follow up to Va sheriff pulls over Nj convoy

"...no agency from VA sent assistance to New Orleans..."

Sheesh.

In today's Richmond paper "E-mails, phone calls support deputy"

www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satel...&cid=1128767568575&path=!news&s=1045855934842

"Augusta Sheriff Randy Fisher estimates he has received 200 e-mails from around the country. All but four commended Roane's actions.

An additional 100 telephone calls and 35 handwritten letters have lauded his deputy, too."

Here's the part I really like...

"It took Roane several miles to catch up. Along the way, he said he encountered a phenomenon he has never experienced before: Motorists quickly moved out of his way as if sensing that a local was going after the reckless out-of-state cops.

"It was like the Red Sea parting," Roane says. "The fast lane just opened up for me. In Virginia, we all use blue lights. In New Jersey, it's all red lights. They knew I was a local cop.""

:cool:

______________

Has this been posted? It was in the paper, too.

Transcript of Sept. 18 conversation
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Sunday, October 16, 2005


The following is a verbatim Sept. 18 tape-recorded telephone conversation between Passaic County, N.J., Sheriff Jerry Speziale and Augusta County Deputy Michael Roane.

Speziale: Hello?

Roane: Hi. Is this the sheriff?

Speziale: Yes, it is.

Roane: This is Deputy Roane from the Augusta County Sheriff's Office. How are you doing?

Speziale: Hey, deputy, how are you?

Roane: I'm doing pretty good. I'm calling in reference to the incident that happened today with the [Virginia] State Police.

Speziale: Yeah.

Roane: I just wanted to let you know there may have been some confusion. I don't know if you're aware, the [Virginia State Police] trooper you talked to was not the officer that stopped them. I was the actual deputy that stopped?

Speziale: Here's what I'd like to know. You're a sheriff's officer?

Roane: Yes, sir.

Speziale: OK, is the sheriff familiar with this? The sheriff, himself, as I am?

Roane: No, sir.

Speziale: He's not?

Roane: He hasn't been made aware.

Speziale: You know what? Why don't you have the sheriff call me, because, it's Augusta County?

Roane: Yes, sir. Augusta ?

Speziale: Here's my problem -- we got guys coming back from New Orleans so that we can get another deployment down, and I get a call from some trooper calling the Wayne Police Department threatening to arrest our people. You know what? It's a disgrace and I don't know who your sheriff is, but I plan to find out who he is and speak to him. It's a disgrace. If you think that that's not a disgrace you should take the badge off your shirt and throw it in the garbage. That's what I got to tell you. OK?

Roane: Well?

Speziale: You don't want to talk to me. Listen, pal, you don't want to talk to me. You don't want to explain no circumstances to me. We just had guys down there for the last 14 days [unintelligible] helping our brothers in blue. You know what? You need to get off of that highway, pal, and wake up and learn what law enforcement is all about -- supporting each other. OK?

Roane: Well, would you like to hear our side of it?

Speziale: I don't really want to hear your side of the story. I don't care what your side of the story is. I already got my side from my guys and all I can tell you is, I'll deal with your sheriff if he wants to call me and I'll deal with the state police colonel, who I'm going to see in Miami next week [for the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention].

This is unacceptable, and I'll tell you what, I hope I get the opportunity to show you the same courtesy up here in New Jersey.

And I'm going to tell your sheriff at the National Sheriffs' Association, and I'm going to tell the National Sheriffs' Association because there's no room for people like you in law enforcement, OK? So, you don't want my opinion, OK? Now, go back out [unintelligible] and look for speeders.

Roane: Thank you.

Speziale: Have a good day, my friend.

Roane: Thank you.

Speziale: Have your sheriff call me. I don't talk to deputies.

Roane: OK.

This transcript was obtained by The News Virginian newspaper of Waynesboro.
This story can be found at: http://www.timesdispatch.com/servle...&cid=1128767565637&path=!news&s=1045855934842
 
I don't think Mr. Speziale's excuse would have worked for me had a State Trooper pulled me over on the way back up from New Orleans. His arrogance knows no bounds. Does this Bozo think he and his officers are immune to the law? Hopefully they will send another group to NOLA, and hopefully they will be stopped all along the way if they exceed the speed limit by 1 MPH. This is disgraceful.
 
And I'm going to tell your sheriff at the National Sheriffs' Association, and I'm going to tell the National Sheriffs' Association because there's no room for people like you in law enforcement, OK?
Click to expand...
Wanna bet, Little Jersey Pogue?

Way to go, Speziale. All Men ARE created equal in your eyses. Live long a stay on the Force at least as long.
Rich
 
I just wonder...

is VA one of the places that requires a personal appearance in court for speeding greater than some specified number of MPH over the limit?
 
Hmmmm....when I was an LEO, most of the really good cops (the guys I respected, and who did the job the way I wanted to be able to do it) could relate stories of getting pulled over speeding (not in a 'convoy', and not at 95MPH....) and NOT flashing their star.

Know why?-they were EMBARASSED. The star proved they knew better. Many politely took the ticket rather than admit they were a fellow LEO speeding through somebody else's town.


Things are different in NJ, I guess....


Larry
 
"is VA one of the places that requires a personal appearance in court for speeding greater than some specified number of MPH over the limit?"

We do one better. Speeding 19 or more miles per hour over the limit is chargeable as reckless and requires a court appearance.
You could be charged with simple speeding at 19 or more over, but do not hold your breath.
 
Virginia law bans police cruisers from topping the speed limit and using lights unless responding to an emergency.
Click to expand...
So the officer was holding visiting officers to the same standard that he is held toin his domain while the visitors wanted to be held to the same low standard that they hold for themselves in their domain
 
Va vs. NJ Police

Being a close neighbor to Va, I can tell you that NOBODY gets to run their interstates at 95 mph for more than a minute without finding their butt in a sling. Radar detectors are banned, and VA has pioneered every new kind of speed measurement that has come down the pike, and written their traffic laws with presumption of guilt being the main guideline. A VA Trooper gives you a speed citation based on Radar, VasCar, Laser, Aircraft enforcement, or if you're really unlucky, a pursuit, you WILL go to court, and you WILL be found guilty, and they WILL notify DMV in your home state so you can get whacked again when you get home. Did I mention PURSUIT? These boys have any number of 5.0 Mustangs and confiscated drug runner cars that are used specifically to run down anyone who they decide is "of interest" to them. These pursuit vehicles typically camp out along the interstates in concealment on access roads the loacals refer to as "launching ramps" and I can tell you from having seen them "launch" once or twice, that their pursuit cars come off those access roads and hit the highway at around 110mph, and will catch anybody within seconds. Too bad the NJ convoy missed that experience. As to the professional courtesy theory, the only time anybody gets cut that kind of slack either in VA or over here in Maryland, is if they are chasing a fleeing felon, and even then the Trooper whose space is being invaded had better see the felon first, otherwise troopers from either state will cheerfully stop and ticket the other guy, and have a good laugh over it later. The added little tick up in excitement here is that we have had a couple MD Troopers shot down by drug runners pretending to be undercover police from other states, so blasting down Maryland interstates in an out state police car might just get you shot, with apologies for the mixup coming way too late for the dummy doing the speeding, and looking for that "courtesy" pass.
 
On the way back from New Orleans to LA, I was pulled over 3 times in 3 states (guess that will happen when driving 2000 miles in 2 days). All troopers/officers were very professional. The only "professional courtesy" lecture I got was from the Louisiana officer. It wasn't about speeding, but b/c I didn't turn my rear deck lights on quick enough for him to avoid fighting to get into traffic to pull me over. He was right and I told him so. The Texas and Arizona guys were very polite, and even wanted to talk about the deployment. The only reason they pulled me over was b/c of drug smugglers using rear deck lights on their cars.
Botom line, professionalism works both ways. Its their beat, and you are their "guest."
 
Not being in law enforcement, and having my fair share of contributing to the California coffers in my youth while driving 5.0 liter Mustangs, I feel that all the officers who were speeding should have been arrested for reckless driving if the state law warranted it.

Living in Yuma, AZ on the California, Arizona, Mexican borders, I see my own fair share of law enforcement paradoxes. If one lives in Yuma, and crosses into California to work, then one has to get a so-called "California Commuter" registration sticker, even if their job is within one mile of the state line. However, many of the California Highway Patrol officers who work the eastern part of California near the state line and live in Arizona are allowed to drive their patrol cars home into Arizona, yet I have yet to see their cars with any kind of Arizona registration.
 
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