Professional courtesy from police at traffic stops

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Has anyone else gotten leniency from the State Patrol or Police during a traffic stop? I have gotten many warnings instead of tickets when I am on my way to work or if I manage to mention my occupation. I got stopped last week, I was in uniform and when the officer found out I was a nurse he said that he'd just write down my info really quickly so I could get to work on time. He didn't even ask for my insurance card! :lol2:

Specializes in Med/Surg; Psych; Tele.
I am sorry but the nurse stepped out of bounds. She did threaten a police officer by telling her she would not care for her, if she saw her as a patient. Just as police officers are held to higher standards, so aren't we, as nurses. To be honest, I find all this bragging about not getting tickets for moving violations a bit upsetting. My uncle was a police detective. My godfather was a police officer. And I date a police officer. The one speeding ticket I got, I had to appear in court. My godfather was there. He wanted to know why I had not let him know about my ticket, so he could 'have taken care of it' for me. I didn't because I was speeding. Ten years later I got a ticket for going 57 mph in a 30 mph zone. I was one of 57 people who got caught and who had to appear in court. I was the only one who plead guilty, without an explanation. The judge wanted to know why I was speeding and I told him. I also told him I broke the law and deserved the ticket. I got no points, no fine, no court costs and four hours of traffic school.

If you are all speeding, what type of message does it send to your children when you use your profession to escape the ticket? Not one I wanted to teach my daughter. Not one I want to teach my three grandchildren. And forgive me if I sound self-rightous. I just think about what we all teach our children by such acts.

Woody

Yes, but was it fair that this nurse had a punishment with lifelong consequences for something stupid she said out of anger? Again, she did not threaten the cop. A threat would have been something like, "Well, I hope I don't accidentally overdose you if you are ever my patient."

I don't have kids yet so if cops want to let me off for speeding, I won't be complaining. There are a lot worse things in this world.

Specializes in ER, Occupational Health, Cardiology.
I find all this bragging about not getting tickets for moving violations a bit upsetting. Woody

Uhhh, who was bragging? The OP asked if anyone had had any experiences similar to hers. My brother is a Law Enforcement Officer, but that doesn't change the experience I had. Last I heard, relating a previous experience doesn't usually make you a morally negligent person!

i feel awkward with "professional courtesies".

my husband gets stopped alot.

he always says, "i work for XXX" and "do you know my brother, the big-shot so and so, who is also a police officer?"

i cringe.

if i mess up, i don't want any special favors.

and i've taught my children the same way.

to date, they've adopted my ways and not dad's.

my mistakes=my consequences.

accountability, responsibility.

so yeah, i agree with woody.

leslie

Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

The way I look at it, if I'm in my civvies, I won't use the "I'm a nurse" thing to get out of a ticket. If I'm speeding, I'm speeding.

If I'm on my way to work in my scrubs, it's likely the cop will ask me why I was going fast. To which I will probably respond, "Because I'm on my way to work and I'm running behind." Because that will probably be the truth, and I don't think I would even say I'm a nurse, unless s/he asks. It is up to the officer whether he gives me a ticket or not. If he decides not to, that is his choice. And I sure as heck don't drive my steth on the rearview mirror or have "RN" anywhere on my car. That is not a fact that I publicize.

My stories regarding police officers are meant to be lighthearted, and the officers themselves took it that way. And they joked back. I have a good friend who worked for our city's PD before moving on to Highway Patrol. He jokes about similar stuff all the time. I don't see it as bragging, or if it is, it is totally tongue-in-cheek. My humble POV.

Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.
Uhhh, who was bragging? The OP asked if anyone had had any experiences similar to hers. My brother is a Law Enforcement Officer, but that doesn't change the experience I had. Last I heard, relating a previous experience doesn't usually make you a morally negligent person!

If you are not bragging, why post about how you got away with getting a ticket because you were in a nurse's uniform. I started driving when I was 15 1/years old, in California. I still drive and I was 62 years old yesterday. In all the years I have driven, I have been stopped for speeding three times. I could have offered an excuse, by saying I was late for work but I didn't. Why not post about getting caught and facing the music. Or that wouldn't be funny, would it?

As for being a morally negligent person. My behavior impacted directly on to my daughter's behavior. If I teach her to skirt the law, by using my profession to escape a ticket, I certainly am being morally negligent. I am teaching her that it is all right to escape the consequences of one's actions, no matter how minor or how major they are, and sending her a very wrong message.

I wonder how you would feel if you read a message about beating an exam, by getting a copy before it was given. I wonder how you would feel about the person who got the A, while you earned your B.

Woody:balloons:

Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.
Yes, but was it fair that this nurse had a punishment with lifelong consequences for something stupid she said out of anger? Again, she did not threaten the cop. A threat would have been something like, "Well, I hope I don't accidentally overdose you if you are ever my patient."

I don't have kids yet so if cops want to let me off for speeding, I won't be complaining. There are a lot worse things in this world.

I suggest you talk to a lawyer about what is a threat and what is not. The nurse threatened a law officer. That threated opened her to criminal action. The officer apparently thought a report to her BON would be enough. And in case you are not aware of this fact, threatening someone is considered a criminal act. And you should think before you issue an angry retort. Or you might find yourself in criminal court or before a BON, defending yourself. I'll bet you wouldn't hesitate to report a patient or family member, who threatened you.

And I hope you rethink your position before having any off spring. Teaching children that there are degrees of acceptable behavior, may result in you having to pay for attorneys when your child reaches his teenage years.

Woody:balloons:

Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.
i feel awkward with "professional courtesies".

my husband gets stopped alot.

he always says, "i work for XXX" and "do you know my brother, the big-shot so and so, who is also a police officer?"

i cringe.

if i mess up, i don't want any special favors.

and i've taught my children the same way.

to date, they've adopted my ways and not dad's.

my mistakes=my consequences.

accountability, responsibility.

so yeah, i agree with woody.

leslie

I guess we are in the minority Leslie. We think that every action has a reaction. And all behavior has a morality attached to it. And so many people wonder why young people break so many of the rules.

Woody:balloons:

Specializes in Neuro.

I feel that if you are speeding and you get stopped, you deserve to get a ticket. Sorry, but that is called breaking the law, and is punishable with a ticket. I can luckily and honestly say that I have had only 1 speeding ticket in my life, and I was doing 43 in a 35 mph zone. I took the ticket and did my defensive driving and that was it. I will admit that I do speed, not because I am in a hurry, but because the rest of the traffic is speeding also, and around here, if you don't keep with the flow of the traffic, you will get ran over! But, I don't think that I would ever use my uniform or profession as a way to get out of a ticket. I know that wasn't the OP's question, but it has led to posts saying that people have used their uniform or steth to try to get out of a ticket. If you are going to break the law, you need to own up to it and don't feel that since you may see that same cop in the hospital, he should allow you to get off. Just my :twocents:!!

Well, heck :(

On my way home after a HORRIBLE night, I was stopped for not wearing a seatbelt (yeah yeah I know...). If that weren't enough, my inspection was out of date, my city sticker was missing, I couldn't find my license and registration... I was a mess.

I ended up with five tickets, but he told me how to get out of all of them except the seatbelt charge (no getting out of that one lol) by showing the court I had all the paperwork and stuff.

Ah well.

Let me add another story:

I heard about a nurse who one time got stopped/issued a ticket by a woman cop and the nurse ended up telling her something like, "I'd better not ever see you as a patient because I won't take care of you" or something to that effect. Anyway, I heard that the cop reported this nurse to the BON and that something pretty major happened to this nurse's license.

I think that's crazy if it's true because nurses are allowed to refuse assignments. I mean, it's not like the nurse threatened to harm the cop.

If this is true it WAS a threat, and I hope the BON DID sanction the nurse.

Good for them.

Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

New York State is now offering for us to purchase our license numbers as well as photo on our motor vehicle licenses for $20 to be used in the place of our actual license certificate. I am going to take advantage of this,because many of the nurses I know have whipped that thingy out and were excused because of our profession. My husband is a police lieutenant who will pull out his badge at any given time, and he gets courtesy, also. Heck, why not?

Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.
New York State is now offering for us to purchase our license numbers as well as photo on our motor vehicle licenses for $20 to be used in the place of our actual license certificate. I am going to take advantage of this,because many of the nurses I know have whipped that thingy out and were excused because of our profession. My husband is a police lieutenant who will pull out his badge at any given time, and he gets courtesy, also. Heck, why not?

Just what is my old home state allowing you to do? Purchase your nurses license number and have it put on your driver's license? Heck, I miss my four year car registration and it's small fee. Here in Florida, I have to renew my registration every year and purchase a sticker to put on my license plate. I will admit I didn't register my car down here until shortly before my registration was due to expire.

Woody

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