If a person is not satisfied with the response of the local police to a driving complaint, what is the next step? I know for a fact my wife and I had the offending vehicle, driver's description and B.C. license number correct. After reporting this incident I received a call from a constable telling me that the plate number I gave them was registered to a Hyundai and not the Pontiac I reported. They told me there was nothing else they could do.
Have you ever wondered if a vehicle was stolen but didn't want to call the police to find out? Now you can use the same search tool that the police do with your own home computer and internet connection! Simply visit the Canadian Police Information Center (CPIC) web site and search for stolen vehicles by VIN. If the vehicle is in the CPIC database as stolen you'll know.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that most people see a traffic cop as someone who writes speeding tickets and fills out collision reports. This is a very narrow view of the job but I did not realize just how narrow it was until I participated in a project to define my job as a front line RCMP traffic constable. Who would have thought that this would take us three days?
Do you ever find yourself wishing that the police were there when another driver does something dangerous around you in traffic? Should you just carry on or is it worth becoming involved?
Judging by the result, it may be a significant event in many driver's lives to be pulled over by the police. I've seen everything from jamming on the brakes and stopping in the middle of the lane to following oblivious drivers for many kilometers before they caught sight of my emergency lights.
I want you to focus your energies on the reckless behaviour of many police officers. I realize that not all of them behave this way but it is a significant number of them. Many of them don't seem to respect the traffic laws. Where do they get this attitude from?
What powers do military police have to enforce traffic laws?
Every once in a while someone asks me a question that I am just not prepared for. This is one of them, so I went directly to the experts and consulted the Military Police at CFB Comox.
If you are stopped by the police, just what is it that the officer is entitled to do? This is a simple enough question, and one that I'm not sure that many drivers and their passengers have stopped to consider. Now that we have the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, does a driver have to do anything at all?
Have you heard the following slogans in the last few weeks? "Breathe - Tailigating won't help. Give yourself time and space to react. Keep your distance." and "Chill. So you're running behind. Better to arrive late than not at all. Please slow down."
Depending on which side of the fence you are on, this pronouncement from Inspector Norm Gaumont who is the head of Traffic Services for the RCMP in British Columbia has certainly caused comment. Of all the sections in the Motor Vehicle Act, those that set the speed limit are certainly held in the most contempt by the drivers I see during my patrols.
If a person is not satisfied with the response of the local police to a driving complaint, what is the next step? I know for a fact my wife and I had the offending vehicle, driver's description and B.C. license number correct. After reporting this incident I received a call from a constable telling me that the plate number I gave them was registered to a Hyundai and not the Pontiac I reported. They told me there was nothing else they could do. 
Do you ever find yourself wishing that the police were there when another driver does something dangerous around you in traffic? Should you just carry on or is it worth becoming involved?
Judging by the result, it may be a significant event in many driver's lives to be pulled over by the police. I've seen everything from jamming on the brakes and stopping in the middle of the lane to following oblivious drivers for many kilometers before they caught sight of my emergency lights.
I want you to focus your energies on the reckless behaviour of many police officers. I realize that not all of them behave this way but it is a significant number of them. Many of them don't seem to respect the traffic laws. Where do they get this attitude from?
What powers do military police have to enforce traffic laws?
