So You Won't Be Upset!

Next time you see a state trooper on the highway speeding with no lights on, be assured that they are responding to a call and just don't want to upset you with their blue lights.  The Montgomery Advertiser reports this:

 

Officers can be responding to a call but aren't using lights and sirens because they don't want to unnerve motorists, said Col. Christopher Murphy, director of Department of Public Safety.

"Some drivers see those blue lights in the rear view mirror and get very nervous," he said. "There are times when you cause fewer problems by not running with lights and sirens."

I was given this same response by the Montgomery Police Department when I called a while back to report a cop car I tracked going 70 in a 60 MPH stretch of I-85 southbound. The cop that took my call seem non-plussed when I explained that I followed the patrol car all the way back to the police station, not an emergency call. I guess the officer was needed back at the station to brew some more coffee.

 

I always thought the point of having the lights and siren when responding to a call was itself a public safety measure. My understanding was the lights and siren were used to let motorists know that an emergency vehicle is approaching and to yield the right of way so that the responder ( e.g., police car, trooper, fire truck, ambulance) can safely get to where it's needed.

 

Are our citizens so nervous and whiney that they can't handle seeing the blue lights of a trooper. I doubt anyone has a heart attack when seeing the lights, although I can relate to being unnerved seeing the lights come on behind me.  Once the trooper passes, I imagine the citizen's heart rate will return to normal and they'll feel happy that he wasn't really trying to stop them from speeding.

 

I wish I could get the same treatment when I speed as Millbrook gives it's police officers who speed:

Millbrook Police Chief Kenneth Bradley makes it clear to his officers that they'll be reprimanded if they're caught speeding unnecessarily.

"If you have to go fast to answer a call, then that's what you do, but you do it safely," Bradley said. "Otherwise you obey the speed limits. I've had people call and complain about the way some officers were driving. I check the complaints out and if it's true, they get a conversation with me they won't forget anytime soon."

Can I get a "conversation I won't forget anytime soon" when I go 70 in a 55?  Can I pick the topic?

 

The bottom line, I think these guys comments show how law enforcement officers protect their own. "Speeding with the lights off? Well, we don't want you to think we are after you!"  "When they speed, I give 'em engaging conversation! Like the latest development on the donut front or the best place to harass low income workers!"

 

Ah, Money

So who do these workers fear most? Their corporate bosses making the profit or an injured person (or their family) who may sue over this type of behavior?

 

Can anyone say "wrongful death"?

 

Election Lawsuit Filed: Montgomery

The Montgomery Advertiser reports that three candidates in Montgomery's upcoming municipal election have filed suit to stop the August 28 election. They contend that moving the date from October to August violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Basically, they are arguing that the change is intended to keep black people from voting.

The complaint has its roots in Joe Reed's concern that black students at Alabama State University will not be able to meet the 30-day residency requirement to vote in the election. The start date for classes at ASU fell within the 30 days prior to the election.

To make a successful claim that the change violates the Voting Rights Act, the candidates will have to show that the change has a disproportionate negative impact on black voters compared to other voters. I'm not sure they can do that. All of the local colleges and universities began classes within the 30 days prior to the election: Auburn Montgomery, Troy University, Huntingdon College, Faulkner University. These other colleges are predominantly white and their students will also have to meet the 30 day requirement.

William Boyd, a candidate for mayor and a co-plaintiff in the suit, says that the city is going to confuse voters with the date change and wants it moved back to October.

"They are trying to confuse people," Boyd said. "I think if they had done this
in a non-election season, it would probably have a different effect."

With all the publicity that an election gets through campaigning and even without controversy and legal challenges, I think Boyd is hard pressed to say that voters will be confused by the date change. Montgomery voters know the date of the election, especially if they are engaged enough to vote.

I don't know what motivated the city council to change the date. The city claims it was to accomodate military voters. Did they have other less pure motives? I don't know. I'm not in their heads.

I agree that the change may make it harder for some students, especially incoming freshman, to be eligible to vote in city elections. That is disheartening, since I have witnessed several Alabama cities, especially smaller ones, try to keep college students out of their local political decisions. But I also wonder, from a practical standpoint, if incoming freshmen who haven't been in town more than 30 days can really cast an informed ballot.

I'm also concerned that the furor over this change seems primarily focused on the impact on black college students with little said about all of the other college students or even non-students who may move to Montgomery within 30 days of an election. I don't think we can build bridges on the issue of race if every issue of controversy is framed solely in terms of race even when whites or other groups are impacted as well.

Taking Back our Business Entrances

Loretta Nall has this report on her blog about some activity during this week's "Take Back Our Highways" campaign.

My reply to Loretta's post:

This really pisses me off, Loretta.

I thought this program was to "Take Back our Highways" from speeders and others who have dangerous driving behavior.

I don't know what kind of place your husband works at. But I agree that the troopers knew better than to be outside Still Waters doing the same thing ... or Wynlakes in Montgomery... or Greystone in Birmingham... or Gorham's Bluff in Jackson County ... or any of the other similar places.

Here's an idea for them - while traffic is already jammed up and slow moving after a home game for Auburn or Alabama, why don't they check insurance on the alumni that attend those games?

If the state expects poor people to have liability insurance, they should help fund it - something similar to the flood insurance program.

Catching Up: Fuhrer Furor; Worley Gigs

Sorry for the absence. You wouldn't believe what I've been up, even if I told you all the gory details.

Catching up ... you probably already know about these things, but I want to chime in.

Der Fuhrer Says

Joe Reed has come under fire for referring to Bradley Byrne as the "Fuhrer". Now, I don't mind a bit of hyperbole in political debate and discourse. However, I do find it obnoxious of Reed to throw this label out.

It seems to me that if Don Imus was wrong to call black girls "nappy headed ho's", then it would be just as wrong for a Reed to say Byrne is Alabama's version of a fascist who committed genocide against millions of people.

Worley vs. Riley

Governor Riley may miss having the voter registration system in 100% compliance by the deadline, but his folks have been much better than Nancy Worley in getting us into compliance.

In the 3 years Worley had to work on the project, she got nowhere.

No contract.

No equipment or software purchases.

No installation.

Riley has the system nearly complete in about a year's time.

UPDATE: Are we to be surprised that the Alabama Democratic Party's blogger has this ridiculous post indicting Beth Chapman for the new system not being up?