[Cerek the Barbaric]

AzRaeL,

I'm sorry your friend was detained for so long, but were not totally out of line. A broken tail-light IS sufficient reason to pull somebody over. AFA the search of his car, the police do not need his consent - as long as they can prove "reasonable suspicion". Obviously, that's a very subjective area, but as others have pointed out, officers have to be able to justify what they do or they will get ripped apart in the courtroom. And if they conduct an illegal search without justification, they have wasted the judges time, something they frown on greatly and that they won't forget. The next time the officer comes before that judge, he had definitely have his facts together in an unreproachable manner.

I know this for a fact because a good friend of mine is a policewoman in Charlotte, NC. Another mutual friend of ours mentioned the exact same type of incident. A friend of his was pulled over and his car was searched without his consent. One reason is that the guy was a "river guide" (we have two rivers that attract a LOT of rafters in this area) - and as my friend admitted, these "river guides" have a not-undeserved reputation of being "wasters" (his term, not mine).

BTW, they found nothing in his car either.

There has been a lot of talk about "preventing murders" and other "serious crimes" instead of just doing the equivalent of "no-brainer work". But as Downunda pointed out, ticketing speeders IS a preventative measure. Yes, Susan MAY still have been hit if the driver was only doing 20, but I seriously doubt it. He would have had MUCH more time and distance to stop before hitting her. High speed and inattentive drivers are the major causes of almost ALL accidents (unless one driver or both are "impaired"). What the cops are doing is allocating their resources in the most efficient manner.

There is absolutely NO WAY for them to PREDICT where a murder or robbery will take place. Therefore, it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to prevent these crimes (unless the officer just happens to be at the right place at the right time). But there IS a way to predict when and where people will be speeding.

True Moose mentioned the kids being busted at school for smoking pot while a public brawl was going on just a few blocks away. Again, HOW were the cops supposed to know a brawl was going to break out? They couldn't know. BUT, it's a pretty safe bet they can catch some kids smoking pot at the school house.

My other main point is this - Cops have one of the hardest jobs there is, PERIOD. How many of us face a very real risk of being killed every time we go to work. Then, on top of that, any action we take while performing our job is subject to intense public scrutiny in which they are "damned if they do and damned if they don't". If they crack down on drug dealers, they're accused of profiling and racism. If they don't crack down, they're accused of taking "kickbacks" and letting drug dealers run rampant. If they setup a road block or speed trap, they're accused of "trying to meet their monthly quota", but if they don't stop a speeding driver who later cripples a little girl for life, then they're accused of sitting on their butts at the donut shop instead of out on the street where they are supposed to be.

Again, I'm sorry your friend was inconvenienced, AzRaeL, but I have far more sympathy for the cops than I do for him. In the end, your friend received a ticket for a legitimate violation and nothing more. So I really don't see that he has any reason to complain.

Just my opinion,though. Others may (and probably will) vary.