Radar Affidavit Form for Police Officers

[davidmcbeth3]

colemac65,

Your post was entirely uncalled for, offensive, and without merit. It has been reported to Admin.

I don' think that he likes the Puyallup Tribal Police Department very much. Sounds like he thinks they are not very honest. I've had very minor issues with native tribes .. like they won't let me count cards at the blackjack table ... well, how else can I win big chief?

[cdwjava]

Of course the tribal police have nothing to do with the casino operation, but I understand concerns with SOME tribal agencies even down here. I have a couple of harrowing tales I could tell if this were the appropriate place for such banter. I would hate to be the subject o fire because someone might not like my City Manager or the Planner since I have nothing to do with their operations ... I suspect the tribal police don't like getting painted with the same brush, either.

But, his diatribe against a man he does not know was uncalled for, and, I believe it was also outside the TOS.

Not to mention that a judge really is not going to care that the agency is soliciting input from the public on a document they will be using. Why not? There is hardly anything unethical about it, and certainly nothing unlawful about it. Sometimes harsh critique helps to craft a better document. But, there is a difference between critique and simple, hateful bashing.

[PTPD22]

Coleman65, the agency I work for is boldly printed in letterhead form right at the top of the form I submitted for critique. If you wish to bring it to the attention of the "presiding judge," knock yourself out. You may present it to the Puyallup Tribal Court, the Tacoma Municipal Court, the Fife Municipal Court, the Pierce County District Court, and the Pierce County Superior Court. My agency's cases will go to all of the above...Oh, yeah, you might as well add the U.S. District Court in Seattle. While you are at it, why not run it by the Pierce County Department of Assigned Council and the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center?...just to cover all the bases.

Please return and post the results of your efforts here, for everyone's edification.

And, while I thank you for sharing your opinion of what a "disgrace" I am, frankly, I've been evaluated by better men than you. You are free to have your opinion, even though you have never met me and know absolutely nothing about me. But, I am very comfortable with my actions and character.

[colemac65]

CdwJava, I apologize if i offended you, or the OP for that matter. But in reality, its no different really than the OP slandering DavidMacbeth3 earlier in the thread. But you make no mention of that "issue" when in reality, its no different than what i said. What you are both saying indirectly is that it is okay for each of you to voice your opinion, but when challenged or "called out" its not okay. Clearly, its a "cop" thing, i get it. Yes, this is an open forum where we discuss numerous issues, opinions, laws etc..and my stance on the original post is....well to be frank, i think the pre-printed "boiler-plate" template is wrong. Regardless if it is widely accepted, it hasnt been challenged yet that i know of.

If the OP is merely gathering information to inform officers of what the "technicalities" are, so they can make sure they perform the required tests, calibrations etc, well thats one thing. If its just a form that is being "circled" "dropped down boxes" etc and being used in court as "sworn" evidence... well In my opinion thats BS. Every traffic stop is unique in its own way. And form data makes each affidavit almost identical in nature. How is that fair to the motoring public. Again, thats just my opinion.......

[jjb]

In my opinion the problem with boiler plate affidavits are that they don't and cannot cover every scenario. In reality if officers would take the time to write out a report (keep in mind the simpler the better) they could have a higher conviction rate. However last time I checked it was about 98-99% of everyone cited just paid the fine. 99% isn't a bad statistic really, but I think officers know this and that is why in general it seams they take short cuts, use boiler plate forms, etc.

The OP came to this site, freely admitting who he is and what he was looking for. He says he's ethical and so far he seams to be acting as such. Not saying I'd point out the holes in his boiler plate form, but I'd treat him fairly unless he proves himself wrong. Just my opinion, and take it for what it's worth.

[cdwjava]

What you are both saying indirectly is that it is okay for each of you to voice your opinion, but when challenged or "called out" its not okay.

Name calling is NOT okay. Disagreeing with someone or challenging them for the content of what they wrote, fine. But, to impugn someone's character and call them an idiot because they came here soliciting assistance is beyond the pale.

You may think that my disagreement with your rude behavior is a "cop thing" but it is more of a polite discourse thing. Or, is it okay to bash on people who are cops or who work for the government? Could it be that you have an anti-cop thing?

i think the pre-printed "boiler-plate" template is wrong. Regardless if it is widely accepted, it hasnt been challenged yet that i know of.

Because there is nothing wrong with it. Many professions use boilerplate language for a great many things. When you have courts or legalese that must be presented in a specific format, a boilerplate is the only way to go. Read a criminal complaint from the prosecutor's office sometime. Do you really think that they batted that out free hand? The only thing that changes is the names, dates, case numbers, locations, and specific offenses. Everything else is pro forma via template. Police work can be the same way.

We tend to write collision reports from boilerplates, DUI arrests from boilerplates, drug influence evaluations from boilerplate, etc. It is an effective means to help the officer make sure that he or she covers all the necessary details of the offense. Certainly it should never be used to make up stuff that did not happen, and if a particular heading or area is not used, it should be marked as unused or not applicable. But, to expect that we will memorize and recreate the same formal language freehand with each report we write is just silly.

Every traffic stop is unique in its own way. And form data makes each affidavit almost identical in nature. How is that fair to the motoring public. Again, thats just my opinion.......

Which is why these sorts of documents tend to have areas for the officer to fill in that unique information. But, most such actions have a great many things in common. There are only so many ways that one can see a car, make the reading and/or estimation, and stop the car. What's not "fair" about that?