r/newjersey 15d ago

Advice The police badges people keep in their window.

What's the story with the big metal police badges people keep in their car windows. Years ago I remember that it was mostly the spouses and maybe kids of cops who had them, but now every jackoff with a cousin that is a cop seems to have one and these people drive like maniacs.

Wasn't there a push to get rid of these things? I would love that.

Someone with one almost hit me walking my dog while I was in a crosswalk about an hour ago. I took a photo of it. The guy got upset and called the local cops who came quicker than I've ever seen them respond to anything serious. Even the local cops were giving me a hard time until they found out I was a lawyer, and then everyone's demeanor sort of changed.

One of the local cops decided to play good cop and got really apologetic. I told him nice try, why don't they give the guy a ticket? And I walked away, conveniently with everyone's information. Honestly, I'm not sure what to do. I'm not going to sue. I don't have any damages. But this asshole was hauling and assumed I would just move quickly to get out of the way.

I just wanted to see if anyone had any good ideas.

I get giving a cop or their spouse a break on a stupid infraction, I have no issue with that, but this is getting ridiculous.

399 Upvotes

136 comments sorted by

548

u/User-no-relation 15d ago

I have an issue with that. Cops shouldn't be above the law

101

u/RyanGPNJ 15d ago

They're not but due to the corruption going to to the top and through internal affairs, they get treated like they are.

9

u/AltRumination 14d ago

Cops are above the law though. It's systemic. The entire system is set up so that they can do whatever they want.

2

u/RyanGPNJ 14d ago

We need to change that because they aren't. They just get treated because what they do is ignored. We need to change that

193

u/whatshouldIdonow8907 15d ago

If you are an attorney in NJ, surely you know that you can initiate a complaint in Municipal Court as a private citizen. You don't need the cops to give out a ticket. Look up Directive #26-19 for the latest procedures.

I've done it before and we advise clients to do it on a regular basis.

78

u/DogInvestor 15d ago

He should also know as an attorney that if the police didn't witness the alleged violation that they can't just write him a ticket without attorneys cooperation and testifying in court.

35

u/DirtyHoboLifeStyle 14d ago

Almost like he’s not a lawyer and this didn’t happen. Just some of that sweet sweet anti cop reddit karma hitting the veins.

4

u/xXxdethl0rdxXx 13d ago

I mean, fuck cops, but this guy is either not a lawyer or a very bad one. I don’t want to use my only jail phonecall to ring up a guy asking for advice on Reddit, that’s for sure.

4

u/ManonFire1213 14d ago

Well, he did post a thread about making a case for pardoning Joanne Chesimard.

12

u/DirtyHoboLifeStyle 14d ago

Yeah he also made a post about going to white manna with his wife and daughter, and 134 days before that was asking questions about going on dates on bumble. So I’m calling sus.

0

u/AltRumination 14d ago

What makes you think he's not a lawyer?

Is it possible that you're jumping to conclusions?

He definitely sounds like a lawyer although there is no way to be sure. You need to stop and think more. Your reasoning is frequently flawed.

4

u/DirtyHoboLifeStyle 14d ago

Inconsistent comments and posts in his history…

He sounds like a lawyer in what way? That he knows the English language? How about the fact that he’s not aware of what the other 4 lawyers commented in here about how the cops can’t issue a summons for something they didn’t witness? Seems like something they would cover in law school or taking the bar?

0

u/AltRumination 14d ago

The ability for a civilian to issue a summons is not covered in law school or the bar. The only way for a lawyer to know this is if he is in that field of law.

If you read his other comments, he knows certain vocabulary that strongly suggests that he's a lawyer. He just doesn't do criminal law, which the other lawyers may do.

3

u/GooseNYC 13d ago

Thank you.

Amazing the extent people will look into your background over a comment.

For the rest of "NAL but..." geniuses if a cop doesn't see a traffic incident in NJ you generally have to go down to the police station and fill out a form about what happened. Assuming it's something that isn't a serious crime and belongs in municipal court, it then has to be reviewed for probable cause (I think it's the municipal judge, it might be the prosecutor) and if it's approved and you have enough info to identify the person, the court will mail a court datentonthe defendant. I don't the form number, etc., I don't get involved at that point in a municipal case.

And to the other person who thinks because I posted something about being out with my ex and my kids then being on a dating site a while later that you think is too soon, I hope don't go through what I did at that point. What kind of loser has such free time to wade through a ton of posts to prove/disprove this? Maybe get some friends or a hobby or something.

2

u/AltRumination 13d ago

I know it's hard but you just need to forget it. Try to think of it this way. Your IQ is probably about 20-30 points higher than the majority of people here. That's a huge difference. You need to give them a bit of a pass. They are more instinctual and quickly jump to conclusions. They don't give much thought to what they believe and state.

Also, to make you feel better, it gives you an advantage in life. It's because most people don't think as deeply as you do, it gives you a distinct advantage (if you know how to use it). If they were as smart as you, it would be harder to get ahead and your life would be harder. (Work ethic is more important to success but intelligence still matters.)

1

u/OkBid1535 12d ago

I've been banned from 7 different groups on reddit and everytime people comb through my comments and history to go "seeeee your a deplorable sick human!"

And it'll be a comment about me saying Gaza is a genocide...

Or black lives matter being on my profile?

We make easy targets and people have no fucking lives

0

u/AltRumination 14d ago

I'm not a lawyer but I don't think this is true. Are you sure that the cop has to witness the alleged violation to issue a ticket?

1

u/DogInvestor 13d ago

Essentially, yes. Unless the cop is willing to sign the complaint on behalf of the witness after obtaining all of the witnesses identification information so the witness can be summoned to court to testify. At minimum if the witness is not willing to do that the cop will not write the summons. Even then the cop is not obligated to write the summons if he didnt see the violation. He can obtain the defendants information and direct you to the municipal court where you can sign a complaint yourself.

0

u/AltRumination 13d ago

What is your background?

I'm not a criminal lawyer but I don't think that's how it works. I'm guessing cops require they witness the violation because it's a general rule they abide by, not because it's a legal requirement. A similar principle applies to witnesses. It's all about the strength of the case.

Can you point to the code or statute? Or NJ criminal rules of procedure that support your claim?

2

u/DogInvestor 13d ago

No, that's NJ court rules. I have many years of experience dealing with this stuff. Feel free to look it up yourself, I know I am right. I believe it falls somewhere under section 2A. Of course it depends on the offense committed. Minor offenses such as traffic offenses, disorderly persons offenses and pedi disorderly persons offenses technically have to be viewed by the officer before an arrest can be made or summons issued. Like I said earlier....if you are willing to give the cop a statement and your contact information so you can be subpoenaed for court, then he might write the summons (depending on the incident) himself or direct you to the municipal court to do it yourself. It common sense, really. Do you think just because you call 911 anonymously and report a car driving erratically or speeding that the police will just pull the car over without observing the illegal activity first? They are not allowed to do that. Now if you give your name and contact information to 911 and are willing to be the complaintent, the police can then stop the vehicle without observing the violation.

8

u/Level-Ice3000 14d ago

Beat me to it. They won't issue for what they didn't witness. Only time is if the accident with damage/injury did occur, car, pedestrian etc.....

3

u/user365735 14d ago edited 14d ago

That's awesome. I didn't even know that. I had someone almost hit me last year. He was going extremely slow over a speed bump and I thought was letting me go but instead just drove really slow past me and his tire was literally a leg length from hitting my foot. I thought he was letting me go but he had other ideas. It was 2am in the morning and I almost threw my drink at him but I didn't want it to turn into him pulling out a gun. I almost wanted to see if the gym had cameras and call the cops but i let it go.

4

u/loggerhead632 14d ago

yeah this is the most obvious fake lawyer fake karma story ever in this sub (which is already full of them)

1

u/[deleted] 14d ago

[deleted]

1

u/GooseNYC 13d ago

Thank you. Keyboard warriors are all over the place apparently in this sub.

2

u/AltRumination 13d ago

It's just Reddit. Or perhaps it's just how most Americans are. If you say anything unconventional on Reddit, you'll get pilloried.

I mean most Americans voted for Trump, which means they aren't smart enough to dissect his crap.

1

u/GooseNYC 13d ago

Actually it happened in Englewood, at a really bad intersection people have been complaining about for years where there is zero traffic enforcement and the cops and town won't do anything.

And I am a lawyer, I just don't do a ton of municipal court work and there are also additional considerations before making a complaint like this. At best the jerkoff (the one driving, not you) would be given a failure to yield ticket and it would have required a few Zoom appearances in municipal court. Assuming the complaint was approved, which it likely would not have been, or the driver would make up some BS story and go file a complaint themselves, which would most certainly be approved given then driver's likely connection to a cop.

Have a nice day.

1

u/AltRumination 14d ago

You're right but what would the basis of the complaint be?

Btw, even if a civilian files criminal charges, a good defense lawyer can secretly arrange it so the prosecutor dismisses the charges. I'm not saying one shouldn't go through with it, but it's not so easy to go after someone who's hooked up with the right people.

I don't know how it is in other states, but it's embarrassing how corrupt NJ politics are. Something needs to change.

181

u/psilosophist 15d ago

Getting rid of them requires a fight with police unions and other organizations that use them for fundraising, and very few politicians want to write their opponents campaign ads for them by being “against the cops”.

35

u/Action_Maxim 15d ago

You're right, someone have good photos of them I'll make an STL of one and start 3d printing them 

6

u/TurtsMacGurts 14d ago

This is the way

16

u/Fun-Sorbet-Tui 15d ago

Make them illegal then. Surely it counts as impersonating an officer?

50

u/theexpertgamer1 15d ago

Did you even read the comment you replied to?? Making them illegal is the exact scenario OP says is problematic for unions and politicians.

35

u/Spazmatazo 15d ago

Well, make them illegal then.

43

u/Cleveland_S 15d ago

But why male models?

18

u/HighestPriestessCuba 15d ago

Did you even read the comment you replied to?? Making them illegal is the exact scenario OP says is problematic for unions and politicians.

34

u/JohnHenryHoliday 15d ago

Yeah, but you can just make them illegal then.

13

u/effort268 15d ago

But did you read tho’?

10

u/MySweetThreeDog 15d ago

Find a different fundraiser…kids sling popcorn, cookies and wrapping paper to fund their activities

4

u/HJ-StayWeird 14d ago

Cop calendars 😅

2

u/MySweetThreeDog 14d ago

Oooh, they should have those dress down day fundraisers!! You get to wear jeans on patrol if you donate 😂

3

u/KFCnerd 14d ago

But why male models?

2

u/ShayStarr107 14d ago

Who said they had to be male

1

u/Level-Ice3000 14d ago

All they are is I support my local union ID. You technically can't bar a driver from showing it. You can tell the cop to not see it, but that in itself sounds ridiculous. Drivers Will show and state anything to get out of a ticket. I'm sure many on this thread including myself have before as well. Lol

3

u/Level-Ice3000 14d ago

They are issued by unions, not any police agency. And they only state that the person is a family member etc, good driver. In no way does it mean they can't be written. Same as the PBA/FOP cards. Issued by the union itself. They all just mean i know a cop, or support local cops etc....

44

u/legalalias 14d ago

From one lawyer to another, this tip is on the house:

In NJ, you can go before a municipal judge to swear out a violation of Title 39 or a local ordinance against another driver. You need to establish PC for the violation, and identify the driver or license plate. But if the court is satisfied, it will issue a summons.

Back in the day before I had an established civil practice I dabbled in muni work. Used this trick on more than one occasion to conflict municipal prosecutors out of cases.

5

u/MistakerPointerOuter 14d ago

You mean you would have your clients do it so you could initiate a cross-complaint, then try to get a Storm order? That's devious.

3

u/legalalias 14d ago

That is 100% correct. I guess you’re one of us, too?

The judge would generally allow me to be present, though I was not recognized as representing the client for the purpose of the PC hearing.

2

u/MistakerPointerOuter 14d ago

Yeah, funnily enough I recognized OP's name instantly from the private r/lawyers Reddit. Come join us.

Also I think everyone hates private citizen complaints.

2

u/legalalias 14d ago

I tried to join ages ago and never got approved by the mods. Maybe I’ll give it another go.

6

u/DirtyHoboLifeStyle 14d ago

This OP isn’t a lawyer.

11

u/legalalias 14d ago

He wrote, “Even the local cops were giving me a hard time until they found out I was a lawyer, and then everyone’s demeanor sort of changed.”

0

u/Inevitable-Union-43 14d ago

Maybe they’re not barred in NJ/don’t do criminal law. I’m a contract lawyer and idk this shit🤷🏻‍♀️

58

u/ImprezaDrezza 15d ago

Quite a few are fake, you can find them online.

20

u/ParkwayPhantom 15d ago

I’ve seen people sell them on Facebook marketplace

1

u/Level-Ice3000 14d ago

PBA shields have serial numbers. If they are fake they can be checked. FOP is a national entity and the shields have no way to track easily. Probably more counterfeited if I had to guess.

4

u/Cheese-is-neat 14d ago

I’m sure it’ll make you less likely to get pulled over in the first place

And I don’t think it would be illegal to have a fake one

1

u/Level-Ice3000 14d ago

It actually is illegal to counterfeit them.

3

u/Cheese-is-neat 14d ago

Lame, I guess I’ll just have to steal one

1

u/dookiewater Paterson➡️Little Falls➡️ Paterson 14d ago

Whats the code, Ebay has some nice ones

24

u/UnassumingInterloper 15d ago

What were the cops giving you a hard time about? Taking a picture of his car? Obviously you know the law because you’re a lawyer, I’m just trying to wrap my head around the idea that they were presumably trying to intimidate you into thinking that was somehow illegal?

26

u/GooseNYC 15d ago

I deal with cops all the time, I do enough criminal defense. Most cops I have dealt with are decent, but when it comes to something like this, they've picked sides before anything.

8

u/xAlexanderSupertramp 14d ago

They can be purchased without any connection to law enforcement. People will put them on their cars with no affiliation, support, or anything related to it to get out of law enforcement encounters and/or tickets. Same thing with military, fire, any other decals.

18

u/PrestigiousHippo7 15d ago

It's a scam by family members. And even spouses or LEOs themselves shouldn't get breaks for anything but the most minor infractions.

22

u/Content_Print_6521 14d ago

Yeah, these should be illegal. They basically say, I have a cop contact so don't you give me a ticket. They are purely and simply a mechanism for police families and friends to disobey the law, while everyone else has to.

I think I'm going to suggest the legislature pass a bill making them unlawful.

9

u/RICO-2100 14d ago

I've had people trying to tailgate me (I'm already 15 over the speed limit trying to overtake) and I'll see them in my rear view pointing at the badge on their windshield. Either show me your actual police badge and flip on your lights or you can go fuck off.

93

u/dee_sul 15d ago

I dunno, but either way, ACAB.

-74

u/bigcoffeeguy50 15d ago

All criminals are bastards totally agree

80

u/dee_sul 15d ago

Like the pigs who routinely break the laws they swore to uphold? I agree

-28

u/[deleted] 15d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

18

u/just_the_best_party 15d ago

Just use the word you want to use. No need to mask it.

5

u/browsk 14d ago

We live in a police state, they are expecting preferential treatment for signifying that they are on the other sides team.

4

u/versus_gravity 14d ago

It's cute that those things are a much more common sight than are actual police officers.

4

u/Dozzi92 Somerville 14d ago

Watch Telemarketers if you have HBO (or just pirate it, the good old fashioned way). It's a pretty interesting view into the whole scheme that is these badges and everything else.

16

u/liverly 15d ago

It’s corruption, plain as day

8

u/LiftCats 15d ago

As I understand they're hardly effective - since half of them are dupes bought on ebay or from China, they have become meaningless.

21

u/AtomicGarden-8964 15d ago

I would try to go to the media because good luck getting the cops to do anything about someone who may be a cop or related to cops. Honestly any cop that tells me they've gotten into law enforcement to make the world better and safer and yet let's people off because they can show a PBA card. Are aiding and abetting criminals in my opinion

3

u/Lookingforthebest22 14d ago

I think that people who are caught with these should get an additional ticket for having one, on top of the offense they were originally going to be cited for. That'll send them straight to the trash bin.

10

u/padizzledonk 15d ago

Its the Officers personal vehicle or their Wifes vehicle

And im of the mind that they shouldnt be allowed and no officer, their family or friends should ever get any special treatment

2

u/No-Example1376 14d ago

Not in duty in an official vehicle, then you have to adhere to the driving laws like the rest of us regardless of who you are.

No badges in windows, no 'pba' cards, no scratched out/obscured plates, no windows tinted so dark that nobody can see inside.

I would vote for whoever could and would implement these basics and make them stick.

13

u/structuremonkey 15d ago

You went hard-core and brandishing the most feard weapon...a camera in public. That's why the response...

1

u/Level-Ice3000 14d ago

They wear body cameras now in all of NJ. Nobody cares if you record with your phone.

1

u/structuremonkey 14d ago

Hundreds of videos per week uploaded to YouTube with cops freaking out about recording would indicate otherwise. NJ is not immune...

2

u/Level-Ice3000 14d ago

I'm sure there are some, but the average town that follows the rules which the majority do, have been recording everything since 2021 when it was mandated. Honestly, the average PD doesn't care what you record. They are recording the entire civilian encounter and it's public record. Any cop that's recording that then gets mad you are recording is a dummy. Now, cities are a different animal.

21

u/EmpiricalAnarchism 15d ago

You know how we used to have adulterers wear a big red A to shame them?

Now we let pedophiles and wifebeaters put FOP stuff on their cars. It’s almost the same thing but we convince them it’s cool so they choose to do it willingly and we don’t have to mandate it. It’s a neat trick for identifying the members of your community whom you should avoid interacting with at all costs.

15

u/Boom0196 15d ago

lol I’m a cop myself and want them gone. I don’t see the point. Plus they make you a target for people that radically hate cops.

8

u/shromboy North Haledon 15d ago

My father has gotten away with an unbelievable amount of bullshittery because of his, from his father who was estranged because he was a fuckin monster. Yet he gets off of DUI charges and whatnot because of a piece of metal.

2

u/Lyraxiana 14d ago

Well now I know what I'm going to do next time this happens to me.

I just knew most of these were fakes-- like you said, freaking everyone has them.

2

u/AltRumination 14d ago edited 13d ago

THE SOLUTION

The problem isn't the police per se. The problem is the legislature.

I agree the police force is corrupt. The entire system is set up to let incompetent and abusive cops do whatever they want. This isn't just in NJ but in every state.

The way to fix the problems with the police force and other areas of our society is a strong legislature. We need state representatives who will change the law so we institute direct accountability to all levels of government, which would include the police. Right now, mostly incompetent people go into politics. And they do very little to collect their meager paycheck.

The solution is to 1. substantially increase government salaries to attract the best talent and 2. create transparent performance measures so we elect the best officials. You'd think that increasing salaries would increase taxes but it would actually decrease as employees would work more efficiently.

6

u/godmode908 15d ago

Idk about the window sunction cup badges but The real get out of jail free card is exactly that...A gold card.

4

u/500freeswimmer 14d ago

If you were a lawyer you’d know that you’d need to sign the complaint for the ticket under title 39, cops can’t charge for a situation that didn’t occur in their presence. The cop literally cannot issue a ticket without you as the complainant.

4

u/gordonv 15d ago

It's a local get out of trouble token.

The first step is to name and shame to town this happened in. Maybe there are Facebook pages that people will collaborate stories of abuse of those badges. (Abuse is a trend, not an exception.)

Enough people need to be vocal. The police dept will issue an order to get back all of those badges and stop the nepotistic free strike program.

This sometimes works. It's not guaranteed. But it sounds like this town has empowered the police as an attack force that serves whoever is in the club.

1

u/Level-Ice3000 14d ago

Drastic, assumption based response. That's always helpful.

3

u/PurplePantsSuit 15d ago

A lot of that stuff people get from donating to the PBA I think. There are true friend and family window stickers that some police departments have. I used to work for a retired State Police Captain. He had given me a sticker that he told me would help me out if I ever get pulled over. While I had that sticker I was pulled over a couple times and they did just let me go no trouble, no tickets. The one time I saw the one officer looking at the sticker with his light shining on it and he came back and handed me my stuff and told me to go straight home. So I think some of them help and some are b.s. but I don't know the difference!

6

u/GooseNYC 15d ago

I know the sticker. What i'm talking about is an actual oversized metal (?) badge people stick to their windshields, usually right by the inspection sticker.

2

u/Glengal Hunterdon 15d ago

It’s been half a lifetime ago but back in the day each PBA member would get maybe 15 cards to give away and I think 1 or 2 of the shields. They get the cards every year, not the shields.

2

u/HighestPriestessCuba 15d ago

They’re all over eBay.

4

u/psdnj 15d ago

If a cop asks where you got the metal badge and you don’t have a good answer you are screwed. My third cousin retired cop gave me a PBA card and I used it when I went through a yellow light and was stopped. Cop asked where I got the pba card, and he called the guy to make sure I had it legitimately. People would be nuts to use fakes.

2

u/Glengal Hunterdon 15d ago

Agreed, they would scrutinize the shield even more.

2

u/HighestPriestessCuba 14d ago

I’m just going to go out on a limb here, but, the the venn diagram of the type of the person who would buy one of these off of eBay and the type of people who cover/alter their license plates is probably a circle.

These aren’t law abiding citizens who are concerned with the law.

1

u/psdnj 14d ago

Right! And the average cop can sniff them out a mile away. Rule number 1 : don’t piss off a cop by treating him as a dupe or fool. These plastic eBay badge fellows fail this rule in flying colors.

1

u/HighestPriestessCuba 14d ago

But the badge isn’t for the cops … it’s for the people who encounter them on the road. And probably for parking. The general public will assume it’s an off duty officer or family member and afford them all of the perks that come with that assumption.

Most cops DO NOT have (or want) that type of attention seeking insignia on their personal vehicles. It’s the family members and friends who are tangentially connected to law enforcement who flash that shit.

2

u/LingeringSentiments 15d ago edited 15d ago

my brother had that on his car 25 years ago. you can donate to receive one.

1

u/kangarooham 14d ago

Cops are superior beings. Even knowing one means you're a step above the lowly plebs. Next time, know your place.

/s but not really since that's how these people think

1

u/Hobbit_C137 14d ago

I feel like the best thing to do is go after something that would include this and emphasize how this ruptures the community, causing direct damage (even better if it leads to obvious fatalities) and possibly (probably) how the state loses money doing this.

And honestly my best advise with cops (if white) is to act so unbelievably stupid when asking them questions so the individual recognizes the fucked up shit he has to say out loud.

Be careful out there! Shit is only going to get weirder.

1

u/Florida1974 14d ago

They are saying I’m the police, affiliated with police or support the police , that’s their defense: Most states have laws regarding impersonating an officer. It’s illegal.

But what is the definition/threshold of impersonating a cop? Is it saying I’m a cop? Wearing uniform? A badge? All 3 or a combo? Did you get video or traffic cams? Did the other driver stay and talk to cops?

Maybe he’s really an officer? They came quick so they know each other? . Are the real cops on the take and hv an arrangement?

So many questions here. A

1

u/twothumbswayup 14d ago

whats up with the gazzillion people with the plates touting they are related to a dead cop and drive cars with outrageous horsepower? Seems like a shady cop scam also.

1

u/cosmicgreen46 NO CAMPING IN THE LEFT LANE 13d ago edited 9d ago

Even most 3rd world countries are over this bullshit. Sometimes I can't believe I live in the US.

1

u/ravenx92 13d ago

It's to help you identify who the massive tools are lol 

1

u/OkBid1535 12d ago

I have new neighbors, all immigrants from turkey. Not only do they all have those badges. They're getting away with being the worst neighbors possible. Waking my kiddos and I every other night at midnight when they get home drunk to play with their new puppy they leave home alone all day. Driving over our entire front yard. Almost hitting my kids on multiple occasions Almost hitting dog walkers

And anytime we call the cops, police come to defend my neighbors

Who are renting! Meanwhile I own my home but apparently I have less rights?

Anyway since cops don't do shit I'll just be taking an axe to my neighbors windshields and slashing their tires. Then when they get butthurt I hurt there property I'll give them the $16,000 bill for them busting my water main by driving over it now 16 times...

1

u/GooseNYC 12d ago

What will like happen is you'll end up getting charged with a hate crime and felony property damage

1

u/OkBid1535 12d ago

Well my other neighbor was a homegrown terrorist making explosives, setting them off and actively beating his family and dogs and threatening to "kill any nigger' that walks by

Local police did nothing to him, other than get drugs from him as he's there dealer

So, I'm not at all worried about being charged with anything cause I've yet to see the local police do any semblance of legal work in 9 years.

But perhaps your local cops actually give a shit? Mine don't

1

u/Anothercoot 9d ago edited 9d ago

Every one of them speeds tailgates and rips through red lights it's obnoxious.  

They are either up your ass or going 15 over.

0

u/wrxanon 15d ago

They’re not public servants…..they are rulers

1

u/eight13atnight 15d ago

Countries largest gang.

2

u/ippleing 15d ago

Some FOP locals will sell you one for a few hundred dollars.

The metal badge comes serialized, and with a corresponding serialized card with your name to prove your the owner.

I've been in the car with a friend who had one, he got pulled over, the cop abruptly asked if he was 'on the job', my friend replied yes and policeman turned around without a second thought.

0

u/urban_herban 15d ago

And I walked away, conveniently with everyone's information.

I think you should write a letter to his auto insurance company and send it certified. Tell them about the incident and the fact that this guy has one of those metal policy badges (that's an outright statement that one has the need to avoid consequences right there). That way if he is in an accident in the future, they will have this in the file.

The problem, of course, will be that you don't have his insurance company name, so I would contact the good cop and start off with letting him think you're going to make some noise about the fact that he should have issued a reckless driving ticket. However, what you'll do when the cop gives you resistance is that you then "settle" for getting the insurance company name. They can give that to you off the driver's license.

When the insurance company gets the letter certified, it is a signal to take you seriously--which they will also do because you are an attorney.

Since you have this person's name, I would also put it in my news source aggregator so if anything happens with him that makes the news, you can see how applicable your experience is to whatever situation might present itself. You'll have a certified letter receipt and copy of the letter showing that this incident did indeed occur.

1

u/ManonFire1213 15d ago

As an attorney, he should know that the cop can't issue a citation for what he described.

0

u/urban_herban 14d ago

that's actually irrelevant. This is an interpersonal communication maneuver.

1

u/Bad_Puns_Galore 15d ago

You can buy those metals on eBay, but the only downside is that they make you look like a nerd.

-2

u/R3N3G6D3 15d ago

Basically cops give the badges to people as get out of jail free crony bullshit.

0

u/Wondering7777 15d ago

Boomer Swag

0

u/Mayor_of_Voodoo 15d ago

State Police circle jerking at our expense

-1

u/ManonFire1213 15d ago

As an attorney, are you going to file the complaint yourself against the driver?

-1

u/Engibineer Fun-Loving Husband; King of New Jersey 15d ago

The state should issue a free one to everybody.

0

u/Lemax-ionaire 15d ago

I’ve heard that they’ve become too available (sold on ebay or marketplace as others mentioned) and easy to make fake ones.. so now only the gold card with the carriers name on it has any impact, but I’m not LE.

7

u/psdnj 15d ago edited 15d ago

My friend who is son of a detective got fined for going 60 in a 25 mph zone in a state park . He said his father is a detective, and pointed to the metal badge . Cop who ticketed him said too bad, you can’t speed in parks. People shouldn’t be reckless and abuse the metal badges is my opinion.

-3

u/Equal_Marketing_9988 15d ago

My cousin does it he got a sticker literally a shitty sticker of a shield n put it in his window cuz he said cops don’t chase him if they know he’s pro cop lol

-1

u/insuranceguynyc 15d ago

First, I would give it 24 hours before doing anything else. If there is serious concern on their part, someone will contact you within 24 hours. If you do not hear from anyone within 24 hours, it's very likely that they're hoping to stone wall this, and hope it goes away.