police car, lights on no siren

Stogies

Stogies

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The other day I saw a cop turn on his lights but not the siren. The cars in front of him paid no attention whatsorever and just kept driving normally. I was under the impression that you were supposed to get out of the way?
 
Stogies said:
The other day I saw a cop turn on his lights but not the siren. The cars in front of him paid no attention whatsorever and just kept driving normally. I was under the impression that you were supposed to get out of the way?
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In some areas a lot of people really don't care siren or not.
I see people pull into the lane that is clearing for emergency vehicles on the highway, rows of traffic proceed across insections in front of them, NCHP nearly having to push people off the road for traffic stops.
I'm no angel, I may see them, but if they're some distance behind and not gaining I'm not pulling over. Fire and EMS in particular don't always roll on like I do. Now if I hear them or think I do at an intersection, I'm checking waiting being real sure, I've seen an 80mph t-bone aftermath or two, no thanks.
 
If the following is true:

Lights on

All noise makers on

Keep beeping the horn

Traveling at a high rate of speed

Out to get some head
 
Stogies said:
The other day I saw a cop turn on his lights but not the siren. The cars in front of him paid no attention whatsorever and just kept driving normally. I was under the impression that you were supposed to get out of the way?
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Why is this thread under the ‘Fuquay Gun’ section?
 
Just watch OnPatrol Live, most drivers ignore the lights and sirens during pursuit or responding to calls.
 
Well...people will do people stuff.

If the officer really needs to get by these people, he'll do something to make his presence and intent better known.

In the meantime, we do our jobs like raising our own spawn to know and understand the rules of the road and whatnot.
 
I hope this is a joke kinda thread. But have fun with it.

Running with lights only used to mean responding to silent emergency alarms, both residential and business like Banks. Or other calls of that nature.

And to give assistance to other officers that were not life threatening situation but required you to quickly responded before things might turn to shi$


You beat me to it.
;)
 
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The law is, if you are running lights, you run siren. We'd often not run siren at night and there was less traffic. Interestingly the data show you really don't save that much time going emergency traffic* versus not. It's also when most responders get into MVCs and killed.

*EMS ad fire, not LE in traffic pursuit
 
Spinning and flashing, or just constant on?

I've noticed several departments going to lights locked on all the time. I think it's a great idea. If you are out and about for presence patrols it helps make your presence known and looks less like the sneaky traffic cops out to get you with the unmarked/ghost emblem type cars. Asheville city looks to have gone completely to blue lights on solid when on the roads.
 
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chiefjason said:
Spinning and flashing, or just constant on?

I've noticed several departments going to lights locked on all the time. I think it's a great idea. If you are out and about for presence patrols it helps make your presence known and looks less like the sneaky traffic cops out to get you with the unmarked/ghost emblem type cars. Asheville city looks to have gone completely to blue lights on solid when on the roads.
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Spinning and flashing.
 
chiefjason said:
Spinning and flashing, or just constant on?

I've noticed several departments going to lights locked on all the time. I think it's a great idea. If you are out and about for presence patrols it helps make your presence known and looks less like the sneaky traffic cops out to get you with the unmarked/ghost emblem type cars. Asheville city looks to have gone completely to blue lights on solid when on the roads.
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I agree.

It seems some police departments have forgotten that a VISIBLE PRESENCE is a preventative factor, and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Not to mention the fact that a visible presence makes them more readily available in time of need.
 
In NC, you only have to stop for blues lights AND siren. If the officer fails to activate the siren, you do not have to stop and you cannot be found guilty of a crime. There is more in the statute about the siren being audible to at a minimum of 1000 feet. However I think this part of the statute is hinky because it is dated back to a time when vehicles did not have all the road noise and sound suppression of the new vehicles. Below is a link to the statute if you would like to deep dive.

 
Chuckman said:
The law is, if you are running lights, you run siren. We'd often not run siren at night and there was less traffic. Interestingly the data show you really don't save that much time going emergency traffic* versus not. It's also when most responders get into MVCs and killed.

*EMS ad fire, not LE in traffic pursuit
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Same here, if the lights are flashing, you are supposed to have the noisemakers on too. Of course, 0400, in the middle of nowhere, people do turn the sirens off, but not supposed to.
I like when people call in, especially for BS, and tell the dispatchers to send us in without lights or sirens, that's when you wish for extra lights, call for fire backup so you get an extra truck with more lights and noise. You called 911, it is supposed to used for emergencies, so it is an emergency, we don't have a tiered dispatch so we respond to everything emergent, responding to an emergency we are required to run lights and sirens, so by our response rules, and by law, we have to run lights and sirens.
 
I'm actually thankful for this thread. In VA if you got pulled over and they had to use the siren they had already been following you for several miles with just the lights on. My wife has been pulled over twice in NC and neither time has a siren been used.
 
phideux said:
Same here, if the lights are flashing, you are supposed to have the noisemakers on too. Of course, 0400, in the middle of nowhere, people do turn the sirens off, but not supposed to.
I like when people call in, especially for BS, and tell the dispatchers to send us in without lights or sirens, that's when you wish for extra lights, call for fire backup so you get an extra truck with more lights and noise. You called 911, it is supposed to used for emergencies, so it is an emergency, we don't have a tiered dispatch so we respond to everything emergent, responding to an emergency we are required to run lights and sirens, so by our response rules, and by law, we have to run lights and sirens.
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LOL, I was always amused when people bitched about showing up lights/siren and with a fire truck. I told them, 911 doesn't have a menu, you don't get to pick and choose. If you ask for silent approach, then it's really not an emergency, and you don't need 911. Boom, bitches...logic!!
 
Average Joe said:
In NC, you only have to stop for blues lights AND siren. If the officer fails to activate the siren, you do not have to stop and you cannot be found guilty of a crime.
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What are the chances they’re not going to know this and escalating the situation?
 
The other day I was moving a police Explorer across town. It was all tricked out and ready for delivery to the destination. When I put my bottle of water in (no console), I accidetly hit the switch that activates the lights. I didn't know that I had turned the lights on until people started moving over out of my way.
 
Geezer said:
The other day I was moving a police Explorer across town. It was all tricked out and ready for delivery to the destination. When I put my bottle of water in (no console), I accidetly hit the switch that activates the lights. I didn't know that I had turned the lights on until people started moving over out of my way.
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Did you turn them off? Did you!?!?!
 
As for the people who don't want to hear the noise of a siren at night in the city...

They live in a city. They're going to hear city noises at night occasionally, so get over it. Roll over and go back to sleep.

Some people just gotta b*tch about stupid stuff, especially stupid stuff after making stupid decisions.

Like moving into a subdivision somewhere next to an airport or naval air station, then b*tching about the noise of aircraft flying overhead. Odds are you didn't move into the neighborhood BEFORE those facilites were built, so suck it up.

Or living in a neighborhood full of kids and getting upset every time some little kid sets a toe on their grass. Kids will be kids...unless they're damaging something, quit b*tching about every little infraction and worry about being a good neighbor who helps teach about boundaries and respect for property.
 
I've had a EMT/Paramedic SUV with lights on no siren fly past me many times in Raleigh day and night.
 
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Button Pusher said:
I've had a EMT/Paramedic SUV with lights on no siren fly past me many times in Raleigh day and night.
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As I said prior, I would do that at night or the wee hours when there's no traffic. Usually, I would just drive without lights/siren since during those hours the response time was pretty much the same anyway. But not during the day, hell no.

I subscribe to an email clearinghouse website for all sorts of EMS news. Almost every day there's an article of an EMT/medic killed in a MVC. It's not rare; it's not even unusual. During the day you have to run siren if you run lights.
 
RetiredUSNChief said:
They live in a city. They're going to hear city noises at night occasionally, so get over it. Roll over and go back to sleep.
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Out here in the country, you get the cows mooing, roosters crowing, and the chickens making the egg song.

And then there is the low rumble of the giant diesel engine that you can hear and feel a few minutes before the train gets to your private road crossing and lays on the air horn at zero-dark-thirty (usually about 6:30 am - it's pretty regular). We've been staying in our travel trailer since we started the house renovation on July 31st. We're several hundred feet from the tracks, through the woods, but close enough to hear it clearly. The first couple of nights, it set the dog off into a full blown barking fit that wouldn't stop.
 
noway2 said:
What are the chances they’re not going to know this and escalating the situation?
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I’m not aware of any incidents where it escalated the situation. However, I’ve not searched for any. It certainly isn’t outside the realm of possibilities. I’ve had it happen to me and you can tell when they honestly didn’t know.
 
noway2 said:
What are the chances they’re not going to know this and escalating the situation?
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I had a friend that didn't notice the cop behind him with just lights on for 4 miles until the cop hit the siren. It was after a 14 hour overnight shift and we were all exhausted. All the cop said was, "dude, I've been behind you for 4 miles." I waved as I drove by.
 
ChickenHawk said:
I had a friend that didn't notice the cop behind him with just lights on for 4 miles until the cop hit the siren. It was after a 14 hour overnight shift and we were all exhausted. All the cop said was, "dude, I've been behind you for 4 miles." I waved as I drove by.
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I went to nursing school at UNCG, lived in Durham. My reserve unit was being called up for Iraq, so I did all of my spring semester, my last semester, clinical during my Christmas break: 6 12-hour night shifts in a row for 4 weeks. I was driving back one morning and was in Haw River. I was zoning hard. I heard a siren, looked up, trooper behind me. I pulled over, he said something similar. I was totally zoned out, I was so exhausted. He wasn't mad or confrontational, he was just like, "pay attention." Apparently I was so out of it I was weaving a bit. I told him my story, he told me to pull off at the next exit and take 40 winks, which I did.
 
Watched a Cary PD officer pull over two NCSU girls all the way near main campus, they were oblivious to his lights and siren, he was pretty mad at them.
 
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