Cops & Ferraris

A few years back, Dateline did a 'sting' somewhere back East and video taped
cops going WELL over the speed limit (no lights no siren) and followed them
to their destinations. They did this for 3 or 4 times, with one caught on tape
going over 100 on the Freeway, only to end up at the grocery store!

Jedi

 

Oh yeah. I'm sure a fellow officer will be just right on his tail and issue a ticket on the spot! Sure.



Jedi

 

It's been my experience that a lot of if not most cops are "car guys" and appreciate a Ferrari or any other high performance car......

 

That does seem to be true of several that I have known...but that is not going to get you an automatic pass if you are way outside the line. My first ever ride in a big block Corvette with the tri-carbs was by an Oklahoma City Highway Patrol Pilot - he was one of the check pilots in a flying club I joined, and gave me a pretty good run down the taxiway at Wiley Post airport after a night checkride.

BTW - this thread got my (morbid) curiosity going: Did we ever find out what really happened to the two guys in the Testarossa a year or two back in California?

Seems like that one got hushed up pretty quickly in the media, IIRC.

 

Most departments and Federal Agencies have pursuit policies which dictate circumstances and maximum speeds for chaces because they recognize the dangers. In most local, county, state agencies, the Duty Supervisor has the call. Most chaces are not the result of a speeder wanting to avoid a ticket...it's a stolen car, stolen license plate, no license plate, a driver with a warrant, a driver who just committed another crime, a drunk, drug dealer (if you let him go, you loose good evidence -- depends on the case/circumstance), etc. But, sometimes law enforcement get the adrenalin pumping and get tunnel vision...that's when it gets dangerous. If it's a guy with a bench warrant from family court for not paying 1 month's child support...let him go and meet him at home. If it's a guy who just killed his family and still has a cache of guns in the car...forget the policy and catch the MFer. Nowadays, the bigger agencies have help from planes/helicopters, so the pursuing vehicles can back off. Sometimes, a fleeing individual is driving sooo dangerously regardless of the presence of law enforcement, that pursuing is required...that's when you see the PIT Maneuver on COPS.

 

The weekend I picked up my Ferrari, I was the 6th in a line of Ferraris going to a car show through winding roads...I was doing my best to keep up with experienced drivers who knew the roads...I didn't even see the cop until he was right behind me. He was a car guy...we talked about the cars and how nice they are. Then he gave me a ticket. Because of my demeanor alone, he wrote me for "Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device" vs. Speeding, resulting in a lower fine with no points. He didn't know I was a cop and I didn't tell him...I violated the posted speed limit and deserved the ticket...I was not being safe.

Not all cops are arseholes. MOST are just doing their jobs...don't judge the profession because of the 2 times you saw a cop speed by you in 5 years.

 

Oh, so you have seen 4.6million cruisers passing you at 80-90mph??? And how did you know they were driving 80-90 MPH??? How fast were you going? Are you trained to estimate speed? Where were they going...not funny guesses, but actual knowledge?

If I had a nickel for every Ferrari that passed me doing 80-90 mph, I would have 10 police cruisers in my garage. We can all exagerate...

 

I have never been pulled over in my Ferrari, but I did have something a bit stupid happen last weekend that i'll share.
I'll do my best to paint the scene....
I'm driving home on a main road that is 3 lanes in each direction with a median in the middle. I am on the southbound side, there is a multi-car wreck on the northbound side that was car carnage for about 1/4 mile, spanning 2 intersections of 4 lane secondary streets.
Now, I am on the side of the road/median that the wreck is NOT on... traffic is flowing steadily at about 25-30 MPH due to the rubber-neckers, it is a 45 MPH speed limit road. As I apporach the 1st intersection, the light is green, as I cross the intersection, I look over and the 4 cops that are standing in the road (other side of the median) all STOP and look right at me, and watch me as I drive on with trafiic.
As I approach the next intersection (about 50-60 yards further) the light turns red, as I come to a stop, I see that there is a female cop (huge ass, about 23-25 years old) in the intersection waving traffic to continue through the red light. As soon as she sees me, she runs out into the oncoming traffic and stops everyone... I was in the far right lane and she stopped the 2 left lanes of traffic. She comes running up to my window shining her flashlight in my face and says.. "the officers back there told me to stop you and write you a ticket for going too fast through the scene of an accident!". Stunned, I just looked dead in her face and didnt say a word.. I was shocked!! Then she slaps my side mirror with her hand and says "have a good night", then turned and walked away.

As I made my way (3 more blocks) to my house, I became furious... I didnt do anything wrong, I wasn't going any faster than the 30 other cars around me... I was IN TRAFFIC, I couldn't go any faster than everyone else if I wanted too!!
This was the 1st time I felt I was singled out by cops because of what I was driving.... i'm actually still a little ticked about it a week later.

 

I ask increduously.......you were pulled over....and never once mentioned you were a cop????????
Come on...I mean really.

 

So, I would lie about this why??????? You can ask however you want. I don't go around flashing my badge, especially when I am in the wrong. Believe it or not, cops don't want you shoving your badge down their throats. I was exceeding the speed limit by let's say a sizeable figure; and I was off duty, so I didn't have even a bad excuse. If I was maybe 5-10 mph over, maybe I would have said something. He was real nice and I was pleasant in return. Now if he said I am going to write you a $10,000 fine and tow your car...I would whip out the badge faster than you can say Jackie Robinson But it was a $90 fine with no points...

I was out of state, off duty, really speeding...no need to try and get the courtesy...I was way out of line and he was cool. End of story.

I am comfortable with you not believing me, though, because I really don't care. Like I have sooo much to gain by lying...Thanks for calling my character into question though. It actually says a lot about you.

 

I have never been pulled over by the police in a little over 3 years driving the 348. The police here are nice enough to me. We did get the police to visit at our unofficial private road course, and tell us we had to leave. They were very cool about the whole thing, even let me wait until I was done eating a sandwich. They could have easily hidden out by the side of the road and written us all tickets, or worse. And BTW Gil would absolutely tell you if he played the "I'm a cop, don't give me a ticket" rule. He plays by the rules, and pays by them also!

BT

 

This is the only story I've got with the Ferrari and cops. I was going to the airport in San Rafael, across the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge. There was light traffic, the speed limit was 55, and I was accelerating up to 75 when I could to get around the slow pokes. Turns out a California Highway Patrol was behind me, never clocked me, and pulled me over at the San Rafael side, told me I was going 90+. I told him I wasn't, didn't admit to anything.

I'm known in the Marin courthouse, so when it came up for trial, I examined the officer, and he claimed that he'd clocked me. I then asked him why he went out of the lane, onto the shoulder to get around another car, just before he put on his lights, his comment: "I wasn't driving a Ferrari, like you". The Judge figured it out, saw that he hadn't clocked me, and commented on it. I asked the Judge to cite him for perjury, but the Judge declined, but I ended up with a simple speeding ticket, relatively small fine, which is where it belonged. When we left court, the officer was ashen, about as white faced as I've ever seen a CHP. I never denied speeding to the court.

However, ever since then, whenever I represent someone in Marin, the CHP never shows up. Wonder why.

Art

 

Some of you may have seen my thread the other week - my only LEO-F experience in the couple months I've owned it was great: a young local LEO stopped me and challenged me to a race. I obliged and we had a blast

I do not expect subsequent interactions will be as positive.

 

So tell me. What so called special training do the police do that allows them to estimate a cars speed way better than an experienced car driver. So whats involved? Or are you talking about the use of timing machines and not the training of the naked eye? What special training is needed to know when some one is breaking the speed limit?
And most of us see way more than 2 speeding officers in two years as you suggest. Or am i be right in thinking that you are "trained" in suggesting....the police way Its every week that i see dozens of police breaking the driving laws that they are supposed to be up holding.

 

This is getting rediculous...the exagerations are endless, aren't they. You expect me to believe that every week, you see 24 + police breaking the driving laws...sorry, I have to call BS on that one.

As far as training, without going into specifics -- since it won't matter as your warped opinions have already been set -- there are millions of hours of training (see, we all can exagerate) that are associated with the use of speed detection devices. Part of that training develops an officers skills at estimating speed. It includes Time/Distance calculations. In order to pass the training and be authorized to operate such a device, the officer must properyl operate the device, properly calculate time/distance, and be able to estimate speed with the naked eye within a certain percentage of radar detected speed (very small percentage). As with anything, the more you do it, the better you get.

How do you as an "experienced car driver" know how fast another car is going as it passes you? A car passes you, you look at your speedometer and say, "Man, that car must be going 200 mph"? It's difficult to estimate speed when you are moving. It's easier when you are stationary. But, an experienced and trained individual can still estimate the speed of a passing vehicle...it just won't hold up in court as easily...but it's not often that a motorist speeds by a patrol car.

I am curious about your "experienced car driver" training though. Once again, another motorist questioning my character and suggesting a secret police society that does things as you state "the police way". I am not defending cops that break the law. I am not justifying speeding for "no reason". But you are painting a picture of all law enforcement based on you dozens (BS!!!) of experiences. Unless you are a cop (which clearly you are not) I can guarantee that I have had more experiences with law enforcement over the past 16 years than you will have in a lifetime. Exagerations are part of a chat type forum, but if you are going to ask me questions, and want me to take them seriously and answer honsetly, stop inflating your experiences and knowledge.

I am a Ferrari owner and in law enforcement. I believe in helping this community whenever I can because we are a relatively small group of owners/enthusiasts. But sometimes, especially when the topic of cops comes up, people come out of the woodwork to bash an entire profession...and like I said before, a profession that most would not do. I can assure you that if everyone posts their true occupation, I can find examples of "dozens" of bad apples and paint the entire profession in a bad light...it's real easy.

 

Yes i do like many see police officers break the law every week, that's a fact. But what can we do about it?? Whether its speeding, using bus lanes, using radios while driving, using phone while driving, ect ect. Its you that's ridiculous in the things you have said on this thread, its you that's the one who has exaggerated. Which is more believable your statement of a person only seeing a police officer speeding twice in 5 years. As you have said. Or anyone like me who sees the police on our roads breaking the law most if not every week. Also you said this as well

 

1. You would "lie" because you are on a forum and you care about your image here...representing the stand up guy you wish to portray (which I suppose you are, I have no reason to believe otherwise).
2. I wasn't attacking your character.....If we were standing face to face (rather than on the internet) I would have made my comment with a smile, a wink, and a sly grin...you wouldn't have been offended.
3. Stop being so easily offended...relax.
4. My harmless comment says nothing about me, or my character.
5. Peace.

 

Cops and Ferrari's..well I have many stories...but in the beginning they ware almost always my fault...Driving with no plates, or going 10 over the posted limit and such...But now, its most times I am out driving, the Ferrari's and ESP. Lamborghini's draws the cops in mins....But here in town there are some cool cops.... Me and one of Sioux Falls Finest..and we ware not speeding..in fact I think we ware parked at the time, when he pulled in...but he was super cool, and has this picture famed on his desk!
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

1) You see cops breaking the law every week...BS, remember you said dozens every week

2) Speeding...I can't defend that because I don't know why they were speeding...was it duty related or just because they can? You don't know either. If it's for no good reason, that's wrong.

3) Using radios while driving...are you insane??? Of course they use radios while driving...that's how they communicate. When the radio traffic is high, they use phones...that's SOP

4) Using bus lanes or HOV lanes -- it is written within the law that any police vehicle is exempt from the HOV reglation...Washington DC is a perfect example. It's for a valid purpose. But you would probably want a cop stuck in traffic if you needed one.

5) my 2X in 5 years was in response to another exageration.

6) 4.6million...again in response to an exageration when he said if he had a nickle for every police cruise that passed him at 80-90mph he would have a 430 in the garage. I used a figure of $230,000 divided by $0.05 to get the figure...I should have spelled that out for you, sorry.

7) Once again you show your ignorance. Police are trained at speed detection, not all, but those working traffic. I guess race car drivers are no better trained than you because you are experienced at driving. You're probably the best at everything you do...good for you.

8) Institue of Advanced Motorists http://www.iam.org.uk/aboutus/..."The IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) is the UK's leading road safety charity, dedicated to raising driving standards through our Advanced Driving Test, engaging with the road-using public (see our News Releases and Driving Tips) and influencing road safety policy (for example, through the work of the IAM Motoring Trust)." Great, you're an advanced driver...still doesn't qualify you to know what the heck you are talking about with regards to police or police training. That's like saying you are a member of the SPCA therefore you know all about animals. For fairness, I cannot comment on UK or other European police. My comments are based on the USA. So, perhaps you do see a lot more over the pond. If so, I apologize.

9) You're not a cop.

10) I am not commenting on police world wide. The USA is VERY different than other countries and so are the cops and the laws. For example, Russian cops can beat the tar out of you, no questions asked. Can't do that in the USA...unless there are no video cameras (KIDDING!!!)

11) I never said cops don't do things wrong. Law enforcement is a sampling of society...you have the good and you have the bad...like plumbers, doctors, lawyers. It is my opinion from my real life experiences (not what others say or what I see on TV) that there is more good than bad. Heck, I arrested cops, so I know there are bad ones out there. That's not me putting on rosie colored glasses, it's me NOT wearing crap colored glasses.

12) Relax? I am relaxed...just don't like you spewing BS.

Time and time again I say there is good and bad in everything...but what I defend is the profession as a whole...I defend it from people like you who try to paint everyone with one brush. In 2007 IN THE USA, 181 police officers died in the line of duty. Since 1998, 1671 police officers were killed in the line of duty (Source: http://www.nleomf.com/TheMemorial/facts.htm): That's not me burying my head in the sand...that's not me living in a fantasy world...that's no me trying to convince the masses of anything...that's not me defending when a cop does something wrong...that's not me saying speeding is ok if you're a cop...that's me being a lone voice in what seems to come up often when someone gets a ticket -- the bashing of a profession and lumping all cops in with a few "bad" cops (or just speeding cops).

 

I think the root cause of the "speeding" issue is that the speed limits are set artificially low.

If they were realistic, no one would be complaining about them.

 

If you question my statement as if it is false, you are accusing me of lying and questioning my character. You don't know me, so you don't understand that I am not easily offended...and I am not offended even if you think I am a liar. If I cared about my image on FChat, how does lying make me look good? Anyway, I am most relaxed when in front of the computer on FChat...that's why I can type such long posts If I was offended by your comments you would have already been pulled over in FL JUST KIDDING!!!!

 

Well that was a whole heap about nothing...again.
Oh and in the UK it is not permitted to use phones OR radios while driving the car. This does not matter if you are the police needing to use it for communication. All communications are supposed to be hands free. And patrol cars are fitted with them but certain officers dont use them. Also in the UK they are not permitted to use the us lanes unless they have there lights on. So clearly the laws are not the same in the US. And like i said how do you know who is in the force and who isnt?
And its you who is spewing the BS, in true cop fashion.

 

No argument here (for a change)...of course they aren't set low for safety, they are set low in order to generate revenue ...

 

At least you are reading my heap of nothing. AGAIN, all my comments are based on the USA...can't comment on UK. Here, we carry guns, so there are a lot of differences. So, if you say ALL UK cops suck...could be, I don't know. As for who is or isn't on the force -- I have a list (it's updated every week by my contacts -- Broadway, London, SW1H 0BG).

 

You apparently have issues with authority. Give it a rest and enjoy the forum.