Officer doing speed check hit by car on Comm. Ave.

I wish the officer a speedy recovery, and I'm not kicking his balls in, as I was not there. Standing in front of a 2,000lb bullet? Not in my list of things, much like reaching into a MV with a driver still in the seat and the engine running. BUT, maybe that's what the officer had to do as he had no other options? Maybe he couldn't sit in the cruiser and run LIDAR as there was no angle or room? I don't know, I wasn't there.

Sometimes we just do things cuz, well, that's how we've done it. I agree with others about the differences between New England departments and others. We are disgustingly slow to change. I can't remember how many times I've questioned supes or old timers as to why we keep doing certain things certain ways, and I've always gotten "cuz that's the way we've always done it." To me that's a lame ass response, usually made by a dinosaur, a lazy douche or an imbicile. And more times than not, a supervisor... "Sarge, why the fuck are we doing this, this way? It's fucked up and gonna get someone hurt.." The responses vary slightly and usually start with a blank stare/dumb look, and "well that's the way we've always done it" or "shut the fuck up Deuce"... And I've come to the conclusion that supervisors are very thin skinned, and do not like being called a dumb fuck... And I've called most of my supes a dumb fuck in one way or another.....

Maybe our depts are so rigid and keep to tradition, cuz we're older depts than others in this country. We've been around longer, right? Couple that with absolutely NO support from our corrupt politicians and...

Cops in general are a Type A personality. We don't like being told we're wrong, and a lot of guys are thin skinned in regards to being critiqued. We as a whole, need to get over that shit. After a mission, have a team back and take the heat from others and ourselves. After someone elses incident, respectfully if you'd rather, discuss it. Don't stick your head in the sand. Bad things happen to us. Learn from it..

I was hit by a trailer being towed by a truck, while working a detail. I had to be in the road, but I took my eyes off him too soon to look at other traffic. As the truck was coming from my right, I turned my attention left in preparation of pulling other traffic. The truck came closer to me cuz he was cutting right to turn left cuz of his big ass trailer. Next thing I know I'm looking up in the sky and then on my back. Played it off and charlie miked.. Result: slap tear in my left shoulder and no IOD paperwork..

I fucked up. Now, go ahead and bust my balls, but keep it in the back of your mind...

My first instinct:
Grab a few brews and go try to shave a few strokes off of my golf game.

My second instinct:


Always follow your first instinct.

The way the article is written it may sound like the officer jumped out in the roadway to stop the car and was struck at a high rate of speed. Not true. The car was stopped, but the operator stopped in the right travel lane of Comm Ave. The officer spoke to the operator and was having him move the car into the parking lane to continue the traffic stop. The operator panicked, hit the gas and struck the officer with the corner of his car. Like most people, nervous when stopped by the police. Low speed collision.

I understand why many previous posts questions tactics about stopping cars and standing outside doing this. How else would you stop cars while using lidar/ radar if not physically waving the cars over to the right? Keep in mind, there is only one officer. Dense, urban area, meaning no long straight roads. Parked cars along the side of the roadway limiting drivers view. Handheld lidar, not mounted in the car.

Sorry but I dont see any other options but waving the car over. Sometimes to direct traffic, you must stand in the roadway.

What, I'm not allowed to make wide, sweeping generalizations without being fact-checked?? Do I need a press pass for that

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Ocks, this seems to be the common theme whenever something like this comes up. While I'm into tradition and such, there comes a time when common sense and officer safety have to over rule tradition. It shouldn't matter what coast we're on or what department we work for, bottom line is why put ourselves in jeapardy if there are safer alternatives?

I grew up back there, have family there, and tried for several years to get on the job there before coming out west. I also have many friends on the job there so I still have strong connections to the east coast so I can relate to the east and west thing. That being said, I can still differentiate between good tactics and not good tactics and why there is a need to make improvements when the time arises, regardless of where I work or live.

After all, at the end of the day, we all want to go home safe to our families, why make it easy for the bad guys to win?

LA, not disagreeing, just saying that;s the way it is.

Roger that. I was just trying to make a point for other folks who see it the way you referenced and hoped to maybe change their mind as to why just because it's a different coast, things couldn't be improved.

Deuce, it sounds like you've got the right idea. It's really too bad many of the folks you work with, especially the supervisors, don't get it. They certainly aren't doing their jobs if they aren't mentoring and providing training for their officers, which is a big part of being a good supervisor.

Let me sight an example as to why improving things is the best way to go:

Think about soldiers in the Revolutionary War. When they met the enemy in battle, it was usually while out in the open standing in a straight line, shoulder to shoulder, armed with one-shot muskets, and facing each other. When the enemy fired at you, you had absoultely no cover. Hence, many soldiers were wounded and killed pretty easily. Now fast forward to World War II. Soldiers used cover, didn't stand out in the open waiting to be shot, and were armed with semi-auto, and automatic weapons.

Why did they change, because we learned from our past so as not to lose so many people. Imagine using the same tactics of standing in the open, shoulder to shoulder, while the enemy mows you all down with a machine gun. And, think of those same officers and supervisors saying, "Because that's the way we've always done it." Not so good.

Now apply that same philosophy to police work and that's how it should work. I don't know how better to make the point here. Just trying to help so more of our brethren don't get hurt when they didn't have to.