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To Protect and Swerve: NYPD Cop Has 547 Speeding Tickets

nyc.streetsblog.org

21–30 of 156 posts

Re: To Protect and Swerve: NYPD Cop Has 547 Speeding Tickets

#21
post #4

Has he ever hit something or someone? If the answer is no, then speeding laws are too strict and must change.

I am of two minds about it. On one hand, speeding alone when done by a mature highly-attentive driver isn't really dangerous no matter the limit, because the driver has enough expertise to know what his personal limit ought to be. The residual risk is more from immature drivers, the mistakes of other cars, cyclists, and pedestrians. I have been on both sides of it. I have been the speeder who can drive very safely, a…

> I settle for a middle position, which is that the speed limit should be no less than 35 mph on most streets, with heavy mandated use of automated collision avoidance system.

Why does it need to be so contrived when there's empirical evidence from many other countries in the world about measures which do make traffic safer for everyone involved? Why can't the USA look at that and implement what has worked? It doesn't even need to do the heavy lifting, it's been done, just improve measures which have already saved countless lives in other countries...

Or don't and keep killing 30-50k people every year in traffic.

Re: To Protect and Swerve: NYPD Cop Has 547 Speeding Tickets

#22
post #15

> Since 2022, traffic cameras have caught his pickup truck blasting through school zones or running red lights more than 547 times in that one borough In the UK speeding tickets get you 3 points (or more if you're really over like 50+ in a 30). Get 12 points in a 3 year period and you are banned from driving. I thought that the US had something similar for "moving violations" (rather than say parking). Is the penalty…

typically, tickets issued by cameras dont cause demerit points because they are unreliable at knowing who specifically is driving at the time of the ticket.

they want to avoid giving you points on your license just because your kid/spouse/friend/whatever was speeding.

if these tickets were issued via a cop, rather than a camera, they would be 4 points each.

Re: To Protect and Swerve: NYPD Cop Has 547 Speeding Tickets

#23
post #16

They went to the guy's house, workplace? Followed him and took pictures? This article reads like a Kiwi Farms thread. Just saying. I'm not a fan of what they do, but that's what came to mind. And when people do undesirable things, documenting them for public awareness is important. But how deep is too deep when it comes to freelance investigative journalism of this type? e: critically I'm _agreeing_ that the reportin…

His workplace is a public governmental building, so that seems like standard journalistic practice. It is also normal and appropriate to visit his house to seek a comment when he didn't respond through other channels. It would have been irresponsible and unethical to not put in an effort to speak with him before publishing this article. And taking a photo of a government official in public is again very normal, and it's good that they confirmed the vehicle is actually used by the guy they're naming.

For investigative journalism, if it even qualifies as that, this is pretty shallow. It's good work but it's just some public data and a couple hours of work, not a deep invasive investigation. It also is not freelance, this is a staff reporter for a decades-old publication.

Re: To Protect and Swerve: NYPD Cop Has 547 Speeding Tickets

#24
post #16

They went to the guy's house, workplace? Followed him and took pictures? This article reads like a Kiwi Farms thread. Just saying. I'm not a fan of what they do, but that's what came to mind. And when people do undesirable things, documenting them for public awareness is important. But how deep is too deep when it comes to freelance investigative journalism of this type? e: critically I'm _agreeing_ that the reportin…

Yeah, if he wasn't a public servant, and he wasn't a police who is supposed to enforce the laws, then I'd agree with you. But he is (hopefully "was" at one point) a public servant, and supposed to enforce the law, so if he flagrantly breaks the law almost every single day, then it's in public interest to know who is he and what he does.

Re: To Protect and Swerve: NYPD Cop Has 547 Speeding Tickets

#26

What is the point of this article? > Like all drivers in New York State, Giovansanti is immune to consequences as long as he pays the $50 tickets So he's allowed to do this. Why are we talking about it?

Because he shouldn't be allowed to do that? Because police officers should be held to a higher standard than others? Because being immune to consequences isn't a thing anyone should be? Those are just the reasons I could think of in ten seconds, I'm sure others could come up with more.

Re: To Protect and Swerve: NYPD Cop Has 547 Speeding Tickets

#27

I don't understand, doesn't NY have a points system for driving licenses? In most places you could speed at most half a dozen times before you lose your license.

From the article:

> State law classifies camera-based tickets as mere violations, and they don’t add any points to a driver’s record, even though exceeding the speed limit by 11 miles per hour is worth four points on a license — but only if the offender is caught by a cop instead of a camera. Just three of those tickets suspends a driver’s license, but Giovansanti can keep on driving.

Re: To Protect and Swerve: NYPD Cop Has 547 Speeding Tickets

#28
post #15

> Since 2022, traffic cameras have caught his pickup truck blasting through school zones or running red lights more than 547 times in that one borough In the UK speeding tickets get you 3 points (or more if you're really over like 50+ in a 30). Get 12 points in a 3 year period and you are banned from driving. I thought that the US had something similar for "moving violations" (rather than say parking). Is the penalty…

Traffic cameras identify the owner, the person who registered the vehicle, not the driver meaning there's no license to put points on. There is no points system (At least in NY) for registration to my knowledge.

Re: To Protect and Swerve: NYPD Cop Has 547 Speeding Tickets

#29
post #20

I don't understand, doesn't NY have a points system for driving licenses? In most places you could speed at most half a dozen times before you lose your license.

It does, but according to the article it doesn’t apply to tickets issued by camera.

Well, that, and cops.

Re: To Protect and Swerve: NYPD Cop Has 547 Speeding Tickets

#30
post #10

No doubt police should not be above the law and we should call that out. However this article reads more like hyperbolic slander.

which part is hyperbolic, and which part is slander?

(remember that a statement has to be false to be slander)

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