I Think This Law Enforcement Officer Should Be Fired

[ownyourfuture]

Or @ the very least, suspended without pay for a substantial period.
FYI: The speed limit on this road is 65 mph.

Last week the state of Minnesota announced they were going to be cracking down on distracted driving. Then this story comes out.
https://www.twincities.com/2019/04/1...ideo-chatting/

[pb4uski]

Why not a speeding ticket for 96 mph in a 65 mph zone?

I'm guessing that she was a hottie.

[Walt34]

Perhaps "careless driving" in MN is a more severe violation (more points, fine, etc.) than a speeding ticket?

Maybe the officer was the only other car on the road at the time?

Before calling for someone to be fired, know all the details, and a newspaper article is NOT a credible source.

[aaronc879]

Why would the officer be getting fired? He stopped a young woman for speeding and using a phone while driving and issued her a citation for careless driving. What's the problem? Are you saying the officer should have given her multiple citations? Maybe, but not worthy of being fired.

[Midpack]

Law enforcement officers have to factor in how the offender handles him/herself and then straddle the line between being too strict and too lenient to maintain the support of the public. Officers probably have a little leeway but I assume they have guidance on when/how to ticket offenders, and it's probably not as cut and dried as many people think.

If it was your kid, would you be as ardently for having the officer suspended or fired?

[Aerides]

There's so much missing from this story (was it at night, was the road busy or empty, we don't know if she was facetiming while driving, etc.), but it boils down to:

Speeding driver is stopped, given citation.

Sounds....text book to me? Would you rather she was in arrested for speeding? While criminal speeding is a thing in some states, it usually comes after a pattern. I'd rather she was scared and warned and that's that.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walt34 Perhaps "careless driving" in MN is a more severe violation (more points, fine, etc.) than a speeding ticket?

Could be $1,000 fine and 90 days.

[youbet]

The "Careless Driving" citation will get her in front of a judge. The judge will decide her overall fate based on the facts presented.

I agree that if the officer actually had evidence (on radar or by following her) of the 96 mph speed, a citation should have been issued for that as well.

The officer's supervisor will counsel him, you can be sure of that.

Here's the real issue:

Quote:

outrage on social media.

Once the media is reporting based on the crap hitting "social media," there's no way to tell what actually happened.

[ownyourfuture]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack If it was your kid, would you be as ardently for having the officer suspended or fired?

The article title: Minnesota State Patrol cites teen for going 97 mph while video chatting.


If my 18 yo daughter was clocked @ 96 mph while video chatting, was still video chatting when the officer approached the car, thought her behavior wasn’t a big deal, & giggled when the officer explained the dangers of distracted driving & speeding, yeah, I'd probably feel the same way.

Of course I don't have a daughter, so I'm just speculating on how I'd react. But maybe a night in jail would teach her a real lesson and maybe save her life.

[ownyourfuture]

Quote:

Originally Posted by youbet Once the media is reporting based on the crap hitting "social media," there's no way to tell what actually happened.

.......

[Ready-4-ER-at-14]

Perhaps the outrage was at the teen's cavalier attitude towards their dangerous behavior?

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ownyourfuture The article title: Minnesota State Patrol cites teen for going 97 mph while video chatting. If my 18 yo daughter was clocked @ 96 mph while video chatting, was still video chatting when the officer approached the car, thought her behavior wasn’t a big deal, & giggled when the officer explained the dangers of distracted driving & speeding, yeah, I'd probably feel the same way. Of course I don't have a daughter, so I'm just speculating on how I'd react. But maybe a night in jail would teach her a real lesson and maybe save her life.

If it had been my daughter, she’d have rather spent the night in jail that endure the shite-storm she would have gotten at home.

Not to mention the loss of driving privileges...

[JoeWras]

Everything doesn't have to be a firing offense these days. Sheesh. Any mistake someone makes and people form a mob.

In NC, "wreckless driving" is more severe than speeding. I don't know if the kind upper midwest term is "careless" instead of "wreckless." If so, then it is more significant than speeding.

[Midpack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeWras Everything doesn't have to be a firing offense these days. Sheesh. Any mistake someone makes and people form a mob. In NC, "wreckless driving" is more severe than speeding. I don't know if the kind upper midwest term is "careless" instead of "wreckless." If so, then it is more significant than speeding.

+1. It’s sad how people assume they know better than a professional at the scene based on what they read in a story. Maybe the officer made a reasonable decision since he/she was there.

More than ever, many journalists are writing in a manner to get your attention - the writer wouldn’t have a story if he/she didn’t make sure there was some conflict or uncertainty and they write accordingly.

There are more self appointed experts and critics in the public and media than ever these days?

[6miths]

In these parts the 'careless driving' would be more costly than the speeding ticket. Fine, points, insurance. At 125 mph they will take your car and license away but she was nowhere near that. If the phone were in a fixed mount in the car I actually think that it would be legal to be talking on it here. Is that different from talking to your passengers?

[jimbee]

Here is the Minnesota statute. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/169.13
The citation is a misdemeanor. According to this message thread, https://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/h...--1775736.html, the penalty is up to 90 days in jail with a fine up to $1000.

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack +1. It’s sad how people assume they know better than a professional at the scene based on what they read in a story. Maybe the officer made a reasonable decision since he/she was there. More than ever, many journalists are writing in a manner to get your attention - the writer wouldn’t have a story if he/she didn’t make sure there was some conflict or uncertainty and they write accordingly. There are more self appointed experts and critics in the public and media than ever these days?

+1

I am astounded at how many people will tell us what the ‘truth’ of a situation is despite not having witnessed it, not knowing any of those involved, and having no special powers such as the ability to read minds or travel back in time. Yet, they will announce that they ‘believe’ Person A and fault Person B.

[ownyourfuture]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut I am astounded at how many people will tell us what the ‘truth’ of a situation is despite not having witnessed it, not knowing any of those involved, and having no special powers such as the ability to read minds or travel back in time. Yet, they will announce that they ‘believe’ Person A and fault Person B.

Apparently you missed the screen capture I included.
I will admit that I overreacted when I called for the patrol officer to be fired. I didn't realize that a careless driving ticket is fairly serious & includes a substantial fine.

[Texas Proud]

Just to throw in some real life...


One of my niece's best friends was killed because of distracted driving... this was long before cell phones and the distractions it brings... she was just chatting way to much with her friends and blew through a stop sign... got T-boned by a dump truck... she was killed and passengers were badly hurt...



Yes, distracted driving can be deadly...

[Nick12]

Distracted driving is what I see everyday on the local roads. When I was in school the teacher made us watch the grisly car accidents videos prior to me and the other kids getting our drivers permits. Do the kids still are made to watch this now in 2019?