Police departments have been stretched thin. Many PD’s are hiring, but finding qualified candidates have become troublesome. The Pennsylvania State Police has lowered their qualifications to become a Cadet. They no longer require a candidate to have a college degree, but other than that, candidates must still pass equivalency tests, along with other testing.
Many police departments have been forced to keep their Officers on patrol, instead of watching for driving infractions at stop signs and red lights. When I would run a 2-hour radar sting, I could easily write a dozen citations. Speeding is probably the most violated driving law.
Cellphones have also increased the rates of accidents, but overall, here in Pennsylvania, driving fatalities have dropped over the past 2 years. However, police will stay on patrol in high accident areas. Police watch for drivers running red lights and doing crazy things like crossing the center line or running off the side of the road and onto the berm. This is usually a sign that the driver is texting, which in this state is unlawful.
Police stay on patrol to keep a police presence in neighborhoods with high crime levels or as part of their territory to keep crime down. Having a police presence does lower crime. Criminals are less likely to attempt a home invasion, auto theft or robbery if they know police drive through the neighborhood.
If people would be more responsible and obey the laws on the highways, everyone would be a lot safer, but that’s probably a pipe dream. I was driving a ghost car (unmarked) on an interstate going the limit of 65 mph when a BMW past me going 88 mph. I chased him for almost 2 miles before he crashed exiting the freeway on the ramp by failing to negotiate the curve. The driver almost died, but did have some broken bones and internal injuries when his vehicle flipped over.
And then we have the road rage drivers. I really don’t have much to say about them, but they are probably angry people to begin with. No one has entitlement on the highway. We get calls all the time about road rage. My suggestion is to install a dash cam for your protection. Road rage drivers do some very terrifying things, like pulling a gun. If you have a dash cam and record the person doing something like that, we can and most likely will arrest that person. Both men and women are driving using road rage. Be careful out there.
