Pulling Over A Friend Or Family Member

[hayrake]

I was standing in line at a tag office one day when two men behind me began discussing why one of them had quit police work. I couldn't help but eavesdrop a little bit because it was interesting. The main reason, it appeared, that the man had quit police work was purely burn out; but he also mentioned that it was surprising how many times he pulled people over and then discovered that he knew them, which sometimes turned out kind of funny but others not so much. He said some people got really irate with him as a friend when he gave them a ticket; and that he felt bad about it because they couldn't understand that once he had pulled them over with intent to give them a ticket then that's what he had to do. He said there was a time when he could have let some of them slide, but that procedures had changed and that officers could no longer do that without it reflecting on their jobs.

I imagine that would be a tough situation. Has it ever happened to you and how did it make you feel? Did your friend or family member understand?

 

[Rainman]

Something like that happened to one of our neighbors. Before then I knew her someone who wouldn't hesitate to arrest her own kid should he break the law. My old man had recently sold her some property she badly wanted and they'd for that reason become very good friends. One night when my old man is driving home, he's pulled over by the lady cop. And she finds . . . something that would have got him in jail for several years. He'd been set up. The lady cop took the stuff, gave him a warning and let him go. At times, when circumstances call for it, cops will let their friends/family go free.

 

[primalclaws1974]

A classmate of mine was a local cop for a few years. Although we weren't close friends, we knew each other well. He pulled me over a total of three times. I never got a ticket from him, even though he could have. I think it made him uncomfortable once he realized it was me. He probably should have, because he gave me three warnings, mainly because he didn't want to look like an ass to me.

 

[Teens In Crisis]

I had a friend who was an officer, he had to arrest his next door neighbors son. They were both very close, and the son was charged with vehicular manslaughter. The friendship never recovered, despite the fact that the son was in the wrong, and the friend knew that the officer was doing his job. Sometimes it just is what it is I guess.

 

[hayrake]

Vehicular manslaughter? That is so sad for all involved. I'll bet your officer friend would have done anything he could to help the son's situation after the arrest, too. Which was all that could really be expected of a friend. Sorry he probably didn't get the chance to do that.

 

[LitoLawless]

I would assume that officers are more inclined to let acquaintances or friends go with just a warning. I think if I was a police officer, I wouldn't want to arrest my friends or family members. Even giving them a ticket would feel wrong in many ways. I also think that the friends and family of the officers have to understand that they have a job to do as an enforcer of the law. It's just one of those things that go both ways.

 

[mrsbright]

For things like vehicular manslaughter, I can actually understand the fact of upholding the law, but if you give tickets to your family for breaking the speedlimit or broken taillight, it really might not endear you to anybody. Especially since we know so many people get off with a warning... This or, you can protest a ticket and many times cops let it go when it comes to that in court.

I imagine that wanting to be fair and not care about whether you know the person or not is the honorable thing to do when you have justice on the mind, though. I respect that. But I'd be annoyed at a family member who could not let it go a bit.

 

[missbishi]

I think it all depends on what type of offense has been committed. certainly, something like vehicular manslaughter cannot be ignored but more minor offences like being slightly over the speed limit could maybe be overlooked with just a warning issued. It must be really difficult for cops in this situation, I am sure the majority do not like arresting people anyway .