#@!*&$@ troopers!

[Monkeyleg]

Friday I was headed home from a doctor's appointment in Nashville on I-65. At the Franklin exit, traffic was merged down to a single lane. Traffic was pretty much stopped, with bursts to 5 mph every couple of minutes.

After an hour and a half, I'd gone 16 miles, and reached the bottleneck. There were cones blocking the left lane. On the northbound side, there were troopers' squads blocking the left lane. I didn't see anything else except for six troopers standing in the median talking and laughing. There were no crashed cars or bodies or even chalk marks or tape. Just blocked lanes. They could have moved their cars and the cones to let traffic get back to normal.

aholes.

[cordex]

http://wkrn.com/2015/08/14/police-search-for-driver-after-man-dies-from-crash-injuries/

[vaskidmark]

http://wkrn.com/2015/08/14/police-search-for-driver-after-man-dies-from-crash-injuries/

OK, but apparently all the involved vehicles were already towed away by the time Monkeyleg hit the bottleneck.  I'm willing to bet the guy wearing large glasses while driving a while crossover vehicle was not planning to return to the scene of the accident to rubberneck and wonder where all the wreckage had gone.  There did not seem to be forensics and crash reconstruction folks measuring off distances, taking laser rangefinder readings, or even Polaroid pictures of the northwest approach, the southeast getaway, or the heap of trash in the ditch on the side of the road tangle of cars that were no longer there.

The description reminds me of when the cop came to serve the arrest warrant on me.  We had a pleasant conversation, I tried to teach him how to work a European-style magazine release, and were chit-chatting in the shade waiting for the transport wagon to show up when about 8 more cops trickled up to my driveway.  They weren't needed, they would not get partial credit for an arrest, but it apparently sure beat doing something else anywhere else.  Two cops were honest enough to say that with only 40 minutes till end of shift they did not want to risk getting involved with anything that would cause them to be late going home.

I'd be willing to bet the same thing was playing out with the troopers.

stay safe.

[cordex]

I wasn't defending the troopers, just throwing out the likely root cause.  Maybe they were waiting on something necessary, maybe they were just jaw jacking as cops tend to do.

[AJ Dual]

OK, but apparently all the involved vehicles were already towed away by the time Monkeyleg hit the bottleneck.  I'm willing to bet the guy wearing large glasses while driving a while crossover vehicle was not planning to return to the scene of the accident to rubberneck and wonder where all the wreckage had gone.  There did not seem to be forensics and crash reconstruction folks measuring off distances, taking laser rangefinder readings, or even Polaroid pictures of the northwest approach, the southeast getaway, or the heap of trash in the ditch on the side of the road tangle of cars that were no longer there.

The description reminds me of when the cop came to serve the arrest warrant on me.  We had a pleasant conversation, I tried to teach him how to work a European-style magazine release, and were chit-chatting in the shade waiting for the transport wagon to show up when about 8 more cops trickled up to my driveway.  They weren't needed, they would not get partial credit for an arrest, but it apparently sure beat doing something else anywhere else.  Two cops were honest enough to say that with only 40 minutes till end of shift they did not want to risk getting involved with anything that would cause them to be late going home.

I'd be willing to bet the same thing was playing out with the troopers.

stay safe.

The small meme/movement that the cops should be like "firefighters" and just goof off, cook, and do chores at the station until something happens, an accident, or crime is reported, is starting to grow on me.

[Boomhauer]

Sometimes it takes time for the accident investigation folks to get there to do the in depth work.

Couple months ago one of my acquaintances was in a fatal wreck (he survived, two others in the other car did not). The actual investigation unit did not get out there for a couple hours after the wreck- the initial responding troopers took lots of photos and measurements then got the vehicles cleared up so that traffic could be allowed through when the time came but did not open the intersection back up until after the investigation unit took the scene over and verified that they had what was needed as far as skid marks and such and traffic could be allowed through. The accident investigation crew then pretty much spent the rest of the day setting up a site survey (yes like a construction type survey) and taking a bunch of photos and measurements and so on after they opened the intersection.

Police officers, firefighters, and EMS do not like playing in traffic and they do not like having to close the roadway unnecessarily, so chances are good it was closed for a good reason

[Tuco]

In my limited experience, a traffic incident that results in death requires a forensic investigation including a detailed site survey.  Such forensic surveyors are occasionally contractors, and even if a section of the agency, require some mobilization time. Bitching about a road closure because of a fatal accident is about the same level as bitching about the bank being closed after a fatal shooting aRmed robbery until the crime lab finishes up.
Heck yes your going to have to wait.  

[HankB]

When I was a kid, the cops had clear priorities - help the injured, remove the dead, restore flow of traffic ASAP. No more. Now they go and shut down traffic for prolonged periods of time to "investigate" . . . which includes things like coffee breaks, donut runs, and plenty of manpower standing around idly to bill SOMEONE for. In some places, each responding unit - police, fire, EMS, whatever - will send a bill for services, whether they were requested or not. Including the "forensic investigators." If you're ever involved, BEWARE of signing any acknowledgement that they were there - it could prove expen$ive.

Shutting down a major highway during rush hour? Even after things have been cleared? No problem - because they CAN.

And it does NOT repeat NOT take a fatal accident for them to do so. Which is another reason peace law enforcement officers have declined in both popularity and respect.

. . . aholes

Indeed.

[Monkeyleg]

http://wkrn.com/2015/08/14/police-search-for-driver-after-man-dies-from-crash-injuries/

Interesting story. The accident appears to have happened at 1:30, which was half an hour to forty-five minutes after I hit the backed-up traffic. Gotta love reporters.

[cordex]

Interesting story. The accident appears to have happened at 1:30, which was half an hour to forty-five minutes after I hit the backed-up traffic. Gotta love reporters.

Or maybe the cops caused the accident. 

[Boomhauer]

Interesting story. The accident appears to have happened at 1:30, which was half an hour to forty-five minutes after I hit the backed-up traffic. Gotta love reporters.

Reporters getting *expletive deleted*it right is a rarity... Usually they are dependably wrong.

[Hawkmoon]

Police officers, firefighters, and EMS do not like playing in traffic and they do not like having to close the roadway unnecessarily, so chances are good it was closed for a good reason

Yeah?

So why is it that every six months or so I see fire trucks parked along busy roads, and firefighters standing in the middle of intersections holding out boots for people to toss money at? They create colossal traffic back-ups. And they get away with it because ... well, they're firefighters, doncha know, real home-grown heeeros, so it's okay for them to screw up travel for hundreds or thousands of people. Imagine if some other charity decided to stand in the middle of a busy intersection, trying to collect money. The cops would roust them in a New York minute.

[Boomhauer]

Yeah?

So why is it that every six months or so I see fire trucks parked along busy roads, and firefighters standing in the middle of intersections holding out boots for people to toss money at? They create colossal traffic back-ups. And they get away with it because ... well, they're firefighters, doncha know, real home-grown heeeros, so it's okay for them to screw up travel for hundreds or thousands of people. Imagine if some other charity decided to stand in the middle of a busy intersection, trying to collect money. The cops would roust them in a New York minute.

I never did such and no department I was on or in contact with did because it's stupid. I see that around here in once city and one city only (and it's a very *expletive deleted*ed up city so stupid human tricks are the norm, not the exception). We weren't stupid enough to be out on the road unnecessarily.

[just Warren]

Our guys do the boot thing in a mall parking lot. There's plenty of room and they set up other stuff to look at and let the kids crawl on their hoses.

[Boomhauer]

Our guys do the boot thing in a mall parking lot. There's plenty of room and they set up other stuff to look at and let the kids crawl on their hoses.

Sounds like a much better way except

let the kids crawl on their hoses

This sounds incredibly creepy 


This board needs either a unibrow creepy smiley or a Herbert The Pervert smiley (actually we need both)

[HankB]

I never did such and no department I was on or in contact with did because it's stupid. I see that around here in once city and one city only (and it's a very *expletive deleted*ed up city so stupid human tricks are the norm, not the exception). We weren't stupid enough to be out on the road unnecessarily.

I've seen the "pass the boot" thing in Austin, TX, although they usually pass the boot by walking up and down along the line of cars already stopped during red lights at intersections.

I've heard the "professional" panhandlers get a little peeved when it happens.

[Scout26]

This board needs either a unibrow creepy smiley or a Herbert The Pervert smiley (actually we need both)

Provide a link to one and we should be able to add it to the mix...