A south Florida newspaper has obtained toll records indicating the times that Police Officer’s cars passed through toll booths. They then took the distance between booths, the time officers took to travel the distance and determined the officer’s average speed. From 12 months worth of data they determined that nearly 800 different officers drove between 90 and 130 mile per hour. Some were off duty and out of their jurisdiction when the high speeds occurred. Now nearly a dozen police agencies are conducting internal investigations. For up-to-date news accounts of this story, photos and to post a comment, please access the links below:
Broward County Sheriff’s Office Message Board
Florida Highway Patrol Message Board
Miami-Dade Police Department Message Board
Miami Police Department Message Board
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Message Board
02/11/2012 – Cops among Florida’s worst speeders, Sun Sentinel investigation finds
02/12/2012 – 21 people killed or maimed by speeding cops in Florida since 2004
02/13/2012 – Speeding cops get special treatment, Sun Sentinel investigation finds
This article holds a lot of truth to it. Let’s face it, cops are speeders, I know, I am (or was, now retired) one of those. However, I never drove the speeds quoted in the article (90+) unless I was on the job and it was justified. I only cited for speeding when they were doing 15 MPH over the limit (interstates and limited access roads). Cops that speed without cause and have wrecks that cause traffic fatalities should be charged. They need to be held accountable. Too many of them are swept under the rug. It makes all of us look bad. Our shields are tarnished every time a cop does something bad.