Integrity Check – Speeding – Radar – and a Man in a hurry!
A story comes to mind having to do with honesty, integrity,
and code. Words that folks these days throw out without thought and without any particular attention to their meanings.
It was as it is now in Southern California, weather wise… About 1 year ago I remember shooting laser on Mulholland drive almost to the Ventura County Line just inside of Los Angeles County in West Valley.
I would like to preface it by letting you know that I was a very “friendly”
policeman. One that you would appreciate getting a citation from (ok, maybe not appreciate… But by pitch was very heartfelt and kind). Also, I must let you know that I burned through over 1000 business cards every 4 months, due to me giving lectures at community, council, neighborhood, and homeowners meetings in the capacity of a Motor-Cop with the LAPD.
I was in my “warning” mode working a section of Mullholland drive that had just been re-posted at 40mph from its previous posting of 50 mph. So I was working dilligently to advise motorists of the new speed posting and starting to initiate traffic stops on persons that were at 60 or better MPH… I was using a laser unit as supportive evidence with my speed estimation skills. I was almost ready to go for a break and get a doughnut..(I know you were thinkin it…) and a cup of coffee. All of a sudden I estimated the speed of a silver Mercedes as it was approaching in a west bound direction.
I estimated the speed at 70mph and my laser device indicated a lock at 790′ at 72mph. I locked my laser device, holstered the unit, cleared traffic, activating my lights and siren and I was off. I don’t have to tell you what speed I had to go to catch this man. At 70 mph he is travelling in excess of 105 feet per second. I acquire his speed, activate my laser, lock his speed, he is now past my location, he hasn’t seen me yet. (even at 6′1″ and 275lbs, I hid well) (mom would have been proud)…
It takes me several seconds to clear traffic, holster the device, start the motor, and prepare for the e-ticket ride to come. Having not seen me, he was oblivious to me wanting to catch him. Plus he was pretty much outrunning my siren as well.
I finally closed on his vehicle and approached the driver’s side of the car. I stated, “Good Morning, I am Connor MacIVOR, I am a motor officer for the Los Angeles Police Department, I am stopping you for travelling at 72 miles per hour in a 40 mile per hour zone. Do you have any legal justification for your speeding today?”
Tactically, I was just behind the driver’s door jam making it hard for him to see a lot of me, for officers safety, if this individual wanted to hurt me, I want to make it as difficult as possible. (that is that cop stuff..)
He sat there and told me no… Just that this was his wife’s car and that he was late getting home and needed to pick his kids up from school. I asked him how old his kids were and he told me 12 and 15. I looked at my watch and asked if they were getting out of school at 10am? He said, no he needed to get ready to pick them up. (OK, I get it, he is being dishonest)…
I asked him for his license, registration, and insurance, he gave it to me and I told him that I was going to issue him a citation for driving at 72 miles per hour in a 40 miles per hour zone. (I always told everyone that I pulled over what was going to happen, I hate surprises and I know that others do too.) I never got their license and paperwork and said I’ll be back, I either told them I was going to write or warn at that point, so they knew what to expect.
AS I was walking back to my bike, he yelled out, “excuse me…” I turned and asked, “do you have a question?” He stated, “I do a lot for the police department and give a lot of money to their foundations, divisions, and the like. I cannot believe that you are going to write a ticket to an honest tax-payer…”,
“furthermore, I cannot believe you don’t know who I am and your captain and I are personal friends.” I told him that I appreciated that, but number one, “I don’t work at this particular station, I work traffic, and we come out of a whole different area of the city, and my captain is not the local divisional captain whom you are chummy with!”
I am back to standing at his window at this point. He then says hold on, and started thumbing through the business cards in his wallet. He came to a card of a LAPD officer, the old fashioned “courtesy-card”. He paused and took it out of the plastic picture holder. He said not a word. So I took the bait, “who is that?” He told me, “That is a friend of mine… In fact our families get together quite often for dinner, our kids play together, not to mention that I give him incredible deals on furniture at my store, as I give to all cops.”
I said, “very well, I am still going to issue you the citation for speeding, I’ll be back in a moment.” As I was walking back to my motorcycle, he yelled, I cannot believe you are still going to write me a ticket, after I told you who I was and even showed you a business card from my close personal friend and he works traffic just like you!!!”
I approached the vehicle for the second to last time and told the driver, “Sir, I appreciate what you have told me and I am sure that the police department’s officers, captains, upper-management and the like appreciate what you have done in the amount of monetary relief and in your generous nature.”
“But frankly sir, I don’t know you. Nor have I ever sat down to dinner with you or your family, nor has my wife met your wife, I have not purchased furniture from your store, not to mention at a discount. We are not friends and as far as I can remember, I have never met you before…” “Sir, that is my business card you have in your wallet…”
So he stopped speaking, I watched his grip increase on the steering wheel, I observed the knuckles on both of his clenched hands become devoid of blood as he squeezed away, contemplating his next thought, attempting to connect the dots, or make his way through the mental maze to find any semblance of truth in anything he
has told me to this point. It was as if his mind short-circuited, and all the synapses were firing out of order.
He then looked down to the floor is disgust, “with himself”. I then went for his soft underside. “Sir, I was very intent in issuing you a citation today, but there are cases when I question whether it is the best form of education. Education through enforcement. However, on second thought, I have given it much thought and have come to this conclusion. If you have to lie about a relationship with a person whom you don’t know, if you have to lie about those you know and your relationships with them, if you have to include and point blame to your children that are attending school, and if you have to fall back on a nature that you mask as being generous and giving of your own free-will, in order to get out of a simple traffic ticket… You have much bigger problems as a person, than what me issuing you a citation will remedy. My citation would get paid and go away, you have to live with you forever…”
I handed him back his license, registration and insurance, mounted my motorcycle, and drove away, while he was sobbing in the driver seat!!!
All My Best…
Connor MacIVOR
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