View Full Version : LEOs that have worked traffic....question for ya
how many miles an hour over the posted limit would be the trigger for you to pull someone over?
coming from jersey i was used to 10-15 over would be the standard for traffic to flow and anything outside of that would get you pulled over.......well the other day on my way up to woodland park on 24 every ones doing the colorado 5 under and i realized there were actually curves ahead....imagine that so im put putting through some nice s turns and i come around a corner and BOOM theres a statie he flipped on his lights and im thinking im fucked.....look at the dash im doing 2 over.....he cut off his lights right away im assuming it was a warning to slow down.....
back east i dont even think the trooper would have woken up from his nap for 2 over [ROFL2]
hghclsswhitetrsh
03-21-2013, 10:56
I got a traffic citation for 4 mph last year. I havent received a ticket for 7 years prior and it was in another state. So it's not like I'm a habitual traffic offender and no it wasn't in a school zone.
Depends on the jurisdiction- most of the JCSO folks I know won't bother with 1-9 over, but once you hit that 10+ mark they'll at least make a stop. Now if you ever travel through Morrison, don't even bother doing the speed limit, they'll pop you for 1 over, and I don't know anyone (self included) that has been pulled over by Morrison PD and NOT gotten a ticket.
"I'm not speeding . . . I just look fast."
[LOL]
OneGuy67
03-21-2013, 11:23
When I was on patrol, on Interstate highways, I wouldn't look at you unless you were 15 MPH over and wouldn't write anyone for speeding unless it was 20 MPH + over and usually there was some other issue being written as well; NPOI, suspended license, etc. On regular streets, it was generally 10 MPH over for a contact. School zones, much less. Contacts didn't mean tickets though. Most were meet and greets.
Depends on the jurisdiction- most of the JCSO folks I know won't bother with 1-9 over, but once you hit that 10+ mark they'll at least make a stop. Now if you ever travel through Morrison, don't even bother doing the speed limit, they'll pop you for 1 over, and I don't know anyone (self included) that has been pulled over by Morrison PD and NOT gotten a ticket.
Agreed. On I-25, it seems to be safe(ish) to do 10 over as long as traffic is behaving likewise. In smaller locales (particularly the rich hippie zones like Boulder outskirts, Morrisson, Larkspur etc, ) it can be for as little as 2 - 4 over. (My dad got popped for FOUR over in Sedalia) Although they can ticket you for pretty much anything... my brother got a misdemeanor "reckless driving" charge for daring to pass a trooper AT THE LEGAL SPEED LIMIT on a snowy day. The roads weren't slick yet, there was little traffic, and visibility was fine. He was more polite than I would have been, but the bitch must've been on her special time of the month and ticketed him anyway.
When I was on patrol, on Interstate highways, I wouldn't look at you unless you were 15 MPH over and wouldn't write anyone for speeding unless it was 20 MPH + over and usually there was some other issue being written as well; NPOI, suspended license, etc. On regular streets, it was generally 10 MPH over for a contact. School zones, much less. Contacts didn't mean tickets though. Most were meet and greets.
Wish there were more like you out there...
Hwy 24 is always watched by the SP. I work for a shop up in WP and travel it often so I keep to the speed limit. I see more folks getting tickets on that one road than all of CS it seems. The twistys just west of Cave of the Winds and then west of the entrance to Pikes Peak Hwy are the worst.
BushMasterBoy
03-21-2013, 12:13
Hiway 24 is a bad road, lots of curves and blind entries onto the hiway. Has been a few washouts from from the Waldo Canyon fire and the road was blocked by a landslide. Then you have the inmates picking up trash from the gamblers and tourists. Not to mention the drunks from free or cheap Cripple Creek booze. It must be a bitch to patrol if there is a wreck with all the twisties and canyon walls. Then you have the tourists with the big motorhomes who have never been to the mountains. I was approaching the landslide when it happened coming down 24 to the Springs and the State Patrol had the traffic moving again eastbound in ten minutes. I was impressed.
http://www.kktv.com/home/headlines/Flash-Flood-Warning-For-Waldo-Canyon-Burn-Scar-Area-164338336.html
Anything over the limit is capable of getting a ticket. Just depends on the state of their coffers and how pissed off the guy is at the time. T is amazing to me that there are certain days in a month where you see zero cops and then another day there is one every mile or two.
Got a ticket for 4-9mph over the speed limit in Adams about 2mo ago. 0 points and its my first violation since 04
Sent from my Otterbox Defended Tactical iPhone using High Capacity "Clips".
The last speeding ticket I got was several years ago for 13mph over the limit on 36 north of Boulder by the sheriff's department. I had actually been going the limit but gathered some speed without noticing until it was too late on a downgrade. What irked me about that was that they had setup the speed trap at the bottom of the hill, where it's expected people will pick up some speed. Up until that point, I had only ever seen speed traps at the top of a hill which is "fairer" since you're more likely to be consciously exceeding the limit flying up a hill. It was late at night with no other traffic and the interaction was all friendly but wasn't lucky enough to get just a warning.
Anything over the limit is capable of getting a ticket. Just depends on the state of their coffers and how pissed off the guy is at the time. T is amazing to me that there are certain days in a month where you see zero cops and then another day there is one every mile or two.
I can testify to this! Come up to Evergreen sometime, I'll go days where I might see one cop on the road, maybe (and I live about 1.5mi from the Mtn Substation and drive by it 4x a day minimum), and then other days where I'll see 4 or 5+. Strange.
There are frequently speed traps at 120th and 287 right after morning rush and right before afternoon rush, often using laser, however, since I rarely see anyone being pulled over I think it's more about trying to assert their presence and altering driving behavior by getting people used to traffic enforcement being present and the possibility of getting a ticket.
A good radar detector is worth the money if you have a heavy foot.
A good radar detector is worth the money if you have a heavy foot.
Valentine V1 on my windshield as we speak... No tickets since 11/2010 (knock on wood). [Beer]
Bailey Guns
03-21-2013, 16:34
If you haven't gotten a ticket it isn't because of your radar detector. It's because you were lucky. I had one guy throw his $400 detector (this was in the mid 90s) out the window on to 285 after I wrote him his 20+ over ticket. Then I threatened to give him a summons for littering. He was a dick anyway. Radar detectors are really good about warning you you're about to get stopped depending on the equipment the officer is using (and how they're using it). And if I stopped someone for speeding and they had a radar detector in the car you can bet they were gettin' paper.
A lot of cops will only stop the most flagrant of violators. Some will stop for really minor stuff. The dedicated traffic guys will often stop for 6 or more over. State troopers...different breed. I got stopped by a trooper on 285 for 3 over. A lot of guys (like me) will stop the serious speeders (15-20 over) for speeding but most often I stopped cars for minor stuff just to check them out. You'd be amazed the kind of people you find driving cars with no license plate lamps or burned out/broken lights, no front plate, etc. Traffic stops are a great tool when used properly for criminal enforcement. When the minor violation leads to nothing it was a quick "Thank you, get it fixed, have a nice day" and the driver was back on the road.
Bailey Guns
03-21-2013, 16:35
Oh, yeah...
Then there are the guys that wanna see the radar. Clueless.
bigun1962
03-21-2013, 18:07
Hwy 85 you can run as fast as you want unless you are in or near on of the small towns. Then you had better be under their limit or you will get a ticket.
Valentine V1 on my windshield as we speak... No tickets since 11/2010 (knock on wood). [Beer]
I debated getting that one vs the Escort 9500ix, and decided on the latter and it's worked pretty well. I don't really have as much of a lead foot as I used to, so it's more of an extra set of eyes/ears to pay attention to things even when I'm not intending to speed.
Citizen_Soldier
03-21-2013, 19:13
A good radar detector is worth the money if you have a heavy foot.
This isn't good insurance against radars. Most cops roll with their radar off and can just squeeze the trigger on their dash and point the radar at you. Your little detector can only sense when the radar is actively scanning, so on open roads it really doesn't protect you from getting pulled over. I guess it could be some use in detecting speed traps.
Also just as an FYI, I have a friend who's a deputy in Larimer County who told me he doesn't bother people unless they're going at least 10 over. Most Colorado LEOs seem to be of a similar mindset in my experience. Up here in Wyoming they are much more strict
Boulderar15
03-21-2013, 19:18
Cop I used to know would always say, '9 you're fine. 10 you're mine.
motohooligan
03-21-2013, 20:00
When I was LEO, I didn't pull over until 13 over. But EVERYONE got a ticket for that. I didn't need to deal with any favoritism/racial/sex/etc BS. For stop signs, if you slowed down enough to where I could see the individual lugs on the wheels, you were good. DUI, 100%. 99 times out of 100 if I pulled you over for whatever reason you were getting a ticket. I never bothered with BS stops, plenty of real crap to deal with, and I didn't want to abuse the public. If I wasn't 100% sure the ticket would stick if I had to go to court, I wouldn't write it. The District Attorneys loved me, Defense Attorneys hated me. I had my shit locked up tight. I didn't really like traffic enforcement (other than DUI), but you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes.
DingleBerns
03-21-2013, 22:06
everyone one of my buddies are different from 10-20mph. and those radar detectors are useless if a LEO is using lidar. Lidar sends one laser to the front of your vehicle without triggering the radar detector while Radar sends a big beam to your vehicle that your radar detector will pick up. and attitude is everything on a traffic stop, if you want to be a dick, I'll write petty stuff. I've let 20mph over go because of their respectful attitude....
Oh look.. actual LEO and former answered. Not just those who want to be.
everyone one of my buddies are different from 10-20mph. and those radar detectors are useless if a LEO is using lidar. Lidar sends one laser to the front of your vehicle without triggering the radar detector while Radar sends a big beam to your vehicle that your radar detector will pick up. and attitude is everything on a traffic stop, if you want to be a dick, I'll write petty stuff. I've let 20mph over go because of their respectful attitude....
Does the LIDAR signal bounce around though? I ask because sometimes it seemed like my laser alarm has gone off before the LEO was in MY line of sight. Otherwise I've always realized that if I hear that alarm it's too late if I've had been speeding.
Katastrophic
03-21-2013, 22:34
I debated getting that one vs the Escort 9500ix, and decided on the latter and it's worked pretty well. I don't really have as much of a lead foot as I used to, so it's more of an extra set of eyes/ears to pay attention to things even when I'm not intending to speed.
We have the Escort 9500ix too and we love the GPS feature on it. It uses GPS to warn on red light cameras and to lock out false alarms.
I actually don't speed at all because it really pisses off so many of the other drivers in Highlands Ranch. I even use that thing called "down shifting" for downhills and everything! I like having the detector though because its presence reminds me to check my speed.
As far as LEOs go, I've never gotten off with a warning. I haven't gotten a ticket in 10+ years, but when I was a teen, I got a few. I always treated the officers with absolute respect too. The point is never assume you were "only going a couple over so they won't do anything".
motohooligan
03-21-2013, 23:24
Radar detectors are a good tool, but you need to realize how they work and how LE does their thing. Escort 8500, 9500, Valentine are all great detectors. You just need to know their limitations.
Oh, yeah...
Then there are the guys that wanna see the radar. Clueless.
Could you explain this Carl? I've heard conflicting reports from people about what's "legal" on asking to see the radar. I've never asked, mostly because that's like coming out and saying "You're a damn liar" to the cop, and I'd rather not be a disrespectful dirtbag.
I wasn't paying attention to my speed on I-25; I was keeping up with the pack on the way in to Castle Rock down that last bend that's a free-for-all. The State Trooper that pulled me over was incredibly polite, and explained that had I been going 10 miles over the speed limit he wouldn't have pulled me over but I was doing 13 miles over the speed limit. I don't know if it was because I was so stunned that I had been going that fast, or if it was because I followed the rules of being pulled over (hands on steerng wheel, driver's side windows down on both front and back, respectful) or if he chose to do so for reasons of his own, but he let me off with a warning. Whew! I've been greatly aware of my own speed since that day- troopers seem to be everywhere lately.
Bailey Guns
03-22-2013, 10:47
Could you explain this Carl? I've heard conflicting reports from people about what's "legal" on asking to see the radar. I've never asked, mostly because that's like coming out and saying "You're a damn liar" to the cop, and I'd rather not be a disrespectful dirtbag.
As a rule of thumb, I didn't like drivers getting out of their car and walking back to mine for a lot of reasons, most of which had to do with officer safety and the safety of the driver being exposed to traffic. It didn't happen often, but occasionally I'd oblige some smartass who wanted to see the radar.
So, let's say I stopped someone for 68 in a 50. My radar is flashing "68". I show the radar to Mr Smartass. "So, what does that tell you, Mr Smartass?" Invariably he'd say, "I was going 68." I'd leave it at that because the offender would usually be satisfied.
But along the lines of what you said about basically calling the cop a liar, what I wanted to say was, "Wrong. It tells you someone was going 68. I could've hit the first car I saw on the interstate and left the speed locked in and flashing on my radar all day. I could've been driving 35 with my radar in stationary mode and tagged a guy coming at me at 33 to get 68 on the screen and locked that in. It doesn't tell you a damned thing except "68" is flashing on the screen. But as long as you feel better I guess that's what's important."
I don't know what the rules are today, but when I got radar certified you had to be really good at visual speed estimations. Technically the radar was just a verification of the officer's visual estimate of the speed of a vehicle.
Few things pissed me off more than someone who thought they knew more about law enforcement than the cops because they "heard from somebody" or "watched it on TV".
Bailey Guns
03-22-2013, 10:51
I wasn't paying attention to my speed on I-25; I was keeping up with the pack on the way in to Castle Rock down that last bend that's a free-for-all. The State Trooper that pulled me over was incredibly polite, and explained that had I been going 10 miles over the speed limit he wouldn't have pulled me over but I was doing 13 miles over the speed limit. I don't know if it was because I was so stunned that I had been going that fast, or if it was because I followed the rules of being pulled over (hands on steerng wheel, driver's side windows down on both front and back, respectful) or if he chose to do so for reasons of his own, but he let me off with a warning. Whew! I've been greatly aware of my own speed since that day- troopers seem to be everywhere lately.
I'm sure the trooper appreciated your kindness. A question I got a lot was, "Why did you stop me? Why don't you stop everyone else going over the speed limit?"
My answer would be something like, "Have you ever gone fishing?" When they said, "Yes", I'd ask, "Did you catch all the fish in the lake or just a few?"
If someone was polite and honest I'd almost always let them go if it was just speeding, regardless of the speed (within reason). I've let people go for 20 over before because they told me they were going 20 over and they were just tired from working all day and wanted to go home. Fine. Slow down, remember this warning and get home safely to your family.
ChadAmberg
03-22-2013, 11:00
OK, I get that it's easy to enforce speed limits, but when I talk with folks, the big gripe is always "Why don't they pull over other drivers that are: going slow in the left lane, no turn signals to turn/change lanes, make a turn and swing out to incorrect lanes, sit at those lights where the last 3-4 cars always blow the red light, etc..."
I can tell you now you could just about fund Colorado Springs by sitting at Austin Bluffs and Academy and pull over the 3-4 cars that blow the red light every single signal change that are turning southbound onto Academy. They're not even close. Or the folks that come off Union east bound on Austin Bluffs that don't know what the yield sign is for.
Few things pissed me off more than someone who thought they knew more about law enforcement than the cops because they "heard from somebody" or "watched it on TV".
Hence why anything I "hear from somebody" (yes, even from some of you knuckleheads here [Coffee]) I take with a grain of salt. Who knows if it's the end-all, be-all truth, or just what somebody heard from somebody who knew a guy who once talked to a cop for a minute.
Bailey Guns
03-22-2013, 11:14
OK, I get that it's easy to enforce speed limits, but when I talk with folks, the big gripe is always "Why don't they pull over other drivers that are: going slow in the left lane, no turn signals to turn/change lanes, make a turn and swing out to incorrect lanes, sit at those lights where the last 3-4 cars always blow the red light, etc..."
I can tell you now you could just about fund Colorado Springs by sitting at Austin Bluffs and Academy and pull over the 3-4 cars that blow the red light every single signal change that are turning southbound onto Academy. They're not even close. Or the folks that come off Union east bound on Austin Bluffs that don't know what the yield sign is for.
I know. It's frustrating. But cops have to prioritize just like everyone else. I can tell you from 15 years doing it that the largest citizen complaint by far was speeding in neighborhoods. Nothing else even came close. There are also safety issues at work. Sometimes officers are mandated to enforce certain traffic violations in certain areas. That takes them away from other things.
There's a whole host of reasons why they can't stop every single violator. And keep in mind what you're seeing when you see some knucklehead going 50 in the left lane of the interstate is a snapshot in time. It doesn't mean there aren't 15 cops somewhere else writing people tickets for doing the same thing. Or maybe they're all tied up on accidents, or a shooting or who knows what. You can't write 'em all.
OneGuy67
03-22-2013, 12:38
Could you explain this Carl? I've heard conflicting reports from people about what's "legal" on asking to see the radar. I've never asked, mostly because that's like coming out and saying "You're a damn liar" to the cop, and I'd rather not be a disrespectful dirtbag.
At the time of the stop, you don't have any legal right to see the radar. For whatever reason, the general public seems to think you do. Now, if it was a portable unit, some officers may be willing to show it to you, but you don't have any right to see it. I was stopped by a CSPD motor officer awhile back and he walked up to the window with the radar and showed me the unit while explaining he stopped me for speeding. Very professional guy and I was impressed with how he conducted his traffic stops.
Wish there were more like you out there...
There are a lot of officers out there, just like I was. I trained a bunch at my old PD and I knew a bunch from Bailey Guns' old PD who were similar. If you were to ask the various LEO's here on a one to one conversation, they probably would tell you the same thing. Only those who are assigned to a traffic unit have any requirement to write traffic tickets. The patrol guys are usually free to write or not write as they see fit, and like Bailey Guns stated earlier, usually it was due to attitude and usually the stop is a precursor to looking for "real" criminals, like everyone seems to believe the cops never look for.
I'm sure the trooper appreciated your kindness. A question I got a lot was, "Why did you stop me? Why don't you stop everyone else going over the speed limit?"
My answer would be something like, "Have you ever gone fishing?" When they said, "Yes", I'd ask, "Did you catch all the fish in the lake or just a few?"
I used to use that line all the time as well. We can only pull one vehicle over at a time, and today, it was your time.
I know. It's frustrating. But cops have to prioritize just like everyone else. I can tell you from 15 years doing it that the largest citizen complaint by far was speeding in neighborhoods. Nothing else even came close. There are also safety issues at work. Sometimes officers are mandated to enforce certain traffic violations in certain areas. That takes them away from other things.
There's a whole host of reasons why they can't stop every single violator. And keep in mind what you're seeing when you see some knucklehead going 50 in the left lane of the interstate is a snapshot in time. It doesn't mean there aren't 15 cops somewhere else writing people tickets for doing the same thing. Or maybe they're all tied up on accidents, or a shooting or who knows what. You can't write 'em all.
I agree with Bailey whole heartedly. We used to receive calls daily for speeders in the neighborhoods, mostly from the retired folks who have nothing else to do, but watch and call the PD. When I first started with my last PD 16 years ago, they had a program that lent our old radars out to those folks to sit and radar vehicles and to write down their license plate numbers, but only if they were doing XX over the posted limit. The list would be turned into the traffic sergeant who would fill out a pre-written letter to the registered owner telling them their vehicle was observed speeding in a residential neighborhood XX over the limit and would they be a better neighbor and watch their speed, blah, blah, blah. It was a feel good measure that the old folks liked, the city council loved, but the sergeant absolutely hated. Did it do anything to curtail it? Back then, maybe a little with a parent speaking to their children about it, but now, I would bet not.
This isn't good insurance against radars. Most cops roll with their radar off and can just squeeze the trigger on their dash and point the radar at you. Your little detector can only sense when the radar is actively scanning, so on open roads it really doesn't protect you from getting pulled over. I guess it could be some use in detecting speed traps.
Also just as an FYI, I have a friend who's a deputy in Larimer County who told me he doesn't bother people unless they're going at least 10 over. Most Colorado LEOs seem to be of a similar mindset in my experience. Up here in Wyoming they are much more strict
Definitely not the be all end all. But mine has most definitely paid for itself. More often then not it spots police long before I do.
At the time of the stop, you don't have any legal right to see the radar. For whatever reason, the general public seems to think you do. Now, if it was a portable unit, some officers may be willing to show it to you, but you don't have any right to see it. I was stopped by a CSPD motor officer awhile back and he walked up to the window with the radar and showed me the unit while explaining he stopped me for speeding. Very professional guy and I was impressed with how he conducted his traffic stops.
When I was in HS our SRO and I were good friends, he even told me that, not sure if things changed between 2000 and now, but I figured there was no legal ground for a driver to ask to see the radar. My first time being stopped when I was 16 was for rolling through a red light while turning right, he said he paced me doing 7 over. What's some smart ass going to do in that case? "Officer, I need to see your memory so I can see what you saw on your speedo." [ROFL1]
DingleBerns
03-22-2013, 21:55
Does the LIDAR signal bounce around though? I ask because sometimes it seemed like my laser alarm has gone off before the LEO was in MY line of sight. Otherwise I've always realized that if I hear that alarm it's too late if I've had been speeding.
Nope Lidar is just one beam, and the aim is no where near the radar detector so it will not pick it up.
motohooligan
03-22-2013, 23:03
Even with a portable unit, I almost never showed the radar to people. I didn't really want one hand occupied with a radar unit just in case SHTF. Sometimes I would tell them the only way to see the radar was to take a trip in the back seat in hand cuffs ;).
Kraven251
03-23-2013, 00:50
The last ticket I got was a couple years back when I still had PA plates and was hauling ass through Kansas and got pinched just on the this side of the CO border. Why I even bring it up is that it was an unmarked, with the LED bar. I drove a good 10 miles with him behind me with lights on until I could pull into a gas station. It was abundantly clear he was pissed off I didn't pull over immediately.
Though had a tone shift almost immediately when I apologized for the extended "pursuit," but that I did not want to pull over at midnight on an empty road to a car that I could not confirm was LE. I still got the ticket, but he gave me a non moving. I was polite and he was professional, it worked out.
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