Is this actually legal?

[SP33D]

So me and my friends are driving home tonight at like 1am... and we see a cop stuck a red light, throws on his lights... and turns onto the highway.... right through the red light. I see this happen all the time, and I'm starting to get sick of it, so I decide to follow him around, and I can guarentee 100% that he wasn't going anywhere in a hurry because he eventually ended up looking for a reason to pull me over. Anyways, my friend called the police station in Middletown, New Jersey, where the event took place and inquired about the situation. He told the officer over the phone what happened, and he said the guy started to get pissed off.. and basically said that an emergency vehicle is allowed to do that.. just because it's an emergency vehicle... even if it isn't an emergency. So, with that said, I became pretty pissed.. because I don't know if this guy is just trying to cover another one of the cops asses or whatever else.. I guess I just didn't believe an answer like that. So I called the neighboring town police station, Hazlet, New Jersey... where I reside. The cop picks up.. I tell him it isn't an emergency.. and he puts me on hold for like 5 minutes. Then he gets back on the phone.. and I told him what happened, and how we called the Middletown police station.. and I simply asked the Hazlet cop if something like this was allowed, and he said "This is Hazlet, not Middletown, and I really don't care." *click*

So what do you guys think about this?

 

[2K3 MSP]

They're cops... They can get away with just about anything.

 

[mp5jeff]

i think you found some asshole cops, lol, next time video tape it to have some proof.

 

[Dexter]

i think that it doesnt really matter. who cares, the cop blows the light. s***, i'd blow lights at 1 am too if no one was around. so who gives a ****?

 

[acidbug]

That's no suprise to me..I live nj as well..and i have seen many cops do this..and you know what..it's actually frowned upon..but infact it's legal...

Lesson for this story...DON'T FOLLOW COPS!

Chas

 

[SP33D]

They do it ALL the time.. not just at 1am.

 

[redrims]

Yeh, I've seen police cars turn on their sirens to go through a light, then turn it off about 600ft down the street.

 

[Dexter]

Yeah, we all know they are full of s*** and do it to blow red lights, but there are more important flaws in the system that need to be dealt with. but congrats for calling the station though.

 

[SP33D]

I think what it really comes down to is that cops f*ck with me for no reason.. so I guess I'm trying to find their flaws so I can f*ck back But seriously though.. I hate being harassed by hypocrits.

 

[Minishotglass]

What do you guys think would happen if a cop was to blow a red light......but get t-boned/hit by a random car coming through the intersection. Consider that the cop just turned on the flashing red/blue, ran the red, but oncoming traffic did not have time to slow down/stop for his "emergency".....

 

[Dexter]

What do you guys think would happen if a cop was to blow a red light......but get t-boned/hit by a random car coming through the intersection. Consider that the cop just turned on the flashing red/blue, ran the red, but oncoming traffic did not have time to slow down/stop for his "emergency".....

justice

 

[mp5jeff]

probably the person that hits the (cop running the red light) will get sued lol. sad but true.

 

[2K3 MSP]

I had a friend get t-boned by a cop who didn't have his lights on, and he to sue to get the damages for the car. The cop said he had the lights on(my friend said they weren't), but since he wasn't on the way to an emergency, it should have been an open and closed case, right? The case was tied up in court for over a year, and it was eventually dropped. It's amazing how they have so much power over everyday people.

 

[redrims]

Don't know the outcome of this story but...

One day I was driving home. It was pretty much rush hour and this retarded State Trooper was tailgating this car in the fast lane. Of course, being rush hour, there was heavy traffic. But the pace was consistent. Then all of the sudden, cars had to brake suddenly. Well because this ass of a cop was tailgating, he ran straight into the back of the car in front. Damage was pretty bad also. The trunk of the car in front was pushed in, and the hood and bumper of the poilce car was folded.

 

[zmepro]

wow, i have heard of cops tailgating to get you to speed, looks like this one got what he deserved, that asshole

 

[jflo]

i've seen cops do that around here, too. i always think WTF is that mofo doing there's nothing down there ????

it'd be absolute luck if somebody was video taping a cop t-boning a car in the intersection w/o the lights on. that would be the ultimate precedent for when that s*** happens

 

[vodapas77]

What do you guys think would happen if a cop was to blow a red light......but get t-boned/hit by a random car coming through the intersection. Consider that the cop just turned on the flashing red/blue, ran the red, but oncoming traffic did not have time to slow down/stop for his "emergency".....

I would guess that cop would be in a s*** load of trouble. I was once driving into town behind an ambulance that had passed me when I was going like 80 on the interstate. When we got into town we came up to a red light and he flipped on his lights and started to proceed into the intersection. Next thing you know Bam! He gets hit by a couple of girls in a Buick Century. I jumped out of the car and ran up to the girls' car. They were crying and trying to jump out of the car. I told them to stay still. Next thing I know a Friend of mine who was a paramedic jumps out of the back of the ambulance. He was white as a ghost. I asked him if they were gong to take care of the girls. He said it was cool so I headed on to work. A few weeks later I caught up with him and asked what the outcome was. Turns out the driver had been just trying to run a red light. He lost his ability to drive the ambulance after that. He remained a paramedic, but was put on some sort of probation by the Ambulance company he worked for.

Basically what it boils down to is they can get away with doing it for as long as they are lucky, but if something happens and the witnesses say they were in the wrong a cop just like a paramedic will be hung out to dry by the police force to prevent the bad publicity from coming back on the entire force.

 

[SP33D]

Wow I just made a weird comparison in my head... but it's 4AM so it might not make sense. Maybe the police are trying to shelter problems like this... similar to what the Catholic church for priests who molested little boys.. (that might not make sense, but you get the idea)

So anyways, how do we stop this?

 

[BadApple]

do you just have nothing better to do @ 1 in the morning!

 

[jersey_emt]

So anyways, how do we stop this?

You don't. Yes it is illegal in NJ for an emergency vehicle to use lights and sirens when an emergency doesn't exist. But it's a law that will never be enforced...a cop isn't going to ticket a cop.

Did you also know that even when driving with lights & sirens, you are supposed to come to a complete stop at any red lights, and THEN pass through the intersection? Again, it's a law that will never be enforced.

Also, in NJ, you technically aren't allowed to use JUST warning lights..legally you have to use the siren at all times as well.