How can we win the war on drugs if the police are more concern with seatbelt users?

Question

When I travel around I see a lot of commercials with police warning you that they are cracking down on people who don't wear seat belts. Seriously, why is my fellow law men more concern with an idiot who doesn't value his own life than with drug pushers selling to our kids? Shouldn't we be focusing on these guys instead?

I bet the public rolls their eyes at this commercial when they know meth labs popping up left and right, it makes me sick.

Answer 1

The fact that I stop someone and take ten minutes out of my twelve hour shift to write them a traffic ticket is not going to make society come tumbling down.  If I'm out on a traffic stop and a crime is reported somewhere else in my area then the dispatchers will assign whoever is available.

Besides if you are a Law Officer you should go to some interdiction classes.  Maybe then you'll see how many drug arrests you can get off of traffic stops.

You must not have been to a really good fatality car crash where someone had been ejected through a windshield either.  Some times we need to try to save people from themselves.

Check this out..........off of a traffic stop:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pFfw7mc3...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOvW1hxcn...

Answer 2

If you were a real officer you would know the answer to this question.

1) Officers can't pull someone over for this violation, its a secondary offense.

2) The reason the law is in effect is to hopefully reduce the amount of injuries and fatalities that the state has to clean up and lose money over.

Answer 3

The government makes too much money off of drug trafficking, it will never end, nor do they really want it to.

Answer 4

I hate to say it, but the whole "just say no" policy and "D.A.R.E." almost seem like a laughing stock at the high school I work at.  I completely agree with where you are coming from.  I think examples need to be set by all (especially authority figures) but more effort needs to be focused on our youth and young adults.  

It really bothers me when the same people are getting busted for drugs, know how the system works, given light probation and start all over again.  We have students get busted for having drugs on campus or have a positive use of drugs in their urine tests WHILE on probation and nothing happens but a warning.  The student knows all they will get is a warning and STILL abuse the system or mercy of their P.O.

Answer 5

Honestly, I really Dont Care anymore about this drug thinf Because nothing is ever gonna change in NIgeria where I currently Live If you Sell Drugs it Under Ground cause on every street there is an Police Gaurd. Anyhow IN america When I went there is Chicago the Drugs are really Hideous they Sell and Smoke In front of Everybody So I'll C u L8tr

Answer 6

There are traffic cops and there is the DEA and the ATF.

Answer 7

"alwayson" got it right with his simple yet great answer. There are different categories of police officers and agents. Some patrol the streets specifically for traffic enforcement and others work specifically on drug enforcement. I don't know why we want to make the person being pulled over the victim. Some of the other answers in here have referred to the "poor commuters" and "ordinary people" not deserving to be pulled over. Whether you're speeding or not wearing your seat belt...you are breaking the law and you deserve a ticket. The simple fact is that the streets are safer because there is a officer sitting in a car pointing his or her radar gun at you.  

Answer 8

b/c major drug cases involve the Federal government as well as support from all branches of local law enforcement. it is very difficult to pull off these raids. if you are concerned call the crime stoppers. don't be afraid to inform the police about what is going on around you

Answer 9

WHat makes me sick is that there is a war a drugs, legalize it all.  

Answer 10

The war on drugs will never be won and the cops and government doesn't want it to be over to much money at stake.

Answer 11

The Public may very well roll their eyes, but they can put the blame squarely on their own shoulders. Today's society has tied a Police Officers hands so much that all this younger generation of Police can do IS to write speeding violations and seatbelt tickets. I have yet to see a young Patrol Officer today apply for a search warrant, let alone serve one. its as if they are scared to get into the "Meat and Potatoes" of Police work, and rightly so. I noticed it all went south when the Supreme Court allowed a Police Officer to be held personally responsible in Civil and Criminal court for making an honest mistake with the law when performing his duties. With stipulations like that why would any Officer go out of his way when he can just as easily do little or nothing and receive the same pay and benefits? Its takes a h**l of a dedicated Officer (and there are ALOT of them out there) to go above and beyond and take the chance of getting sued in court and have everything he's ever worked for taken away given to some Moron because of a mistake. Thank You Mr. John Q Public for making most Police Officers career Ticket Writers! I hope you enjoy the Criminal Justice system you have now created, but if you're a Police Officer, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. Thinks its bad now? Wait ten years when another generation Police Officers come on-line..

Answer 12

I hear you man, I think its a dumb law to begin with. But when you consider that its takes away from cops addressing real crimes its even more annoying.

This is nothing new though. Cops have to spend large amounts of time pulling people over for going 7 mph over the speed limit rather than going into bad neighborhoods and dealing with gangs, drugs, theft, ect.

Because cities want to make money, and stopping bad guys doesn't bring in the money like writing tickets.

I'm not talking about all traffic violations, many drunk people are caught driving poorly and drug bust are made the same way; the roads should be monitored. I'm talking about the cop who spends his whole day behind a radar gun pulling ordinary people over. (I'm not blaming the cop BTW)

Answer 13

Seatbelt tickets are easy money.......

Answer 14

Amen! When I see cops setting speed traps for poor commuters it seems like such a waste of tax dollars. Are they really going to catch a drunk at 7AM? Chances are low in my town. Shouldn't they be out there finding all the meth labs (which my town has a big problem with) rather than worrying about some businessman late for work going 10 over? It would be a wonderful world if speeders were all the cops had to worry about but goodness me, I see too many speed chasers and too many people just walking the streets who are obviously stoned.