Police rights

[xjustquietx.livejournal.com]

I'm getting nowhere on Google so I'm wondering if anyone here knows the answer. I was walking along Orchard St. when I saw a Somerville Police car going the wrong way. It didn't look like they had to be anywhere fast; their lights weren't on. They were in danger of running into an oncoming car going in the right direction.

Do cops here have that kind of freedom or were these guys just ignorant of/ignoring the rules?

Comments

[lonelyholiday.livejournal.com]

I don't know the answer to your question, but when was this? When I was coming home today around 4 or 4:30, there were a police car, fire truck, and ambulance parked on Elm Street with lights flashing but no sirens. Maybe they were related?

I have seen an ambulance drive on the wrong side of the median on Mass Ave, when that side was empty and cars on the correct side were packed in at a red light. But in that case, they had sirens and lights. I would think even if it is legal for a police car to go down a one-way in the wrong direction in the case of an emergency, they should at least have to have sirens/lights going to warn everyone on the street...

[xjustquietx.livejournal.com]

This was at around 10:20 pm. Ah well.

[agnosticoracle.livejournal.com]

I think police cars follow same traffic rules that bicyclists do.

[spampy.livejournal.com]

that translates to, "they do basically whatever they feel like doing."

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

Some of us bicyclists really do follow the traffic rules, you know.

You're free to shoot the rest of them.

[sarah-raz.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I will. ;)

[simply-juniper.livejournal.com]

Your icon is mesmerizing. May I steal it?

[sarah-raz.livejournal.com]

I stole it from someone else, so please do!

[inahandbasket]

Technically the police are not above traffic and parking laws.
But it never seems to matter.

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

Generally, police cars have to follow the same traffic laws. However, if the car was going in the wrong direction in the course of offical police duties (such as traffic control or sitting up a roadblock, etc.) it would be okay. In such events, proper procedure would have been to have their lights on for safety purposes.

[dani-namaste.livejournal.com]

I don't have much to add, but I just wanted to say "More Cowbell!"

[spatch]

I like it when the cops will turn on their lights just to go thru a red light. Once they're past, off go the lights and they continue at normal cruising speed. That's luxury for you!

[ron_newman]

the car didn't have its headlights on? this sounds very dangerous and might be worth dropping a note to one of the local papers.

[xjustquietx.livejournal.com]

It had it's headlights on, but not its emergency lights/sirens.

[nowalmart.livejournal.com]

According to the laws in almost every state, police cars are supposed to follow all traffic laws unless they are in an emergency situation or otherwise needing to ignore basic traffic laws as part of their duties.

Police EVERYWHERE abuse this power. It sickens me, but really there is not much you can do about it. The Somerville Police seem to be receptive to complaints made against their officers.

I once had a police officer almost run me over in Powderhouse Square, then get out of his truck to threaten me because I had touched his truck (he came so close to hitting me while I was in the crosswalk that I ended up running into his truck - I simply could not stop in time). I emailed the Somerville Police about it, and a Lt. Dan Cotter was very receptive to me making a complaint, but I decided against it (in part because I was more than a bit fearful of retribution).

It would certainly help if you had some sort of ID of the vehicle in question - I think all Somerville cruisers are assigned numbers, or a license plate would work.

Good luck!

[xjustquietx.livejournal.com]

Thanks. That's good to know. I will call Monday. I don't want to make a huge stink about it, but just say something in case there's other incidents on the driver's record. It is possible they just made a mistake. Although one would hope they knew the streets in the city they patrol...

[watchamacallit.livejournal.com]

What kind of retribution? Just think, if every person who is almost hit by a cop car decides not to file a report, the cop continue to drive in such a threatening manner. Honestly, I'm all too often terrified by the way police personnel drive on city streets. So unsafe.

[booxntea.livejournal.com]

My friend was attacked by an off-duty cop, filed a complaint and then got a letter stating he was being charged with some bogus misdemeanors. It sounds like the police don't want law abiding citizens to feel safe and welcome.

[sonofabish.livejournal.com]

I almost got slammed into by a Somerville cruiser flying the wrong way on School St coming from Highland going toward Medford St. No blue lights. He came screaming over the top of the hill and I almost sideswiped 2 cars getting out of the way. I thought it was just some random drunken fuckhead who almost killed me.

So who was I going to call? The cops? Yeah, right....

[ron_newman]

the mayor's office, your alderman's office, an alderman-at-large office, one or both of the two local newspapers ... I'd consider all of these if it happened to me.

[koloratur.livejournal.com]

I was driving in Arlington today, and had to pull over because 2 cops cars were speeding through behind me with their lights on. No sirens, though. Where were they going? Well, they ran (at least) two red lights in order to get to...the Police Station. I hope there was something important going on :)