"Joe, attached is the picture I was talking about earlier on the blog. They are sitting two abreast in my driveway facing E. College Ave. Neither one of them would have been able to exit the driveway without hopping a curb. They have a total disrespect for the people they serve (or in my case don't serve since I lived outside of the City Limits). The picture was taken around August of 2007. What is the law regarding officers doing radar/chatting in a private drive?"
His comment was on another Post where he said the following.
Dave C said...
I used to own a home in the College area when I went to SU and I used to get one or two Salisbury Cruisers posted up in my driveway to do radar. If there were two of them they would actually sit partially in my yard so that they could be side-by-side to talk (This was about 2-3 years ago and I actually have a picture of it that I'm going to try to dig up later). If I needed to get in MY OWN driveway I would have to wait for them to take their sweet time to get out of the way. I'd also have to do the same if I was home and had to get out of MY DRIVEWAY. I called the Police Department regarding this issue several times-nothing ever changed. I'm not sure if it still goes on as I do not live there any longer, but I'm sure it does.
Here's the real kicker...my house was NOT in the City limits-across the street was, but not my property. Several times I called the police for various issues and they told me to call the WCSO, but yet they had the jurisdiction to do radar and chit chat in my driveway/yard? I really hope I can dig up those pics.
18 comments:
That was in 2007. Let's not have another SPD bashing day. I wish they would come park in my yard and run radar on my street.
It's really amazing how you'll post pictures and comments about the City Police but there's never any pictures of the Wicomico Sheriff's officers sitting at Trax Deli for hours, four at a time or flying around town.
At least the City is working radar!
If you haven't noticed NO ONE follows the posted speed limit anymore.
You should have called the Sheriff's department and filed a complaint against the city because they were out of their jurisdiction. But then they would just find a code violation to write you up. Been there.
Did you consider just going out and asking them to leave? They cant win with people like you who bi--h when there are speeders on your road and bi--h when they try to do something about it, and no I am not a sheriffs deputy or related to one.
I worked for SPD, you can not sit in anyones driveway with out permission to run radar. On College Ave there is no reason. On the other hand you can be out of the limits of the city as long as your radar is shooting in the city limits.
On College Ave why would you need to sit in a driveway with all the other hiding spots.
On another note, in the last two years, I have not seen any radar being run in Salisbury, when I worked I ran traffic as much as possible.
Where the problem is, they are actually 50-100 men short of where they should be, reason YOUR MAYOR SUCKS! and thats all there is!
As someone that was a certified radar operator for over 20 years, I routinely would set up in people's driveways to work speed enforcement. Even though the rule of thumb is there is at least 15 feet of easement from the edge of paved road surface into a private yard that remains public property, I'd still rap on the door and asked the residents if they had a problem with me sitting in "their" driveway. Most not only loved the idea of having a marked police car in their driveway, many would come out to the car and offer cold sodas when it was hot. The only time I was ever asked to leave a driveway was when, after having permission and working in the driveway for weeks, I cited a person who was attending a party being held at the house where I was working speed enforcement. I suppose the host loved me working speed enforcement in his neighborhood as long as I didn't write anyone that was near and dear to his heart.
of course the police don't care if you can't get in or out of your drive way. the police hate you. they view you as no better than sheep or pigs. which is ironic
I live on Providence church road, about 100 yards into Delaware. A few years back I protested the road conditions with home-made signs up and down the road, it worked and we got a new road, now the cars fly by here 60/70 mph and higher. I would let them sit in my yard to do radar. Theres been a lot of people killed on this road. We have more and more children out here now, kinda not safe for them on their bikes and stuff.
If you see cops congregating around one restaurant, especially during meal times, there's usually one reason for it: the establishment offers discounts to law enforcement. Take a look at Panera Bread in the morning and around lunchtime. You'd think there was a sheriff/police convention going on.
Most professional law enforcement agencies forbid their officers from accepting gratuities. The reason for this is human nature. Police officers have to remain objective in their pursuit of justice. Imagine the quagmire that exist if the owner or manager of a business that offers a discount to law enforcement personnel is stopped for speeding or DWI. The officer knows if he cites or arrests the person the discounted meals and/or free coffee for him and his mates will probably end. In essence, the discounts have impaired the officer’s ability to enforce the laws fairly and objectively. Another reason many businesses offer this service is the extra police presence and protection afforded their business. If I owned a business and knew a few cups of free coffee or discounted food would keep a stream of uniformed officers coming into my business, thus making it likely a criminal would take his business to another store, I'd be a fool not to institute such a program. In politics they call this lobbying. It's a donation (discount) or a gift (free coffee) with the hope that somewhere down the line the person in power remembers the adage: I’ll scratch your back and when the time comes I’m counting on you to scratch mine.
1022, thats BS.... No more than cops get paid if a business offers a break SO WHAT! Yeah they have a lot of visits, but most of the time cops are LUCKY it they get 5 minutes to push their food down.
Look being a cop is something someone chooses to do, but you can believe football players get breaks, business owners get breaks from clients to get business.
If you break the law cops dont look the other way, or I never did. I hate going to places for food I cant watch people make my food because you never know what they would do.
No one likes cops unless they need them, no one is happy to see them unless they are victims. With out them you have chaos. It is a hard thankless job, unlike the Fire Department. That is not a dig on the FD, just that people are always happy to see the FD.
Just because you hate the Departments Adminsitrators, give the guys in the field a break... All Cops are not bad, and the police are needed more than ever.
11:05 I stake the 26 years I was a cop on everything I wrote. Tell me, does your agency have a general order on officers accepting gratuities? If yes, I can guess based on your response that is one order you think is only suggestive in nature.
Sorry, but a football player and a business owner isn't quite the same as a cop. If you think the three are cut from the same cloth, held to the same standard, and have the same responsibilities, you really should find a new career before you get yourself in trouble. Cops already share in "professional" courtesies. I bet the first thing you reach for when you're stopped for a violation off-duty is your ID. So don't moan about everyone getting courtesies but cops.
why is it everytown in maryland has a crack alley within a block of the police station?
8:50, so if no one follows the speed limit anymore, doesn't that say the police are not doing their job? So what are you defending here, or just trying to sling mud on someone else to make yourself look cleaner.....
In the cities we have what we call beat cops. These guys walked our neighborhood streets every day and we all knew them by name. They never hesitated to grab any of us by the collar and haul us home for the butt whipping of a lifetime if we were caught doing something we shouldn't have been doing. These same beat cops would stop in any of the neighborhood luncheonettes to use the facilities or just give their feet a rest. There was not one place in our neighborhood they could not get a meal or a drink. No one ever considered charging them and they always tipped the waitresses. Not one of our stores was ever robbed either. Not one of our stores ever had to call the police because someone was acting a fool. They knew us and we knew them. We fed these guys because it was the least we could do for all they did for our neighborhood. It wasn't done for future favors it was gratitude. Salisbury needs cops out walking the beat. The cops need to get out of their cars and the people need to stop running and hiding everytime they see a cop. Once you know each other, you will gain respect and trust for each other. Your neighborhoods will become much safer as a result of the new relationship with your beat cop.
Finally, who cares if Devages wants to give a cop a burger or Johnnys wants to give a cop a sandwich or Panera wants to give a cop breakfast? Do you know how much food restaurants throw away? It's theirs to do with as they please. Did it cost any of you anything? I don't know of anyone that would sell their career down the river for a meal.
12:14 i guess i'm not going to get an answer! i guarantee mike lewis wouldnt have a crack alley anywhere near his barracks!
6:01 If you were never a cop, and thus entrusted with treating everyone the same when enforcing all the laws, you wouldn't understand why most every police departments I'm familiar with (and that's quite a few) have a departmental policy prohibiting police officers from taking freebies or discounts.
Police departments want their police officers above reproach. If you say it's okay to take a free cup of coffee, a burger or and sandwich, then it becomes okay to take a free ticket to a ball game or concert. Not every business owner that offers free or discounted product or services does so because they're thankful for the cops. And not every cop that gets into the practice of accepting free or discounted coffee, donuts or entire meals has enough sense to realize when a kind gesture has turned into something all together different. Heck, I've known police officers that have taken their entire family to an establishment while off-duty and in uniform to get a discount.
When I was on the job, the police officers were required to make routine foot patrols inside licensed liquor establishments. You got to know the bartenders and the owners, and they got to know you. Through the many years and the many bars I visited, I never accepted a single offer of a soda, iced tea or glass of water. Why? I didn't want to put myself in a position of having to defend myself against an owner, bartender, and customers saying I consumed an alcoholic beverage while on duty. If I ever had to take enforcement action against an establishment for an infraction of the liquor laws, I didn't want accusing me of drinking while on duty to be their ace-in-the-hole. Sadly, today's climate is entirely different then the days you refer to in your post. In today's world, a cop is best served trusting few. You need only look at the post that started these comments and this blog in general to realize everyone is watching for a cop to screw up. Why give them ammunition?
As I wrote at the beginning, a police officer has to be above reproach. If the salary isn't enough to afford buying lunch out and paying full price like every other hard working person that visits an establishment, pack a lunch at home.
Get a Grip! The first time your house is broken into, I'm sure you'll be the first to scream "where's the police!" Your probably the same person that complains about the speeders on College, then complains when the police do something about it. I don't care which department sits in my driveway, it's a deterrent for speeders and crime. And considering the crime around here lately, I'm glad to see any type of police vehicle.
Call Det. S. Workman he will take care of the problem. He will Jean Claude their A$$
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