Patriot
Isabella is Lazarus
ok, I'll use this thread just to get my experience last night off my chest...
I don't want it to be a rant, just maybe a question on what IMHO was rare poor judgement on the part of a Looziana State Trooper.
First, I was guilty...doing 74 in a 60 on the Atchafalaya Bridge which is a 10mile causeway over the swamps in south LA between Baton Rouge and Lafayette on I-10
Cars limit 60 and trucks 55...with an expected less tolerance of speed in the dead of night...this was 10pm
A few miles before the end of the bridge and back to 70, I'm rabbit behind a Focus at indicated 75.
Come over a hump heading for the end of the bridge, trooper car is in the right emergency lane and as the two of us a couple car lengths apart in the left lane pass, blue flashing lights and strobing headlights come on and he pulls out behind a trio of trucks in the right lane.
Both the Focus and I drop our speed down to 60, see the trucks a coming, pass the end of the bridge, and go 68 in the right lane.
Trooper passes me to the left and roars behind red focus and they pull over. Few minutes later trooper is back on the road, left lane roaring up and behind me. I immediately pull to right and emergency lane, turn off the engine, turn on the dome light and emergency flashers, and sit and wait for instructions. Dead of night, black darkness, trucks roaring pass in right and left lane with "medium" traffic going by. I hear nothing from the trooper waiting for instructions relayed from his PA or something to happen. Wifey in right seat, I'm in left driver's seat, and in middle of emergency lane, I note that my door opened all the way would go slightly into right lane. After a few minutes, he's standing in front of his car waving his arms and yelling something I can't understand. I turn on key to run window down, turn off key, and stick my head out my window looking back. Again, he's yelling, but I truthfully can't understand his words. I yell that I can't hear him and put my hand behind my ear. He gets back in his car and takes off down the road in the right lane with his dome light on.
I don't know what to think (if it matters any, he's in a dark blue uniform, no reflective gear (vest?), and a large black man...I can't see him against the night.
So I figure he's going to another (emergency?) call and I'm free to go.
I wait awhile for the highway to clear, pull out and over a mile down the road, he's behind the red focus stopped in the emergency lane. I move to the left lane, and watch traffic and not him. Next thing I know over a mile down the road, he's coming again, I move to the right, he pulls right behind me, and we pull over again to the emergency lane.
Repeat previous experience except as I stick my head out the window with him waving and yelling, he waves me out the car and yells to come to him. I do so with arms outstretched holding my wallet, and he orders me to give him my driver's license. I do so, he yells to follow him and he moves to get back into his car...running partially into the right lane. I'm dumbfounded and scared at this point thinking I'm a veteran, a navy pilot, and I'm scared now for his and my safety, and frustrated. I follow him to his car (he said follow me, but later told me he meant in my car following his car)...and as I approach him as he gets in his car, he yells to get away from the highway. He yells to get in my car and he roars off again with my driver's license in his possession. Now I realize he's trapping me to have to get my license back somehow. So I get back in the car dumbfounded and ask my wife what does she think. She's crying now. I say that his mission is to cite both me and the red focus.
I first decided this is way crazy, unsafe, and hopefully against policy at night...probably can be handled ok during the day, but I can't see him (siloutte only, can't hear over trucks) and now what do I do. I ask wife what does she think if I stay put, I call 911 and ask for a supervisor and I don't want to go out in traffic, pull over again, and get in and out my car again. BTW, it's cold, windy, and I'm not dressed for it.
Well, I might have been more tempted to do so, but I guess I realize now he probably wants me to go with my license, and I laugh as I realize I'm driving without a license and what if something happens to us. I wonder if I open my door into traffic and a vehicle accidently tears the door off, what would he feel about that. So I calm myself down, make myself think clearly, laugh again how did I get myself into this situation, and say I guess I'll drive up the road again. Sure enough he's pulled over the red focus and is standing behind the red car with ticket book in hand yelling at the driver, probably to get him to get out of his car and come to him.
I see this and get angry again, stop behind his car, look back at clear right lane, get out, and walk to the right door of his car yelling with hands outstretched, Officer, where do you want me now, repeatedly. He's focused on the red car driver getting out his car, turns around and says Sir, get back in your car and pull ahead of the red car. I answer something like, are you serious, one of us three are going to get killed before this crazy traffic stop is done. You really want me to get back into traffic and around these cars, back into the emergency lane and wait. He keeps glancing back and forth, talking on his personal radio, and yells, for my (his) safety, drive your car in front of the red car. His f'in safety now is mentioned, nothing about mine or the red car driver's. Another trooper comes roaring the wrong way up the opposite emergency lane, stops as trucks are a coming, shines his spotlight in my (our) direction, and when clear as I pull out into the right lane, roars past my left rear car's corner to pull in behind "my" troopers car as I'm now pulling in front of the red car. Again, I stay where I am, turn on dome light and flashers, and this time, roll down the window and stick my hands out in plain site as I worry he thinks I'm a crazy man who might do something stupid after yelling at him.
After awhile he finished with red focus car, he leaves, and he calls for me to get out and come behind my car. The other trooper is in the grass watching as backup. He says to stay put and returns to his car. Comes out after a few minutes with ticket written, gives me back my license, I sign and take the ticket. I ask him if he knows why I'm so upset. He tells me I was speeding. I admit that, but tell him it's crazy to try to do a "double" stop at night. I couldn't hear him, see him, and he says I should stop when I see his blue lights. I agree and said I did, but insist once he leaves, it's reasonable for me to think I'm then free. Again, I can't see or hear him.
I think, what if my scatterbrained, fragile, emotional wife or daughter or grandma were driving during all this.
We agree to disagree, we exchange his difficulty doing his job, and my respect of all police, my working closely with troopers as Patriot Guard, and my personal friendship with (name inserted) Captain of traffic statewide who works in Baton Rouge. We exchange a final pleasantry and depart ways.
It's bothered me all day, putting myself in a trooper's shoes, and questioning my critisism...oh well...I deeply hope he doesn't repeat my experience
WOW
I don't want it to be a rant, just maybe a question on what IMHO was rare poor judgement on the part of a Looziana State Trooper.
First, I was guilty...doing 74 in a 60 on the Atchafalaya Bridge which is a 10mile causeway over the swamps in south LA between Baton Rouge and Lafayette on I-10
Cars limit 60 and trucks 55...with an expected less tolerance of speed in the dead of night...this was 10pm
A few miles before the end of the bridge and back to 70, I'm rabbit behind a Focus at indicated 75.
Come over a hump heading for the end of the bridge, trooper car is in the right emergency lane and as the two of us a couple car lengths apart in the left lane pass, blue flashing lights and strobing headlights come on and he pulls out behind a trio of trucks in the right lane.
Both the Focus and I drop our speed down to 60, see the trucks a coming, pass the end of the bridge, and go 68 in the right lane.
Trooper passes me to the left and roars behind red focus and they pull over. Few minutes later trooper is back on the road, left lane roaring up and behind me. I immediately pull to right and emergency lane, turn off the engine, turn on the dome light and emergency flashers, and sit and wait for instructions. Dead of night, black darkness, trucks roaring pass in right and left lane with "medium" traffic going by. I hear nothing from the trooper waiting for instructions relayed from his PA or something to happen. Wifey in right seat, I'm in left driver's seat, and in middle of emergency lane, I note that my door opened all the way would go slightly into right lane. After a few minutes, he's standing in front of his car waving his arms and yelling something I can't understand. I turn on key to run window down, turn off key, and stick my head out my window looking back. Again, he's yelling, but I truthfully can't understand his words. I yell that I can't hear him and put my hand behind my ear. He gets back in his car and takes off down the road in the right lane with his dome light on.
I don't know what to think (if it matters any, he's in a dark blue uniform, no reflective gear (vest?), and a large black man...I can't see him against the night.
So I figure he's going to another (emergency?) call and I'm free to go.
I wait awhile for the highway to clear, pull out and over a mile down the road, he's behind the red focus stopped in the emergency lane. I move to the left lane, and watch traffic and not him. Next thing I know over a mile down the road, he's coming again, I move to the right, he pulls right behind me, and we pull over again to the emergency lane.
Repeat previous experience except as I stick my head out the window with him waving and yelling, he waves me out the car and yells to come to him. I do so with arms outstretched holding my wallet, and he orders me to give him my driver's license. I do so, he yells to follow him and he moves to get back into his car...running partially into the right lane. I'm dumbfounded and scared at this point thinking I'm a veteran, a navy pilot, and I'm scared now for his and my safety, and frustrated. I follow him to his car (he said follow me, but later told me he meant in my car following his car)...and as I approach him as he gets in his car, he yells to get away from the highway. He yells to get in my car and he roars off again with my driver's license in his possession. Now I realize he's trapping me to have to get my license back somehow. So I get back in the car dumbfounded and ask my wife what does she think. She's crying now. I say that his mission is to cite both me and the red focus.
I first decided this is way crazy, unsafe, and hopefully against policy at night...probably can be handled ok during the day, but I can't see him (siloutte only, can't hear over trucks) and now what do I do. I ask wife what does she think if I stay put, I call 911 and ask for a supervisor and I don't want to go out in traffic, pull over again, and get in and out my car again. BTW, it's cold, windy, and I'm not dressed for it.
Well, I might have been more tempted to do so, but I guess I realize now he probably wants me to go with my license, and I laugh as I realize I'm driving without a license and what if something happens to us. I wonder if I open my door into traffic and a vehicle accidently tears the door off, what would he feel about that. So I calm myself down, make myself think clearly, laugh again how did I get myself into this situation, and say I guess I'll drive up the road again. Sure enough he's pulled over the red focus and is standing behind the red car with ticket book in hand yelling at the driver, probably to get him to get out of his car and come to him.
I see this and get angry again, stop behind his car, look back at clear right lane, get out, and walk to the right door of his car yelling with hands outstretched, Officer, where do you want me now, repeatedly. He's focused on the red car driver getting out his car, turns around and says Sir, get back in your car and pull ahead of the red car. I answer something like, are you serious, one of us three are going to get killed before this crazy traffic stop is done. You really want me to get back into traffic and around these cars, back into the emergency lane and wait. He keeps glancing back and forth, talking on his personal radio, and yells, for my (his) safety, drive your car in front of the red car. His f'in safety now is mentioned, nothing about mine or the red car driver's. Another trooper comes roaring the wrong way up the opposite emergency lane, stops as trucks are a coming, shines his spotlight in my (our) direction, and when clear as I pull out into the right lane, roars past my left rear car's corner to pull in behind "my" troopers car as I'm now pulling in front of the red car. Again, I stay where I am, turn on dome light and flashers, and this time, roll down the window and stick my hands out in plain site as I worry he thinks I'm a crazy man who might do something stupid after yelling at him.
After awhile he finished with red focus car, he leaves, and he calls for me to get out and come behind my car. The other trooper is in the grass watching as backup. He says to stay put and returns to his car. Comes out after a few minutes with ticket written, gives me back my license, I sign and take the ticket. I ask him if he knows why I'm so upset. He tells me I was speeding. I admit that, but tell him it's crazy to try to do a "double" stop at night. I couldn't hear him, see him, and he says I should stop when I see his blue lights. I agree and said I did, but insist once he leaves, it's reasonable for me to think I'm then free. Again, I can't see or hear him.
I think, what if my scatterbrained, fragile, emotional wife or daughter or grandma were driving during all this.
We agree to disagree, we exchange his difficulty doing his job, and my respect of all police, my working closely with troopers as Patriot Guard, and my personal friendship with (name inserted) Captain of traffic statewide who works in Baton Rouge. We exchange a final pleasantry and depart ways.
It's bothered me all day, putting myself in a trooper's shoes, and questioning my critisism...oh well...I deeply hope he doesn't repeat my experience
WOW
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