A friendly police cruiser decided to join me for the morning commute. He indiscreetly planted himself right on the shoulder of Crazy Driver Boulevard. It was all I could do to discreetly snap a pic.
Since winter arrived, the motorcycle cops have been shelved, and I don't get as much po-presence. So I think it's nice of them to come around once in a while. A year or so ago, they unveiled this marvelous MTU (Mobile Traffic Unit). It's a high-tech van equipped with radar and cameras that snaps photos of speeders.
They gleefully set it up at "my" crosswalk, and the wonderful MTU commenced to... malfunction. It was concluded that the power lines (that apparently are cooking my insides daily) at the crosswalk were interfering with the onboard electronics.
Alas, back to the old school way of doing things.
But really, I prefer things that way. A human rather than an electronic device. Take that however you see fit.
.
12 comments:
Knowing how things can be for Crossing Guards/Lollipop Ladies/Men I have often thought about inventing a lollipop that doubles as a rocket launcher...
I prefer humans too. Especially motorcycle cop humans. Can't wait for your summer to arrive, so you can sneakily snap pics of one of them again.
(Scary about them power lines... should you be wearing an x-ray vest instead?)
That would be Awesome, RC. How soon can you ship?
Yeah, the cruisers just don't have quite the same "hay carumba!" as those motorcycles. As for the power lines - they made the robo-cop flash with no rhyme or reason. If I start doing that, maybe I'll go in for tests?
Old school cops... It's the way to go. A little public humiliation is definitely the way to discourage future speeding.
I'm a little worried about your insides now, though.
I think the live cop on station is much better than Robo Cop. Definitely gets everyone's attention. But keep an eye out for any side effects from working under those power lines. Especially carrying that large stop sign.
I like the sight of a police cruiser, too - and the person inside. I assume that many do this job because they care about people, and that gives me a good feeling.
Yes, that Jeep Cherokee driver was much more humiliated than if he would've just been flashed by a robo-cop!
I've read that we should watch the wildlife to gauge what is safe and what is not. The birds like to hang out on the power lines, so I figure I'm good. Then again, the birds are loco.
I think that's the reason they watch in plain site. They're not trying to trap anyone, they just want drivers to be careful. One morning, someone ran a red light right in front of one of the traffic cops. Before flipping on her lights and going after them, she just gave me a look like, "Aw... MAN, can you believe this??"
I would much rather a human over an electronic device too!
I'm all for the analog approach as well, but let's face it -- it can be a bit of a commitment and not always convenient. Sometimes you just need something quick & easy to implement to get the desired results, sorta "bridging the gap" to the next time you can put a real man on the job.
Take that however you see fit. ;-)
Post a Comment