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Main Page BLUE LINE PLATE observations and comments
(Click here to view the original thread on the MassCops Message Board)

Posted by: wordstew

1. I made a quick stop by a police supply shop the other day looking for any deals to be had. I didn't see any blue line plates so I inquired about them and the store clerk asked me if mine had been stolen also. She told me that many officers had the plates stolen from their cars.

2. I see alot of plates and stickers out there on tow trucks and wreckers. What's the deal with that.

3. I also see alot of vehicles who take off the front MA plate and replace it with the Blue Line Plate. Technically a gigable offense?

Posted by: Gil

Quote:

Originally Posted by wordstew";p=&quot

2. I see alot of plates and stickers out there on tow trucks and wreckers. What's the deal with that.

Ebay!

Quote:

Originally Posted by wordstew";p=&quot

3. I also see alot of vehicles who take off the front MA plate and replace it with the Blue Line Plate. Technically a gigable offense?

Practice what you preach. The only ones that should have that are the folks that have the old green plates, everyone else is in violation.

Posted by: Foxracingmtnridr

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gil";p=&quot

Practice what you preach. The only ones that should have that are the folks that have the old green plates, everyone else is in violation.

Yeah but will you gig someone who actually is a po?

Scott

Posted by: Curious EMT

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAPD";p=&quot

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gil";p=&quot

Practice what you preach. The only ones that should have that are the folks that have the old green plates, everyone else is in violation.

Yeah but will you gig someone who actually is a po?

Scott

True.....

How many municipal owned/maintain/operated cruisers are sporting the blue line as their only front plate? ALL of them in my town, where'de the other plate go? That was issued to the state, cite. them too?

With all the ricers with no front plate (would HATE to put a plate bracket in that ugly-@$$ new fiberglass body kit, huh!), and blue RMV Reg stickers still floating out there now that we're in the new year, I'De like to believe that PO's would chase such things like that, than to conduct a stop on a car who's probably affiliated with LE. Tow trucks? Theres another story. Wouldn't a PO owning a tow company be considered a conflict of intrest for him and the dept., especially if they're on the rotation? Theres another story.

While the majority of people sporting the Line, FOP, MPA, or other LE emblems to show their affiliation / support for fellow LEO's, I find it hard to believe most wouldn't let their car be expired for at least two months now.....

Then again, it seems like "professional courtesy" is drifting away by some people... at least from what Ive seen....

Then again... who am I....

Posted by: Gil

No, what I meant by my statement is that YOU (the officer with the bl plate on the front) should practice what you/they preach. If your the ch 90 type that gig's for 90/6 and and have a bl plate on the front of you car (and have red plates) then you are nothing more than a hypocrite.

Same goes for other minor bs mv offenses like inspection stickers. I won't name anyone but I know of a Sgt. that wants to see cites issued but has yet to inspect his vehicle for the past three years!

Just the other day at the local DD some lady gave me grief because the tail end of my personal vehicle was past (no parking here to corner sign) she went on to tell me that she received a parking ticket and was parked the same way I was last week. Personally I would not gig for that but technically I was wrong and she let me know it.

The public does take notice, weather they voice their opinions or not they do notice.

Posted by: Gil

Curious

Ya lost me? You went from talking about bl plates, MPA emblems etc... to expired? Expired what?

An entire dept with blue line plates?

granted it's not the crime/violation of the century but it just goes back to how the public views you. I hope that they do not issue for 90/6

Posted by: LenS

I couldn't agree more with Gil!

I remember a short speech my boss gave me at Brockton Edison when I was a NU Co-op student working there at age 19. I was given a company car and my boss told me to be very vigilant about how I drove, being polite to people, etc. because "I WAS THE COMPANY" in the eyes of those that I passed in that marked car.

During my college days, driving thru Roxbury to get to NU and watching cruisers regularly hit the lights, blow thru the red light, kill the lights and continue cruising Blue Hill Ave at low speed. I watched two ambulances drag race each other (lights & sirens) to a donut shop for their breaks (happened on numerous occasions). So it was no surprise to me when I saw an ambulance stuck in the jug-handle at BU Bridge, lights & sirens, on a true emergency run and NOBODY gave way to let the ambulance thru!

Many years later, when I was given a badge (even though I was only a Special PO), I always kept that in mind! Blowing traffic lights, illegal turns, illegal parking, etc. sets a very bad example for the public and loses their respect in a very big way.

Keep in mind that in the smaller towns, the locals recognize all the local cops even in their POVs and they do take note when you disobey the laws that you enforce on others! They aren't likely to complain, figuring that they may become subject to retribution and nothing will be done to the person you complain about anyway, but they do take note . . . and their own desire to comply with the laws when they think nobody is looking goes down as well!

Posted by: Mitpo62

For reasons unknown to me, I believe there's quite a few coppers out there that believe in "do as I say, not as I do". This attitude taints our "profession"!

Posted by: MatchStick

Quote:

Keep in mind that in the smaller towns, the locals recognize all the local cops even in their POVs and they do take note when you disobey the laws that you enforce on others! They aren't likely to complain, figuring that they may become subject to retribution and nothing will be done to the person you complain about anyway, but they do take note . . . and their own desire to comply with the laws when they think nobody is looking goes down as well!

They also aren't likely to go out and vote when it comes time to get money approved for cruisers, firearms, etc.

Posted by: LenS

Quote:

Originally Posted by MatchStick";p=&quot

They also aren't likely to go out and vote when it comes time to get money approved for cruisers, firearms, etc.

Fully agree. Let's see, I recall:
- Refusal of Town Meeting to vote $400 to replace a lost wedding ring when a PO on road patrol got a report of a drowning, went to lake and dove in (fully clothed) in an attempt to save the young boy.
- Refusal of electorate to vote ~$130K override to fund town-side needs, including replacement of 2 FT POs.
- Current discussion to cut next year's funding of the PD even more.

Posted by: SJR87

i know some people that have made there own

and i also know of aleast one person who walked into a local police supply store and bought one. the kid has no connection to a LEO at all just wanted it to get him out of tickets. they seem to be popping up more and more. i have both the MPA and blue line sticker along with a red line sticker on both my cars, but would never but a blue line plate on my car unless i was a LEO myself.

Posted by: EMT857398

Good point Len. On another note (as clearly this discussion has expanded beyond the confines of the Blue Line Identifier), one of the most basic things we in public safety can do (no matter how fast we drive on routine calls or whatever) is USE OUR TURN SIGNALS. Nothing pisses me off more than those who don't

Posted by: Piper

That plates seem like a cool idea as I support the "us vs. them" mentality, but I tend to see mostly wanna-be's with those "blue line" things on their POV's. I don't know too many real cops who would put one on their own cars.

As for ticketing, I don't write too many gigs anymore, but stickers (MPA, SPAM, blue line, etc) and plates on car mean very little to me. If you can't show me a picture ID stating that you are the real deal, then "license and registration, please."

Posted by: Wolfman

BL plates, union stickers, any such items on the outside of a vehicle should be meaningless when it comes to effecting the stop.

Once the stop has been effected, well, to each his own. That's all I have to say about that, and those with a shred of common sense should say the same - at least in a forum such as this.

Posted by: kwflatbed

Amen to the above post !!

Posted by: LenS

Quote:

Originally Posted by EMT857398";p=&quot

Good point Len. On another note (as clearly this discussion has expanded beyond the confines of the Blue Line Identifier), one of the most basic things we in public safety can do (no matter how fast we drive on routine calls or whatever) is USE OUR TURN SIGNALS. Nothing pisses me off more than those who don't

I think using directional signals is illegal in MA!

So few people use them in MA or they signal right and take a left/vice versa.

Posted by: j809

I had my blue line plate stolen a couple of years at WalMart in Brockton. I don't have one anymore, but I have the small decal.

Posted by: stm4710

Dont have a BL plate cause I am not a cop and I have no plans on getting one to "sneak by".

I would think they are useless anyway without the ID to back it up. I am not familiar BL.
But I know with the IAFF ,Mass Call/Vol and to a lesser degree PFFM stickers almost seem "diluted", in that every tom dick and harry and his 3rd removed cousin chester the molester have one.

I bet you for every 30 stickers you see,15 are real legit firefighters.

Posted by: Curious EMT

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gil";p=&quot

Curious

Ya lost me? You went from talking about bl plates, MPA emblems etc... to expired? Expired what?

An entire dept with blue line plates?

granted it's not the crime/violation of the century but it just goes back to how the public views you. I hope that they do not issue for 90/6

What i meant is with all the blue 04 reg stickers still out there, and all the cars w/ no front plate, ide like to believe that if a LEO is out there looking for plate infractions, lets get the car towed, not a 25$ ticket for illagel display...
No?
Am I just craazzy?

Posted by: Curious EMT

Quote:

Originally Posted by SJR87";p=&quot

i know some people that have made there own

Wow talk about crazy, he/she must be a nutcase... Sounds like a member i see her *cough cough* Marlborough *cough cough*

With a red blue and MPA sticker, but you're not LEO yourself?
How does that work?

Posted by: SJR87

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curious EMT";p=&quot

Quote:

Originally Posted by SJR87";p=&quot

i know some people that have made there own

i put on the red line sticker, i am a vol. firefighter. my father he is a LEO put the other 2 on my car, like i said i wouldnt have went looking for them to put on since im not a LEO, but im not gonna scape them off either.

Posted by: Gil

Stickers don't mean squat period! Now before this turns into a professional courtesy thread I am gonna kill it.

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