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Driver ticketed for driving without being able to speak English.

#101
Mark Latimour said:
I wondered how long it would take someone to try and make that argument. If you think that was the intent behind the original statement then, well, that's what you think. I read it differently.
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I'm not sure what the intent was - but his statement was true.

The world would be a better place if cops assiduously followed the law.

That isn't to say cops are any worse about following the law - because in my experience they're generally (on average) slightly better than the general population... just that if they did a better job, the world would be better for it.

I also think due to their job, officers of the state should be held to a much higher standard than the general public.
 
#102
The world would NOT be a better place if cops followed the law better. The courts would be tied up with silly municipal code violations, and over enforced money generating tickets. Often, the peace of the neighborhood you live in is based on the discretion of the police in your neighborhood. Whether or not they choose to enforce certain laws and municipal codes can be the difference between a happy peaceful neighborhood or a police lockdown. For instance, a small example. My beach has a section where dogs are allowed. The city code specifically states that dogs are to be leashed and curbed at all times. However, the police don't enforce the leash law on dog beach so responsible dog owners can have fun playing with their dogs in the water. Dog owners really love this part of the beach. The police can choose to enforce it however if there is an incident involving a dog fight. Often, an officers discretion is plays heavily into good PR for a city. So, I would say be careful what you wish for.
 
#103
aborgman said:
I also think due to their job, officers of the state should be held to a much higher standard than the general public.
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They are.

Do you get polygraphed every year, drug tested every quarter, background checked bi-annually, and fired for a class A misdemeanor at your job?

By nature of the position, law enforcement is forced to live to a higher standard than the average joe (at least in this state).

EDIT: +1 on Maki's "be careful what you wish for"- You get away with a lot more than you think because of officers' discretion. I'm sure if they wanted to, they could bust you on something illegal on a daily basis.
 
#104
aborgman said:
I'm not sure what the intent was - but his statement was true.
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As I said, I read his statement differently. Here it is:

JAUQO III-X said:
And officers wouldn't get bashed so much if most of them lived up to what they are suppose to do within the confines of the law.
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What you are focusing on is the second part which, on one interpretation (the one you are using), is most probably true. However, to use that interpretation, you have to give meaning to the first part of the quote. THat is, it is the reason why officers are bashed so much. So, to use your interpretation of his statement, the reason that officers are bashed so much is because most of them break the law [in some way], but they are, to use your words:

[not] any worse about following the law - because in my experience they're generally (on average) slightly better than the general population...
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So, on average, cops are better at following the law, but that is the reason they are bashed so much? Well, perhaps you can see why I don't share your "literal" interpretation of the statement when its viewed in the correct context.
 
#105
CapnSev said:
They are.

Do you get polygraphed every year, drug tested every quarter, background checked bi-annually, and fired for a class A misdemeanor at your job?

By nature of the position, law enforcement is forced to live to a higher standard than the average joe (at least in this state).

EDIT: +1 on Maki's "be careful what you wish for"- You get away with a lot more than you think because of officers' discretion. I'm sure if they wanted to, they could bust you on something illegal on a daily basis.
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good post and spot on
 
#106
drug tested every quarter?

We got tested bi weekly.

As far as following the letter of the law, opposed to the spirit of the law, we have a saying in california.

The vehicle code is 3 inches thick to find a reason to stop.

If cops wanted to, they could pull you over, find reasonable suspicion to search, and cite/arrest nearly everyone. If officers lived to the letter of the law, you would be complaining about to strict of enforcment.
 
#107
PasdaBeer said:
If cops wanted to, they could pull you over, find reasonable suspicion to search, and cite/arrest nearly everyone. If officers lived to the letter of the law, you would be complaining about too strict of enforcment.
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Yeah, like being pulled over for not having a front license plate 3 times within 6 months.


(not me)

And my gf has been pulled over many a time for either her broken side mirror, or the crack down her windsheild, and the busted tail light. Though she hasnt gotten a ticket because Ca cops are nice and let her off the hook because she's pretty and can cry on command.
 
#109
CapnSev said:
They are.

Do you get polygraphed every year, drug tested every quarter, background checked bi-annually, and fired for a class A misdemeanor at your job?
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Not currently, but in general your average police officer in my state isn't either.

CapnSev said:
By nature of the position, law enforcement is forced to live to a higher standard than the average joe (at least in this state).
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Not so much in my experience here.

CapnSev said:
EDIT: +1 on Maki's "be careful what you wish for"- You get away with a lot more than you think because of officers' discretion. I'm sure if they wanted to, they could bust you on something illegal on a daily basis.
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It would be a short term hassle, but a long term blessing in disguise.

Nothing will lead to the absolutely necessary purging of idiotic laws from our currently ridiculously bloated and invasive legal code than forcing the citizenry to realize the foolishness their legislators have foisted on them.
 
#110
Mark Latimour said:
So, on average, cops are better at following the law, but that is the reason they are bashed so much? Well, perhaps you can see why I don't share your "literal" interpretation of the statement when its viewed in the correct context.
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Cops, break the law less on average than the general population - but are bashed by the general population because the general population holds them to a higher standard.

...and they should be held to a higher standard because of the power they wield.
 
#114
Mike N said:
She's been a legal US resident for 29 years and doesn't speak english?

I'm finding that hard to believe.
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I don't think this was the OP's thrust when he initiated this thread, but I want to get my $.02's worth in.

I'm a foreman in construction in California and find it increasingly difficult to relay all but the most basic instructions to other workers, or to get accurate information from them. My boss, a small remodeling contractor, employs 3 Guatemalan immigrants and hired me as foreman 2 years ago. I don't know their legal status, but they were all with him for at least a year prior to my hiring. BTW; his Spanish is little better than mine.

One guy can understand and speak passable English. With the other 2, I never know, until they've actually started a task, if they understand me or not. They nod and say "OK" every time I ask them if they comprende. And then half the time they do something completely different than what I requested. And getting them to tell me something I need to know is torture. Today Miguel was trying to tell me he needed some short-nap paint rollers. He used the only English he's learned - "small" - so I thought he meant weenie rollers. It took enlisting Samuel, the English speaker, to finally interpret what his request was - after 10 minutes of babble.:rollno:

I get that learning a new language is hard, especially if most of the people in your "community" refuse to use it or can't. To be sure, I'm trying to learn enough Spanish to work with these guys, as well as subcontractors with ESL workers. But, damn it, I know if I moved to Germany or India or Mexico and intended to live and work there for several years I'd sure as hell want to learn how to converse with the locals.:mad:
 
#117
jonathan_matos5 said:
this.


i went to a Spanish speaking country for 2 weeks and was approaching fluent before i left.

this "unable to speak English" seems like just a Freudian slip in writing.
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I'm guessing you've never been to Miami... that city functions almost entirely in Spanish. Literally.

It's usually the older ones, but there are lots of people who come to the US and don't bother learning English because they get by fine without it.
 
#118
Maybe I can overlook that she PROBABLY came to the US illegally (but now that she's here, has a kid, a job blah blah blah legal US resident, read: NOT citizen). I may be able to overlook that she knew enough English to get a driver's license. I can overlook that she's claiming she doesn't know any English after getting pulled over even though she's been here for almost 3 decades. And I can overlook that she was cunning enough to know the system (without knowing the language) well enough to get a lawyer and come up with some sob story to sue the city. Everyone's doing it these days.

But when you're already living off the system for free and then turn around and sue the city for $7000 in (bogus) medical expenses that you didn't have to pay for anyways, that's just robbing the tax-payers! I dunno about you but I'm sure I can come up with about a 1,000 things better that money could go towards! The sad part is that the city will probably settle for about 2/3 of that just to avoid court costs and the publicity, and also since it isn't some outrageous amount like a million bucks. Sometimes I wish my ancestors would have stayed in the Highlands of Scotland...I'd be perfectly content sitting by a fire gnawing on a half-cooked deer leg.
 
#119
CapnSev said:
What is your experience? Listening to news stories about cops that commit crimes? Getting pulled over because of something you did and the cop was mean to you?
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No, talking to my neighbor (County Sheriff), my uncle (former cop - South Carolina), high school friends (2 currently cops in my hometown), a friend who is a cop in Kalamazoo, and a cousin who was a cop in Nevada for a few years.

None of them were subjected to that level of scrutiny.

...as for cops being mean to me, in terms of annoyance they did for a while when I was a teen - until my father got them to back off through threatened lawsuits.

Since high school? Not at all. My experiences with the police have all been rather pleasant.
 

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