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

[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.