You know, I was in a vehicle that was pulled over to be inspected during one of these "crackdowns". The police officer treated us like criminals, very rude, very sarcastic and downright nasty. Two children in the backseat. Picture this. This officer took the registration, liscence, badgered the driver insinuating he had been drinking - which he had not. The officer went over the vehicle with a fine toothed comb and try as he might, could not find anything wrong with it. Seatbelts were on. This officer was trying with all his might to find a problem and couldn't, yet continued to be nasty. Of course, the driver could not retort because, well, you don't talk back to the police. He was treated like a criminal and embarassed - in front of children. We were let go, being told "you're lucky this time". Lucky? I didn't understand that one. We were law abiding...

I appreciate the RCMP and all they do, I really, really do. However, some really feel their power can be abused and use these "check stops" to have fun with it. Unfortunately, it only takes one bad apple...

Been there Singlemom.
I was pulled over on Domano one day at 5:10 pm. The cop said "you were driving pretty fast in a school zone, don't you think. I said, well yes If it had been a school zone, but it wasn't. The school zone sign was only a cautionary sign, (no 30kmh sign attached) and was 100 yards further down the road from where you pulled out with your lights flashing. It was after 5:00 pm and is therefore not in effect. The cop said well If I wanted to keep arguing that instead of giving me a verbal warning he could write me a ticket. I laughed and he let me go.

Some cops are on a power trip and theres no getting around it. However I never let them talk to me like I'm some sort of crook without talking to them in the same manner.
It's a two way street, you respect me and I respect you. If you don't respect me then you get what you get.

When you have problems like you did with that cop, get their business card etc and file a complaint. Otherwise the jerks will never stop.

444 speeding tickets at a minimum fine of $100 each = RCMP Say Weekend Crackdown Effective

I think the worst part of it is that this behavior from a RCMP officer is exhibited in front of children. Fat chance these kids will view the RCMP as a helpful resource should they need them. What a way to tarnish an image in the eyes of a child.

I dont' have a lot of faith in the complaint department - not sure how effective it would be. I guess I shouldn't whine about it if I'm not willing to follow up.

Hey .... does anyone really tink that the headline would say that it was a failure?

Next, what exactly is "success"?

To my mind success would be that the statistics for similar periods of time, similar season/weather, similar number of police hours on the programme, similar number of locations and actual locations, etc. etc. ... that those statistics would show a reduction in number of violations and severity of violations.

I somehow have the feeling that success to the RCMP is actually quite different than that, especially since there is no mention of that concept whatsoever.

So, how many crack shacks, grow-ops, and meth labs were busted over the long week end? I would have to guess; NONE. All the resources were concentrated on easy targets, and guaranteed revenue generators. Hey, don't get me wrong, I do not believe that excessive speed or impaired driving is at all acceptable, but as usual, the cops are focused on trolling for victims oops I mean criminals oops I mean lawbreakers. 444 speeding tickets, how many were really excessive? I bet most of the speeding tickets were for 20km/h or less over the limit. Another term for this type of law enforcement: cherry picking. Go out and find some real criminals, there are plenty of them.
metalman.

I wonder what we paid for the TV story they had on CKPG? They towed a wrecked vehicle there and didn't even use it in the story.

The cops did catch real criminals. 444 of them for violating speeding laws, and yes, even for drug seizures and impaired driving.

I drove to and from Alberta this weekend, knowing full well the RCMP were going to be out in force and believe me they were. What did I do? What any law biding citizen would do. I drove the speed limit and could relax knowing I wasn't going to get a ticket.

Like it or not the law says you speed you break the law and that is why the lady of justice holding the scales is blindfolded. There are no degrees to the law. Break it or do not break it.

From a law biding citizen my thanks to the RCMP for making me feel safe this weekend on the highway.

I'd like to know why there is increased staffing for the long weekend, and no increased staffing busting up the drug trade and patrolling downtown? While I applaud the charges relating to impaired driving, I would feel much safer if this "increased staffing" were spent elsewhere in the city to make it a safer place for everyone.

I do have a question though relating to impaired driving... 24 hour driving suspensions - I am assuming the RCMP issue these when they cannot prove a driver is actually impaired? Is this based on suspicion only? I'm not sure I understand that one. 6 impaired driving charges - that doesn't seem like much more than would be found on a typical weekend. What I see are fines, fines, fines...a very successful cash grabbing weekend. Just my opinion.

Howrd_B_Stern - well said! Cash grabbing? Let those who break the law pay the fines! Too bad the fines aren't stiffer! Some people just don't get it...

Well said if your on the enemies side,LMAO.

"I'd like to know why there is increased staffing for the long weekend, and no increased staffing busting up the drug trade and patrolling downtown?"

ICBC deals with the MV Act and incidents which cause claims. They have been paying money for these blitzes and am assuming they still do. They should know the answers to all or some of the questions I asked previously which deal with evaluating true success - reduction of incidents as well as improvement of bad habits.

They do not deal with the drug trade, so they do not give a hoot as far as providing funding about the drug trade or assaults.

Here is a recent example of a blitz regarding motorcyclists.

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=2aeb4b6b-d838-472e-aa78-0f4b7ffa5a30

...meanwhile many vehicles were damaged and businesses vandalized in town...where were the police???

Singlemom: The may long weekend statistically has had a very high incidence of driving fatalities so that is why more police were out on the road.
I would say the success was that the people who were unlicensed drivers, or intoxicated etc...were taken off the road before they could kill somebody....the failure is that Prince George will never get the message and the drinking and driving and the excessive speeders will continue to kill people.

Not in anyones best interest to yell at the cop your thanks for not tasering you? I did. And lived to tell about it.

"the failure is that Prince George will never get the message and the drinking and driving and the excessive speeders will continue to kill people."

I think that statement implies this is only a PG problem, which it is not, or that this is a probelm in PG more than any other place, which it is not.

Thanks to the RCMP for the work this weekend. On the way south and back, they caught three different clowns who blew by me within fifteen kms. Very amusing, and thanks for the donation. They probably donate to the gov't coffers by buying lottery tickets too!

Revenue generation cloaked in holy shrouds, appealing to the unwashed masses with promises of safety, peace, and contentment.
metalman.

Come on Esker everybody knows clowns don't really drive, that only happens in the circus.
Oh and why do you have a problem with someone passing you?
Are you one of the people that likes to speed up when someone is trying to pass or when you get to a passing lane area are you the guy that speeds up and won't let the people pass you that you have been holding up for the past 10 kms. Then once you get to the end of the passing lane area you slow down?
If anyone thinks any speeding campaigns will ever change anything you may as well jump off a bridge. It is no different than the war on drugs, an unwinnable war. However a great way to increase the income of our governments.

I've had one ticket in my life, about 15 years ago a cop 'gunned' me going 34k in 30k zone. Let me set it up for you, I'm driving along in a 50, see the school sign up ahead (as well as the cop) and was doing well under 30 when I hit the sign. A car was leaving the zone going the other way going fairly fast. I seen the cop up ahead well before the sign and he pulls me over. I told him that I thought he may have 'gunned' the wrong guy as I was doing 25k at the sign, he was very rude, bullish and confrontational - I got a ticket and fought it - the cop lied. Since that time I have heard many many stories about the tax collection methods they use.

Owl: Everyone knows it a national problem. The story refers to the PG area so I am focusing on that. Long time in the biz in PG and it has never let down.