Virginia LEOs Stay Out Of New Jersey

[maxima1]

Paterson, N.J. (AP) - Police in Passaic County, New Jersey say they got no respect when a sheriff's deputy in Virginia told them to slow down as they returned from a Hurricane Katrina relief mission to the Gulf Coast.

But officers in Virginia say the caravan of 22 emergency vehicles was traveling at nearly 100 miles per hour in the left lane with lights flashing and sirens blaring. The convoy forced motorists to pull off on the shoulder of Interstate 81.



http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0905/264313.html

[edweird]

Spokeswoman Corinne Geller says they wanted to let officers know they were endangering lives and violating Virginia law by using their lights when not responding to an emergency.

I agree with the VA cops in this case. No valid reason for them to be running that fast with lights and sirens. While I respect the work they did on the diaster relief, and I'm sure they wanted to be home ASAP, it's not a good enough reason.

Ed

[Aaron]

Enforcing the law does not put you ABOVE the law. Most LEO forget that. Glad to see somebody put them in check... though I'm still not fond of VA troopers.

[thestampcollector]

This is copy of e-mail sent to VSP:

Subj:
STATE TROOPERS AND THEIR COURTESY TO FELLOW OFFICERS

Date:
9/23/2005 4:41:33 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time

From:
HwyLT

To:
questions@vsp.virginia.gov

CC:
bonnie.crowder@vsp.virginia.gov






TO THE SUPERVISORS AND STATE OFFICIALS OF THE BEAUTIFUL STATE OF VIRGINIA I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU MY PERSONAL GREETINGS AND ALSO TAKE THIS MOMENT TO ADDRESS A MATTER OF IMPORTANCE.

I AM A FELLOW LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER THAT WORKS FOR THE NEW YORK CITY HIGHWAY PATROL. I AM ALSO A PROUD CITIZEN OF THIS THE GREATEST COUNTRY EVER, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. MY CONCERNS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

RECENTLY WE AS A NATION, HAD A TRAGIC AND CATASTROPHIC NATURAL DISASTER INVADE OUR HOMELAND AND CAUSE AS YET UNTOLD LOSSES OF LIFE AND DEVASTAING DAMAGE. ESTIMATES ARE CURRENTLY IN THE LOW ONE THOUSAND TO AS YET UNDETERMINED NUMBER OF CASUALTIES. PROPERTY DAMAGE AND UNRECOVERABLE PERSONAL ITEMS TOTAL NOW IN THE BILLION DOLLAR RANGE. HURRICANE KATRINA (NAME DESTINED FOR RETIREMENT) WAS UNDOUBTEDLY ONE OF THE WORST NATURAL DISASTERS TO HIT OUR NATION IN THE LAST CENTURY. A NATION WATCHED AS CITIES SEEMINGLY WERE BEING WIPED OFF THE MAP AND NO SEMBLANCE OF WHAT ONCE WAS CONTINUED TO EXIST. IN OUR DARKEST HOURS THE PROUDEST NATION ALONG WITH THE WORLD STARTED TO FORMULATE A RESPONSE AND ALTHOUGH SLOW AT FIRST AND SHOCKINGLY SO, THE RESPONSE EVENTUALLY CAME.

ONE OF THE RESPONSES CAME FROM A PLACE ALL TO FAMILIAR WITH TRAGEDIES AND GREAT LOSSES. NEW YORK CITY!!! PERHAPS THE ONE CITY VIEWED IN ALL OF THE WORLD AS THE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. A CONTIGENT OF APPROXIMATELY 172 OFFICERS AND COUNTLESS CIVILAIN SUPPORT PERSONNEL WERE AMONG THE MOST MOTIVATED AND SELFLESS INDIVIDUALS WHO TOOK THE CHALLENGE OF LEAVING THE SAFETY AND COMFORTS OF HOME AND FAMILY TO ENDURE THE LONG TRIP TO HELP THOSE WHO WERE THE MOST AFFECTED BY HURRICANE KATRINA. NOW FOR THE SAKE OF BREVITY I WILL COME TO THE POINT.

THE MATTER THAT MOST CONCERNS ME WAS THE HANDLING OF OUR MOTORCADE OF HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE ENROUTE TO THE GREAT STATE OF LOUISIANA WITH SUPPLIES, RELIEF PERSONNEL AND THE HEART OF AMERICANS WHO CARE. VIRGINIA STATE TROOPERS CHOSE TO PULL OVER THE ENTIRE CARAVAN OF MARKED NEW YORK CITY POLICE VEHICLES AND OTHER BUSES AND SUPPORT EQUIPMENT. THE REASONS FOR THE LARGEST CAR-STOP IN AMERICA EVER WAS PROFOUNDLY STATED BY YOUR ELITE TROOPERS AS FOLLOWS.

"BOY, DO YOU KNOW THAT IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA YOUR NOT ALLOWED TO USE EMERGENCY LIGHTS UNLESS YOU ARE RESPONDING TO AN EMERGENCY?"

" ALSO AS YOU ARE OUTSIDE OF YOUR JURISDICTION YOU ARE JUST CONSIDERED COMMERCIAL VEHICLES AND ARE NOT ALLOWED TO RIDE IN THE LEFT LANE SO YOU MUST REMAIN IN THE RIGHT LANE."

NOT ONLY WERE THE TROOPERS READING THE LEAD OFFICER AND NYPD SUPERVISORS THE RIOT ACT THEY SHOWED NO RESPECT FOR FELLOW LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FOR THE CAUSE AT HAND.

IT IS DISHEARTENING THAT THE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT THE GREAT STATE OF VIRGINIA HAS MADE WILL BE FOREVER MARRED BY THE ELITE STATE TROOPERS WHO PULLED OVER THE MOTORCADE NOT ONCE BUT TWICE, GOING AND COMING BACK. IT IS A DISGRACE TO LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY FOR THIS EGREGIOUS BEHAVIOR AND LACK OF COURTESY PROFESSIONALISM AND RESPECT FOR THE PEOPLE THAT PROTECT AND SERVE THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD, NEW YORK CITY. AS ARROGANT AS THAT SOUNDS IT IS DETERMINED BY PRIDE AND NOT ENVY, JEALOUSY OR OTHER NEGATIVE EMOTIONS. WE ARE PROUD TO BE NEW YORKERS, WE ARE PROUD TO BE UNITED STATES CITIZENS AND MOST OF ALL WE ARE PROUD TO BE MEMBERS OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY. I HAVE TO SAY IF THERE WAS A UNITED NATIONS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT, VIRGINIA STATE TROOPERS WOULD PROBABLY NOT BE A MEMBER OF THIS ORGANIZATION. NOW ONE LAST THING, A BLANKET INDICTMENT OF THE VIRGINIA STATE TROOPERS IS NOT THE GOAL OF THIS EMAIL, BUT RATHER IT IS TO ENLIGHTEN THE POWERS THAT BE IN YOUR GREAT STATE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF COMRADERIE AND OF BEING HUMANITARIANS.

I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND I INCLUDED TWO PICTURES DEPICTING THE CAR-STOP OF NYC POLICE BY VIRGINIA STATE TROOPERS.

REMEMBER ONE THING IF AN OFF-DUTY NYC POLICE OFFICER WAS TRAVELING THROUGH THE STATE OF VIRGINIA AND SAW A TROOPER GETTING HIS LIFE HANDED TO HIM/HER, THE NYPD MEMBER WOULD AT RISK TO HIS/HER SELF AND FAMILY/FRIENDS/PASSENGERS PULL OVER AND HELP THE TROOPER REMAIN A TROOPER ON THIS EARTH AND NOT A TROOPER PATROLING HEAVEN OR HELL. THAT IS A PROMISE! INCIDENTS LIKE THESE CAUSE DOUBTS THAT MAY MEAN SECONDS THAT MAY MEAN A VIRGINIA STATE TROOPER'S LIFE.

ENOUGH SAID!!!!!!!!!

[thestampcollector]

This is copy of e-mail responding to other e-mail:

From: Toomuchbadinfo@aol.com [mailto:Toomuchbadinfo@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2005 9:16 PM
To: HwyLT@aol.com

"Just to let you know, you jumped the gun on this one. I was on this trip and present when these pictures were taken. The pictures you attached to your email to the Great State of Virginia was of a State Trooper that took it upon himself to stop only after our Caravan was pulled off to the side of the road because one of our officers needed to relieve himself in the woods. The photos were taken on the trip down to New Orleans as mementoes. That Troopers only concern was that we were ok and even stopped traffic on the highway to let all of our vehicles back out onto the highway. He then proceeded to the front of the caravan and gave us an escort as far as he could. He was doing the right thing showing us the courtesy, professionalism and respect that you spoke of in your letter. Its a shame that you sent that email all over with not having the correct facts of the incident. I also know that not one Highway Lt. was present at this scene or present in New Orleans for that matter because I was there. The only time we were stopped was on the way home and it was not a big deal. It wasn't this trooper that you slandered in the email that you sent out. The trooper who stopped us just asked that we stay in the right lane and not use our emergency lights. It wasn't a big deal and don't forget that outside of the great state of New York we had no power as police officers, we were just American citizens traveling on an interstate. I hope you will take the time to research this and prepare an apology to the Trooper

[thestampcollector]

This is what REALLY happened:

On Interstate 95 on September 5, 2005 a procession of NYPD vehicles had pulled to the side of the interstate while traveling south through Caroline County. A Virginia State Police trooper assigned to that area pulled over to check on the procession - to make sure no one was injured, no vehicles disabled, etc. After chatting a few minutes with Lt. James Griffin of NYPD, the procession was ready to continue on its way to New Orleans. The trooper held traffic so the procession could merge safely onto the interstate and then proceeded to escort the procession to the end of his duty post.



As NYPD returned from New Orleans on Interstate 81, the procession (approximately 80 vehicles long) was traveling in the left lane with the lead car's lights activated. (Anyone who has driven I-81 through Southwest Virginia knows what a treacherous stretch of interstate this is because of the narrow lanes, steep hills, curves, and heavy volume of tractor-trailer traffic.) The Virginia State Police dispatch center in Wytheville was inundated with calls from motorists trying to maneuver alongside and around the extensive procession of police vehicles. A Virginia State Police first sergeant stopped the lead vehicle as a courtesy stop to request that the procession use the right lane without their lights activated. The conversation was nothing but cordial and professional among the NYPD officers and our first sergeant, and the vehicles were soon on their way. The stop was done as a means of looking out for the safety of the convoy, as well as the other motorists traveling north on I-81.

[crazyVOLVOrob]

I agree with what the VA police did the NY police could of created more problems

[stealthJamal]

Interesting event. I wonder why there are different versions of this?

"BOY, DO YOU KNOW THAT IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA YOUR NOT ALLOWED TO USE EMERGENCY LIGHTS UNLESS YOU ARE RESPONDING TO AN EMERGENCY?"

I thought that line was funny in the NY cop's email. I could picture a trooper in southwest Virginia saying that though, lol.

NY cops were dumb for using the left lane and running their lights. Hell, local cops in VA don't even run their lights in another VA jurisdiction unless they are involved in a car chase or they received requested assistance from another jurisdiction in an emergency.