, but it seems as though they are.

doodlecakes

no i dont think police officers should be able to get away with whatever they want.
it's not fair, and being a cop doesnt necessarily make them better than us.
however, they do product us, and usually do their best to keep us safe.. so i guess every once in awhile we should give them a break.
but in your story, no, that is not fair in my opinion.

SmartA$$

Many cops think they are, at least when it comes to traffic violations. I've toured the training facility for the state patrol in my state. After seeing the rigorous training they go through, I can see how many of them would feel invincible on the roads, but the facts are that unless they have their lights flashing and they are responding to an emergency, they are subject to the same rules as everyone else.

Be proactive and report him if you have is license number or his squad car number. He may not get a $350 ticket but it sure won't look good to his boss when his boss hears these types of things. My wife reported a cop who cut her off, almost hitting her, then took off going at least 60 down a 40mph road. I'm not sure if anything ever happened to the officer but the next day the chief of the department called to thank her for reporting and apologized for the officer and said he would take care of the situation.

Brock Lee the Ticklemonster

No of course they shouldn't be, the people in charge of law must be the most seriously law abiding.

but of course corrupt groups do form, and when they form in authority they tend to try to control anything that threatens their corrupt powers.

If his lights weren't flashing and you can prove what happened he will be in trouble. Perhaps the camera in his own car taped the event, and you should maybe take down the number of his vehicle and the time and place where it happened, and they could check his camera and watch him non-chalantly drive through the red light with no lights on.

allenbmeangene

Technically, they're not, but some conduct themselves as though they are. These are sometimes allowed to get away with their misdeeds.

wonky bridges

im pissed at the government

zon moy

Yeah they are above the law. They also have way too much power.

Tamarawr

no they shouldnt because then it shows us young drivers that it would be okay even though its not

Racheal loves Holio

Yes, they think they are anyways.. they think they can get by with murder..

last year there was this cop here and he was going 105 m.p.h. and he did not have his blue lights on or he wasnt on a call and he wrecked into a car and killed this old woman and he is in jail now.. for attempted murder or something like that.. that happened in west virginia, so i am glad that he wasnt above the law..

cops think they can drive fast as they want when they are not on a call or its not an emergency, but if we go 5 miles over the speed limit we get a ticket.. wtf? i think thats messed up... they should have someone over top of cops that gives them tickets also, if they are not obeying the laws like we have to.. but its all about who you know.. so that doesnt matter..

souless one

They shouldn't be above the law but in most cases they get away with all infractions that would command a ticket. I am not going to complain about this because of how dangerous their job and how little they are paid. I think they should at least have to obey the highway laws when off duty but all they do is flash a badge when pulled over and they get to go without a ticket.

Barney

No they're not, but many of them view themselves as so, think they are and act as though they are. As long as they aren't called on it the trend will continue and it will snow ball out of control. One day we will be under martial law. I always travel with a video cam to capture these perpetrators. We have to nip it in the bud.

TinaNightmare

well basically they can get away with murder and abunch of other things we don't know about

Wings

About 75% of all of them think they are.

Andrew

technically no, but they are. I was going 10 miles over the spped limit (75 in a 65) and a cop actually passed me, no lights, no turn signal, just a cop who thinks he's better than everyone else

Pilgrim

They have the guns.

and the billy clubs.

and the flashing lights.

and the badge.

What do you got (besides the bill to pay for it all)?

hazeltine4

He's lucky he didn't hit anyone. Of course, he would have claimed he was on a call, and he would have claimed he had his lights flashing -- your word against his.

There is an unwritten "law" for cops -- no harm, no foul. And if someone does get hurt, they cover it up. It would take a good lawyer to prove there was no police call the guy was answering. It happens all the time! And most lawyers do not want to go up against a cop for traffic stuff. They need them on their side too often in court.

Jocelyn L

They're not, but they can always find ways to justify their misdmeanors.

Nathan B

I guess you get certain privileges when you risk your life daily to protect others.

jwthoughts

No. I have personally turned in cops twice and faced them in court for turning on their lights long enough to buzz through a light then turning them off.

You have to be careful if you try something like that, though. They will be out to get you after that.

I was moving out of town once and was not in my hometown the other.

julie...you are wrong. They cannot disregard traffic laws without their lights on. They can keep their sirens off, but silent pursuit has NOTHING to do with the lights.

Boss S

Leggally no but technically WE ARE and there is nothis you can doi. We have to be taugh and do some off-books procedures to protect and enforce the law. Like in an investiguation, if you know something crucial and wont talk. When we done beating your *** up, youll talk, at the end of the day someone is saved or a group of people are safe, but a lowlife dont like us. Who cares. If law enforcement officers werent taught with crimininals you wouldnt be so safe !

raviet31

Police Officers are not above the law. Police Officers are subject to the same penalties any civilian would be, in fact, police officers can be faced with stiffer penalties than a civilian.

In Arizona, it is an aggravating factor for sentencing if the person was a peace officer at the time he / she committed the offense, meaning that they could end up getting a stiffer penalty.

Additionally, there are a number of police officers who have committed crimes while not on duty. They are punished and imprisoned just like anyone else.

The disparity, that most complain about, happens usually when an officer is on duty and is accused of using excessive force. I have only read of one or two cases in which an officer, on duty, was actually convicted of a crime related to the performance of his / her job.

I believe that Courts give police officers a lot of latitude to make quick decisions in the field and are uncomfortable second guessing the officers actions. Slamming a person to the ground and handcuffing them certainly looks rough, but the alternative very well could be an officer getting seriously injured or shot.

In one recent videotaped police beating, the police are observed hitting a handcuffed suspect for about 30 seconds. What the tape does not show are the allegations by the police officers that the suspect was trying to grab one of the officers guns. I will admit that what is shown on video looks damning, but if what the officers claim is true, then they would be fully justified in hitting the suspect, as the suspects attempt to get a police officers gun is an attempt to use lethal force.

No one grabs for a police officers gun with the intention of just taking the gun. They are going for the gun with the expectation of using it.

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