Instead Being of Assistance – A Ticket
A few weeks ago my niece and a friend were driving to our home in Copake from Great Barrington at approximately 11 pm at night. The GPS in their car was directing them. The GPS guided them a bit off track as they were looking for our road.
They saw no police car or any other cars on the road and they had no cell phone service to call us for directions.
As they made the left hand turn onto what they thought was our road the police car followed the young women’s car with no headlights on or flashing lights for approximately ½ a mile. The police then put on their lights and stopped my niece and friend on the dark dirt road. The first policemen approached the car and said they were speeding. The two college age young woman said they were lost and looking for our house. Then a second officer got out of the car with his flashlight and started shining it on everything in the back seat as well as the two young women.
When they asked why they didn't put on their lights - the officers said they were going too fast and couldn’t catch them - as far as I know police cars can drive fast when they need to especially going down Rt 7 and turning left onto what is consider by the Town of Copake to be a private road.
Instead of helping them to find their way or lend any assistance they gave the driver a speeding ticket for going 47 in a 30. It is not possible to be going that speed in the dark to make a left turn.
Why would they follow them with no lights on? How would the girls know it was the police? Why would they not assist these two young women to find our home? They were so scared and confused.
In further research these officers were not even from our area.
Copake promotes itself as the land of rural charm and wants people to visit and enjoy the area. This is not a way to promote our community.
I hope that in the future the police that patrol our area will be more helpful.
Linda Senk
Copake, New York
do you recall the officers name?
ReplyDeleteIt's becoming a total police state...They had no right to "search the car".Next they're not going to allow gardens...oh wait it's already illegal. They make it unsafe environment because the individual being "pulled over" is considered guilty automatically.
ReplyDeleteThey should have pulled off to the side of the road, made sure they had their doors locked, NOT rolled down their windows and shouted through the closed windows that they were calling 911 to verify that the officers in question, were actually police. Only after verification by 911 would they open their windows! No lights, being followed on a country road, well, that sends out signals of a possible abduction, rape, robbery, etc. The police should have known better, or should be trained better!!!
ReplyDelete