[Hops]

Hi,
I live near Rancho Cordova (about 15 miles east) and heard an interview with an officer on a local radio station. Just want to clear up some false information here.

The article quoted in this thread is off base because under no circumstances will the officer turn his lights on to pull you over. That would be illegal because from the moment their lights are on you are legally detained. If you have done nothing that would merit being detained, that would certainly open the door to lots of issues for the police department. Instead, the officers signal you from their vehicle, motioning for you to pull to the side. Under these circumstances I would be curious and somewhat alarmed but would probably assume my car has a visible problem that needs attention, not that I had committed a violation. The officer commented that if the driver chooses not to pull over (which isn't very likely I would suspect) there is no further action taken to get the driver to respond.

So, the program is not quite as bad as it would seem. (I do agree with everyone here that I got lighted up and pulled over, I would be seriously torqued.) Regardless, I think it is a waste of time for the police, who should be spending more time doing their normal duties, and for the public, since getting pulled over costs time and tends to impede the normal flow of traffic (for all the other drivers using that stretch of highway). The officer commented that drivers who have been awarded the cards have been positive about the program, but I am not so sure I would share their enthsiasm.

Jay

Midnight Blue '05 S