Amber,
Gotta stick up for police here (since I'm married to an officer). Just because an officer passes you without his lights and sirens on doesn't mean he doesn't have justification for driving over the speed limit. How do you know he was driving fast "for no reason"? DH wanted to know if he had a sign out his window. Most state laws give law enforcement the authority to disobey (within reason) traffic rules in performance of their lawful duties. How quickly would you like them to arrive if you needed help? For example, let's say 2 people, husband and wife, are in a heated argument but it's not yet physical. In some states that would not rise to the level of running with lights and sirens, but that doesn't mean that the officer's presence isn't needed quickly. Another example is that you're home alone and someone is knocking on your front door. You look out and you don't recognize them, you won't answer and they won't leave and they keep knocking and are looking in the windows. How quickly do you want the police to get there (this actually happened to my sister when she still lived in LA and I had already moved here - she called 911 and they kept her on the phone while they had an officer on the way - and I hope that he was in a hurry - she later found out there was a rapist in her neighborhood doing exactly what he was doing - praise God for that speedy officer!!!)?
In our state, for example, if somebody is being threatened with a gun, somebody is inujuring somebody with a deadly weapon, somebody is in your house chasing you around, etc. - those are situations where lights and sirens would be used.
Sorry to hijack the thread, but I always hate to hear people talking negatively about police officers who put their lives on the line daily to protect us. And just coming off of a very difficult week in the loss of one of our officers, I feel the need to stand up for all they do.
I would suggest you do a ride along with your local police department so that you can get a better understanding of what they do and why. It really opened my eyes when I did one years ago.
Suz
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." - Anatole France
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