Question for Police Officers

[rbrthenderson]

Last night I was driving home and an SUV in front of me ran into the curb twice and then started swerving really wide on the interstate. He was swerving so bad at one point that other cars in the left lane were swerving to avoid him. I was afraid he might hurt someone so I dialed 911. The operator answered and I told her the situation and gave his license number and the make and model of the vehicle.

While I was on the phone with 911, the vehicle began to exit and I asked the operator if I should stay behind him. She told me it was up to me and I told her I would exit with him but that I would be staying far behind him. After following him for a bit, he turned into a side street and I gave her the cross street and said that I wouldn't be following him. She told me that they had the broadcast out and that there were two units in the area. She said thank you and I hung up and drove home.

Do these kind of calls come through frequently and are they ever really effective? Does a 911 call and a report of the make and model and license plate give an officer reason to stop the vehicle?

I don't usually do things like this but I've had friends killed in DUI collisions and I didn't want him hurting anyone.

 

[GlockRock]

We get several calls on bad driving behavior daily. While not all of them end up with the driver being arrested, they are effective in bringing attention to the driver of their poor driving. Many calls are due to the driver texting, eating, yelling at kids or just not paying attention to the roadway.

 

[esrice]

It's like a

for the roadways.

 

[HandK]

You did well to call, I've done it several times my self.

 

[ejm874]

I am not a police officer, but I've had a similar experience. I was behind a swerving vehicle that changed speeds constantly anywhere from 30-85 (this on a 45mph county road). I stayed as close as I comfortably could while on the phone with dispatch, and eventually an officer who got the call approached from the opposite direction and flipped around on the vehicle. I was later informed by a friend at the same department that she was under the influence of several drugs.

So in answer to your question from a citizen, I think it probably depends on the size of the department/availability of officers/any other priority calls that may be occurring simultaneously. But in my experience in ride-alongs and job related banter with law enforcement friends I think they make an effort to follow up on these calls whenever possible (at least in my neck of the woods).

Best,

E

 

[tv1217]

We get several calls on bad driving behavior daily. While not all of them end up with the driver being arrested, they are effective in bringing attention to the driver of their poor driving. Many calls are due to the driver texting, eating, yelling at kids or just not paying attention to the roadway.

So you've ticketed Jack Ryan?

 

[GlockRock]

S you've ticketed Jack Ryan?

Wasn't me

 

[Gabriel]

Do these kind of calls come through frequently and are they ever really effective? Does a 911 call and a report of the make and model and license plate give an officer reason to stop the vehicle?

Yes, Usually. No.

 

[Benny]

Yes, Usually. No.

So are you saying yes they are frequent, they are usually effective, but no, the PO actually has to see the erratic driving him/herself before a stop can be made?

That's probably an obvious question, but I'm just making sure.



BTW, +1 to the OP. Hopefully it made a difference.

 

[Gabriel]

So are you saying yes they are frequent, they are usually effective, but no, the PO actually has to see the erratic driving him/herself before a stop can be made?

Yes.

 

[vitamink]

1 in every 10 vehicles you pass after 10pm are drunk. In Indianapolis if you're on the interstate and dial 911 it goes to state police. After 10pm you have 2 troopers for all of Indianapolis. If you're outside of 465 away from Indy then you may have 1 trooper. If they aren't on an accident, have a car stopped, or are somewhere near where you are at (they can't go lights and siren to a weaving car call) then they have to observe the vehicle commit a traffic violation to stop it. If you're in the city you have a higher officer ratio so the chances of the vehicle getting stopped are higher. If the car gets stopped and the guy is drunk be prepared to go to court.

The calls are certainly effective and the calls come in all the time. You did the right thing and should be commended.

 

[Benny]

1 in every 10 vehicles you pass after 10pm are drunk.

WOW, I've never heard of a drunk vehicle before!

Seriously though, is the 1:10 ratio a real statistic? If so, that is friggin' crazy.

If the car gets stopped and the guy is drunk be prepared to go to court.

How come?

 

[rbrthenderson]

The dispatcher took all of my information over the phone so I figured they might contact me for more information or something like that.

 

[vitamink]

...it's all the ethanol in gas these days. Cars are gettin all hopped up on pappy's corn liquor.

smart ass.

The first thing a defense attorney does...actually second thing, first thing is collect a **** ton of money, but second thing is to attempt to get the stop thrown out. If you made the call they will attempt to subpoena you into court to testify for the state saying that you observed this person and felt that the driving behavior was so out there that you felt compelled to call the police. The more witnesses the better. It's by no means a guarantee that you'll be subpoenaed, just know that it could happen.

 

[Benny]

smart ass.

Did someone say my name?

The first thing a defense attorney does...actually second thing, first thing is collect a **** ton of money, but second thing is to attempt to get the stop thrown out. If you made the call they will attempt to subpoena you into court to testify for the state saying that you observed this person and felt that the driving behavior was so out there that you felt compelled to call the police. The more witnesses the better. It's by no means a guarantee that you'll be subpoenaed, just know that it could happen.

I have a couple of questions here:

1. Why would they want MORE witnesses testifying against the drunk they are defending?

2. If a cop has to witness the erratic driving with their own two eyes before a stop can be made, why would a citizen just giving a heads-up need to testify?

I would completely understand the need for the witness to be there if just calling 911 and reporting was enough for PC, but since it's not, I don't see the reason why the concerned citizen would be subpoenaed.

 

[vitamink]

Sorry, by "they" i meant the prosecution. The prosecution will subpoena you into court to testify for the state. As far as being a witness goes there's a sliding scale to the likeliness that you'll get called into court. If you witnessed the guy driving is one thing, but if you witnessed the guy leave a bar, drive, then wreck killing a bus full of nuns is another. You CAN get subpoenaed for either, you're just more likely for the latter.

What i was trying to say was that the defense will try to suppress the stop. On a similar case, a person witnessed a drunk driving down the road and called it in. There was a cop close by who located the driver. The driver made an "unsafe lane movement" and was stopped by the cop. The man failed all fields and blew .2ish on a certified test. The 911 caller didn't get subpoenaed into court.

The stop was suppressed and everything after thrown out as even though the officer witnessed the unsafe lane movement he couldn't prove it was unsafe as there was no other civilian witnesses to be unsafe around. The judge essential said if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? So if a driver does something unsafe and no one is in peril, is it really unsafe? The officer stated that he was on the road as well, but the judge essentially said that he doesn't count. The prosecutor for that court will now subpoena all 911 callers.

 

[Love the 1911]

We receive these most nights of the week with a very high number on Fridays and Saturdays for obvious reasons. The word of the caller is enough for an investigation into seeing if someone is drunk. I can stop based purely on that. However, in order to make the charges stick, it is likely that the citizen will then be requested for court. The defense may be just as likely as the prosecution to subpeona the witness in order to attempt to get the stop thrown out.

I have yet to stop a vehicle based only on someone else's observations. They don't get paid to go to court like I do. If I make it more of a hassle than is necessary, people will stop calling vehicles in like this and we can only be so many places at one time.

 

[ljadayton]

So is calling 911 the proper number? or a non-emergency number?

 

[mcolford]

You did the right thing. You can either call the emergency or non emergency number. I just finished out my training hours in dispatch, as it was required for the reserve program here, and we had a few calls of the nature. While they may not be drunk, it does bring attention to their poor driving abilities, and notes in the computer. So, if they were ever in an accident and the other driver makes a claim of a similiar driving behavior, there would show a history of such.

Good job!

-MColford

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

So is calling 911 the proper number? or a non-emergency number?

Pretty sure that in Indy, the both 911 & non-emergency go to the same place.

I do NOT know, however, if those calls "come through" differently to whomever it is who answers.


-J-