The charming state of Florida is undoubtedly one of the most popular vacation spots in the United States. Not only do people from other states flock here to vacation, but people from all over the world come to the Sunshine State as well. When planning their vacations, these tourists have certain images in mind about what they will see and what they can expect during their visit. here. Beautiful white-sand beaches, voluminous sunshine, blue skies, and swaying palm trees – these are the ideals for a subtropical vacation. Of course, there are also other images that come to mind that are less pleasant, like traffic… lots and lots of traffic.
Although no one likes having to deal with traffic, it is just one of the downsides of living in or visiting such a popular place, and as we all know, where there is traffic, there are police. Pick your agency: the sheriff’s department, the state patrol, the city police—they all have an interest in taking advantage of the frustration drivers feel and the actions they take as a result of the congestion we all must deal with.
Harassing drivers may sound a bit harsh, but what better way to explain the actions of law enforcement in their tireless efforts to catch drivers committing even the most minor traffic violations? The tactics police officers use to do so are often questionable at best. Whether those tactics are speed traps, ticket quotas, or intimidation, I think very few people would disagree that traffic ticket stops have taken a dramatic turn, and not in favor of unsuspecting drivers.
Let’s start with speed traps. We have all seen them and many of us have been victims of them because they can be installed in many places along the roads and even in the air. Whether the speed trap is located behind a bridge pier, on an overpass, or along the shoulder of the road, this is just a sneaky way to catch unsuspecting drivers. I’ve even seen medians that are beautifully landscaped with trees, flowers, and shrubs planted in such a way that police officers can wait for speeding vehicles unseen until you drive past them. Medians are probably one of the most common places officers hide because they are plentiful and allow police officers to take off in any direction to follow a speeding driver.
Drivers who encounter speed traps often don’t even realize they’re speeding until it’s too late. We’re humming along, thinking about that big project at work or the kids’ softball games, then lo and behold! We see Officer Not So Friendly sitting in his car behind an overpass running board with his radar or LIDAR pointed directly at us.
Why would the police be so diligent in catching offenders? Your diligence is often the result of traffic ticket fees, of course. The existence of traffic ticket quotas is widely denied by law enforcement agencies because, let’s face it, this concept generates bad press for police officers. Quotas give the public the impression that cops are smart, and rightly so. If they weren’t being sneaky in their attempts to catch speeders, the aforementioned speed traps wouldn’t exist.
The reasons for traffic ticket fees are varied, but the main reason is returned. Despite vehement denials from law enforcement agencies, there has been a significant increase in the number of traffic tickets issued over the past two decades that outpaces the increase in the number of drivers on the road. This negates the defense that there is a correlation between population expansion and the volume of traffic tickets issued.
Additionally, there has been more than one city or town that has made national news because their police force has been found to have been instructed to write X number of tickets. That’s right, it’s your job to meet the quotas because, many times, the revenue generated from these traffic tickets covers budget shortfalls. Those who are sending these tickets to be written are the same people whose salaries are paid with these incomes.
Then there is the issue of bullying. I don’t know if this is a planned practice among law enforcement or if it’s just a matter of the state of things these days. We seem to hear about a conflict between police and driver almost every day. There are drivers out there who just don’t cooperate with officers when they are pulled over. They can be rude, unpleasant, and/or uncooperative. This, however, really makes no difference to police officers than to anyone else whose job requires them to deal with the public. If you’ve ever worked in a customer service-oriented industry, you know that often when someone feels like he’s paying their salary, he expects to be treated a certain way. This is how drivers often feel when they think they have been wrongfully stopped by “a public servant.”
There is the problem of the police causing a traffic stop only to learn, sometimes in a very dangerous way, that they have arrested a criminal. A sudden move or aggressive action can be a contributing cause to all the stories we’ve read about conflicts occurring between drivers and officers. You end up with cops who weren’t vigilant enough and citizens who felt like they were just exercising their civil rights and not coming home at the end of the day. Families and even communities are devastated in the wake of such tragedies.
All of these things are likely to contribute to intimidating behavior by law enforcement, but these are often exceptions. Most drivers who are pulled over usually do not know why they have been pulled over or have committed a violation that really brings little or no satisfaction to others. It may be true that when a policeman stops someone, it may be searching for criminals, but that’s a poor excuse to treat everyone as one. It’s easy to understand why the average citizen would be offended by being treated that way, since most of us are just going about our daily lives when we get pulled over.
I don’t know the statistics, but I’m willing to bet that the number of drivers who attack or even resist a police officer during a traffic stop is a small fraction of the number of traffic stops that are made each day. However, most traffic stops seem to involve a police officer who is brusque, hostile, and uncompromising in his or her decision to issue a traffic ticket. If he gets pulled over for speeding or any other traffic violation, he doesn’t “fight.” Be polite; don’t admit your guilt by saying yes, you know why you were arrested; and then call us at 954-967-9888 for your free consultation. He not only has the right to a fair defense, but he also has the right to be treated with respect and not as a criminal.