Professional courtesy from police at traffic stops

november17, ASN, RN · Sep 24, 2007

A cop once told me why they do that. He picked up my index finger and said "see the size of your finger? It is the same size of a 38 caliber hole." and then I got it.

You should have said, "It is also the size of the foley catheters where I work." You would have gotten a ticket 100% guaranteed, but it would make a funny story to tell behind the nurse station.

CaLLaCoDe, BSN, RN · Sep 24, 2007

You should have said, "It is also the size of the foley catheters where I work." You would have gotten a ticket 100% guaranteed, but it would make a funny story to tell behind the nurse station.

:lol2: :lol2::lol2:What's that? A French 25?!!! ahemm, soooo sorry to go off topic!LOL

shannonFNP, BSN, MSN, RN · Sep 24, 2007

a cop once told me why they do that. he picked up my index finger and said "see the size of your finger? it is the same size of a 38 caliber hole." and then i got it.

i feel dumb as a rock... but i totally don't get this! maybe i missed a part of the story? lol... someone help?

jtski908 · Oct 1, 2007

Hi,

I am a police officer and after I finish a couple of more years I will be retiring and plan on starting a second career as an RN.

When I conduct speed enforcement in a certain area I plan on a certain mph cutoff point. For instance in a highway type area that is 45mph, the cutoff point is usually 59mph. This means if someone is doing 60mph they will receive a citation for speeding. I have issued quite a few citations to RNs (and yes a few DRs) for speeding, the DRs are the worst tho....)

The funny thing is: they ALL claimed to work in the ER/ED, even though the MAJORITY of the IDs that were hanging on their mirror proved otherwise.

I am not cold hearted, one sided (insert unflattering police type adjective here). I have given breaks where I deem them needed....I am one of those police officers that feel that when I issue citations and it slows the traffic flow down then I am saving people from injury and possible death.

K

kukukajoo, LPN · Oct 9, 2007

i feel dumb as a rock... but i totally don't get this! maybe i missed a part of the story? lol... someone help?

it means that he may be needing a nurse someday if he ever gets shot on the job. he hopes for a little courtesy if and when he needs a nurses help.

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Oct 10, 2007

It means that he may be needing a nurse someday if he ever gets shot on the job. He hopes for a little courtesy if and when he needs a nurses help.

and a smaller sized catheter:lol2:

RN1989 · Oct 10, 2007

I got a ticket while on my way home from work, wearing scrubs and ID. The cop was extremely rude. His radio was on loudly and I could hear everything. Dispatch came over the radio to tell him that I did not have any tickets or warrants out. The little punk and his friend began making ugly comments about how they were "gonna give it to me" and that my clean record was over. I was extremely polite even though they had LIED about my speed. I am extremely anal about knowing my speed and they stated I was driving 20 mph over - in the dark on a super curvy road - don't think so. They were unprofessional and rude to me and still gave me a ticket.

bluesnurse · Oct 11, 2007

Count me among the skeptics. I made an illegal U-turn a couple of months ago -- I try to avoid it but I was running late and three cars in front of me made it with no problem. For some reason the unmarked cop targeted me. Despite the fact that I was in scrubs and wearing my ID, he wrote me a ticket. I was in no way belligerent, although I did not admit guilt. He told me I was free to contest it in court, which cost me a hefty attorney fee. Still don't have a final ruling; it will be interesting to see if he shows up for court.

No, I don't work in ER. But I do a LOT of treadmill stress tests and start a lot of IV's. Police officers always treat me with great respect when they are the patient. I would appreciate some reciprocation, especially when I am in uniform, clearly in a hurry, and other drivers are getting away with it right under their nose.

It might also have had something to do with my having a rival and very winning NFL team magnet on my car, while the local team is pathetic on a good day. When you're a yankee in the South, you never know. :trout:

lionrn · Oct 11, 2007

I've had a couple of experiences with this:

Driving to work for noc shift, an officer told me I was speeding.

I agreed I was going 40 mph, but honestly didn't realize the 40 zone ended a block back: this block was a 25 mph zone.

Officer looked at my ID, asked me the unit, and when I told him orthopedics he asked me not to speed again - he didn't want me to be my own patient!

No ticket, no warning. Officer apologized that the street was not better marked.

Another time, driving home from noc shift in Fred, the ancient clunker that couldn't possibly exceed 55 downhill on the best of days, a 'bike officer pulled me over insisting I was going 95 mph.

"Respectfully," I said, "that isn't possible."

"You're a nurse. I know about you."

I took it to court, with a mechanic's statement that my car couldn't possibly go faster than 60 mph.

The cop made an appearance.

I said I was going 55, he said I was going 95.

I asked if he had any proof, like a radar readout, that I was going 95.

He said no.

The judge asked why he thought I was going 95.

He said: "well, I saw the defendant's car get on the freeway, and it looked like he was speeding, so I followed right behind. He accelerated to 70, so I bumped my speed up to 70, and he pulled away. He accelerated, and I bumped it up to 80. He accelerated and I bumped it up to 90 and turned on the siren and lights. He was still pulling away when I saw my speedometer pointing to 95. That's how I know."

I said that wasn't possible, presented the mechanic's statement.

The judge looked at the mechanic's statement, looked at the officer, looked at me and asked: "who am I going to believe here: a guy trying to avoid a speeding ticket who's got a mechanic to write a letter for him, or an officer sworn to uphold the law?"

I repeated that I wasn't speeding, had evidence that I couldn't have been speeding, and while I had no doubt the man was a good officer, stated that in this case he was mistaken and had no evidence that I was.

I paid the fine, court fees, went to traffic school, and still had increased insurance rates for a couple of years.

leslie :-D · Oct 11, 2007

Another time, driving home from noc shift in Fred, the ancient clunker that couldn't possibly exceed 55 downhill on the best of days, a 'bike officer pulled me over insisting I was going 95 mph.
"Respectfully," I said, "that isn't possible."
"You're a nurse. I know about you."
I took it to court, with a mechanic's statement that my car couldn't possibly go faster than 60 mph.
The cop made an appearance.
I said I was going 55, he said I was going 95.
I asked if he had any proof, like a radar readout, that I was going 95.
He said no.
The judge asked why he thought I was going 95.
He said: "well, I saw the defendant's car get on the freeway, and it looked like he was speeding, so I followed right behind. He accelerated to 70, so I bumped my speed up to 70, and he pulled away. He accelerated, and I bumped it up to 80. He accelerated and I bumped it up to 90 and turned on the siren and lights. He was still pulling away when I saw my speedometer pointing to 95. That's how I know."
I said that wasn't possible, presented the mechanic's statement.
The judge looked at the mechanic's statement, looked at the officer, looked at me and asked: "who am I going to believe here: a guy trying to avoid a speeding ticket who's got a mechanic to write a letter for him, or an officer sworn to uphold the law?"
I repeated that I wasn't speeding, had evidence that I couldn't have been speeding, and while I had no doubt the man was a good officer, stated that in this case he was mistaken and had no evidence that I was.
I paid the fine, court fees, went to traffic school, and still had increased insurance rates for a couple of years.

aw... (scrunching face)

that really stinks.

"...or an officer sworn to uphold the law?" :rolleyes:

i wonder what he meant when he said, "you're a nurse. i know about you."

tough break.

i know about those merit ratings.

ugh.

leslie

lionrn · Oct 11, 2007

aw... (scrunching face)
that really stinks.
"...or an officer sworn to uphold the law?"
i wonder what he meant when he said, "you're a nurse. i know about you."
tough break.
i know about those merit ratings.
ugh.
leslie

Thanks leslie!

It was many years ago, and the record's clean now, but it obviously left a mark in me.

I never did figure out that "I know about you" thing, though I thought I caught a glimpse of a peculiar psycho look in his eye when he said it.

Of course it could have been projection on my part, though considering the context I expect it was projection on his.

58flyer · Oct 11, 2007

It was many years ago, and the record's clean now, but it obviously left a mark in me.

I know what you mean lion. It's really bad when you get a ticket for something you didn't do. It happens unfortunately.

My wife was driving in her Corvette in a neighboring county in a road construction zone. The speed limit was 45 and she was boxed in behind a semi truck doing 45, no way to get around it since it was 1 lane. The deputy only saw 55 on his radar and then a bright yellow Corvette and just made an incorrect assumption. Knowing radar like I do (certified to use it) the radar only "sees" the biggest object, not necessarily the fastest. A Corvette is small and not a lot of metal, the semi truck coming up from behind her was probably doing 55 and the radar just picked that up. The deputy didn't consider that she was locked in behind a semi and didn't even try to match the speed estimate to the radar reading, which is required, he just wanted to nail a Corvette. She made sure he knew she was an officer's wife but he wrote her anyway, saying "I don't go speeding in another officers jurisdiction." Famous last words. I stopped at a local BBQ place a few days later and ran into a couple of deputies and told them about it. They assured me that this guy was a (insert the term for a finger stick) and would write his own mom. I had to tell them that because of him to pass the word that their guys may want to take it easy in the big city until this blows over. Sure enough, a few weeks later we had 2 of their guys at an inservice training class that I instructed and they were the model of perfect driving, never faster than 10 under the speed limit. :lol2: Funny how word gets around. As for the ticket I did get intell that the deputy had lost his last radar calibration certificate. I told the wife to request a hearing, do a subpoena duces tecum requesting all records of the certification of the radar be brought to court. On the appointed day the officer showed up and the intell was good, he had no radar calibration certificate. My wife asked the judge to dimiss the charge on the grounds that the accuracy of the radar could not be determined and could not be relied upon for effective enforcement as required by all legal and accreditation standards. The judge angrily agreed, dismissed the charge, and called over the Sheriff's Office and demanded that the officer not write any more radar citations until the unit was recertified and he would dismiss all speeding citations written on that particular radar until the issue was corrected. While the wife was pleased she got the charge dismissed, she was annoyed that she had to take a day off work. It's been a few years now, but she still brings it up on occasion. It sticks with you when you get hammered for something you didn't do. Personally, I never wrote anyone for less than 13 (lucky 13) over the limit. Unless they had the audacity to overtake me when I was doing the limit (stupid is as stupid does).

flyer