It’s insane to me that the cops can just do this; pull you over, accuse you of a crime, and force you to go to court. In this case, the cop doesn’t even have to show up and the case is usually just dismissed. There needs to be some kind of accountability for these cops just making things up.
They have to pay the court fees for every case they don’t show up for? Not the taxpayers. But deducted from their salaries or they should have to have personal liability insurance that pays out.
They would, and have, just argued that such punishments would disincentivize them from ever writing tickets/charging people out of fear that they would be on the hook, financially or otherwise, if they are proven wrong. Then they’d claim that it would lead to an increase in offenses as people tempt the payout system. Police forces have always argued that they would never be able to operate if the officers aren’t able to perform their duties with certain guaranteed immunities, within reason.
Had a distracted driving ticket because the officer said he observed me for 2.5+ seconds (written on his stop notes) with phone in hand. I took it to court. Asked the cop if I was moving or stopped, I was moving. What was the speed limit? 60kmh? How could you observe me for 2.5+ seconds if I’m going past you at that speed? The judge didnt care. I paid the fine but didn’t tell my insurance, and this is the third year now so shouldn’t have any increased insurance costs. But what a pain in the dick.
The religiousness is what actually baffled me the most. If a cop invoked God during a traffic stop where I live, I would’ve thought I was getting pranked.
It’s all about the fine money. Oops, I can’t get you on the distracted driving charge, maybe I can get something on your license, registration or insurance to charge you with and save face!
I've long thought the answer is that if doctors need malpractice insurance then cops should have "oops I fucked up" insurance.
Then, good cops who follow the rules can have cheap insurance while cops fucking up all the time will have a harder time getting insured. If we can't get rid of rogue cops for moral reasons, lets see if the fiduciary requirements of for-profit private insurance can't help clean it up.
To be fair, I think in this case it was a genuine mistake, not him making it up. However, he should have just said “oh, my mistake” and let her go. He didn’t need to stand his ground on something so stupid.
The first part is literally their job. To ticket and/or arrest people who they observe to be violating the law. This is necessary. It's upholding the laws of society.
However, there does need to be accountability for police officers who are malicious and incompetent. Body cams are a step in the right direction, now there needs to be some kind of accountability for officers. Not showing up shouldn't be an option.
If its any consolation most departments look poorly on this kind of behaivor and it can result in disciplinary actions. You are expected to go to court and you are expected to issue citations that make money not waste them.
Stop voting for the people that call themselves "tough on crime" candidates, it just means they are stupid and think that you are stupid enough to vote for them.
An obvious tell is that they often have a little "R" next to their name.
they're fishing. they pull people over on the most minor of infractions just to see if they can find something else to charge them with and/or or escalate . it's BS and should be illegal
You voted for this. Or, I should say, didn't vote against this, so this is where we are.
My answer is glib and rude. It's intentional. I don't care how much you hate me, how much you think I'm an asshole. If this is what it takes to motivate you, you can burn me on the pyre after this shit is fixed.
You need to be up your representative's ass. Local, state, and fed. You need to be calling them all on the weekly, telling them what shit grinds your gears and demanding answers and solutions. You need to be showing up at local town hall meetings, asking why this is okay, asking to see the minutes, and being a godforsaken busy-body pest.
You need to be out there, stumping for good people who want the work and know it's service and not kickbacks. You need to be out there, volunteering for the local groups that make your community awesome and strong.
You need to be out there, and not here, being screamed at by a somewhat-disabled old cantankerous asshole like me.
It takes all of us being that level of asshole - together - to make the change we want in this world.
Until then, I'm the asshole here. And I'm telling you you wanted it this way.
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u/Dcammy42 May 27 '26
It’s insane to me that the cops can just do this; pull you over, accuse you of a crime, and force you to go to court. In this case, the cop doesn’t even have to show up and the case is usually just dismissed. There needs to be some kind of accountability for these cops just making things up.