Police cars driving with lights on but no siren

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband is a retired cop. In our state lights OR siren mean pull over. Siren is used when needed or at all intersections where requiring running of a red light. Or when lights alone don't work to get someone to pull over.
Sometimes cops also get a silent call, which means that while they are responding to an emergency they are trying to not make their approach to the scene known. My husband got this a lot with touchy domestic disputes, not wanting to escalate the situation even more, for example.

THANK YOU! The ignorance in this thread is astounding. Really? It's "obnoxious and dumb"? Or maybe....just maybe, there are times when the police don't want to announce their presence? In some situations it is safer for the officer. Sometimes it is safer for a potential victim. There are many other reasons an officer may be running just lights. My DH is Federal Law Enforcement and my brother is a Police Detective. The anti-cop nonsense is getting so old.

FYI, those things don't need capitals. They're just jobs, no matter how much the employees think of themselves.

Oh Deare PP, do not waste Your breathe of Worde Lessons on the trumpian interlopers; ye shall Know them by These Signes.

[Anonymous]

They started this 10 (maybe) years ago when the DC council and police chief went off to Israel to find some facts.

Israel started doing this decades ago and they found that time dropped, including traffic infractions, as people would see the flickering lights and know a cop was close by.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband is a retired cop. In our state lights OR siren mean pull over. Siren is used when needed or at all intersections where requiring running of a red light. Or when lights alone don't work to get someone to pull over.
Sometimes cops also get a silent call, which means that while they are responding to an emergency they are trying to not make their approach to the scene known. My husband got this a lot with touchy domestic disputes, not wanting to escalate the situation even more, for example.

THANK YOU! The ignorance in this thread is astounding. Really? It's "obnoxious and dumb"? Or maybe....just maybe, there are times when the police don't want to announce their presence? In some situations it is safer for the officer. Sometimes it is safer for a potential victim. There are many other reasons an officer may be running just lights. My DH is Federal Law Enforcement and my brother is a Police Detective. The anti-cop nonsense is getting so old.

You're the one who seems ignorant. Extremely ignorant. DC police drive around with their lights on as a matter of policy. All day and all night with no emergencies they have their lights going constantly. It doesn't mean pull over. It creates a confusing situation for a lot of people. People think its "dumb" because most of us grew up to automatically react if a police car has its lights on. Instead, in DC the lights mean carry on. Unless they are going to an emergency which you are magically supposed to be able to discern. I myself find it to be one of the DUMBEST policies ever.

[Anonymous]

Note that the lights flash in a much slower pace when it isn't an emergency. It switches to a more imperative cadence and brightness when it is used for emergency purposes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband is a retired cop. In our state lights OR siren mean pull over. Siren is used when needed or at all intersections where requiring running of a red light. Or when lights alone don't work to get someone to pull over.
Sometimes cops also get a silent call, which means that while they are responding to an emergency they are trying to not make their approach to the scene known. My husband got this a lot with touchy domestic disputes, not wanting to escalate the situation even more, for example.

THANK YOU! The ignorance in this thread is astounding. Really? It's "obnoxious and dumb"? Or maybe....just maybe, there are times when the police don't want to announce their presence? In some situations it is safer for the officer. Sometimes it is safer for a potential victim. There are many other reasons an officer may be running just lights. My DH is Federal Law Enforcement and my brother is a Police Detective. The anti-cop nonsense is getting so old.

You're the one who seems ignorant. Extremely ignorant. DC police drive around with their lights on as a matter of policy. All day and all night with no emergencies they have their lights going constantly. It doesn't mean pull over. It creates a confusing situation for a lot of people. People think its "dumb" because most of us grew up to automatically react if a police car has its lights on. Instead, in DC the lights mean carry on. Unless they are going to an emergency which you are magically supposed to be able to discern. I myself find it to be one of the DUMBEST policies ever.

Actually it means get out of my way.

It's so weird around here. If you leave this area if a cop is behind you light or no lights you pull over a little to let them pass as a courtesy. Around here people slow down as much as they can to try to piss off cops.

Their lights are on so people know police are present, if one is behind you pull over to the right and let them pass, it's not that complicated.

I am sorry if it makes you nervous, but take a breath and move to the right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Actually it means get out of my way.

It's so weird around here. If you leave this area if a cop is behind you light or no lights you pull over a little to let them pass as a courtesy. Around here people slow down as much as they can to try to piss off cops.

Their lights are on so people know police are present, if one is behind you pull over to the right and let them pass, it's not that complicated.

I am sorry if it makes you nervous, but take a breath and move to the right.

Umm. No. If a police car is driving, on a road, he is a regular car. He obeys traffic laws. We obey traffic laws. There's no "courtesy" move over. Just drive.

It's the same in DC. If a police car is just driving, with his lights steady or flashing, just drive. If it's an emergency, you pull over and slow down, which can be a difficult maneuver because of the narrow roads and congestion. There's no reason to pull over anytime you are near a police car. Although sometimes it's hard to tell, in DC, whether the police car is just driving or is responding to an emergency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Actually it means get out of my way.

It's so weird around here. If you leave this area if a cop is behind you light or no lights you pull over a little to let them pass as a courtesy. Around here people slow down as much as they can to try to piss off cops.

Their lights are on so people know police are present, if one is behind you pull over to the right and let them pass, it's not that complicated.

I am sorry if it makes you nervous, but take a breath and move to the right.

Umm. No. If a police car is driving, on a road, he is a regular car. He obeys traffic laws. We obey traffic laws. There's no "courtesy" move over. Just drive.

It's the same in DC. If a police car is just driving, with his lights steady or flashing, just drive. If it's an emergency, you pull over and slow down, which can be a difficult maneuver because of the narrow roads and congestion. There's no reason to pull over anytime you are near a police car. Although sometimes it's hard to tell, in DC, whether the police car is just driving or is responding to an emergency.

I know people are not courteous in DC... but they should be, move over if you can and let them pass.

Why are you so angry all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a DC thing with MPD. You would think I'd be used to it by now but I'm always doing double takes when I see the lights and wondering if I should pull over.

It has been DC's police department (MPD's) policy for years to drive with lights on to show a visible presence. It is disconcerting, because it can be hard to tell if an officer just has the lights on (per department policy), or is responding silently to a call (like a couple of PPs have described). I wish they'd drop the lights-on policy - I don't think it has made any measurable difference in neighborhoods, and it just confuses drivers.

It got your attention. It made you redirect your focus. That's a good thing. DC's crime rate is the lowest it's been in decades--simmer down.

While PG's rises because the DC gentrifiers pushed out the petty criminals

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a DC thing with MPD. You would think I'd be used to it by now but I'm always doing double takes when I see the lights and wondering if I should pull over.

It has been DC's police department (MPD's) policy for years to drive with lights on to show a visible presence. It is disconcerting, because it can be hard to tell if an officer just has the lights on (per department policy), or is responding silently to a call (like a couple of PPs have described). I wish they'd drop the lights-on policy - I don't think it has made any measurable difference in neighborhoods, and it just confuses drivers.

It got your attention. It made you redirect your focus. That's a good thing. DC's crime rate is the lowest it's been in decades--simmer down.

While PG's rises because the DC gentrifiers pushed out the petty criminals

Not true... PG crime is down over the last 4 years.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/prince-georges-leaders-tout-falling-crime-rates-homicides-drop-40-percent-since-2010/2015/01/13/d38e006c-9b28-11e4-bcfb-059ec7a93ddc_story.html?utm_term=.40e7b03fb015

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a DC thing with MPD. You would think I'd be used to it by now but I'm always doing double takes when I see the lights and wondering if I should pull over.

It has been DC's police department (MPD's) policy for years to drive with lights on to show a visible presence. It is disconcerting, because it can be hard to tell if an officer just has the lights on (per department policy), or is responding silently to a call (like a couple of PPs have described). I wish they'd drop the lights-on policy - I don't think it has made any measurable difference in neighborhoods, and it just confuses drivers.

It got your attention. It made you redirect your focus. That's a good thing. DC's crime rate is the lowest it's been in decades--simmer down.

While PG's rises because the DC gentrifiers pushed out the petty criminals

Not true... PG crime is down over the last 4 years.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/prince-georges-leaders-tout-falling-crime-rates-homicides-drop-40-percent-since-2010/2015/01/13/d38e006c-9b28-11e4-bcfb-059ec7a93ddc_story.html?utm_term=.40e7b03fb015

And DC crime is up and in 2015 and 2016. So police cars should drive around with sirens on to bring it back down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a DC thing with MPD. You would think I'd be used to it by now but I'm always doing double takes when I see the lights and wondering if I should pull over.

It has been DC's police department (MPD's) policy for years to drive with lights on to show a visible presence. It is disconcerting, because it can be hard to tell if an officer just has the lights on (per department policy), or is responding silently to a call (like a couple of PPs have described). I wish they'd drop the lights-on policy - I don't think it has made any measurable difference in neighborhoods, and it just confuses drivers.

It got your attention. It made you redirect your focus. That's a good thing. DC's crime rate is the lowest it's been in decades--simmer down.

Actually crime is up in DC, and I'm not sure how redirecting focus while driving is having a positive impact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband is a retired cop. In our state lights OR siren mean pull over. Siren is used when needed or at all intersections where requiring running of a red light. Or when lights alone don't work to get someone to pull over.
Sometimes cops also get a silent call, which means that while they are responding to an emergency they are trying to not make their approach to the scene known. My husband got this a lot with touchy domestic disputes, not wanting to escalate the situation even more, for example.

THANK YOU! The ignorance in this thread is astounding. Really? It's "obnoxious and dumb"? Or maybe....just maybe, there are times when the police don't want to announce their presence? In some situations it is safer for the officer. Sometimes it is safer for a potential victim. There are many other reasons an officer may be running just lights. My DH is Federal Law Enforcement and my brother is a Police Detective. The anti-cop nonsense is getting so old.

FYI, those things don't need capitals. They're just jobs, no matter how much the employees think of themselves.

Oh Deare PP, do not waste Your breathe of Worde Lessons on the trumpian interlopers; ye shall Know them by These Signes.

I'm PP, and I love this so much!

[Anonymous]

to be honest lets say there is a emergency and its serousr to were someone can die and sirens are to be heard by the bad person so like thats giving the bad person a warning to get away .... from my opinion i think police should do sirens if there far but when there life two streets light away they should turn off the sirens so the person wont get away

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It means they're late to dinner/ other emergency, and want to cut the traffic, as per my policeman friend. Actual emergencies require lights and sirens (in my part of the country). It's just like the firehouse in my neighborhood sounding the alarm when meals are ready- it's a small town. There is no way there are 3 fires per day, all corresponding to meal times.

The firehouse growing up used to sound alarms at certain times every day so that residents could tell the time/set their clocks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband is a retired cop. In our state lights OR siren mean pull over. Siren is used when needed or at all intersections where requiring running of a red light. Or when lights alone don't work to get someone to pull over.
Sometimes cops also get a silent call, which means that while they are responding to an emergency they are trying to not make their approach to the scene known. My husband got this a lot with touchy domestic disputes, not wanting to escalate the situation even more, for example.

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