Law-enforcement officers need to respect traffic rules

Mr. [Asheville Police Chief Bill] Hogan: First, let me say thank you to you and your entire police force for the work that you do protecting our community. It is sincerely and graciously appreciated.

Next, I'd like to bring up an (admittedly minor) complaint that I've had for a few months now: specifically, the widespread disregard that some of your officers seem to have to basic traffic laws.

As an example, this morning, Nov. 23, I was traveling south on North Market Street. At the four-way stop intersection of East Walnut, an officer traveling east turned right, in front of me, without stopping. The time was about 8:45 a.m. and the vehicle's license-plate number was XVR-6970.

The officer stopped at the light at College Street, and then proceeded onto South Market Street. He or she then ran the stop sign at the four-way intersection with South Pack Square, in front of the Fire Department. Continuing down South Market Street, the vehicle turned left onto Eagle Street, again without stopping.

This isn't the first, or second, or even third time I've witnessed nearly this exact sequence as I'm traveling to work. In fact, I see it along the lines of once every week or two. I don't think any of the vehicles were traveling to an emergency — they all seemed to be headed back to the police station, in fact.

I realize this is a relatively minor offense, and none of the vehicles failed to yield at any of the intersections — there were no other vehicles approaching. However, I think a reminder to your drivers that stop signs mean come to a full stop might be worthwhile. This behavior seems counter to your mission and guiding principles published on your Web site. And after all, they'll be the first to explain this fact to an ordinary citizen when they see one of us do the same thing (along with imposing a hefty financial penalty).

Thanks for your time and consideration.

— Jordan Mitchell
Asheville

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Webmaster
Mountain Xpress Webmaster Follow me @MXWebTeam

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

4 thoughts on “Law-enforcement officers need to respect traffic rules

  1. Jordan M.

    I want to add that the Asheville police responded very favorably to my note, and they have assured me that their officers are obviously expected to follow all traffic regulations. I appreciate them taking it seriously!

  2. Cheshire

    Good to hear. I’m just hoping the other branches of law enforcement will follow suit. I recently had the sheriff’s dept quote me a bill that never made it out of committee from 2 years ago as current law. Before that, when reporting an attempted assault a couple years ago, I was laughed at and asked why I didn’t just beat the guy up. Hard to have any trust in law enforcement when you get that kind of BS.

  3. Dionysis

    It’s not limited to Asheville. I’ve been driving a long time, and have seen countless examples of cops ignoring traffic laws, parking restrictions and more. Police don’t even have any legal obligation to even tell the truth to suspects (or anyone else, for that matter). While this is not meant to be specific to Asheville, cops lie all the time; it’s almost routine anymore. That some may feel they have no obligation to adhere to the law themselves shouldn’t be a big surprise to anyone.

  4. travelah

    It is only a minor ofense until the negligent police officer runs somebody over … even then not much happens. There is quite a history of NC cops killing people through their excessive speed and disregard.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.