Careers: Police/Speed by Pacing

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Expert: - 6/12/2008


Question
Hello, I was wondering what the proper procudre was for clocking someone's speed by pacing the vehicle.  I know their is a step-by-step process for effectively evaluating the speed with this method.  Can you help?

Answer
Sean,

  There is no "proper procedure" for anything involving police work.  There are thousands of police departments, tens of thousands of officers, and thousands of judges who hear cases.  I think that you could safely say that an officer needs only to prove that he followed the vehicle for a reasonable distance and was able to determine the speed of the automobile that he stoppped.  It is then up to the judge to determine if the distance was reasonable.  However a police officer is usually recognized as an expert witness in matters of speed and I have seen officers testify what they determined the speed of a vehicle to be while sitting in a fixed position.  A private citizen could not do that because they are not  expert witnesses in this type of case.

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Jack Toomey

Expertise

U.S.: I am an expert in this category for the purpose of giving young people an idea what the hiring process involves for the position of police officer. I am getting a flood of questions from young people who are being influenced by unrealistic television shows. I'd ask you to consider that when you watch police shows on television that they are NOT realistic and most of what you see does not happen in real life. Please do not ask me about potential jail sentences that you, your friends, or family might receive in court. There is no way for me to know that. I am NOT a probation officer so I cannot answer questions about probation and parole matters. I am a retired police officer with 26 years experience.I worked in a variety of assignments including investigations, homicide, sex crimes, runaway investigations, missing persons, and fraud.I also dealt with the general public during that time giving a wide range of advice on matters such as domestic disputes, problem solving, teenage problems, civil/criminal matters, and dealing with the mentally ill. I am available to give sound and reasonable advice which can solve most problems. Please do not ask me to do homework questions or online interviews. Young people should not rely on the Internet for interviews. Local police officers are normally very agreeable to assist students with interviews and surveys.

Experience

Worked as a police officer/detective for 26 years.

Graduate of the University of Maryland.B.S. in Law Enforcement.Attended numerous schools and training courses involving investigations, interviewing, interrogations, crime detection, domestic violence, and others. Recognized in court as an expert witness.

Received numerous awards during my police career for expert investigations. Handled the most sensitive and confidential investigations. In 1999 I won an award for my work with high school students while working in my new career in a large suburban high school.

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