Md. Police Officers Ignore Speed Cameras

[Kor37 9]

Md. Police Officers Ignore Speed Cameras

AP

Posted: 2008-03-08 16:34:45

ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) - No matter what the cameras say, some drivers are refusing to pay dozens of $40 speeding fines. Who? Police officers.

 

In the last eight months of 2007, Montgomery County's new speed cameras recorded 224 cases in which police vehicles were recorded traveling more than 10 mph over the speed limit, according to department records.

 

Supervisors dismissed 76 of those citations after determining the officers were responding to calls or had valid reasons to break the speed limit.

 

But that left 148 who didn't have that excuse, and about two-thirds of those citations haven't been paid, said police Lt. Paul Starks.

 

The police union says officers shouldn't pay because the citations are issued to the owner of a vehicle, in this case the county, and not to the driver.

 

Police Chief Thomas Manger doesn't buy that argument.

 

"We are not above the law," Manger said. "It is imperative that the police department hold itself to the same standards that we're holding the public to."

 

Manger said officers who continue to ignore citations might be disciplined.

 

 

I'm not surprised. It REALLY ticks me off when I see a cop turn his lights on, go through a red light and then immediately turn the lights off again. They really think that they are above the law. I love the excuse they gave in the article about why they shouldn't pay. I wonder how they would act if we used the same excuse? "Oh...I'm sorry Officer. I'm not liable for speeding because this isn't my car......" I wonder how THAT will fly?.......

[Theunicornhunter 2]

The police union says officers shouldn't pay because the citations are issued to the owner of a vehicle, in this case the county, and not to the driver.

 

I was reading that it's actually unconstitutional in Florida to issue traffice citations based on cameras - this is after I read our county was installing cameras

[trekz 7]

Police conduct in their squad cars consistently ticks me off. Whether it's speeding, not using their signals, or zipping around in their cars when they could help traffic by directing traffic or by staying on a street and slowing the traffic down, I feel the police should set a good example, not show there ability to flaunt the laws they are supposed to be upholding. Not all police take advantage of their positions, but enough do so that people may decide that if the police can bend the rules, the rest of us can too.

Edited March 10, 2008 by trekz

[GhostofMajorHayes 10]

I agree with the officers here. Besides, no one complains about the police when they are helping someone. Why make an issue about something this minor? As far as anyone knows, the other "incidents" were also due to call responses and it hasn't been made known yet.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

I agree with the officers here. Besides, no one complains about the police when they are helping someone. Why make an issue about something this minor? As far as anyone knows, the other "incidents" were also due to call responses and it hasn't been made known yet.

 

I think it was pretty clear they already determined they weren't responding to calls. And if speeding is "minor" then the public shouldn't get tickets either.