Question

You are a new police recruit and are now assigned to a patrol beat in a patrol unit as a solo officer. You have been made aware of incidents of speeders in your patrol area. A citizen who is complaining about speeders on her street has just contacted you. She wants something done. You are still talking with her when you see a car traveling at a high rate of speed past you. You follow and initiate a traffic stop. When you make contact with the driver, she tells you her gas pedal was stuck, and she was trying to loosen it. After you obtain her license and check with dispatch on its status, you see that she has no previous violations. What do you do and why?

Answer 1

As a new police recruit on duty, if i see a car travelling at a high rate of speed past me, i will initiate a traffic stop. The concerned driver will be questioned by me and will be given an opportunity to give explanations. If she tells me that the gas pedal was stuck, i will still obtain her license and check with dispatch on its status. 'No previous violations' will only show a clean history of the driver and can make her excuse seem real. But traffic rules and regulations remain the same for every citizen of the state, everytime, even for a driver with a clean history. As a police recruit, i am bound to perform my duties of punishing or penalizing those breaking the laws. High rate of speed could prove to be dangerous for the driver and others driving on the road and walking on the footpath. Excuses can be made by several other drivers. All of them cannot be excused, provided the fact that laws remain the same for everybody. It is also important to note that being the solo officer on the duty, already dealing with someone's complains about speeders, it is not possible check whether someone is speaking the truth or not. It is not possible to check whether the gas pedal was really stuck, and the driver was trying to loosen it. I always have to stay alert, so i will try to end my conversation with the driver as soon as possible, levy a monetary penalty on her instead of suspending her license, due to a clean history and finish the matter. Then i will deal with the previous complains about speeders.