View from the cop: Crime & punishment
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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2005 > October > 29 > Entry
Time to Vent!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday is Halloween. Get flashlight batteries and light-reflective costumes for the little ones. Keep a close eye out. Use common sense and be safe.
Now, time for the Cop Corner Vent!
— Why is it landscaping guys blow leaves and trash into the middle of the road? I’ve checked it and there is no hole where the leaves disappear to. I want to see a federally funded program supplying two guys and leaf blowers charged with the responsibility of blowing the leaves back to the yard.
— Get off the cell phone. I can see, almost daily, near-misses involving gabbing drivers attempting to make a turn into the roadway. Put the dang phone down and make the turn.
— I actually am asked this occasionally. Don’t tell your kids it’s OK to have their friends over and then say it’s OK to drink as long as they surrender their car keys. Kids who drink tend to binge on whatever they’re drinking so even though you’ve collected the keys, how do you know what will result from allowing them to get trashed under your supervision? How do you know they won’t open the door and walk right out at 2 a.m. or drink to the point of toxic poisoning? Not a good idea.
— I know we have to sit at a lot of traffic lights but please, when the light turns green: GO!
— Take your purse OUT of the shopping cart while at the grocery store.
— Shred your paperwork going out with your trash! Check that credit history and read the bank and credit card statements carefully.
— Here’s another one: When you order checks and receive them, thumb through them to see that the number sequences are correct. It only takes a couple of minutes.
I feel better now.
What’s bugging you? Let me know and we’ll post your reply.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Rod B
October 29, 2005 7:17 PM | Link to this
Danny Ware behind the tackle for 600,000 yards. Thomas Brown run outside for an 8 yard lose. Great call on the final drive of the game! Yeah Right!
By Kyle
October 29, 2005 9:12 PM | Link to this
Why do we have so much reported crime in Zip 30350? Is it true that a large number of apartments are housing Section 8 occupants in 30350?
By Le
October 29, 2005 10:19 PM | Link to this
Don’t discipline your kids while you are driving and weaving all over the road in broad daylight. There are other people on the road too!
By Carrie
October 29, 2005 11:11 PM | Link to this
I truly hate those stupid walkie-talkie cell phones. The incessant beeping is bad enough, but honestly…is it THAT HARD to hold the dang thing up to your ear?? I really don’t need to hear about your “date gone wrong” or your kid’s latest vomiting spell. STOP THE MADNESS!!
By El Kabong
October 30, 2005 6:31 AM | Link to this
Great vents from our favorite officer! I am convinced that only the threat of legal action will help cure the problem of bad driving due to cell phone usage.Then there will be another legal restriction the police will have to try and enforce. Sort of like the seat belt laws and the speed limit on I-285. I am afraid we will never get the cell phone toothpaste back in the tube.
By SMN
October 30, 2005 7:59 AM | Link to this
Stop At All RR Crossings The train I’m running won’t. Your car can. Let’s not met by accident.
By Ann
October 30, 2005 8:08 AM | Link to this
Back in the dark ages when my children needed discipline in the car the best threat was “don’t make me pull this car over”
By david
October 30, 2005 9:02 AM | Link to this
What bugs me is the tailgaters on the freeway, particulary when we are all packed together like sardines. One half second lapse of attention and 15% percent of the driving poplulation of Atlanta is tied up waiting for the wreckers to get the mess cleaned up. Don’t they understand hitting the brakes, speeding up, hitting the brakes causes people behing them to do the same thing, therebye causing an accordion effect making things worse? Please let’s use those traffic cameras to prevent wrecks by picking off and pulling over the agressive tailgaters and those that think they are on the race track, cutting in and out with almost no clearance. If you think about it, a 5,000 lb SUV is a deadly weapon, and I am tired of being threatened by overagressive drivers.
By Jack
October 30, 2005 10:27 AM | Link to this
Shoot, to list all my peeves about Atlanta drivers would take much more than a simple blog reply. A couple…
When you stop at the red light…stop at the big white line. Not completely past it or 20 feet before it.
Oh, and when you are stopping in back of someone else at that light, don’t leave 5 empty car lengths of space between you and that person…put that POC car up there!
By Matthew
October 30, 2005 6:40 PM | Link to this
Smokers, Quit throwing your cigarette butts out your car window.
By tim
October 30, 2005 8:50 PM | Link to this
How about stopping people from smoking will driving instead of worrying about cell phone users. It’s just as dangerous to smoke while driving as it is using a cell phone. Also, smoking causes many more deaths than cell phone but I don’t see anyone crying about that. Plus they litter the highways with ciggarette butts which can’t be good for the enviroment. So lets get of the cell phone use kick and start with more important issues first……………
By Ron Robinson
October 31, 2005 1:29 AM | Link to this
With all the reckless drivers in the road today, following too close, speeding,etc., why do some police officers give tickets to someone who is just leaving a mall, such as Southlake, on the circle around the mall, comes to a stop sign only a few feet from where he exited the mall, makes a right turn at a stop sign, and a Morrow officer gives a ticket for disregarding a stop sign. The most speed I was driving would be around 3mph. No other traffic in sight. This was the first traffic ticket I have ever received and I am 65 years old. There are more serious violations this young officer could have been watching for. When I paid the fine, even the D.A. dropped part of the fine as he told me I had a very good driving record. This young officer gave a ticket to be giving a ticket, a warning would have been in order, and I would have respected him for that, but now my feeling for the Morrow Police Department is not favorable.
By Cullen
October 31, 2005 8:11 AM | Link to this
Are you seriously trying to tell folks that smoking while driving is more hazardous than talking on a cell phone? You must one of those weaving, absentminded, talking on the cell phone while driving people that I see around town. Get real, dude. I’ve seen a lot more “near misses” by cell phone talking drivers than I have by smokers. By no means am I condoning smoking, but I am placing the truth were it belongs. The fact is cell phone use and driving are simply not compatiable. So, put the phone down and drive! Or if you need to talk on the cell phone, pull over and stop.
By Mark Elrod
October 31, 2005 8:16 AM | Link to this
At some point, maybe license renewal, all drivers should be required to take a simple test of rules amd laws. Especially how to handle a FOUR WAY STOP!!!
By john
October 31, 2005 8:24 AM | Link to this
Why do newspapers to which I don’t subscribe and other advertisers get to just throw anything they want into my yard or tape them on my mailbox? Can’t they at least be cited for littering? If you do everything you should before leaving town and then return to find your yard littered with “throw outs”, you have just advertised your absense to anyone who wants what is in your home.
By John Thomas
October 31, 2005 8:32 AM | Link to this
‘not exactly law and order, but why can’t accident scenes be cleared sooner? Damaged vehicles could, at least, be dragged off the roadway so traffic lanes could be reopened. Film everything for the record. Millions of gallons of fuel are burned while waiting.
By joe m
October 31, 2005 9:55 AM | Link to this
I would move my car up and not leave 5 car lengths if people could learn to stop properly and not stop, then move up, stop, move up, stop, move up…..Get it?
By jennifer
October 31, 2005 10:54 AM | Link to this
I wouldn’t tailgate as much if people didn’t try to weasle their way into any available gap they see just so they can get in front of me and sit.
It also drives me batty when people pull directly out in front of me and then don’t go! What’s wrong with you?!
SUV drivers, stay in your own lane. Just because you chose to buy a big piece of crap does not mean you can’t try to keep it in your own lane. If you wanted to drive like you own a sports car, you should have purchased a sports car.
Slow left lane drivers, does the term Slower Traffic Keep Right ring a bell? This means you. I don’t care if someone is going over the speed limit. When they come up behind you move over and then you can reclaim your lane.
When merging at least try to do the speed limit. Attempting to merge at 35mph is completely ridiculous and dangerous. If you’re too scared to drive, then don’t.
By jennifer
October 31, 2005 10:55 AM | Link to this
Wouldn’t a near miss be considered a hit?
By Nanny Nanny Boo Boo
October 31, 2005 3:47 PM | Link to this
When did they stop putting turn signals on cars? Seems like the more expensive the car is, the less likely it has turn signals.
Is that Lights on When Raining rule still around?
Smoking drivers are more dangerous than cellphoning drivers??? Smoking is more dangerous to them maybe!!! Shut up and drive you yackity yacks!
By Stephen
November 2, 2005 10:46 AM | Link to this
I have a suggestion for folks who rarely check the status of their checking account until the end of the month.
Because I work at a small metro Atlanta police department, our officers are taking reports at the first of the month from people who have been victims of fraud involving checks.
If you bank has electronic access to view your bank account on-line, do so on a WEEKLY basis and not at the end of the month.
It will save you time and money plus keep the bad guy or gal from writing checks that empty your account.