norco_rider77

hey, so this isnt exactly about biking, but I was just wondering why the police dont follow a law. does it not apply to them?

so i was out riding trials today, and I came to a crosswalk, got off my bike and waited for traffic to stop. just by coincidence, a police car came by. the car to my right came to a stop, and the police werent traveling very fast, so i took a step into the street. then i realized he had no intensions of stopping, so i back up, and he just drove by.

I'll mention i live in Canada for laws differences, but pedestrians have the right of way. no sirens, no lights, no hurry, not going to the police station, since i was at the end of the road its on, and he didnt turn down it, so why did he do this? police usually stop for me, so im confused. thanks!

mtnbk3000

authority complex?

Stacey

Did you get a unit number and call it in?

Michigander

What Stacey said. You should have got the license plate number, and complained to his supervisor. You can say he almost hit you and he'll get written up.

norco_rider77

dang, my eyes arent the best anyway. im fine on trails, but im a bit near sited

so i guess when i walk home from school i should keep a pen and a peice of paper in my pocket for all the cars that almost hit me. last year i think it was 4 or 5, and 1 missed me by inches. ill just make sure my mom doesnt mind. so the police or department of motor vehicles? thanks!

CastIron

Maybe the human made a mistake.

seosamh

mibbe you should wait till the cars have stopped before you take a step on to the road...bit daft not to...cars are ment to stop at crossings, not always the case tho as you just found out...never assume cars will stop, mistakes happen..

norco_rider77

he was slowing down, and its the police, i should be able to feel safe. and with the step i wouldnt have got hit, i just felt i should move back.

i did how ever have a very close call (as mentioned above). there are 2 crosswalks across this road, from eithor side of the street meeting it. someone crossed the road on the other side, as i got to the crossing myself. the guy hit the gas, then the brake (car lurched forward). i stepped out, since he was almost stopped by this time. he then hit the gas again, mssing me by a foot maybe. there for some reason are no traffic lights in my town, so dont say i should have hit the button

seosamh

i personally like to have my safety in my own hands, each to their own tho...not saying the guy was right, cause by the sounds of it he wasn't, just saying watch yourself..

spinnaker

Oh yeah that is a way to make a few friends. No one was hurt, it really wasn't anything major. Best leave well enough alone. The cop could simply say you were in a blind spot or some other story.

Just be thankful you don't have to deal with the Carabinieri in Italy. Those dudes are freaking crazy but they would be the first I would call if I needed help while in Italy.

Chris L

Probably the same reason nobody else does -- they know they can get away with it.

Michigander

Let's just say I've had more than a couple bad experiences with the local police being jackasses through no fault of my own. While I do respect the State Police, I'd jump on a chance to screw with the local police.

Nicodemus

1. he's a cop, they can do it, que sera sera.
2. you're a bike, so in the eyes of many you don't exist.

seosamh

haha aye you should try being an away fan in turin at a football game, now that's an experience, if the polis don't hit you they just turn a blind eye to the seats, bottles, lighters and coins and whatever else is being thrown, thought it was curious that with 10 miutes to go the polis stated putting their helmets on!!:shock: milan was sound mind you..

Stacey

WTF, do you intentionally try to piss people off? I starterd to feel a bit sorry for you with Pete picking on you and all, but I now see how deserving you are. Dayum dude slack the **** up!

You don't need a magnifying glass to get the unit number off a squad car as they are written quite large all over the car.

why2not

Several of my best friends are state police. And police tend not to give other police tickets. Even when off duty. "Professional courtesy."

piper_chuck

Must be different around here: https://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1795160/
Things like this happen regularly in these parts.

why2not

DUI, they'd likely be ticketed unless it was a close friend doing them a favor (ie: we're sitting here until your wife shows up to drive you home). Maybe not even that, DUI is pretty serious.

Speeding, roll through a stop sign, etc not a ticket (at least whenever I've been with them). I suppose it's a matter of degree.

norco_rider77

actually, thats out of 200 some odd days of school (including weekends, but still.) 4 or 5 isnt very many out of 200, and actually, i stand just off the curb, so they know i want to cross, but im safe. and i havent seen anyone here that would pass a drivers test (my grade 7 teacher is a driver trainer guy, if you drive across a cross walk while someones still on it, its an automatic fail, atleast here and according to him) only once ive been close, but the guy seriously was stopping.

DieselDan

I'd like to say the cops around here have numbers on their cars, but they don't. That includes the Beaufort Police Department, Port Royal PD, Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, and South Carolina Highway Patrol. Here, the cop would have busted you for trying to hide from the police by following the law.

Fredmertz51

Because they have weapons, and their (gang) uniforms.

skiahh

The doughnut shop was about to close....

ilmooz

Say, for example, the quickie mart down the block was just robbed. The store owner has called 911 with a description of the offender and that he ran from the store on foot. Police answering this call aren't going to warn the bad guy in advance that they're looking for him by using lights and sirens to announce their presence, and since covering the most ground in the least amount of time nets the best results they're not likely to obey every traffic law while searching the area.

There could be any number of reasons why a police car isn't obeying a traffic law but you'll never know why unless you have a radio tuned to the same frequency they're communicating on.

norco_rider77

he wasnt in any kind of a hurry though...

so how much does one of these scanner radios cost anyway

bkaapcke

Urban survival tip; Never get in the way of a cop headed for the donut shop. bk