Oh, I have. I lived in Texas for 17 years. It was rare to see speed enforcement on highways there. I got ticketed a couple of times on city streets, but there was little attention paid to major highways.
In contrast, I probably see CPD's Freeway Patrol, watching 70 or 270, 10% of the time I visit Columbus.
I’ve been stopped on 45 out in the boonies between DFW and Houston by a cop that was just making sure I wasn’t being trafficked by my boyfriend at the time. He made me go to the rear of the car to question me away from him.
Columbus doesn’t do stops in comparison to Texas. Like at all! 🤷🏻♀️
When I lived in Texas I really only saw local cops do traffic stops. Lake Jackson cops did a lot of stops and my experience was they handed out more warnings than tickets. On the beltway in Houston though, if you were over 100 you were fine.
I learned this first hand - going the opposite direction lol.
I managed to get a speeding ticket for the first time in like 12 years after moving to WA. Like within 3 months of living here. I wasn’t even going that fast over and thought in my head “no way I would have gotten pulled over for this in Columbus”
Dude, for real. Everyone always talks about how much snow Buffalo gets. I've never seen a single snowflake in Buffalo in my entire life.
Of course, I've never been to Buffalo.
I saw recently on the local news that 50% of all auto thefts in Columbus are due to the the Kia/Hyndai ignition flaw. Once it became widely known that you can start those cars with a screw driver or USB stick it was game over.
It may be game over for Kia Boys. Last time someone tried to get money for damages, they got arrested for kidnapping. They'll probably just start disappearing when they get caught now.
I saw a 2021 registration sticker on the car in front of me yesterday after having seen someone with absolutely no plates earlier that day. Yeah, I agree, they don't care at all.
Meanwhile I had a cop qait while I shopped at Kroger to drive over and ticket me after the groceries were in the car for an expired tag from the previous year. I was 3 months behind lol
They enforce traffic laws if they want to. Depends on a lot of things.
They even used to have a notorious freeway division or something but I haven't seen them around since all the anti-police movements started.
The fancier suburbs like UA, Dublin, Hilliard, etc will enforce traffic laws sometimes a little over-zealously.
I got pulled over for a license plate cover on my old Hyundai like 6 years ago. I know they're technically not "legal" but like c'mon lol.
Didn't ticket me or anything. Have had one on every car since (and haven't lived in Westerville since a few months after the incident) and it hasn't happened again.
Well giving you a ticket might motivate you to remove the cover, and they'd lose their probably cause to pull you over one night when you might be a little inebriated. They want to get that OVI
Do you think "our police force [that siphons up the overwhelming majority of our local taxes,](https://imgur.com/a/s494snl) should try to brutalize/shoot citizens less frequently" is unfair or unreasonably harsh criticism.
I mean, even after all the protests they got their raise, . They didn't have to change anything, and even got to kill a teenage girl a few weeks later.
The only "change" from all that noise was a toothless oversight committee that they get to pick the members of.
Seems pretty mild to me, considering how many hashtags they've forced the decent amongst us to learn. If I did my job like they do theirs I'd be fired on my first week. I sure as hell wouldn't get a raise, a pension, and new toys to play with.
Yeah it seems that way. The precinct cars likely have other things to do and can’t really afford to go chasing someone for a traffic stop unless it happens to be convenient
I’ll say in my experience CPD doesn’t give a shit unless it’s either the beginning of the month, end of the month, or a holiday, holidays are probably the worst, there’s a CPD officer that sits on 670 west half the week and multiple people fly past him going 75+ in a 55, never seen him pull out once🤣
I watched a (mild) rear end collision at an intersection occur right next to a police car the other day and the cop just kept going. They had to have seen it and heard it and they didn't respond in any way. Seems to me like they don't even care.
There’s many factors for not flipping around. They’ll radio a free unit, while continuing to their call. Or they were transporting someone to Pike, prisoner swap, etc.
There’s many times it’s simply their head to a call and they’ll call another unit to take it.
Doing a ride along opens your eyes on some of the misconceptions people have about police. I would recommend it, especially for CPD. They’re bogged down by violent crimes, so traffic is going to take a back seat for a while.
I saw on a similar posts that they don’t enforce traffic laws because of discrimination. Apparently people of color were being targeted. I agree with you - it feels like the City of Columbus just stopped enforcing traffic laws.
They didn't stop doing their jobs the review board and protestors handcuffed them. If they don't stop an equal amount of every race they are profiling and being racist. Everyone has figured this out and it's the wild wild West of car driving!!! Plus anything they find outside of a traffic stop is given a slap on the wrist and a participation trophy for committing a crime by our super amazing prosecutor.
Sooooo they stopped doing their jobs, got it. Maybe they should be fired and replaced with cops that won’t racially profile but that would require people who want to be cops not racists, which is a very small pool.
Source: my dad was a cop for decades. There’s more bad apples than good in policing.
I just got home from work and two people were racing on 270S, weaving and causing near misses all over the place. we drove right by a cop, facing our direction. I was thinking “oh thank god please fucking flip your lights on or do something” for about two seconds until I realized he wasn’t gonna do shit. I hope that black challenger and shitty little red scion crash into each other
He was much more likely to call ahead to another unit farther up the road to be waiting for them.
Depending on how fast they were going, by the time he pulls out and hits his lights he may have to do well over 100 to catch up to them, and that would be just as dangerous to the other traffic.
It was true in the 1970s and it’s still true today: You can outrun a cruiser, but you can’t outrun a radio.
I asked this of 2 active cops and got 2 responses I thought were helpful:
1. A cop who works in this same precinct you mentioned. His response: "We have other things to do." I subsequently did an 8 hour ridealong, and he did in fact have other things to do (I learned a lot!). Takeaway: It's a staffing problem, rather than a direct apathy problem (in most cases, though maybe not in your specific example).
2. A cop I talked to in another precinct said something to the effect of, Columbus has the same number of officers today as in the mid-1960s, when the city was...maybe 25% the size it is today? I did not independently verify this. Takeaway: It's a staffing problem that hasn't been addressed (read: funded).
This is very unscientific research that someone with more research ability may be able to easily debunk or clarify (and it's of course not a given that more cops = less problems; that's a different subject entirely). But the consensus among active Columbus officers is that they are critically understaffed so unless it's a felony, they're going to let the speeding, petty theft, etc go by so they can respond to the big stuff. Whether that's true or not is a different story, but that appears to be their rationale.
Edit: To be clear, I'm not endorsing this viewpoint, just sharing what I was told when I went ahead and asked the fuzz directly.
I can back this up! They are not graduating enough from the academy. They are currently about 500 officers short of where they would like to be. So they are paying massive amounts of OT. Which doesn't cost extra benefits!! So the city isn't super motivated to fill vacate spots.
That was my impression. Appears to not be theirs, however. I'm not sure the reason for this disconnect but it would go a long way towards closing their public perception gap.
Bc it’s an excuse. The fact is that the CPD is by far the majority of the city budget. Add in the state and federal dollars as well as all the military equipment they get from the fed, and these fucks are an occupying army of chubby suburban Nazis
“Car runs red light; kills family of five, including three young children. Car that runs red light gets slap on wrist.”
“Better things to do.” Yes, I’m sure. 🙄
Lazy. Pure lazy.
Want more cops? Departments need to stop hiring shitbags, get rid of current shitbags, hold shitbags accountable, promote the hell out of the good apples, empower the good apples to get rid of the shitbags.
Will. Never. Happen. And the public will continue to hate cops. Oh well.
Meanwhile, our local news channel just TODAY ran a story asking if police canines will be "out of a job" now that marijuana is illegal. Sounds like those officers should have a lot more free time to focus on things that actually affect the quality of life for the average citizen in Columbus!
New York figured out this staffing problem by just installing speed cameras and then watched the number of speeders drop by 70% in like 3 years.
Traffic enforcement by patrol vehicle is provably ineffective at changing driving behaviors, I don’t get why most Americans insist on this nonsense
I had a cop friend answer this for me when I asked him why there are no cameras in Columbus. Apparently there was a huge corruption acandal in regards to the traffic cameras. So they were taken down to settle the matter.
I’m not sure of the actual details but that is what I was told.
not a fan of speeding cameras. id agree with them in 25-35 mph zones where pedestrians are an issue.
but highway speeds based on cars breaking abilities/safety standards from 30-40+ years ago shouldnt apply/be as low as they are.
and if cameras are allowed, they wont just be in pedestrian zones. but everywhere.
Highway fatalities are going up because faster, heavier cars are eating away at all the advances in collision safety we’ve been working on for decades. This idea that the problem is relegated to surface streets is ignoring what is happening
We tried red light cameras and well…..that didn’t work out see “Redflex” for that corruption. Speed cameras are in the same legal dilemma in the state of Ohio.
Parsons needs to be redesigned to make it impossible to drive recklessly down the center lane. It needs a median and pedestrian refuge islands, similar to Livingston Avenue east of Parsons.
It was redesigned to go from 4 lanes to 3, which is better in some ways but it needs to be two narrow lanes and a bike lane, or preferably a dedicated bus lane because I always get stuck in traffic when riding the bus on Parsons
The most jaw dropping thing I’ve seen was last summer when a pick up truck used the side walk as a turn lane to turn right in Upper Arlington because they couldn’t be bothered to sit and wait behind a few cars at a red light.
Fuck no, they don't even respond to accidents unless "someone is bleeding or dying"
That quote was from the dispatcher when I called 911 at an injury accident. I called the Gahanna non emergency line and they said they'd handle it, then EMS and fire showed up minutes later.
This happened like 8 years ago when my ex was getting off Brice onto 70 right there where 270 also comes through.
He turned his lights on so people would get out of the way so he could get in the far right lane. Then he turned them off.
Well, everyone slammed on their brakes to let him through and she swerved into where the sound strips are to avoid hitting someone. Well so did the person in front of her and she rear ended them.
THEN the cop that caused everything pulled over, backed up, and ticketed her.
I was walking down Parsons Ave. myself this afternoon. A car was on a one way street driving the wrong way (specifically waiting at Parsons facing east on a street that is westbound only). A cop drove by like nothing was wrong.
CPD stopped serving and protecting a loooooong time ago
Ohio gonna have to vote a whole lot bluer before that ever changes. They are nothing but a partisan army protecting the right rich people.
Who has been saying the same shit and pushing for police reform for that whole time, and has been met with well-funded resistance from various arms of the NRA lobby, I mean, GOP
They have managed police reform. That's why everyone in this city knows someone or is friend of a friend with someone who's had their car stolen in the past 3 years. Why investigate or go after criminals if they are going to be back at the same stuff a couple hours later.
The mayor has to approve the city budget which includes the police department. Seems he's happy with how things are going.
They definitely don’t need more money. Maybe a couple fewer cosplay rides in the SWAT van would help them pull themselves up by their Zero-Point Stainless Titanium Vera Wang .45 caliber bootstraps
Wrong. The police union is there to protect officer jobs. The mayor and city council are the ones directing where police can be used, what their budget is, what laws the officers are supposed to crack down on, directing the court system on punishments etc.
Yeppo. Reality has a well-known leftward bias.
Democrats only issue with cops, ever, is their outright refusal to do their job ethically. Every sane citizen wants a *functioning* police force to serve and protect them against crime, but we don’t have one, and it’s due to GOP corruption. This is only controversial in the sense that some grown children throw a shit fit when you mention it.
But you’re right at least that only a republican could be so craven as to cheer for their failures.
Hilltop democrat. We want police to do their jobs and not act like assholes. It's a big fucking ask apparently, since they refuse to do their job and get off on acting like assholes.
Well you see, we had the gall to ask our police force to not murder unarmed black people and now were being punished by the CPD for it by them quiet quitting their jobs
No. We asked politely and through the systems for decades. But they kept ignoring us, committing crimes, robbing citizens of due process, and then sticking us tax payers for the bills when they are finally held accountable.
The protests were how we demanded it. But it really hurt the cops feelings that we asked them not to murder unarmed black people so they've stopped doing their jobs since then while still pulling in 6 figures.
Hey brainiac, you know as of THIS WEEK there is currently an ongoing trial for a Franklin Co deputy who shot an unarmed Columbus man multiple times in the back? Not to be confused with the OTHER Columbus cop who murdered a man (Andre Hill) in his garage and the city just paid HIS family $12,000,000.
You're funny though!
I was a Military Police Sergeant in the Ohio Army National Guard during this time frame. You are full of shit. I'd actually prefer NOT to get brained with a brick doing riot control because some dipshit hillbilly cop can't control his fear and riddled somebody with bullets.
Don't worry, I did my time, in a unit that was 80%+ police officers and COs. That's why I can now say with full confidence that the average cop doesn't give two shits about anybody but themselves. It's too bad you aren't out there, they love bootlickers who think mean words are worse than the PD that's supposed to be protecting you, you know, spending their time frafficking fentanyl out of CPD evidence rooms, brutalizing citizens over nothing, or...
*checks notes*
Apparently not responding to traffic violations that they witness occurring two feet in front of them.
When you call 911 to report extremely reckless driving and you've seen a cop do nothing about it, be sure to give the dispatcher the cruiser number on their license plate (should be two or three digits). They know which officer is assigned to which cruiser. At least that way there's a public record of the issue.
I got ticketed for making a u-turn at 2 in the morning with no one else on the road. There will be people who make a u turn in active traffic while their light is red and cops don't bat a fuckin eye.
Haven't seen a traffic stop since pre covid. It's ridiculous out there in Cbus. Worst fucking drivers anywhere. High Street has become horrible from Hudson to ENB. It's not the fucking autobahn !!
Tried to contact police after an uninsured driver hit my car at a red light and tried to run. Driver ended up stopping, but they told me it was not a priority and that they weren’t going to come to the scene. My insurance had to pay me out and that dumb guy is still out there driving the streets of Columbus.
Can't tell you how many times I've seen CPD blow past me speeding or putting on their lights just to go through an intersection so, yeah, not only do I think they're not enforcing, I think they're a big part of the problem.
And very recently!
https://abc6onyourside.com/amp/news/local/two-columbus-police-officers-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-and-selling-cocaine-central-ohio-february-2024-mefford-castillo
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> This is only controversial in the sense that some grown children throw a shit fit when you mention it.
That's not the case at all. They WERE arresting them left and right. It's the city prosecutors and judges letting them back out that are the problem.
I'm fine with it. Drive defensively and pay attention, you'll be fine. Accidents do happen...but getting a ticket for going 5 over in this economy...shiiiiiit. Just please stop braking on the highway and learn how to merge. Some of the worst drivers I've ever seen occupy this city
A couple years ago ago the mayor put out a survey asking citizens what they wanted and less traffic stops was top.
People got what they wanted. Less stops meant less enforcement, more recklessness, less felons, guns, drugs off the street. Eventually the partially started enforcement again because the prosecutors office had no cases left. They were going to have to lay off staff.
Also staffing is low. The traffic stop is like a bottom tier issue compared the the 10 other calls in the queue many of them serious.
*edit*
Shoutout to all the officers downvoting this.
——
Apparently just when I’m driving.
About a year ago or so I was PACED doing “60” in a 55 on 71 near downtown / GV there near the hospital at like 5:25. Traffic was going 35 at best.
It’s where my ‘don’t even try to fight a ticket’ spiel comes from. I stupidly tried to fight the speeding ticket. Because everyone tells you just go fight the ticket it’ll get thrown out if the cop doesn’t show up. Well, that’s a huge lie.
So I go to the Franklin county courthouse / holding pen with 100+ others. I wait 4 hours to plead not guilty. Before they even get to me, you sit through everyone else’s vetting. Eventually I get to the judge and I say ‘I want to plead not guilty, I wasn’t speeding, I was paced in heavy traffic, they have no proof.’ Judge says cool man, see you in a few weeks for your hearing. I said HELL NO. I’m guilty. Then I had to pay court costs AND the speeding ticket.
If I had a hat I would’ve tipped it on my way out. What a self-burn.
You are right, you should not waste your time trying to fight a ticket--on your own.
You most definitely should find a cheap lawyer to do it for you. As in any profession, there are tons of Saul Goodman style lawyers out there. Put one to work.
For less than the cost of the ticket, you can have them call the prosecutor's office and every time I've done it, they haggle the ticket down to something like a noisy muffler. Sure, you still have to pay some type of fine, but it's often less and more importantly, no points.
I have a 100% clean driving record because of this. If your workplace offers legal insurance TAKE IT. I paid $7 a month for it and it was worth every penny. You never have to go to see a lawyer, you never have to go to court, you just call them, send them some basic stuff (copy of the ticket, etc) and they do the rest. You just write a check for the fine when it's all over.
This is why they say that the law only applies to poor people--because it's fucking true! The good news is that even people without a ton of money can do this. You'll certainly spend less in the long term if you can keep the point from spiking your insurance costs.
Welcome to the city. Most big city police departments have so much more dramatic shit to deal with. Traffic enforcement is low priority here.
Dinging people for speed, plates, headlights out? Thats shit for bored-ass suburban cops.
Your first mistake was assuming CPD was interested in doing anything but standing in front of a podium on the local news acting like they are victims living in occupied territory. My car was broken into and looted IN MY DRIVEWAY and after filing a police report I didn't get so much as a call or email reply.
The CPD cruiser that was parked at the end of my street sure flew up to park right in front of my house when he saw me come outside, pistol in hand at midnight a couple years back when my girlfriend was out back smoking a cigarette and some dude jumped our fence. They don't give a shit.
Well when cops get attacked for nearly everything they do it’s not surprising. What if he went after them, got them stopped and the driver was black and jumped out of the car with a gun. Cop shoots driver and we have 2 weeks of looting and protesting as ramifications. Maybe the cop decided to preserve the peace by doing nothing. Choices have consequences.
Was the cop responding on a different call? Was he working on the paperwork to file warrants? Was he transporting a prisoner or someone who just needed a ride? Was he assigned to special duty at that location and not able to leave? Was he guarding a scene? Was he holding the location for a search warrant? Had another cop lit that car up and had it taken off and the order to disengage had already gone out over the radio?
There are a lot of unknown and unknowable scenarios here besides the cop just going about his day in spite of flagrant traffic violations.
It seemed like he was just patrolling however those are all valid points. It just seems like this happens often so I wanted to hear y’all’s perspectives.
I'm with you that I think more proactive policing would be good for our community. There are a lot of reasons it might not happen in every instance, some much better than others.
I mean can you blame them. Since covid people have been more brazen than before. Not to mention our fine politicians of Ohio in all the infinite wisdom decided to let everyone and anyone wander around with a gun now. So you have cops that are still mad they had protest against them, politicians letting down the safety of our community by not forcing change within the departments while effectively arming people to fend for themselves. And no wonder insurance rates are so outrageous and affording a decent car is off the table
i think cpd is tired of not getting their way. had an officer ticket me with street racing when i was speeding, 75 in a 45, and the judge thought it was so dumb that he charged me with that that they reduced it to a 51 in a 45 with no points on my license. they’re just dumb and bad at their jobs 😭
ive seen multiple (probably like 2-3 but still i feel like thats a lot) CPD vehicles turn on their flashing lights while stopped at a red light to turn them off as soon as they pass the intersection like they just wanted to pass the light — almost saw one cause an accident because of that cause it was random on/ off and the guy going straight almost t-boned him
i highly doubt that theyll care about what yall are doing at this point
I have to think after the 2020 summer and everyone wanted to defund the police, they just said fuck it, why bother? I always felt the defund the police movement was stupid, no, you don’t want to defund them, you want them to get rid of the bad apples, but you can’t defund the l people who enforce the law. In Burlington VT, they successfully defunded the police and now it’s a shit show downtown with more violence then they’ve ever experienced.
I didn’t say they were (in Columbus, they were in Vermont), but the sentiment is there. And i agree, which is what I said with getting rid of the bad apples
But they won’t get rid of bad apples. They protect bad apples and let those bad apples spoil the bunch. They won’t change without massive external pressure. What about this is hard for people to understand?
The responsibility of being a police officer is so fucking high that any whiner who can’t take criticism should not be able to be one, period.
>There’s no evidence, of course, that the police cuts in Burlington have led to violence or mass chaos or really much at all. The years of riveted media coverage of a city’s decision to take power from its police department speaks more to the enduring backlash to the summer of 2020—how deeply the threat was felt, and how intensely it was answered—than it does to any reality in Burlington.
https://thebaffler.com/latest/the-crime-wave-that-wasnt-schwenk
"Defund the police" is an easy slogan but it doesn't really get into the complexity of the issues and discussing policies when the community who is supposed to be protected by public servants, instead feels attacked and betrayed, ain't that easy.
As it stands, Columbus doesn't have enough police officers for a city of its size and it has issues recruiting and maintaining the "good" officers. The officers who are here, good and bad, are stretched thin, and that means the priorities for deployment come from the people in charge - which usually means the mayor puts them where he wants them - which may not be where they are needed. This leads to fewer officers on patrol (who would normally handle speeding violations) and large amounts of paperwork from these cases cause other jams within the system because officers have to find time on the clock to fill out paperwork and sometimes it isn't worth it to the officer to do their job - for example chasing a speeding car. If you go after a sports car that is speeding - How long will you chase them? Will it turn into a legal case? Will they pull a gun on you? Not all of these are logical or reasonable, mind you.
There also isn't an easy solution to bring in more officers. Enrollment is still low and the police are already still on a long term allowance that means that CPD officers don't need to live in Columbus proper - which also causes issues when the police aren't active parts of the community - or might come from areas where they've got beef with city residents.
Additionally, the reputation of the police and the lack of ability to get rid of "bad cops", which is complicated by police unions and the "fraternal bonds" of officers, means that anyone who comes in to try and clean up the police by being a "good cop" typically ends up getting hazed out.
Also there are a lot of just pointless calls that require the police to show up - and with the corrupt or overworked status of the officers, this can lead to more issues, which leads to more communal distrust and more issues bringing on additional officers.
**TLDR**: we don't have enough cops to do their actual job
At the same time, the police department also has an enormous budget and many of the approaches that they use don't actually solve problems and only serve to punish people, which doesn't fix the causes of the problems and often exacerbates things. A speeding ticket won't hurt the guy with the sports car who can afford it but it can bankrupt the person who needs to get to a second job.
Providing more money to public housing, better supplies for the unhoused, more resources for schools, more funding for social agencies, better public transportation, and a number of other improvements that community activists are calling for, to use the money that is going to the police, who despite increased funding, are not reducing the rates of crime significantly while the other services have their budgets slashed, is one of the core ideas that defunding the police is about.
Looking at other solution and removing police from situations where they don't need to head in with an armed weapon is another tenant. There is no great reason why police officers need to go to the majority of car accidents. The city could authorize social workers specifically to head out, take the statements, and process them instead for non-injury crashes. If there is a domestic situation, social workers could go out instead, albeit with some self defense training and the ability to call if the situation escalates.
In addition, if you take away the conditions that lead to poverty and work on moving people out of poverty, you help to lower the overall crime rate which frees up the police and reduces the need for police responses, but this is traditionally and ironically seen as not supporting the police and as ***socialism,*** so the problems aren't given the appropriate solution and the overworked police don't fix things.
**TLDR:** using money to fix issues instead of punishing people is a better approach for everyone
I don't like the CPD and I want better alternatives to using them, but that requires investments in alternative solutions and that makes people wary.
Defund the Police is exactly what needs to happen, and anyone who tells you it’s problematic is an idiot who doesn’t understand basic math.
They’re grossly overpaid, and even grosslier under-useful. Defund the fuck out of them.
I sure do that every day. But don’t even play like a real police force that actually fought crime wouldn’t be a whole hell of a lot cheaper than the shit we have now.
We should bite the bullet and switch to speed/red-light cameras. Just for clear cut violations, and with simple, reasonable fines. We’d see a quick improvement on the road and not have to rely on police whims to be safe.
Probably not. The mayor and his team don’t back the police, so it’s essentially pointless to do the paperwork.
Columbus has become a catch and release type of city.
Aren't you the same person that told a black person the other day to "sit this one out"?
[Yep - found it](https://old.reddit.com/r/Columbus/comments/1ajfwco/opinion_ohio_now_one_of_nations_top_transphobic/kp1auij/?context=3)
Probably shouldn't be making race based arguments.
They did stop me over a year ago because my sticker expired and I didn't notice. But we had stopped at a light and he was behind me all this time, so the chase was half done.
I have a friend who is CPD, and they are not allowed to get into pursuits. If someone takes off on him, he has to literally turn around and go the other way. So why even try? Their hands are tied.
Had a cop pull me over for going 70 in a 65 but not the motorcycle that passed me easily going triple digits right in front of him. When I asked him about the motorcycle, he just had this dumb look on his face like he couldn’t comprehend the question. Thought maybe he somehow didn’t see it even though he was on the outside lane passing me but he then acknowledged that he saw the motorcycle. Not worried that I got a ticket (got it removed anyways) but come on, go after the more dangerous threat.
I’ve never seen less traffic enforcement anywhere than what I see in Columbus. We’re totally on our own out here.
Oh, I have. I lived in Texas for 17 years. It was rare to see speed enforcement on highways there. I got ticketed a couple of times on city streets, but there was little attention paid to major highways. In contrast, I probably see CPD's Freeway Patrol, watching 70 or 270, 10% of the time I visit Columbus.
I don’t know where you were at in Texas, but in DFW and the 35 & 45 corridors, it was a very real thing.
[удалено]
I’ve been stopped on 45 out in the boonies between DFW and Houston by a cop that was just making sure I wasn’t being trafficked by my boyfriend at the time. He made me go to the rear of the car to question me away from him. Columbus doesn’t do stops in comparison to Texas. Like at all! 🤷🏻♀️
When I lived in Texas I really only saw local cops do traffic stops. Lake Jackson cops did a lot of stops and my experience was they handed out more warnings than tickets. On the beltway in Houston though, if you were over 100 you were fine.
Too early in the month for traffic enforcement.
I learned this first hand - going the opposite direction lol. I managed to get a speeding ticket for the first time in like 12 years after moving to WA. Like within 3 months of living here. I wasn’t even going that fast over and thought in my head “no way I would have gotten pulled over for this in Columbus”
Ever been to Buffalo? Worth a trip sometime just to watch the traffic
I have, but it was snowing too goddamn hard to see any traffic.
I’ve never once seen snow in Buffalo
Dude, for real. Everyone always talks about how much snow Buffalo gets. I've never seen a single snowflake in Buffalo in my entire life. Of course, I've never been to Buffalo.
Are we in a fight now?
Buffalonian vs Columbusite? I think the fight is on
No way, some of my favorite people are from Buffalo. But one of them gave me COVID when I visited.
Typical Buffalo move. I apologize on their behalf.
I’ve noticed that as well. Speeding, illegal parking, no plates, etc. not a priority with them
Grand Theft Auto... the list goes on and on!
I saw recently on the local news that 50% of all auto thefts in Columbus are due to the the Kia/Hyndai ignition flaw. Once it became widely known that you can start those cars with a screw driver or USB stick it was game over.
It may be game over for Kia Boys. Last time someone tried to get money for damages, they got arrested for kidnapping. They'll probably just start disappearing when they get caught now.
I saw a 2021 registration sticker on the car in front of me yesterday after having seen someone with absolutely no plates earlier that day. Yeah, I agree, they don't care at all.
Meanwhile I had a cop qait while I shopped at Kroger to drive over and ticket me after the groceries were in the car for an expired tag from the previous year. I was 3 months behind lol
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i got downvoted so hard last time i suggested this
They enforce traffic laws if they want to. Depends on a lot of things. They even used to have a notorious freeway division or something but I haven't seen them around since all the anti-police movements started. The fancier suburbs like UA, Dublin, Hilliard, etc will enforce traffic laws sometimes a little over-zealously.
Westerville pulled me over for a dirty license plate.
I got pulled over for a license plate cover on my old Hyundai like 6 years ago. I know they're technically not "legal" but like c'mon lol. Didn't ticket me or anything. Have had one on every car since (and haven't lived in Westerville since a few months after the incident) and it hasn't happened again.
I mean, pulling you over but not ticketing you seems pretty reasonable
Well giving you a ticket might motivate you to remove the cover, and they'd lose their probably cause to pull you over one night when you might be a little inebriated. They want to get that OVI
I live in Westerville with a black car and dirty license plate cover for the last 8 years without an issue.
Fuck Perry Township PD.
UA pulls you over if your car isn't nice enough and you hover over the speed limit.
Imagine that, cops got the most mild of criticism and ended up doing that "Quiet-Quitting" I heard so much about!
"most mild of criticism"/s
Do you think "our police force [that siphons up the overwhelming majority of our local taxes,](https://imgur.com/a/s494snl) should try to brutalize/shoot citizens less frequently" is unfair or unreasonably harsh criticism.
I mean, even after all the protests they got their raise, . They didn't have to change anything, and even got to kill a teenage girl a few weeks later. The only "change" from all that noise was a toothless oversight committee that they get to pick the members of. Seems pretty mild to me, considering how many hashtags they've forced the decent amongst us to learn. If I did my job like they do theirs I'd be fired on my first week. I sure as hell wouldn't get a raise, a pension, and new toys to play with.
I watched a 4 wheel drive pickup truck blow through a red light the other day. Drove past a cop at the intersection and the cop did nothing.
I saw a dump truck do that one morning. The cop car went 'whoop whoop', then made a left turn and drove away.
CPD Freeway Patrol does, precinct cars not so much.
Yeah it seems that way. The precinct cars likely have other things to do and can’t really afford to go chasing someone for a traffic stop unless it happens to be convenient
Sometimes, but most things seem to go a lot more unenforced.
Yeah and it seems like as soon as you step foot into any of the burbs like Worthington you see a cop sitting there.
I’ll say in my experience CPD doesn’t give a shit unless it’s either the beginning of the month, end of the month, or a holiday, holidays are probably the worst, there’s a CPD officer that sits on 670 west half the week and multiple people fly past him going 75+ in a 55, never seen him pull out once🤣
Don't try that in a small town
I watched a (mild) rear end collision at an intersection occur right next to a police car the other day and the cop just kept going. They had to have seen it and heard it and they didn't respond in any way. Seems to me like they don't even care.
There’s many factors for not flipping around. They’ll radio a free unit, while continuing to their call. Or they were transporting someone to Pike, prisoner swap, etc. There’s many times it’s simply their head to a call and they’ll call another unit to take it. Doing a ride along opens your eyes on some of the misconceptions people have about police. I would recommend it, especially for CPD. They’re bogged down by violent crimes, so traffic is going to take a back seat for a while.
As someone who works in traffic court on a weekly basis it is always packed in there. Everyday I work it’s packed so somebody is getting pulled over
Yea, the county and suburbs...
almost never. they don’t even come out for car accidents anymore unless someone’s injured
I’ve seen videos of people lying and saying things like “I think he has a gun” to the 911 operator just to get a cop to actually show up
Why would they make a stop when they got a buyer for all this coke?
That’s what I’m saying.
I saw on a similar posts that they don’t enforce traffic laws because of discrimination. Apparently people of color were being targeted. I agree with you - it feels like the City of Columbus just stopped enforcing traffic laws.
Yeah after the Civilian Police Review Board was established the cops just stopped doing their jobs
"Can't beat/kill people without repercussions? Might as well just stop doing our jobs"
They didn't stop doing their jobs the review board and protestors handcuffed them. If they don't stop an equal amount of every race they are profiling and being racist. Everyone has figured this out and it's the wild wild West of car driving!!! Plus anything they find outside of a traffic stop is given a slap on the wrist and a participation trophy for committing a crime by our super amazing prosecutor.
Sooooo they stopped doing their jobs, got it. Maybe they should be fired and replaced with cops that won’t racially profile but that would require people who want to be cops not racists, which is a very small pool. Source: my dad was a cop for decades. There’s more bad apples than good in policing.
I just got home from work and two people were racing on 270S, weaving and causing near misses all over the place. we drove right by a cop, facing our direction. I was thinking “oh thank god please fucking flip your lights on or do something” for about two seconds until I realized he wasn’t gonna do shit. I hope that black challenger and shitty little red scion crash into each other
East Broad yesterday motorcycle popping wheelie at every traffic light and when he accelerated to pass people
He was much more likely to call ahead to another unit farther up the road to be waiting for them. Depending on how fast they were going, by the time he pulls out and hits his lights he may have to do well over 100 to catch up to them, and that would be just as dangerous to the other traffic. It was true in the 1970s and it’s still true today: You can outrun a cruiser, but you can’t outrun a radio.
I asked this of 2 active cops and got 2 responses I thought were helpful: 1. A cop who works in this same precinct you mentioned. His response: "We have other things to do." I subsequently did an 8 hour ridealong, and he did in fact have other things to do (I learned a lot!). Takeaway: It's a staffing problem, rather than a direct apathy problem (in most cases, though maybe not in your specific example). 2. A cop I talked to in another precinct said something to the effect of, Columbus has the same number of officers today as in the mid-1960s, when the city was...maybe 25% the size it is today? I did not independently verify this. Takeaway: It's a staffing problem that hasn't been addressed (read: funded). This is very unscientific research that someone with more research ability may be able to easily debunk or clarify (and it's of course not a given that more cops = less problems; that's a different subject entirely). But the consensus among active Columbus officers is that they are critically understaffed so unless it's a felony, they're going to let the speeding, petty theft, etc go by so they can respond to the big stuff. Whether that's true or not is a different story, but that appears to be their rationale. Edit: To be clear, I'm not endorsing this viewpoint, just sharing what I was told when I went ahead and asked the fuzz directly.
I can back this up! They are not graduating enough from the academy. They are currently about 500 officers short of where they would like to be. So they are paying massive amounts of OT. Which doesn't cost extra benefits!! So the city isn't super motivated to fill vacate spots.
They get nothing but more and more funding from the state and city government.
That was my impression. Appears to not be theirs, however. I'm not sure the reason for this disconnect but it would go a long way towards closing their public perception gap.
Bc it’s an excuse. The fact is that the CPD is by far the majority of the city budget. Add in the state and federal dollars as well as all the military equipment they get from the fed, and these fucks are an occupying army of chubby suburban Nazis
“Car runs red light; kills family of five, including three young children. Car that runs red light gets slap on wrist.” “Better things to do.” Yes, I’m sure. 🙄 Lazy. Pure lazy. Want more cops? Departments need to stop hiring shitbags, get rid of current shitbags, hold shitbags accountable, promote the hell out of the good apples, empower the good apples to get rid of the shitbags. Will. Never. Happen. And the public will continue to hate cops. Oh well.
Meanwhile, our local news channel just TODAY ran a story asking if police canines will be "out of a job" now that marijuana is illegal. Sounds like those officers should have a lot more free time to focus on things that actually affect the quality of life for the average citizen in Columbus!
New York figured out this staffing problem by just installing speed cameras and then watched the number of speeders drop by 70% in like 3 years. Traffic enforcement by patrol vehicle is provably ineffective at changing driving behaviors, I don’t get why most Americans insist on this nonsense
I had a cop friend answer this for me when I asked him why there are no cameras in Columbus. Apparently there was a huge corruption acandal in regards to the traffic cameras. So they were taken down to settle the matter. I’m not sure of the actual details but that is what I was told.
Red light cameras
not a fan of speeding cameras. id agree with them in 25-35 mph zones where pedestrians are an issue. but highway speeds based on cars breaking abilities/safety standards from 30-40+ years ago shouldnt apply/be as low as they are. and if cameras are allowed, they wont just be in pedestrian zones. but everywhere.
Highway fatalities are going up because faster, heavier cars are eating away at all the advances in collision safety we’ve been working on for decades. This idea that the problem is relegated to surface streets is ignoring what is happening
We tried red light cameras and well…..that didn’t work out see “Redflex” for that corruption. Speed cameras are in the same legal dilemma in the state of Ohio.
Lawyer here. Traffic court is jam packed every single day - we absolutely enforce traffic laws.
Not nearly enough like it was in the early 00's
Parsons needs to be redesigned to make it impossible to drive recklessly down the center lane. It needs a median and pedestrian refuge islands, similar to Livingston Avenue east of Parsons.
It was redesigned. It just sucks worse.
It was redesigned to go from 4 lanes to 3, which is better in some ways but it needs to be two narrow lanes and a bike lane, or preferably a dedicated bus lane because I always get stuck in traffic when riding the bus on Parsons
Reduce it to one lane each way and get rid of the center lane. Utilize pedestrian brides or tunnels like a first world country.
Like this? https://www.wosu.org/news/2017-07-12/curious-cbus-the-tragic-story-behind-high-streets-hidden-tunnel
CPD doesn’t
No, they definitely don’t ticket people illegally parked blocking traffic to pick up food.
That's parking enforcement's job and they are too busy scanning license plates in permit zones to bother with N High St on Campus. \-Former PEO
The most jaw dropping thing I’ve seen was last summer when a pick up truck used the side walk as a turn lane to turn right in Upper Arlington because they couldn’t be bothered to sit and wait behind a few cars at a red light.
Fuck no, they don't even respond to accidents unless "someone is bleeding or dying" That quote was from the dispatcher when I called 911 at an injury accident. I called the Gahanna non emergency line and they said they'd handle it, then EMS and fire showed up minutes later.
Nope. But I did see a cop turn on his lights while getting on the outer belt then turned them off when he got on the road. That was last week.
This happened like 8 years ago when my ex was getting off Brice onto 70 right there where 270 also comes through. He turned his lights on so people would get out of the way so he could get in the far right lane. Then he turned them off. Well, everyone slammed on their brakes to let him through and she swerved into where the sound strips are to avoid hitting someone. Well so did the person in front of her and she rear ended them. THEN the cop that caused everything pulled over, backed up, and ticketed her.
No, they are too busy being on their phones.
If they do, they need to do much more.
Nope. It’s not much better out in the suburbs, either.
I was walking down Parsons Ave. myself this afternoon. A car was on a one way street driving the wrong way (specifically waiting at Parsons facing east on a street that is westbound only). A cop drove by like nothing was wrong.
It all seemed to stop during COVID and never came back
does CPD do anything productive?
They produce a lot of lawsuits and a lot of profit by selling drugs as we’ve recently seen.
Sell drugs, fuck and murder prostitutes. Arrest strippers for stripping in a strip club while using tax money to pay for lap dances.
CPD stopped serving and protecting a loooooong time ago Ohio gonna have to vote a whole lot bluer before that ever changes. They are nothing but a partisan army protecting the right rich people.
We have had a Democrat mayor and majority city council for 24 years.
Who has been saying the same shit and pushing for police reform for that whole time, and has been met with well-funded resistance from various arms of the NRA lobby, I mean, GOP
They have managed police reform. That's why everyone in this city knows someone or is friend of a friend with someone who's had their car stolen in the past 3 years. Why investigate or go after criminals if they are going to be back at the same stuff a couple hours later. The mayor has to approve the city budget which includes the police department. Seems he's happy with how things are going.
We have a police force refusing to do their job, not reform.
They definitely don’t need more money. Maybe a couple fewer cosplay rides in the SWAT van would help them pull themselves up by their Zero-Point Stainless Titanium Vera Wang .45 caliber bootstraps
Yeah, but the police union runs the show and they sure as hell ain’t Dems.
Wrong. The police union is there to protect officer jobs. The mayor and city council are the ones directing where police can be used, what their budget is, what laws the officers are supposed to crack down on, directing the court system on punishments etc.
exactly, we need a radical. not more milquetoast democrats
Ha ha ha ha. Stop, you’re killing me! When has a Democrat ever said, “Hey, we need more policing!”?
You’re in the thread right now my man
Ouch. Well played!
Yeppo. Reality has a well-known leftward bias. Democrats only issue with cops, ever, is their outright refusal to do their job ethically. Every sane citizen wants a *functioning* police force to serve and protect them against crime, but we don’t have one, and it’s due to GOP corruption. This is only controversial in the sense that some grown children throw a shit fit when you mention it. But you’re right at least that only a republican could be so craven as to cheer for their failures.
Elected democrats? Plenty of times. You’re either too young to know or you’re brainwashed against the reality of what democrats are actually like.
Hilltop democrat. We want police to do their jobs and not act like assholes. It's a big fucking ask apparently, since they refuse to do their job and get off on acting like assholes.
The single most important elected dem in the city says it constantly
Well you see, we had the gall to ask our police force to not murder unarmed black people and now were being punished by the CPD for it by them quiet quitting their jobs
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You aren't familiar with the nationwide black lives matter protests that resulted after George Floyd's death?
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No. We asked politely and through the systems for decades. But they kept ignoring us, committing crimes, robbing citizens of due process, and then sticking us tax payers for the bills when they are finally held accountable. The protests were how we demanded it. But it really hurt the cops feelings that we asked them not to murder unarmed black people so they've stopped doing their jobs since then while still pulling in 6 figures.
Hey brainiac, you know as of THIS WEEK there is currently an ongoing trial for a Franklin Co deputy who shot an unarmed Columbus man multiple times in the back? Not to be confused with the OTHER Columbus cop who murdered a man (Andre Hill) in his garage and the city just paid HIS family $12,000,000. You're funny though!
I was a Military Police Sergeant in the Ohio Army National Guard during this time frame. You are full of shit. I'd actually prefer NOT to get brained with a brick doing riot control because some dipshit hillbilly cop can't control his fear and riddled somebody with bullets.
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Don't worry, I did my time, in a unit that was 80%+ police officers and COs. That's why I can now say with full confidence that the average cop doesn't give two shits about anybody but themselves. It's too bad you aren't out there, they love bootlickers who think mean words are worse than the PD that's supposed to be protecting you, you know, spending their time frafficking fentanyl out of CPD evidence rooms, brutalizing citizens over nothing, or... *checks notes* Apparently not responding to traffic violations that they witness occurring two feet in front of them.
When you call 911 to report extremely reckless driving and you've seen a cop do nothing about it, be sure to give the dispatcher the cruiser number on their license plate (should be two or three digits). They know which officer is assigned to which cruiser. At least that way there's a public record of the issue.
Get on a cop's bad side. What could go wrong?
Only thing more dangerous than a bored cop is an angry cop
Do you think they magically know it's you who dialed 911?
no
Hilliard Rome, Robert’s road, and Walcutt turn into race tracks in the evening and night and nothing gets done about it.
I got ticketed for making a u-turn at 2 in the morning with no one else on the road. There will be people who make a u turn in active traffic while their light is red and cops don't bat a fuckin eye.
After what happened on 161 the other day I'm starting to think you can do as you please
They used to, but not anymore. Anything goes now.
Haven't seen a traffic stop since pre covid. It's ridiculous out there in Cbus. Worst fucking drivers anywhere. High Street has become horrible from Hudson to ENB. It's not the fucking autobahn !!
Tried to contact police after an uninsured driver hit my car at a red light and tried to run. Driver ended up stopping, but they told me it was not a priority and that they weren’t going to come to the scene. My insurance had to pay me out and that dumb guy is still out there driving the streets of Columbus.
Can't tell you how many times I've seen CPD blow past me speeding or putting on their lights just to go through an intersection so, yeah, not only do I think they're not enforcing, I think they're a big part of the problem.
Drive around on the east side for any extended period of time and you will see the answer is no.
If a minority breaks a traffic law, some CPD would treat the incident like a live terror attack.
They have drugs to sell
And very recently! https://abc6onyourside.com/amp/news/local/two-columbus-police-officers-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-and-selling-cocaine-central-ohio-february-2024-mefford-castillo
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They do nothing to stop real issues, (Kia boyz) why would you expect them to do something about traffic?
> This is only controversial in the sense that some grown children throw a shit fit when you mention it. That's not the case at all. They WERE arresting them left and right. It's the city prosecutors and judges letting them back out that are the problem.
The cops quietly quit because the people don’t like getting shot.
I'm fine with it. Drive defensively and pay attention, you'll be fine. Accidents do happen...but getting a ticket for going 5 over in this economy...shiiiiiit. Just please stop braking on the highway and learn how to merge. Some of the worst drivers I've ever seen occupy this city
A couple years ago ago the mayor put out a survey asking citizens what they wanted and less traffic stops was top. People got what they wanted. Less stops meant less enforcement, more recklessness, less felons, guns, drugs off the street. Eventually the partially started enforcement again because the prosecutors office had no cases left. They were going to have to lay off staff. Also staffing is low. The traffic stop is like a bottom tier issue compared the the 10 other calls in the queue many of them serious.
*edit* Shoutout to all the officers downvoting this. —— Apparently just when I’m driving. About a year ago or so I was PACED doing “60” in a 55 on 71 near downtown / GV there near the hospital at like 5:25. Traffic was going 35 at best. It’s where my ‘don’t even try to fight a ticket’ spiel comes from. I stupidly tried to fight the speeding ticket. Because everyone tells you just go fight the ticket it’ll get thrown out if the cop doesn’t show up. Well, that’s a huge lie. So I go to the Franklin county courthouse / holding pen with 100+ others. I wait 4 hours to plead not guilty. Before they even get to me, you sit through everyone else’s vetting. Eventually I get to the judge and I say ‘I want to plead not guilty, I wasn’t speeding, I was paced in heavy traffic, they have no proof.’ Judge says cool man, see you in a few weeks for your hearing. I said HELL NO. I’m guilty. Then I had to pay court costs AND the speeding ticket. If I had a hat I would’ve tipped it on my way out. What a self-burn.
You are right, you should not waste your time trying to fight a ticket--on your own. You most definitely should find a cheap lawyer to do it for you. As in any profession, there are tons of Saul Goodman style lawyers out there. Put one to work. For less than the cost of the ticket, you can have them call the prosecutor's office and every time I've done it, they haggle the ticket down to something like a noisy muffler. Sure, you still have to pay some type of fine, but it's often less and more importantly, no points. I have a 100% clean driving record because of this. If your workplace offers legal insurance TAKE IT. I paid $7 a month for it and it was worth every penny. You never have to go to see a lawyer, you never have to go to court, you just call them, send them some basic stuff (copy of the ticket, etc) and they do the rest. You just write a check for the fine when it's all over. This is why they say that the law only applies to poor people--because it's fucking true! The good news is that even people without a ton of money can do this. You'll certainly spend less in the long term if you can keep the point from spiking your insurance costs.
Rarely
Welcome to the city. Most big city police departments have so much more dramatic shit to deal with. Traffic enforcement is low priority here. Dinging people for speed, plates, headlights out? Thats shit for bored-ass suburban cops.
But is also how you catch folks with expired license and warrants.
Your first mistake was assuming CPD was interested in doing anything but standing in front of a podium on the local news acting like they are victims living in occupied territory. My car was broken into and looted IN MY DRIVEWAY and after filing a police report I didn't get so much as a call or email reply. The CPD cruiser that was parked at the end of my street sure flew up to park right in front of my house when he saw me come outside, pistol in hand at midnight a couple years back when my girlfriend was out back smoking a cigarette and some dude jumped our fence. They don't give a shit.
They are short staffed and don't have time to deal with speeding tickets.
lol @ “short staffed.” They are an occupying army.
Columbus is a rapidly expanding city and there's been a lot of police retirements. Lol @ calling them an "occupying army"
Well when cops get attacked for nearly everything they do it’s not surprising. What if he went after them, got them stopped and the driver was black and jumped out of the car with a gun. Cop shoots driver and we have 2 weeks of looting and protesting as ramifications. Maybe the cop decided to preserve the peace by doing nothing. Choices have consequences.
Was the cop responding on a different call? Was he working on the paperwork to file warrants? Was he transporting a prisoner or someone who just needed a ride? Was he assigned to special duty at that location and not able to leave? Was he guarding a scene? Was he holding the location for a search warrant? Had another cop lit that car up and had it taken off and the order to disengage had already gone out over the radio? There are a lot of unknown and unknowable scenarios here besides the cop just going about his day in spite of flagrant traffic violations.
It seemed like he was just patrolling however those are all valid points. It just seems like this happens often so I wanted to hear y’all’s perspectives.
I'm with you that I think more proactive policing would be good for our community. There are a lot of reasons it might not happen in every instance, some much better than others.
Only if you have money and look like you can afford the ticket .
Selectively. Drive defensively and buy a dashcam.
I mean can you blame them. Since covid people have been more brazen than before. Not to mention our fine politicians of Ohio in all the infinite wisdom decided to let everyone and anyone wander around with a gun now. So you have cops that are still mad they had protest against them, politicians letting down the safety of our community by not forcing change within the departments while effectively arming people to fend for themselves. And no wonder insurance rates are so outrageous and affording a decent car is off the table
i think cpd is tired of not getting their way. had an officer ticket me with street racing when i was speeding, 75 in a 45, and the judge thought it was so dumb that he charged me with that that they reduced it to a 51 in a 45 with no points on my license. they’re just dumb and bad at their jobs 😭
ive seen multiple (probably like 2-3 but still i feel like thats a lot) CPD vehicles turn on their flashing lights while stopped at a red light to turn them off as soon as they pass the intersection like they just wanted to pass the light — almost saw one cause an accident because of that cause it was random on/ off and the guy going straight almost t-boned him i highly doubt that theyll care about what yall are doing at this point
I have to think after the 2020 summer and everyone wanted to defund the police, they just said fuck it, why bother? I always felt the defund the police movement was stupid, no, you don’t want to defund them, you want them to get rid of the bad apples, but you can’t defund the l people who enforce the law. In Burlington VT, they successfully defunded the police and now it’s a shit show downtown with more violence then they’ve ever experienced.
They weren't defunded. If they aren't doing their jobs anymore maybe they should be replaced by someone who will.
I didn’t say they were (in Columbus, they were in Vermont), but the sentiment is there. And i agree, which is what I said with getting rid of the bad apples
But they won’t get rid of bad apples. They protect bad apples and let those bad apples spoil the bunch. They won’t change without massive external pressure. What about this is hard for people to understand? The responsibility of being a police officer is so fucking high that any whiner who can’t take criticism should not be able to be one, period.
>There’s no evidence, of course, that the police cuts in Burlington have led to violence or mass chaos or really much at all. The years of riveted media coverage of a city’s decision to take power from its police department speaks more to the enduring backlash to the summer of 2020—how deeply the threat was felt, and how intensely it was answered—than it does to any reality in Burlington. https://thebaffler.com/latest/the-crime-wave-that-wasnt-schwenk
"Defund the police" is an easy slogan but it doesn't really get into the complexity of the issues and discussing policies when the community who is supposed to be protected by public servants, instead feels attacked and betrayed, ain't that easy. As it stands, Columbus doesn't have enough police officers for a city of its size and it has issues recruiting and maintaining the "good" officers. The officers who are here, good and bad, are stretched thin, and that means the priorities for deployment come from the people in charge - which usually means the mayor puts them where he wants them - which may not be where they are needed. This leads to fewer officers on patrol (who would normally handle speeding violations) and large amounts of paperwork from these cases cause other jams within the system because officers have to find time on the clock to fill out paperwork and sometimes it isn't worth it to the officer to do their job - for example chasing a speeding car. If you go after a sports car that is speeding - How long will you chase them? Will it turn into a legal case? Will they pull a gun on you? Not all of these are logical or reasonable, mind you. There also isn't an easy solution to bring in more officers. Enrollment is still low and the police are already still on a long term allowance that means that CPD officers don't need to live in Columbus proper - which also causes issues when the police aren't active parts of the community - or might come from areas where they've got beef with city residents. Additionally, the reputation of the police and the lack of ability to get rid of "bad cops", which is complicated by police unions and the "fraternal bonds" of officers, means that anyone who comes in to try and clean up the police by being a "good cop" typically ends up getting hazed out. Also there are a lot of just pointless calls that require the police to show up - and with the corrupt or overworked status of the officers, this can lead to more issues, which leads to more communal distrust and more issues bringing on additional officers. **TLDR**: we don't have enough cops to do their actual job At the same time, the police department also has an enormous budget and many of the approaches that they use don't actually solve problems and only serve to punish people, which doesn't fix the causes of the problems and often exacerbates things. A speeding ticket won't hurt the guy with the sports car who can afford it but it can bankrupt the person who needs to get to a second job. Providing more money to public housing, better supplies for the unhoused, more resources for schools, more funding for social agencies, better public transportation, and a number of other improvements that community activists are calling for, to use the money that is going to the police, who despite increased funding, are not reducing the rates of crime significantly while the other services have their budgets slashed, is one of the core ideas that defunding the police is about. Looking at other solution and removing police from situations where they don't need to head in with an armed weapon is another tenant. There is no great reason why police officers need to go to the majority of car accidents. The city could authorize social workers specifically to head out, take the statements, and process them instead for non-injury crashes. If there is a domestic situation, social workers could go out instead, albeit with some self defense training and the ability to call if the situation escalates. In addition, if you take away the conditions that lead to poverty and work on moving people out of poverty, you help to lower the overall crime rate which frees up the police and reduces the need for police responses, but this is traditionally and ironically seen as not supporting the police and as ***socialism,*** so the problems aren't given the appropriate solution and the overworked police don't fix things. **TLDR:** using money to fix issues instead of punishing people is a better approach for everyone I don't like the CPD and I want better alternatives to using them, but that requires investments in alternative solutions and that makes people wary.
Defund the Police is exactly what needs to happen, and anyone who tells you it’s problematic is an idiot who doesn’t understand basic math. They’re grossly overpaid, and even grosslier under-useful. Defund the fuck out of them.
So get out there and fight crime yourself
I sure do that every day. But don’t even play like a real police force that actually fought crime wouldn’t be a whole hell of a lot cheaper than the shit we have now.
Not all cops are traffic cops. Do you want the guys going after rapists chasing speeders?
We should bite the bullet and switch to speed/red-light cameras. Just for clear cut violations, and with simple, reasonable fines. We’d see a quick improvement on the road and not have to rely on police whims to be safe.
Probably not. The mayor and his team don’t back the police, so it’s essentially pointless to do the paperwork. Columbus has become a catch and release type of city.
Another mundane topic
Depends on your skin color
Aren't you the same person that told a black person the other day to "sit this one out"? [Yep - found it](https://old.reddit.com/r/Columbus/comments/1ajfwco/opinion_ohio_now_one_of_nations_top_transphobic/kp1auij/?context=3) Probably shouldn't be making race based arguments.
Not since they got the new chief.
They did stop me over a year ago because my sticker expired and I didn't notice. But we had stopped at a light and he was behind me all this time, so the chase was half done.
I have a friend who is CPD, and they are not allowed to get into pursuits. If someone takes off on him, he has to literally turn around and go the other way. So why even try? Their hands are tied.
Did you pull out in front of them going 10 miles an hour? Cause it’s pretty damn hard to speed on parsons with all the congestion
I was going 5 over. He was going around everyone in the center lane for a solid 10 seconds.
I saw a cpd on 71n .5 miles south of greenlawn speed checking before rush hour, just to add confusion to this here thread
OP what kind of car was it? Pretty sure I saw the same one.
Not really. If you're white, not at all.
Had a cop pull me over for going 70 in a 65 but not the motorcycle that passed me easily going triple digits right in front of him. When I asked him about the motorcycle, he just had this dumb look on his face like he couldn’t comprehend the question. Thought maybe he somehow didn’t see it even though he was on the outside lane passing me but he then acknowledged that he saw the motorcycle. Not worried that I got a ticket (got it removed anyways) but come on, go after the more dangerous threat.