You see what you want to see, do what you want to do

And occasionally these two very human traits come back and bite you.

http://m.pe.com/articles/sting-774093-police-cellphone.html

Heard about police officers in San Bernardino hiding in plain sight with signs saying they were police, not homeless, snagging over a 100 folks for cell phone and seat belt violation on the news a week or so ago.
Finally looked it up.
Pretty good trick.

A lot (not all of the) of opinions on sites like facebook and reddit go something like

I hate this type of policing. It's only meant to issue tickets/collect money. Sure a lot of drivers got tickets but I hear there are a lot of drivers on the roads of California, if these cops were unnoticed then the only effect they had was on the people being ticketed. Had they been standing roadside in plain sight in uniform they would have still caught people, still issued tickets but also they would have let ALL the drivers know they were being watched. It's the reason police allow radio stations to warn listeners of speed traps, the result is drivers slow down and the roads are safer. I see these smug officers with their snarky signs and immediately I sense the feeling of superiority they extend. "Look at us being clever! Got you!" Policing like this is a cash grab. It's lazy and insulting. Supposed to be Serve and Protect not Trick and Deceive.

Is this sour grapes or a legit gripe?
I say gripe.
If you arent doing anything wrong on the road, you dont have anything to worry about...except the people that ARE doing something wrong, who can still end your life in a blink.
This trick didnt stop everyone, but the ones it did stop didnt injure themselves or others further down the road.

Thoughts on the matter?

I agree that shit like this is just to get money, and here is why: if you suggest they put all this money they make towards helping people(like body cams for every cop) they will flip out. If we want body cams for every cop..some cops have said taxes should be raised to pay for it.

Oh, but these pricks will rarely write tickets to other cops though. I have also never once heard of a police officer being caught on a red light cam blowing a light even though he had no crime to go to..I've never heard of such a cop getting a ticket. Which is weird, because I've seen cops blow red lights for no reason, they weren't speeding away to a crime scene...they just mosey'ed along, not picking up speed or turning on sirens or showing they were in a hurry. They just didn't feel like waiting for the light. But if *I* don't feel like waiting for the light? Well f*ck me I'm not a cop.

Makes me wonder why cops don't get along really well with illegal immigrants. Both believe the laws shouldn't apply to them for no valid reason.

Nice rant!

I've read of cops busted by other cops for driving infractions, but i'm sure there's favoritism, like any other job...

Traffic Laws are in the top five of all most regularly broken laws.

**** the Crims. I say let the cops bust ass all day long. I have been in more then one car wreck due to idiots that can't put their devices down... SCREW EM ALL DAY LONG!

Way to go Johnny Law.

Agreed.
Killing someone because why? You couldnt wait to send a text? Lame.

But that info that their left nut is more itchy then their other one is SO IMPORTANT!!

Not that important.

Here is what I find telling: if a magic genie came down and said "I can't stop all crime, I can't stop murder, theft, etc. but I can make it so nobody ever parks somewhere illegally again or ever blows a red light or speeds or commits any type of ticketable offense in a vehicle".

Something tells me not everyone in the law enforcement community would be jumping up and down to say "yes do it". The money is more important and shockingly enough there are some laws they do not want people to stop breaking entirely.

So what percentage of crime, murder, and theft CAN the genie stop? Because i'd likely still choose that option.

Heh..no, this is a special genie who can only stop people from committing the crime of..parking in a handicapped space without a permit or blowing a red light or any of the other big money makers. They just don't make genies like they used to, I blame the economy.

Isn't this like saying that since a cop didn't see me speeding I didn't break any laws?

I know people who live by that motto...😬

Not me. I always break into Judas Priest's "Breaking the law"!!

Sing it loud. Sing it Proud.

No rationalization for Fly!