Comments on: Who Can Drive Safely AND Text?

By: Zippo

Zippo — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 04:06:34 +0000

From an airplane pilot’s point of view… if I was reading text on a computer as I was touching down… it would be a very harsh landing.

By: William Jarrett

William Jarrett — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 06:01:37 +0000

Mr Watcher,

You speak as a man of obviously no real practical knowledge of law enforcement and as a man who is firmly entrenched in the belief your government is out to get you. All police are corrupt in your view and are all bad people.

Did it ever cross your mind that in this business if any officer who demonstrates any kind of corrupt behavior around myself or other good cops that we would not stand for it and that these bad apples know that? What do you think the odds are they will flagrantly do these things in front of us knowing their actions would hurt the rest of us and we won’t tolerate them either and would bury them faster than you can say “Call the Rat Squad !”

Just because one dentist took advantage of an unconscious patient doesn’t make them all perverts does it? Should all the other dentists have have been clairvoyant enough to have seen this one coming and done something about it? How about all them school teachers having sexual relations with kids. Using your logic all teachers are perverts and use their job as an excuse to get close to kids. If someone in your profession turned out to have got a DUI or violated some other law should we hold everyone in your profession responsible? You hold me to a higher standard and rightly so, however your standards are obviously way above and beyond reasonable as you apply them to police officers. You have a very jaded outlook on life sir. I suggest you get to know some police officers before bashing them.

As far as the computers go, great tool, but you have to be careful. Just because you can run a guys plate and drivers license from your terminal doesn’t always make it the best idea while driving. Usually its better to take the longer method and call it over the radio through dispatch. Trying to type and drive is a distraction. Your next question will obviously be “well why do all of you coppers do it then”. My response is not all of us do, and you are labeling and trying to lump all police into one group which fits your jaded outlook on law enforcement.

Don’t ask me what is going on in another mans head. Why do people speed? Why do people kill? Who really knows? I love the computers they are a great tool, but they have their disadvantages too.

By: erico49

erico49 — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:30:28 +0000

Watcher… I am suggesting that we gladly put up with those tactics for DUI enforcement but balk at the idea for texting… which has been shown to be more dangerous than DUI at levels of .08 or .10. I can think of 2 reasons. 1. we really don’t think they are right for DUI, but don’t want to oppose the tactics in public or 2. We believe that only bad people drink, but everyone texts.

By: The Boise Picayune

The Boise Picayune — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:48:03 +0000

“Cops exceed the speed limit too. Is that wrong?”

Yes.

No one needs to text and drive. Not even Brain Surgeons and Rocket Scientists.

Period.

Moreover, I’ve always wondered how much “Community Policing” (as opposed to what?) is being done when the patrol car is speeding (not in response to an emergency) down a residential street, windows rolled-up, A/C cranked, and the cop is chatting on a cell phone.

I’m thinking… None!

By: D

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:14:47 +0000

The comment made by Boise’s top cop only shows his ignorance. Comparing an airline pilot monitoring his instrumentation and police using their computers as they drive is like comparing apples and doughnuts. Not even close. It takes a long time for a pilot to receive their instrumentation rating, and they have air traffic control keeping them aware of any aircraft near them. From what I have been told, the POST Academy teaches driving techniques and how to use their MDTs; but not at the same time. Can the Chief refute this? And to further his analogy of pilots, does dispatch keep the cruisers aware of every vehicle in their vicinity that is approaching them, leaving a parking lot, or making a turn? Bottom line Chief, when your officers are using their MDTs and driving at the same time, it’s dangerous for everyone. Come on Chief…let’s hear it. Your rebuttal is welcome.

By: Lucas Baumbach

Lucas Baumbach — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:46:34 +0000

“I know that BPD has started using more 2 officer “Tac” vehicles, which free’s up a passenger to use the MDT. ”
Mr. Wills is referring to the “co-pilot” model that ambulance drivers use, which is ideal. We should judge based on results (like whether Police have worse driving stats since the start of computer use).

By: Mr. Watcher

Mr. Watcher — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:06:43 +0000

erico49, are you joking?
You trust people like the cop that tased the victim in the butt over and over why yelling sick things about what he was doing. Say nothing about his supervisor that tried to bury the event which was breaking the law by doing so.
You have far more trust in government than anyone I’ve ever run into. Fact of the matter is all the time you hear its only a few rotten apples that make the whole police force look bad. Then how come we never see the good apples point out the bad ones? Name one time in the last ten years where other cops pointed out the bad apples. You can’t which speaks volumes.

By: Mr. Watcher

Mr. Watcher — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:59:05 +0000

Remember pagers? For those folks that do not remember them, they showed a phone number and people with a pager would stop and use a pay phone or go home or to the office to return the phone call. Now lets speed forward into our times today. All cells have a GPS chip in them, as federal laws demand. The cell phone companies can track any phone and know its speed of movement between two towers. All that needs to be done is turn the cell into a pager when its moving over 10 mph. If people want to see their text message they need to pull over. If they want to make a phone call, they need to pull over. Of course all 911 calls will go through no matter the speed.
For all the selfish crybabies that say, I’m a passenger in a car so why should my cell be unable to be used? My answer is the same as, why should I pay more in property taxes because I work harder to provide my family with a nicer home and I get no more or faster services for paying a lot more in property taxes. Live with it!
Keep in mind that pagers kept everyone in the loop so there is no reason whatsoever that blocking the cell from being anything but a pager in speeds over 10 mph will cause any real hardships.
Frankly, I could very well live without a cell phone and go back to a pager and I do business world wide. In fact doctors did very well with pagers in being able to save lives when seconds mattered.
We all know someone who has been killed on the roads by a drunk driver. I believe in ten years we will all know someone that was murdered on the roads by some selfish creep on a cell phone.

By: erico49

erico49 — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:29:14 +0000

A modest proposal….If it’s true that texting is as dangerous as a BAC of .08 or .10, then let’s pattern the new law after DUI law. Cops should be able to pull us over for no other reason that to see if we are texting. They should be able to demand to see our phone to check the texting record. Failure to comply would be an automatic forfeit of our license–or they could strap us down and take it from us. Penalties would be similar also. Driving is after all a PRIVILEGE as we have all been told.

By: Grumpy ole guy

Grumpy ole guy — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:40:49 +0000

Isn’t the point here that Idaho doesn’t have safety laws that are worth more than a few ounces of warm spit. Helmet laws for motor-cycle and non-motorized bikes, stringent fines for lack of seat-belt use, lack of jay-walking enforcement. These ALL would “do society good” if present and enforced. Texting while driving is not safe, Idaho law says that a driver should keep both hands on the steering wheel, but this law is widely disregarded by drivers and law enforcement personnel. Pass the law, but make the penalty stiff and enforce compliance. Otherwise we just encourage all of the scoff laws.